Weather

India is a land of perfectly timed seasons, each coming to stay for a span of 3-4 months. While summer lasts from April-June, the monsoon season is experienced from July-September, and the rest of the year from October-March is slated as the winter time. The summers are rather hot and humid, and in some regions a little sticky, but the winters are pleasant throughout the country with warm sunny days.

November through March is the most preferred time of the year to travel India. However, the easy access to air-conditioned hotels, transportation facilities as well entertainment facilities, has even made summers a reasonably good time to visit India!

Language & Religion

India is pre-dominated by Hindu population, but being a secular country, it has a variety of religions coexisting, harmoniously. Muslims are the second largest community in the country, followed by Jains, Christians, Bahais, Sikhs, Jews, Buddhists and Parsis.

While there are eighteen national languages, the official language of India is Hindi. In urban areas and big cities, English is also a widely spoken language. Not surprisingly, most Indians are multi-lingual.

Visa & Passport

Travelling from a foreign country, you are required to get a visa prior to your arrival in India, and ensure that your passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months, before your stipulated date of return.
Generally, you would need a tourist visa. However, in case you’re planning to travel certain specific destinations such as Andaman Islands, Gujarat, Ladakh, Kerala etc, you might need some additional permits.

Please note that an extension of stay is NOT granted on a tourist visa.

In case you are planning consequent visits to India, as a standard tourist, you are required to allow a 2 month gap before revisiting the country. If you transit through India, en-route your journey to Nepal, Bhutan, Sri-Lanka or Pakistan, and/or are returning to India for tourism purposes, please ensure that you obtain a re-entry permit from in India Embassy of your home country, in advance.

Please note that visa requirements are subject to change, especially in case of specific nationality. It is advisable for you to check with the Indian Embassy of your home country beforehand.

Money

Up to US$ 10,000 or equivalent cash, bank notes, as well as travelers cheques (checks) are not required to be declared at the time of entry.

Pound Sterling, US Dollars and other major currencies are exchangeable into Indian Rupees at all major airports.
Please Note: Your passport is requested whenever you exchange currency or travelers cheques (checks).
The currency may be quite easily exchanged to INR at airports and hotels, but the rates may be a little high. It is advisable for you to get the currency exchanged at any official money changers which are usually available throughout the city and charge nominally. The money changers will duly authorize the exchange and provide a proper receipt of the money exchanged. You can ask your cab driver to take you to a official money changer, if the need be.
Since it is not officially allowed to take INR currency outside of India, please exchange any unused INR into your preferred currency at the airport.
While ATMs and cash machines are widely available, we recommend you to check in advance with your bank to know whether you will be able to use your ATM and credit cards in India.

Food

Indian food is highly diversified, with rice and India flat breads being the major staples, giving you the perfect opportunity to Experience a taste of India with India Tours. The Indian cuisine is often loaded with spices and herbs which gives the food an aromatic and delectable flavor. In case, you do not like strong flavors, please ask your chef to cook your food moderately spiced, or simply without chilies, in order to fully enjoy your luxury tour packages in India.
While quality and hygiene of restaurants are highly varied in India, you can rest assured of the fact that the ones which we handpick for you are worthy of your trust in all aspects. In fact, even the hotels that we arrange for you, serve both Indian as well as Continental style breakfasts. Fruits and veggies are abundantly available in the country, and so is good Chinese as well as American style food, especially in major tourist destinations.

Accommodation

As in everything else, India offers a great range of options even with accommodations. Right from heritage properties, including royal palaces and forts to modern-day hotels, guest houses and home stays, you can find them all here. You can now experience luxury tours with finest accommodation in India, thanks to the special packages offered by Explore India Travel, offering the best Indian tourism services for Canadians.

In some states within India, the government tax which is usually between 10 to 12.5% may be charged by the hotels on your final bill. Some hotels may also add an additional service tax, which will be informed to you beforehand.
WIFI may be free in some hotels and may be accessed for varied prices in most of the hotels where business centers with PCs are also available.

The standard hotel voltage is 230-240V. Indian sockets require a round 3-pin plug so it is advisable for you to carry along an international converter kit with a set of adapter plugs to ensure uninterrupted use of your various electrical appliances.
All the arrangements made by us will be with due respect to your budget and taste to ensure a memorable yet pocket friendly travel package for India.

Traffic & transportation

You will be offered a clean and well-maintained private vehicle with a trusted licensed driver for your convenience. It is advisable for you to be prepared for average road conditions. It is for this reason, that we generally instruct our drivers to move at a slower speed, which usually results in inter-city travel being a tad too exhausting. Hence, we suggest you to commute between cities, by flights, in most cases.

Air-travel while being convenient is also a major time-saver. We’ll ensure that we choose a flight that scores the best in terms of your budget, comfort as well as schedule.

Rail-travel in India is often slow and the sanitary conditions are not quite up to the mark. However, in case you wish to travel through train, for a local experience, we’ll be pleased to arrange some of the select few clean, comfortable and convenient train journey for you.

Health

Before traveling to India, vaccinations for Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Tetanus and Polio are recommended.
Since health is an issue that varies from person to person, we recommend you to visit a trusted travel clinic in order to receive the requisite immunizations as well as medications.

You may be a little uncomfortable with the situation of mosquitoes in the country, and hence it is recommended for you to carry along a strong mosquito repellent.

In order to ensure safety of your health. Please rely on bottled water bottles only.

Travel Suggestions

1. Shoes are required to be taken off, prior to entering any temple in India. Therefore, it is
in your best interest to carry shoe covers, in order to protect your feet from any dirt as well as the hot grounds in summers.

2. Please disembark from your train at your station, as quickly as possible, since the halt-time is often very less.
3. Always keep notes of smaller denomination such as Rs. 10 and Rs. 20 handy. They will come to your rescue, while making small purchases, at the public restrooms as well as while paying gratuities or tipping.

4. Though tipping is not essential a large majority of Indian tour guides, bell boys, drivers and waiters do expect some gratuity. While, it is solely up to you, we suggest that the drivers commend a tad higher tip than the rest of the service provider, for the simple reason of his extended period of service to you. However, feel free to tip anyone less or more, depending on how satisfied you are with their service. Most of the service providers will happily accept tip in any of the major currencies.

Important Note

India has an abundance of night life activities, especially in all the major cities. However, its public security situation is not quite commendable. Hence, we suggest travelers, to go out at night only in the company of a trustworthy guide or local guardian.