Rickshaw Travel

ABTAATOL Protected

  • Destinations
  • Family holidays
  • Travel guides
  • About us
  • Blog
My Travel Plan
Loading...

Your travel plan is empty!

Add your favourite trips or an itinerary to your travel plan. Click on 'My Travel Plan' to see what you've added and send it to us. Our travel specialists will piece your holiday together (including transport & accommodation) and send you a quote within one working day.

Get started!

Added so far...

We'll create your dream holiday

    Next, review & send us your travel plan for your quote

    Request your quote

    Or view/email a copy of your travel plan

    View your travel plan
     Your next steps

    1. Add your favourite trips or an itinerary to your travel plan
    2. Click the Request your quote button to send it over to us
    3. Our travel specialists will piece your holiday together (including transport & accommodation) and send you a quote within one working day

     Your next steps

    1. Add your favourite trips or an itinerary to your travel plan
    2. Click the Request your quote button to send it over to us
    3. Our travel specialists will piece your holiday together (including transport & accommodation) and send you a quote within one working day

    • Destinations
      • Asia
        • Bhutan
        • China
        • India
        • Japan
        • Nepal
        • Sri Lanka
        • Tibet
      • South East Asia
        • Borneo
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Laos
        • Malaysia
        • Myanmar
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
      • North America
        • Canada
        • USA
      • Central America
        • Belize
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
        • Guatemala
        • Mexico
        • Nicaragua
        • Panama
      • South America
        • Argentina & Antarctica
        • Bolivia
        • Brazil
        • Chile
        • Colombia
        • Ecuador & Galapagos
        • Peru
      • Europe
        • Greece
        • Iceland
        • Italy
        • Lapland
        • Portugal
      • View all destinations
    • Family holidays
      • Asia
        • India
        • Sri Lanka
      • South East Asia
        • Borneo
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
      • North America
        • Canada
        • USA
      • Central America
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
      • South America
        • Peru
      • Europe
        • Iceland
        • Italy
        • Lapland
        • Portugal
    • Travel guides
      • Travel guides by destination
        • Borneo
        • Canada
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
        • Ecuador
        • Galapagos
        • India
        • Indonesia
        • Japan
        • Peru
        • Sri Lanka
        • Vietnam
      • Family Holiday Guides
        • Borneo
        • Canada
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
        • India
        • Indonesia
        • Malaysia
        • Peru
        • Sri Lanka
        • Thailand
        • USA
        • Vietnam
      • Inspiration
        • Beaches
        • City stopovers
        • Diving and snorkelling
        • Food & drink
        • Honeymoons
        • Self drive
        • Trekking
        • Unique experiences
        • Wildlife & safari
      • Where to Go When
        • January
        • February
        • March
        • April
        • May
        • June
        • July
        • August
        • September
        • October
        • November
        • December
    • About us
      • Discover more
        • Our values
        • Meet the team
        • How we work
        • Work with us
        • Customer reviews
        • In the news
        • Contact us
      • Responsible travel
        • Responsible travel
        • Animal welfare
        • Population Matters
        • Our Meaningful Travel Policy
        • How to be a responsible traveller
      • Travel Advice
        • Accommodation
        • Covid-19
        • Flexible booking
        • Flights
        • LGBTQ+ travellers
        • Refer a Friend
        • Travel insurance
        • Visas & passports
    • Blog
    AsiaSouth East AsiaNorth AmericaCentral AmericaSouth AmericaEuropeView all destinations
    BhutanChinaIndiaJapanNepalSri LankaTibet
    BorneoCambodiaIndonesiaLaosMalaysiaMyanmarThailandVietnam
    CanadaUSA
    BelizeCosta RicaCubaGuatemalaMexicoNicaraguaPanama
    Argentina & AntarcticaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuador & GalapagosPeru
    GreeceIcelandItalyLaplandPortugal
     
     
    AsiaSouth East AsiaNorth AmericaCentral AmericaSouth AmericaEurope
    IndiaSri Lanka
     
