By: Jamie Gallerani, EF Go Ahead Tours听

In India,听almost everything听is a dance. Here, balance is found as you go from the bustling, rickshaw-lined streets of Delhi to the serene backwaters of Kerala, where palm trees dot emerald shores. Along the way, royal palaces sidle up to nature preserves, daily life reaches a crescendo at vibrant markets, and spirituality shines in Hindu temples, Islamic mosques, and Sikh community kitchens. With 28鈥痵tates,鈥�22 official languages, and 1.4鈥痓illion people, the country is like a ruby with endless听facets: varied听and impossible to pin down. Ready to see something new everywhere you look? Here are five experiences that will weave you into the layered fabric of India.听

Zip through Old Delhi鈥檚 bustling streets on a rickshaw听听听

Frenetic vibrancy bursts from every corner of India鈥檚 big cities, and one of the best ways to听witness听it is from the seat of a rickshaw.听There鈥檚听nothing quite like being whisked into the heart of it all on these motorized, three-wheeled vehicles, which offer an in-the-thick-of-it vantage point that you听can鈥檛听get any other way. One unforgettable place to ride through? The most storied neighborhood of India鈥檚 capital city: Old Delhi. Here, history spills from narrow streets lined with tangled telephone wires,听vendors hawk rounds of flatbread called parathas from Moonlight Square鈥攁nd听you鈥檒l听discover that how you get around is just as interesting as what you see.听听

Watch as fire is offered to the goddess of the Ganges听听

From the playful toss of colorful powder at Holi celebrations to candlelit flower bowls floating down holy rivers, spiritual moments spring up everywhere in India. Want to bear witness to one notable practice? Each evening in the cities of听Varanasi, Haridwar, and Rishikesh, the bathing steps along the Ganges are the place to watch one of the most sacred Hindu rituals: the Aarti, a听ceremony of light devoted to the goddess Ganga. During this illuminated, prayer-filled event, bells and conch shells sound, incense swirls, and mantras are chanted as priests offer fire to the deity using large brass lamps. Purification and gratitude underpin this daily ceremony, which is capped off as devotees release small oil lamps called diyas onto the river.听听

Go behind Bollywood鈥檚 silver screen in Mumbai听

India鈥檚 glittery side shines in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), where Bollywood got its start. The name of the Indian film industry is a听Bombay-Hollywood mash-up听that鈥檚听become synonymous with some of the most colorful moments in cinema, from听Kashmiri musicals and comedies to听Rajasthani dramas and romances. Most of the storylines听play out听alongside elaborate song and synchronized dance numbers, and you can get a behind-the-scenes peek while touring Film City or taking a Bollywood dance class in the city that launched this cinematic art form.听听

Seek out Bengal tigers on a Ranthambore safari听

The busy streets of India only tell one side of the country鈥檚 story. Beyond the mesmerizing rush, natural beauty unfurls in the form of Himalayan peaks, sprawling deserts, South Goa beaches鈥攁nd the world鈥檚 largest population of Bengal tigers. Dreaming of spotting the country鈥檚 national animal? Lush nature preserves like Ranthambore National Park are calling. This royal-hunting-ground-turned-tiger-reserve is your place to step into quietude on a guided safari (and, if听you鈥檙e听lucky, to catch a glimpse of one听of India鈥檚 most notable residents).听

Head south to visit the spice capital of India听听

Of all the amazing things India offers, plates of culinary greatness sit right at the top.听There are听the richer, creamier, ghee-cooked dishes in the north. Think: tandoori meats and savory dal scooped up with naan. Then, there are听the lighter, spicier, more aromatic spreads in the south, which are often made with coconut oil and served with rice.听It鈥檚听here in southern India where Kerala reigns as the country鈥檚 spice capital, and where markets are dotted with heaping piles of cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, pepper, turmeric, and more. Visit for yourself to find that each of India鈥檚 far-flung corners offers its own regional flavors鈥攁nd that some of the best spring up along the southern backwaters.听听

About the author听

As a Senior Copywriter for EF Go Ahead Tours in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jamie Gallerani has been sharing the magic of seeing the world with others for more than 10 years. Her love of travel took root during a homestay in Mannheim, Germany, and has since taken her to 21 countries and counting. From studying in Florence to sipping corn beer with Peruvian highlanders in the Sacred Valley, she鈥檚 found inspiration and connection around the world鈥攁nd strives to capture the wonder of experiencing new cultures in her work. When she鈥檚 not writing about guided group travel, she鈥檚 looking for her new favorite memoir, visiting her family on Cape Cod, and reminiscing about how blue the water on the Amalfi Coast is. 

About EF Go Ahead Tours听

鈥痮ffers more than 200 guided trips across six continents. Each carefully planned, expertly led tour makes it easy for curious travelers of all ages to get to the heart of a destination. With a maximum group size well below the industry average, each trip has the perfect balance of planned sightseeing and free time to explore. EF Go Ahead Tours is one of three tour operator brands within鈥�, a leader in guided, experiential travel. EF World Journeys is part of鈥�, a world leader in international education that has helped millions of people since 1965 learn a language, discover the world, or earn an academic degree. 

