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Destinations - Countrywise


	India, An ancient civilization. With an impressive lineage that over the centuries has amassed a tremendous wealth of grandeur and majesty. We take immense pleasure in inviting you to have a date with India. India a land of varieties, the cradle of culture that is steeped in tradition, an ageless civilization, colorful customs revered for centuries that reflect social and geographical diversity, and a chequered history which lives in music & dance. A trip to India is like a "Dream Coming True".
	India has a total area of 3,287,263 square kms and falls into three major geological regions. The North is enclosed by the great arc of the Himalaya. Along their Southern flank lie the alluvial plains of the Ganges, and to the South again is the peninsula, separated by the 30 km wide shallows known as Adam’s Bridge. In contrast, the island chains of the Lakshadweep and the Minicoy off the Western coast of India, and the Maldives to the South West and coral atolls, formed on three submarine ridges under the Arabian Sea. Come and discover yourself - The Destination That Has It All -Explore the modern cities that have grown originally from the roots of a multi – hued past, abandon yourself to culture, art & aesthetics, make a pilgrimage to holy shrines, frolic at a vast stretch of golden beaches washed by two seas and an ocean, sport with adventure in style, let the jungle lure you to a fascinating world at a diverse array of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.

The tiny Kingdom of Nepal, nestled in the Himalaya between India and China, is one of the most diverse and fascinating countries of the world. Nowhere else on earth can visitors trek among snowy mountain peaks, raft on rushing rives and ride elephants through teeming jungles – all available within a few hours travel by coach from Kathmandu. Nepal is not only famous for its adventure, it is also renowned for the friendliness of its people. Throughout the

country, the Nepalese are smiling and helpful. Our guests soon discover that people everywhere take great pleasure in helping guests enjoy their country by explaining customs, giving directions and telling them about their village or neighborhood.

GEOGRAPHY

The remarkable geography of Nepal has attracted visitors for decades. Covering an area of only 147181 square kilometers, Nepal encompasses the world’s highest mountains and deepest valleys as well as low-elevation forests filled with rare animals. The terrain is divided into three elevation zones: the cool Himalaya, the moderate hills and the warm lowland Terai. Precipitation ranges from dry in the west to pleasantly moist in the east. Thus, Nepal

has every kind of climate and can be enjoyed any month of the year.

PEOPLE

The people of Nepal are as variable and intriguing as the country’s geography. Throughout the country is an unfolding tapestry of ethnic groups, such as Newars, Tharus and Sherpas each with its own distinct language, customs, houses and dress.

HISTORY

In the middle of the 18th century, the country of Nepal was unified from numerous small principalities by King Prithvi Narayan Shah. In 1846, the power was usurped by the Rana prime ministers, who ruled the country for more than 100 years. In 1951, the Shah Dynasty was reinstated and Nepal opened its doors to the outside world. Today, Nepal is a democratic constitutional monarchy, under the aegis of His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

RELIGION

Hinduism is the official religion of the Kingdom of Nepal and is practiced by the majority. Many people throughout the country are Buddhists and the two religions have co-existed in harmony throughout Nepal’s history. In fact, Hinduism and Buddhism are so intertwined that their temples often share the same location and rites of both faiths may be practiced by a single family. Christianity and Islam have a small number of adherents. Whatever their

major religion, almost all the people of Nepal also have animistic beliefs. Shamans are widely used for curing, and mountains, trees and stones are revered in every corner of the country.

LOCATION

South Asia. Bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China in the north and India in the south, east and west.

LAND

Nepal spans 885 kms east to west and 193 kms (widest) north to south. Great altitudinal variations exist – from the flat an fertile land of the Terai in the south, barely 150 m above sea level, the land rises abruptly in several chains of hills and valleys to the towering Himalayan mountains to the north within a distance of less than 200 km.

LANGUAGE

The official language of Nepal is Nepali and written in Devanagari script. English is understood and spoken by majority of people in Kathmandu valley and other major cities.

