India is an incredible adventure that will arouse all your senses. It is chaotic and peaceful all at once. The food, the life, the spirituality will fill your soul. Here, you will learn to let go of your schedules and itinerary. You will find peace and culture. That’s the beauty of the country; you have your pick of adventures. You can take in the stunning Himalayas, the beach, or experience the craziness of the city life. Here are some of the top experiences you can have in India.
Whilst India is best traveled slowly and without too many plans, you need to start somewhere. As India is such a huge country of such rich diversity, trying to pin down the top 10 Indian experiencesis almost an impossible task and it would take a lifetime to experience all that Incredible India has to offer.
To give you some ideas here are the best experiences you have in India to add to your India bucket list.
1.Eating Dinner on a Banana Leaf with Your Hands
You may feel a bit squeamish about using your hands to pick up messy curries and sauces. The food is so good though that you will barely pay attention to the mess. You will often get your meal and then there are free vegetable dishes like dal that they’ll keep scooping onto your plate. Come hungry. Kerala has a festival that offers decadent Indian meals. The minimum is 24 items but you can try to eat as many as 60.
2.Be a Part of an Indian Wedding
If the opportunity arises, you should go to an Indian wedding. The colors, the atmosphere, the dancing, food, and music are a true celebration. They can actually last up to five days and will include some beautiful ceremonies. There are also a lot of sweets.
3.Take in a Cricket Match
There’s a lot of emphasis on cricket here in India. India has a total of 44 international cricket stadiums so chances are, you’ll have the opportunity to go see this gentleman sport. The most recommended stadiums to take in a game include Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium or Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
4.Go to the Camel Fair
I bet they don’t have a camel fair where you’re from. There is an annual festival that takes place in Pushkar that attracts 200,000 visitors. Not only can you take in the Thar Desert but there are many handicrafts you can buy here. It’s the best place in the Rajasthan area to purchase handloom products and handicrafts.
5.Go on a Personal Pilgrimage
India is a wonderful place to meet you for perhaps the first time. Yoga in India is a special experience. It is, after all, the place where yoga was born and developed. There are many places to choose from where you can go to yoga or meditation retreats. This includes Dharamsala (home of the Dalai Lama), Rishikesh (International Home of Yoga) and the beautiful beach town of Goa. Along the route, there are many inspiring places where you can enter into an ashram as well. Here, you can find the silence you’re seeking. You’ll be immersed in a culture that celebrates spirituality and that will be felt on every street you walk down.
6.Travel Local
Sure, you’ve traveled on local transit in other places before but India is a whole other level, especially in Mumbai. The local train system is one of the most crowded methods of transportation in the world. It’s actually not a comfortable experience at all and you won’t be used to this kind of chaos going from point A to point B. Due to the insanity of it all, they may sing devotional songs to get through the ride. There’s a lot of life within the train commute. If you want a true experience, check it out.
7.The Himalayas
India has some of the tallest peaks in the world. Much of the Himalayan mountain range is in India. There are stunning villages that hang off cliffs, such as Dharmasala. If you want a great experience doing yoga in India, hike up a mountain early morning to take in the sunrise and do a little yoga and meditation.
8.Go Down Adventurous Roads
This might feel dangerous and it’s hard to believe that you’d need to be an adrenaline junkie to go down a road. The Himalayas have some of the craziest roads in the world. Yet thousands of transport trucks and other vehicles take this long winding mountainous pass to reach their destinations. The trucks are so full of good luck charms; it becomes something like a parade. The Zoji La Pass is one of the most terrifying roads you can take if you dare.
9.See Wild Tigers
India has two-thirds of the tiger population living in their country. You may have seen Bengal tigers in a zoo but here, they roam in the wild. There are reserves and national parks that will take you out on a tiger safari. Seeing them in the wild is mystifying.
10.Get Wet in Meghalaya
If you don’t mind the rain, you might want to go to the Meghalaya. This town gets 467 inches of rain annually, making the wettest place on earth. The benefit of all this rain is in the lush landscape. There are beautiful perennial waterfalls and streams all over, giving it a magical feeling.
India has so much magic to it. There are a variety of landscapes and dream-like excursions you can take. Everything here is intense and alive. You can experience total chaos in the city and absolute peace in the countryside. Choose your adventure, India is waiting and has so much to offer.
