India Travel Facts - General Information from Handmade Holidays

VISA REQUIREMENTS & DEPARTURE TAXES

To enter India you will require a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of entry with at least 2 blank pages. A visa will need to be organised prior to your arrival. For this you will require a completed application form with two passport photos) and your passport. Allow 5-10 working days for processing. It is your responsibility to ensure all visa and entry requirements are met prior to arrival in India. All foreign tourists to India, except nationals of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, must possess a valid visa. Visas are not issued on arrival. A tourist visa is valid for 3 to 6 months. Tourist visas allow multiple entry to simplify visits to neighbouring countries. You will be required to fill in a disembarkation card on your way to India at the immigration counter at the entry airport.

MONEY

The currency in India is known as the Indian Rupee (INR). Approximate exchange rates as follows: 86 INR equals GBP£1 29 INR equals NZ$1 46 INR equals US$1 41 INR equals CAD$1 35 INR equals AUD$1 You are advised to carry a mix of cash and travellers cheques (US$ & GBP£ are preferable outside of the main cities). Traveller cheques can be exchanged at most major hotels. It is a good idea to keep the exchange receipts as you may need these if you want to change the Indian currency back to your local currency at the end of your trip. Credit cards can be used in many of the hotels and in some shops and restaurants in major cities; however they are not widely accepted in more rural areas. Visa and Mastercard are the most commonly accepted in cards. Cash advances can be obtained using these cards at most bank branches using your passport. ATM access is available in the bigger cities but you should not rely on this.

CLIMATE

In general the best time to visit India is during October to April, when temperatures are less hot. Many National Parks close during the summer and monsoon months, as do some hotels. India is a country with diverse weather patterns which vary greatly from north to south. As a general rule, India is at her best between the months of October and April. In Delhi, Rajasthan and across the north, days are mostly warm and free of rain during this period. In the months of December and January nights can be very cold, but days typically reach about 20 degrees Celsius. Temperatures during the day in April can reach the mid 30s Celsius. These temperatures continue to rise to the mid 40s Celsius until the monsoon comes in June (and lasts until September). From Mumbai south, the climate is more typically tropical, with daytime temperatures into the low 30s Celsius. Hill stations in the south can be cool at night in December and January. The months between June and September can be hot, with humid monsoonal conditions in most areas. Parts of Southern India can experience showers in November and December, but the months of October to April are still considered the best time to travel to this region. In the Himalayas, the winter months can be very cold and travel to higher altitudes is not advisable. From April to October the weather is usually pleasantly mild to warm during the day with occasional showers. Nights are cool to cold, especially at high altitudes.

ELECTRICITY

The electric current in India operates on 220 volts. Electric plug types come in at least two sizes and vary throughout the country, the rounded two or three pronged plug is most commonly used. You may want to bring a small hair dryer or portable iron. Many but not all of our hotels will have these.

FOOD & WATER

Indian food incorporates a number of styles and each region specialises in its own cuisine. Breakfast is included each day on our tours and is usually a mix of buffet and continental style. In the major cities lunch should cost around INR 300-400 and dinner INR 400-500 - depending on the restaurant. Meals can be significantly cheaper than this, for example in more local restaurants or small rural towns, or higher in some of the upmarket and modern city restaurants. In rural restaurants, food hygiene is not always up to Western standards and it may sometimes be preferable to eat in your hotel. In some more remote areas, your hotel may be the only option outside of very basic local tea houses or dhabas. Your tour leader and/or local guide will be able to offer the best advice on where to eat local specialities, to ensure you get the most out of India’s delicious cuisine. Drinking local tap water is not recommended. Bottled water is cheap and readily available throughout India.

POST & COMMUNICATION

International mail generally takes 10 to 14 days to reach its destination and prices are a little less than western postal charges. Parcels must be inspected by a customs official at the post office before being sealed and boxes are usually available at the post office. Reverse charge (collect) calls are available in many cities. International phone and fax facilities are widely available however they are expensive. Cost varies from region to region. International direct dial is available from most hotels for additional charges but the service is not always reliable and is usually relatively expensive. It can cost from INR 200 per minute upwards. Cheap international calls can be made from local shops with an STD/PCO/ISD sign outside. Email services are inexpensive and available in most tourist areas. Hotels often have internet and email services which are convenient but more costly.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Digital photography is easily catered for in key cities in India and most photography shops and internet cafes are able to place digital photos onto a disc for a relatively inexpensive fee. Memory cards are not widely available to buy outside of tourist areas. Print film, such as Kodak, Konika or Fuji is widely available and costs approximately INR 150 per roll. India has good and fast processing facilities. A roll of 24 exposures can be developed for approximately INR 250 but beware of poor quality or old chemicals, especially in smaller centres. Slide films, APS and Hi8/V8 video cassettes are not widely available outside major cities. The x-ray machines at all airports are film safe. LOCAL TIME India is set to Indian Standard Time: • 5 ½ hrs ahead of GMT • 4 ½ hrs behind Australian Eastern Standard Time • 6 ½ hrs behind New Zealand • 10 ½ hrs ahead of Canada Eastern Time • 13 ½ hrs ahead of Canada Pacific Time • 10 ½ hrs ahead of US Eastern Time • 13 ½ hrs ahead of US Pacific Time

SHOPPING

Clothing, paintings, leather shoes, carpets, jewellery, textiles, ceramics, marble, antiques and a huge selection of souvenirs are favourite buys for visitors. A few guidelines to follow when shopping: • Except in department stores, or more expensive boutique style shops, bargaining is the norm. To get the best price you will have to haggle hard. • Export of certain antiques is not permitted. Make sure you are aware of relevant regulations before purchasing. • Fake reproductions are common. Make sure you know what you are buying - especially in the case of antiques, jade and gems. LANGUAGE There are 18 officially recognised Indian languages including Urdu, Tamil, Punjabi and Bengali. Hindi is the most widely spoken and is the official language of India. English is also widely spoken however and is often the language of choice for Indian people themselves, if they do not speak each other’s local languages. Hindi does not use the Roman alphabet and thus most Westerners will have great difficulty trying to understand written Hindi.

RECOMMENDED READING

Mobile libraries are carried in the minibus when the group is at least seven people in size. Libraries include guide books, books about local history, and fiction written by local authors. Feel free to use these books at any time during the tour. Books worth reading include those outlined below. Please refer to our website for a wider list of suggested reading.

Guide Books:

Lonely Planet Guide to India

The Rough Guide to India

The Rough Guide to South India

Lonely Planet Guide to South India

Footprint Guide to India South India

Handbook: The Travel Guide (Footprint)

Rajasthan and Gujurat Handbook: The Travel Guide (Footprint)

General Resources for India:

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Eat Smart in India by Joan Peterson and Indu Menon

Hinduism: An Introduction by Dharam Vir Singh

Sahib: A British Soldier in India from 1750 – 1914 by Richard Holmes

Maharanis: The Lives and Times of Three Generations of Indian Princesses by Lucy Moore

The Sceptre and the Veil: Autobiographies by Indian Maharanis by Ranjana Harish

A Malgudi Omnibus by R K Narayan

The Argumentative India: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity by Amartya Sen

The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj by David Gilmour

The Age of Kali: Travels and Encounters in India by William Dalrymple

The Life of Mahatma Gandhi by Louis Fischer

White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth Century India by William Dalrymple

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple

The Honourable Company: The History of the English East India Company by John Keay

India: A History by John Keay

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah MacDonald

The Jewel in The Crown by Paul Scott A Passage to India by E M Forster