CLIMATE

The climate range from tropical to alpine. Hot in the Terai with temperatures hovering around 37 degrees Celsius in summer. Mid hills have pleasant weather with 30 degrees in summer and 20 in winter. Mountain temperatures progressively lower towards the north ranging from 16 degrees Celsius to several degrees below freezing point. A visit to Nepal is possible all the year round. But activities like mountain flight, jungle safari excursions, rafting and trekking are best from October till May.

CLOTHING

Warm clothing is required from November to February and tropical wear from March till October. But a trip to higher altitude will require special clothing depending on the places visited. A checklist is available on request.

ENTERING NEPAL

The capital Kathmandu is linked by air with direct flights from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Osaka, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Bombay, Calcutta, Varanasi, New Delhi, Banglore, Moscow, Lhasa, Frankfurt, Paris, London, Paro, Dubai, Dhaka, Karachi and Doha.

Travelers may also enter the country by surface through six major

entry points to Nepal – Kakarbhitta, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Mahendranagar from India and Kodari from Tibet.

PASSPORT

A valid passport is required for all the nationals except Indian.

NEPAL ENTRY VISA

All the nationals are required to obtain visa except Indian nationals for the entry into the country. The visa can be obtained from Royal Nepal Embassy or Consulate or at the entry points in Nepal.

LOCAL CURRENCY

Nepalese currency unit is Rupees (locally pronounced Rupiah) and denoted by currency symbol Rs. One Rupees is subdivided into 100 paisa. The denomination of the currency notes in use are Rs. 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and the coins are found in the denomination of 5, 10, 25, 50 paisa and Rs. 1, 2, 5, 10.

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Although tourism is one of the "pillar industries" designated by the Tibetan authorities to speed up development in the area, travel in Tibet is still complicated. The nature of your travelling experience in Tibet will depend on a variety of factors. These include current political conditions, the officials you encounter and points of entry. The following notes describe some of the basic rules and regulations regarding which areas of Tibet you may visit, and how to get there.

The simplest way to summarise all the rules about travelling to Tibet is this:


	The Chinese Government clearly prefers tourists to join a tour group with a guide. But... China is apparently unwilling to admit publicly that Tibet is "closed" to individuals, nor does it wish to antagonise some small local traders who depend on individual travellers for their income. So... the result is a mixture of rules and policies which changes constantly.

As a result of these factors the easiest way to visit Tibet may be to join a tour group. This could be more expensive, and usually means that your itinerary will be pre-planned and restricted.

However, it is possible most of the time to travel in Tibet as an individual, although this could prove to be quite complicated, requiring extra time and patience to reach the country and to arrange any excursions outside the main towns.

Bear in mind that you could place individual Tibetans at great risk if you ask sensitive questions or stay with them. If you are found by police carrying confidential documents, making political statements or taking pictures of sensitive places or events you may suffer very little, but will place any Tibetans that you have talked to or met in very real danger. Always seek permission if you wish to take pictures of monasteries.

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	TOURIST VISA
	The Bhutan Government issues visas to all tourists on arrival in the Kingdom. Passport details should be forwarded to the tour operator in advance, which will be handle by them and visa clearance will be send to you. You will not be permitted to board the plane for Bhutan unless visa clearance has come from Thimphu. The visa costs US$ 20 and must be paid in cash on arrival at the Paro airport or by land at Phuntsholing.

	GETTING THERE
	Bhutan is connected by air from Delhi, Calcutta, Dhaka, Bangkok and Kathmandu. You can also enter via land from the Indian State of West Bengal to Phuntsholing, Bhutan.

	CUSTOMS
	Arrival. You will receive a baggage declaration form to complete when you arrive in Bhutan. For tourists, the main purpose of this form is to ensure that you re-export anything you bring into the country. List any expensive equipment that you are carrying, such as cameras and portable computers. Customs officials usually want to see the items that you list, and then they endorse the form and return it to you. Don't lose it. You must return the form, and may be asked to show the items listed when you leave the country.