    BorneoCambodiaIndonesiaThailandVietnam
     
    CanadaUSA
     
    Costa RicaCuba
     
    Peru
     
    IcelandItalyLaplandPortugal
     
    Travel guides by destinationFamily Holiday GuidesInspirationWhere to Go When
    • Borneo
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • Ecuador
    • Galapagos
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Peru
    • Sri Lanka
    • Vietnam
    • Borneo
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Peru
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • USA
    BeachesCity stopoversDiving and snorkellingFood & drinkHoneymoonsSelf driveTrekkingUnique experiencesWildlife & safari
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
    Discover moreResponsible travelTravel Advice
    Our valuesMeet the teamHow we workWork with usCustomer reviewsIn the newsContact us
    Responsible travelAnimal welfarePopulation MattersOur Meaningful Travel PolicyHow to be a responsible traveller
    AccommodationCovid-19Flexible bookingFlightsLGBTQ+ travellersRefer a FriendTravel insuranceVisas & passports

    Rickshaw Ramblings

    • Browse by Destination
    • Argentina & Antarctica
    • Bhutan
    • Bolivia
    • Borneo
    • Borneo for Families
    • Brazil
    • Brighton
    • Cambodia
    • Cambodia for Families
    • Canada
    • Canada for Families
    • Chile
    • China
    • Colombia
    • Costa Rica
    • Costa Rica for Families
    • Cuba
    • Ecuador & Galapagos
    • Family
    • Greece
    • Iceland
    • India
    • Indochina
    • Indonesia
    • Indonesia for Families
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Lapland
    • Malaysia
    • Mexico
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Nicaragua
    • Panama
    • Peru
    • Portugal
    • Sri Lanka
    • Sri Lanka for Families
    • Thailand
    • Thailand for Families
    • Tibet
    • USA
    • USA for families
    • Vietnam
    • Vietnam for Families
    • Browse by Theme
    • 24 hours in...
    • Competition
    • Cultural
    • Customers stories
    • Family travel
    • Food and drink
    • Friends of Rickshaw
    • History
    • Responsible travel
    • Top tips
    • Wellness
    • Wildlife

    6th March 2013 by Friends of Rickshaw • 10 min read

    5 things we love about India (plus a few cautionary tales...)

    info-btn Top tips

    Share:

    Man smiling on headset

    Prefer to chat things through?

    Enquire now

    India is a land of diversity and extremes – which is what makes it so fascinating and a great place to visit! Here are our favourite things about this colourful country, as well as some things to be aware of when you go:

    The riot of colour and decoration that is all around!

    Ok some guys dress in a rhapsody of brown and beige, but they are out-numbered by brightly coloured saris, salwa kameez, kurta pyjamas and turbans. Sikh turbans are often in deep purple and orange, Rajasthani turbans you can see in all shades from the bright red of the camel men to khaki green or neon pink even. Flower garlands decorate the cows, vehicles and visitors at the temples. Temples are highly colourful. Some could not be any more colourful such as the Meenaskshi temple complex in Madurai. Even elephants are beautifully painted and dressed up for ceremonies and processions.

    Beautifully coloured Saris

    Note of caution: Some ‘holy men’ or priests are not so holy and some tourists are very gullible, so if they ask you to watch them levitate in their cave after dark maybe give it a miss! Don’t let them bamboozle you with their holy speak to part with a large donation at the temple, or holy lake in Pushkar. It might go straight into their unholy pocket. It is such a shame, but corruption is rife in India at all levels, so be astute on your India tour.

    The atmosphere is magical!

    It is hard to communicate, but certain combinations of factors create an undeniably magical atmosphere. There are numerous special places that have an atmosphere unlike anywhere else and certainly unlike anywhere in the western world. It might be all the colours, sounds and smells mixed in with the beauty of the landscape and fervour of ancient religious rituals and history, plus the people and creatures that inhabit the place.