The post Uncovering the many sides of India: 5 insider experiences to have in this country of contrasts听 appeared first on 性视界 Blog.

From bullet trains to bunk beds, rail travel is a truly immersive experience听听

By: Yves Marceau, VP of product for G Adventures听

When traveling, it鈥檚 all too easy to skip from one destination to the next, without really appreciating what we see along the way. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the destination, it鈥檚 the journey,鈥� is a phrase we鈥檝e all heard. At G Adventures, we believe it鈥檚 both. That鈥檚 why we recently launched our Rail Collection 鈥� 60 joyful train journeys across 20 countries that help travelers to travel flexibly and responsibly, while also offering true cultural immersion in a destination.  

There are so many reasons why train travel is increasingly important for a community tourism-focused operator like ours, allowing you to get more out of your adventure. Here are just some of them.  

It encourages you to slow down听

In a literal sense, opting for a train journey instead of a flight is a slower form of travel. Even G Adventures鈥� Rail Collection trips in Japan, which include journeys on the famous bullet train, are slow compared to air travel. But importantly, traveling by train also encourages you to slow down, too. What you may feel like you are 鈥榣osing鈥� in time, you are gaining elsewhere 鈥� leaving the pace of the journey to someone is freeing, and the hypnotic trundle on a train can do wonders for helping your mind slow, something that can be increasingly hard to do in a fast-paced world.听听

It can be a more immersive experience听

Major airports across the world have a tendency to look, feel, smell and sound the same. Train journeys do not. A train trip fully immerses you in the destination and doesn鈥檛 let you bypass local life on the ground. Whether it鈥檚 what you鈥檙e seeing out the window, from miles of countryside to rarely-seen villages, to what you鈥檙e smelling on board, or what you鈥檙e eating along the way. And while airports go big on global food chains when it comes to eating options, at train stations, particularly smaller ones out of bigger cities, you鈥檙e more likely to find smaller independent cafes and food sellers, giving you the chance to try more local dishes – and put traveler dollars directly into the pocket of locals.听

Big picture benefits

Using public rail transportation not only helps infuse money into communities that wouldn鈥檛 usually benefit from tourism income, but also helps keep commuter rail travel funded and more affordable for locals. It鈥檚 a simple yet great example of how tourism can be a force for good, and benefit communities on a much more local level in the easiest of ways. 

It encourages new connections听

Chances are you鈥檝e taken a seat on a train and spent the journey sitting opposite someone. It鈥檚 impossible 鈥� certainly with the longer train journeys G Adventures features in its Rail Collection 鈥� to not interact with the people around you. Some of our favorite Rail Collection trips feature day-long journeys across India, where your local travel companions start out as strangers, but soon become acquaintances with stories to tell, giving a unique and powerful insight into life on unhurried journeys. And how could you possibly share a bunk cabin on a sleeper train in Vietnam without a spontaneous conversation 鈥� or long game of cards 鈥� with your new cabin mates? Authentic interactions like these are the memories we take away from trips abroad 鈥� and they鈥檙e often the stories that we tell, too.听

It鈥檚 a true adventure听听

Ever seen a toddler or group of kids gleefully smiling at a train passing by? Trains have been synonymous with adventure since we were kids. And as adults, what鈥檚 one person鈥檚 commuter train is another person鈥檚 adventure. It may look like a train ride through the bucolic Italian countryside, it may be a night rocking to sleep on the top bunk of a train journeying across Japan, or it may be a bullet train whizzing at the speed of light (almost) from Shanghai to Berlin. It鈥檚 a meaningful way to see the world 鈥� a journey to be celebrated, not endured.听

About G Adventures

G Adventures isn鈥檛 just a travel company, we鈥檙e a movement. Since 1990, when social entrepreneur Bruce Poon Tip set out to change the way people see the world, we鈥檝e been leading the way in community tourism and small-group adventure travel. With more than 850 life-changing trips in 100 countries across all seven continents, we help travelers connect deeply with local people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife,  all while having a blast. 

But it doesn鈥檛 stop there. With us, travel  is about passion, purpose, and making a difference. Our 鈥楪 for Good鈥� social impact commitments ensure every journey supports local communities, with over 130 community tourism projects powered by our non-profit partner, Planeterra, and our industry-first Ripple Score,  which tracks how much of our travelers’ money stays local. And through our Trees for Days initiative, we鈥檝e planted over 3 million trees (and counting), one for every traveler, every day they are on trip with us, helping communities and the planet to thrive together. 

At G Adventures, we believe in changing lives through travel, and not just for the traveler. Our unique company culture fuels a global community that transcends borders, connecting people with purpose and spreading joy, curiosity, and humanity in everything we do. We鈥檙e not just about seeing the world, we鈥檙e about making it better, together. 

Learn more and join the movement at. 

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