	CURRENCY
	Bhutanese currency is the Ngultrum (abbrev. Nu.) which, is divided into 100 Cheltrum. Bank notes come in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 ngultrum. One Ngultrum is equivalent to one Indian Rupees.

	LANGUAGE
	Dzongkha, is the national language, Numerous languages and dialects are spoken in the Kingdom, however, Dzongkha, Sharchobkha and Lhotsamkha are the major language spoken by the mass. English is widely understood.

	CLIMATE
	It is hard to generalize about Bhutan's weather since the mountain climate varies enormously from region to another. It varies with the altitude and can also reach extremes of heat and cold within the 24 hours at any given altitude. Southern Bhutan is tropical, with monsoon season. The East is warmer than the West. The central valleys of Punakha, Wangdi Phodrang, Mongar, Trashigang and Lhuntshi enjoy a semi tropical climate with very cool winters, whereas Haa, Paro, Thimphu, Trongsa, Bumthang and Phobjikha have a much harsher climate, including occasional snowfalls in winter. The north of the country is inhabited up to 5,00 meters (16,400 feet) in summer. The climate there is rough, with monsoon rains in summer and heavy snowfalls in winter that block the passes leading into the central valleys.

	CLOTHING
	The wide range of temperatures does not make dressing easy. The best solution is to wear several layers, such as a cotton shirt, pullover, wool cardigan and jacket, which can be taken off or added as needed. Do not bring delicate clothes: conservative sportswear is the appropriate style for a traveler in Bhutan.
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	From time immemorial the island has been subjected to many different influences, both occidental and oriental. Consequently this small island state contains an exotic mixture of languages, cultures and religions. The few thousand Veddhas who live in remote jungle areas are the descendants of the original inhabitants. The majority of the population are descendants of the Aryan tribes that came from North India over 2'000 years ago. Sub-sequent Dravidian invasions and Arab migrations have created a wonderful cosmopolitan society. The island has been known by a variety of names, a list which is as varied as its his-torical influences. More than 2000 years ago the famous Indian epic "Ramayana" told of misdeedsof the wicked king of Lanka. The Dravids called the isle Ilankai; to the old Greeks and the Romans it was known as Taprobane; the Arabic merchants called it Serendib; the Portuguese Ceiloa; the Dutch changed the name into Ceylan, and the British to Ceylon.The Republic of Sri Lanka was born in 1972, the prefix "Sri" is Sanskrit in origin and means resplendent. In 1867 the first tea plants arrived from India, and prospered extremely well in the highlands. As a result the more resistant tea bushes replaced the susceptible coffee cultures. For more than a century tea became the most important export product. Ceylon Tea is today well known by tea-connoisseurs and tea-lovers, and in 1972 this persuaded the government, to retain the brand name "Ceylon Tea" and not to market it as "Sri Lanka Tea". Singhalese or Tamil is only spoken in Sri Lankans but born after independence who only speak English and not Singalese or Tamil.



	CLIMATE AND TRAVELLING SEASON
	As Sri Lanka is situated between six and ten degrees north of the equator, the average temperature is quite high. The average medium temperature fluctuates between 27° and 29° C. As the island is not very wide, the sea-winds can exert a moderating influence. The central mountain region has naturally lower temperatures. The mercury drops ½° C. for every 100 m. The mountain resort town of Nuwara Eliya situated at about 2000 m experiences frost on some nights in December and January and the annual average temperature is below 20° C. In general the relative humidity fluctuates in between 70% for the day and 90% at night.

	CURRENCY
	The Sri Lanka Rupee (SLRs) is devided into 100 cents. Coins are minted into domination of 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents and 1, 2, 5 and 10 rupees. There are notes of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rupees. 100 rupees are equal to about US $ 1.25.

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