    A houseboat in Kerala, India

    Hampi immediately springs to mind. Here the landscape is simply unreal. Huge boulders are strewn about the vast planes and a wide river runs through Hampi. It is lined by a small ramshackle town with vivid green banana plantations and all around is the vast ruins of an ancient city. Holy cows wander by and monkeys climb on the ruins and rocks. Early morning the temple elephant is taken down to the river for her bath and with a twinkle in her eye and an audience of tourists and locals she’ll be cleansed and fed bananas! It is a rare treat to witness a happy elephant wallowing and being lovingly scrubbed down by her mahout in such a lovely setting. That was definitely a magical moment!

    Magical Hampi

     

    Note of caution: Persistent touts, fake guides and creative fraudsters on the make will target places of interest to fleece tourists of their rupees. Just trust your instincts and be aware of potential scams.

    The festivals are incredible!

    Indians know how to let loose and go really wild at festival time. There are too many festivals to discuss across the seasons and regions, from local festivals such as Pushkar camel fair to national festivals such as Diwali. Health and safety regulations do not seem to apply during Diwali. Noise and smoke levels are overwhelming in some cities due to the amount of firecrackers going off and oil lamps being lit. There is lots of excitement, atmosphere, colour and noise mixed in with some danger too! I can recall small children letting off fireworks in the street and in my general direction! So I retreated to higher ground in Jaipur to get away from the smoke and din and get a good view of the city alight. We saw a house burning down on the horizon! It looked and sounded a bit like a war-zone but was quite thrilling and a real adrenaline rush at the same time, something for the adventurous to experience on their India trip.

    Holy festival
    Colourful local children enjoying an exciting festival

     

    Note of caution: Watch out for large excited crowds in India or anywhere for that matter, some festivals can get quite out of control and a human stampede can result in casualties. In busy areas, even crowded trams, men can take the opportunity to touch and grope female tourists or ‘eve tease’ as they call it! The sneaky lechery of some Indian men is something that I do loathe as a female traveller. It is rarely threatening, but is so infuriating!

    The food is delicious!

    Indian food is a big favourite of mine and something I look forward to on all my India holidays. I am pretty much vegetarian and so is a large section of the population of India, so eating out in India is always a pleasure. I think the best dishes are vegetarian. I love a simple lentil daal and chapatti as well as the more complicated and fancy dishes. All the fried spicy snacks go so well with hot weather and a sweet spicy chai or a yoghurt lassi. There is a really simple drink that is concocted by mixing fresh lime juice, sugar or salt (or both) even a dash of black pepper and then a soda water. It has to be mixed carefully otherwise it fizzes up and over the glass. It is so refreshing in the heat and is a great homemade rehydration mix. Masala dosa with coconut chutney is a treat when visiting a Southern Indian restaurant or a vegetable Thali with all the trimmings, maybe served on a banana leaf. Flavours tend to be strong and sometimes heavy on salt, spice, chilli, ginger, garlic and sugar. This diet suits the climate well. Indian sweets and desserts are often overwhelmingly rich and sweet and so you have to be in the mood, such as the fudge-like barfi.

    Treat yourself to some tasty, authentic street food!

    Note of caution: Always go for the freshly prepared food or popular, busy eateries where there is a good turnover of happy customers. Trust your instincts and don’t consume anything out of politeness that does not smell/taste/look right. Avoid old rice, ice that might not be made of purified water and ice cream that may have been melted and re-frozen due to a power cut.

    I love the animals and wildlife!

    It’s still not unusual to see bullock carts, camel carts and elephants sharing the road with traffic and holy cows. I particularly love elephants and these can be seen in the wild at national parks and some temples have their own ‘temple elephants’ that take donations, bless visitors, and take part in ceremonies.

    Cow
    Cows often roam freely and help themselves to food!

    Cows roam the markets, beaches and streets eating up scraps and newspaper too and helping themselves at the markets. Some of the cows look like the stuff of legends, tall and serene with big horns, humps and dewlaps, dark ringed eyes and pure white hide; the kind of cows that frolicked with Krishna and the milk maids. I have travelled to India many times, but I am still excited when I see a peacock, langur, elephant, water buffalo, camel and even a vulture or two.

