Recommend May 2012 - (Page 28)

DESTINATIONS continued from page I-4 as this is India’s most distinctive gateway city—an improbable sprawl accented with colonial remnants standing next to ultra-modern buildings. An aura of the past bathes Mumbai and its museum quality is quite distinctive. This is where you’ll ﬁnd some of India’s most exciting nightlife and restaurants. After all, Mumbai is to Indian cuisine what Paris is to French gastronomy. The Golden Triangle Despite their vast differences, India’s three major cities are singularly attractive places offering such a diverse menu of adventures and stimulating places to explore that the days will merge seamlessly. Newcomers will get a fascinating glimpse of this exotic land by exploring the so-called “Golden Triangle,” a region of approximately 200 miles on each side where the most alluring sites in India sit. The area oozes beauty and charm and it’s no surprise that this section is India’s main lure for tourism. One can easily traverse the Golden Triangle in a week, but some ﬁnd that a 10- to 14-day trip is more appropriate to admire all the sites within it. The Golden Triangle holds India’s most iconic sites: the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Pink City of Jaipur and the multi-faceted wonders of Delhi. Visiting Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, about one hour’s ﬂight from Delhi, is like venturing into an Indian fairy tale. It stuns the senses with its elan and a staggering hodgepodge of cultures and dazzling colors. Its sidewalk shops overﬂow with dyed fabrics, pottery and metal sculptures, while camel carts, rickshaws and even the occasional cow adorned with ﬂowers wander through congested streets. Pink buildings dominate the Old City, a place swarming with bazaars and restaurants. Jaipur is known for its desserts, mouth-watering wonders that are as delightful to the palate as the city is to the other senses. While in Jaipur one should not miss the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Wind), built as a harem by a maharajah for his wives who could watch the street withI-6 incredibleindia.org out being seen. It’s a ﬁve-story marvel precisely positioned for the breeze to ﬂow through its windows. Jaipur’s most famous landmark, however, is the Amber Fort, an ancient architectural marvel made up of intricately carved gates paying tribute to the Elephant God. There are some inviting, typical Rajasthani villages just outside the city worth a visit. Chokhi Dhani, about 20 minutes away, is where one goes to sample local cuisine, dishes invariably doused with ghee (pure clariﬁed butter). The exotic festivals for which India is known are prevalent in Rajasthan. The Bikaner Camel Fair is a January fest that consists of brightly decorated camels parading against the grand ramparts of Junagarh Fort in the desert city of Bikaner. A recent development that has proven popular with tourists to Jaipur is the conversion of a number of opulent palaces and old forts into “heritage hotels.” The Raj Mahal Palace is a bijou wonder built in 1729 by a maharajah. Huge lawns surround it and peacocks roam the grounds where the serenity of the property reﬂects the glory of its heyday. Almost directly east of Jaipur is Agra, the city that beckons with its magic. This is the site of the fabled Taj Mahal, a “must” stop in any passage to India. Adventurous drivers will delight in the 4-hour trek from Delhi to Agra that passes some of India’s most alluring scenery. The splendid ruins of an ancient Mughal capital, Fatehpur Sikri, sit roughly midway between the two cities and is one of the regional wonders. Other noteworthy nearby sites include a stop at the Agra Fort and Itmad-ud-Daulah (affectionally dubbed “The Baby Taj”), considered a pocket version of its more famous and larger cousin. about 125 miles northeast of Jabalpur, Bandhavgarth National Park is a scenic corner where history and nature merge into a delightful blend. The diversity of plants thriving in its hilly terrain astounds while an ancient and historic fort serves as its main focal point. Bandhavgarth is also celebrated as a sanctuary for the country’s legendary endangered tigers. It boasts the largest concentration of the magniﬁcent felines of any other location in India. Even a short stay in Bandhavgarth can become a delightful game-viewing trek as leopards, jackals, bears and sloths are frequently sighted. Also in Madhya Pradesh, Kanha National Park, India’s largest national park, is a feast for the eyes, offering a treasure trove of bamboo forests, lakes and rivers crisscrossing open savannas. Its conservation programs have been directly responsible for the preservation of such endemic creatures as tigers, swamp deer and scores of colorful and exotic avian species. Into the Mountains Often bypassed by most tourists, those who want to venture farther into India will ﬁnd Leh to be one of the country’s most mesmerizing destinations. Accessible by a short ﬂight from Delhi, it sits in the Himalayan lowlands and is an unparalleled surprise that showcases the stark beauty of the harsh terrain that surrounds it. Sunrises over the Himalayas are legendary, but perhaps nowhere in India are they as colorful and inspiring as in Leh. Approaching Leh by air is always a whiteknuckle thrill, as the aircraft performs a series of tight corkscrew maneuvers breezing past rugged mountain peaks on each turn to eventually land on a narrow runway stretching deep in a valley. Ruins of a palace stand guard over the old city while a monastery adds mystery to this enthralling town, two miles high in the Himalayas. Shopping for antiques, carpets, pashmina shawls and turquoise trinkets is an experience like nothing else in India. Wildlife Wonders About 100 miles south of Jaipur, deviating from the Golden Triangle, lies Ranthambhore National Park, where there are ample opportunities to observe tigers in their natural habitat. Also nearby is Udaipur, with its enchanting palaces, the Lake Palace and the City Palace, that make visitors feel like they’ve stumbled into a classic painting from ancient India. If one has traveled this far, it makes no sense to leave without visiting Jodhpur—the fabled Blue City—to see marvels like the Mehrangarth Fort, an elaborate architectural masterpiece dominated by eight gates. With more than 80 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, India, in fact, is a virtual paradise for travelers who delight in natural wonders. In the state of Madhya Pradesh, Steamy Tropics and Tribes The other side of the rupee, so to speak, lies in Orissa—a state of India ofﬁcially called Odisha—on the Bay of Bengal’s eastern coast. This is where nature nestles in an unrivaled tropical paradise. Orissa is full of temples, pulsating tribes, rich art forms and pristine shores. Birdwatchers will see exceptional species at Chilka Lake, while others will ﬁnd a great sense of “newness” exploring the sacred Jagannath Temple in Puri. Noteworthy, too, is the Sun Temple at Konark, perhaps India’s best-preserved temple. http://www.incredibleindia.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend May 2012

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Salamander Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Worldwide Traveler
Viking Longships Invade European Waters
In Chile: Going to Extremes
India Travel Planner 2012
Devon & Cornwall: England's Peerless Destinations
Israel & Jordan: The Wellspring of Spirituality
Top Golf Resorts: North America
Top Golf Resorts: Caribbean & Bermuda
Top Golf Resorts: Mexico

Recommend May 2012