    Note of caution: Watch out for the street dogs and monkeys that can bite or scratch, even if they initially appear friendly. They can carry rabies. I hate to see tourists befriend the dogs in Goa and feed them and make them dependent on tourists to survive. Eventually they leave to go home and leave a needy pining animal behind. Cows appear quite benign, but can also come at you horns down if you startle them. Some have quite a set of horns!

    Monkeys grooming on wall India
    Although friendly, watch out for these little rascals!

     

    Want to see all that India has to offer?

    Find out more about our India trips!
    AsiaCultureFestivalIndiaRickshawRamblersTopTipsWildlife
    Image of Friends of Rickshaw

    Written by Friends of Rickshaw

    Here you can read posts from travel bloggers, chums who have previously worked with us and our local guides and drivers from across the globe.

    Comments

    Next Article

    Our top Nepal travel tips!

    Previous Article

    8.5 Questions | Meet Daniel Neilson

    Other articles you may like

    Responsible travel

    Discover India, the Rickshaw way | Watch our video!

    27th April 2016 by Blanca

    Thinking of travelling to India? We’ve put together a little video and a bunch of awesome experiences to get you inspired. Ready?

    2 min read

    Read More - Discover India, the Rickshaw way | Watch our video!

    History

    7 breathtaking UNESCO sites worth visiting in India

    11th July 2019 by Scarlet

    India ranks in the top 10 for having the most of UNESCO sites in the world. There’s no wonder why more and more people want to visit India for its sites.

    8 min read

    Read More - 7 breathtaking UNESCO sites worth visiting in India

    Customers stories

    Too old to travel at 70? | John's India Adventure with Rickshaw Travel

    27th September 2016 by Rickshaw Ramblers

    Are you ever too old to travel? Our Rickshaw Rambler, John doesn't think so. At the age of 70, he embarked on a trip to India.

    7 min read

    Read More - Too old to travel at 70? | John's India Adventure with Rickshaw Travel
    Back up

    As featured in

    • the guardian logo
    • wanderlust logo red
    • Lonely Planet
    • National Geographic Traveler
    • Psychologies
    • The Daily Telegraph

    Information

    • Contact us
    • Booking conditions
    • Financial protection
    • Health and safety
    • Your Package Holiday
    • FCDO travel advice
    • Blog
    • Coronavirus travel advice

    Get in touch

    We're a friendly bunch and always ready for a chat so feel free to get in touch.

    Call us: 01273 322 398

    Email us: hello@rickshawtravel.co.uk

    Contact us

    Connect with us

    FacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubePinterest
    ATOL Protected ABTA Travelife

    © 2008 - 2022 | Rickshaw Travel

    Privacy Policy  |  Cookie Policy  |  Sitemap

    Call us Phone us

    Please give us your consent to use cookies

    We use cookies to ensure our website works, to give you an enhanced experience while browsing, and to enable us to use 3rd party tools that are connected to us. Read our Cookie Policy for more information.

    What are your holiday plans?

    • Our travel specialists know everything there is to know about your chosen destination. Please tell us what you're looking for below and we’ll get back to you very soon (usually within 24 hours).

    • Hidden
      This field is only shown to Rickshaw Admins, and is used for routing the form to the correct destination inbox
    • Hidden
      This field is only shown to Rickshaw Admins, and is used for routing the form to the correct destination inbox
    • If you'd prefer us to call you, please enter your phone number here
    • If you can, please share with us how many people are travelling, when you’d like to go, what you’d really like to experience, what you love doing on holidays, your rough budget, and when's best to contact you.
    • Hidden
      By signing up to the email newsletter you consent to receive promotional emails from us. You can unsubscribe at any time. We genuinely care about you and treat your data securely and respectfully. We tell you all about it in our Privacy Policy.
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.