Latest reviews by members http://www.holidayiq.com en <tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>About Lahaul and Spiti Tourism Lahual and Spiti, are twin valleys situated on the north eastern extremity of Himachal Pradesh, bordering Tibet. They comprise the largest district of the state. Quite in contrast to the green slopes and pine forests of other valleys of Himachal, the valleys are cut off from the rest of the country by the Rohtang Pass. Lahaul and Spiti in turn are separated by the Kunzum Pass. Rugged mountains and white snow peaks add to Lahaul's barren yet spellbinding beauty. Lying at an altitude of 2,745 m, Lahual offers endless treks for adventure enthusiasts, earning it the reputation of being the ultimate trekking destination. The valley is also famous for its Buddhist monasteries. Why Keylong? It is an ideal destination for nature lovers and adventure freaks. The place is full of breathtaking landscapes, the enchanting rives, snowcapped mountains complimenting the blue sky, time stopping silence and pleasant weather, in short nature's untouched beauty and incredibly attractive. Plains look so beautiful that one may feel himself in a Heaven. All around the area is covered by Highly Mountains beside flat lands and green meadows. It gives you the pleasure to feel yourself close to the nature. Here, the Air is liked iced champagne and the skies are an eternal blue DAY ONE 21.06.08 (Saturday) We Started our journey from Delhi, at 0010 hrs and reached smoothly till the By-pass near Azadpur only to find a jam on the road opposite Nangli Poona village (village of Rana’s) from which it took about fifteen to twenty minutes to emerge clear. The highway till Chandigarh was hassle free. There were four to five flyovers under construction, which, once completed would make the ride even smoother and cut down time considerably. DAY TWO 22.06.08 (Sunday) Reached Chandigarh at about 0500 hrs but could not find any place to get relieved and freshen up as had been planned and so, continued the journey. Once we reached Kiratpur Sahib, mountainous region started. Near Bilaspur there was a jam for about half an hour. There was heavy movement of trucks around Bilaspur because of cement factory in the vicinity but most of the truck drivers were cooperative and had good driving sense, unlike Delhi. Just as we were wondering whether we would ever be able to find a public toilet near road or one in an eatery, we saw a petrol pump. The vehicle was in need of petrol too. We just casually asked an employee of the petrol pump if there was a toilet in the building premises and he said “yes”. Stroke of luck, all freshened up one by one. Toilets are a big problem on this route, you consider yourself lucky if you find one on the route. We reached Mandi at about 1400 hrs and had our lunch there. The drive from Mandi to Manali via Kullu was smooth and traffic free. There was a dam (Pandoh) near Mandi en route to Kullu which is worth seeing but photography was strictly prohibited there. On our way from Mandi to Kullu, we had to cross a tunnel on the way. This tunnel is about 1.9 Kms long and has got emergency exits in between. Once inside, one seems to have entered a cave lit by dim lights. We reached Manali at 1800 hrs and stayed in Hotel Kunzum, one of the best hotel in Manali. There are other good budget hotels available in Manali on the Mall road itself. These hotels cost you anything between 250 to 500 during off season and 500 to 700 during peak season. Mall road has now been made a no traffic zone so you can enjoy a walk on the road, which is usually crowed during peak season. DAY THREE 23.06.08 (Monday) Manali to Keylong From Manali, one has to cross Rohtang Pass in order to reach Keylong. There are buses and taxi services available from manali. On one’s own, one should preferably travel in an SUV or any 4X4 vehicle as the terrain is very rough and avoid traveling in a small car like Alto as we did. But to our surprise most of the four wheelers we found in Keylong were either Maruti 800 or Omni (Van). The driver should be an experienced hand in driving on such hilly terrain. People have good traffic sense here and they don’t honk and overtake unnecessarily and dangerously. Enough warm clothing should be carried along so as to meet any emergency in case of sudden change of climate. We started our journey to Keylong at around 0900 hrs. Due to heavy rains, roads were badly damaged and repair work was being carried by GREF and due to this there was a heavy jam. Hundreds of vehicles were stuck enroute to Rohtang. A woman in one of the vehicles coming from the opposite direction lamented vehemently that they had been waiting for six hours and now were returning as there was no scope to move forward. We decided that we would rather wait than return. The hawkers made merry, selling eatables, jewellery, handicrafts, herbs, et al. After about an hour, we reached a spot that was the cause of the jam. A steep curve that was under repair was quite difficult to negotiate. We reached the top of Rohtang at around 1600 hours; it means that we covered 52 kms (from Manali to Rohtang) in 7 hours, which on any other day would have taken not more than 3½ hours. Rohtang appeared quite dull as compared to what it earlier used to be. There were patches of snow here and there and due to pollution even snow had turned grayish. We stopped for a while and resumed our downhill journey towards Keylong. Clearly, today’s Rohtang Pass is a poor shadow of what it used to be earlier. Soot emitted by tourist vehicles and trucks and global warming has evidently taken its toll on the snow. Journey from Rohtang to Keylong is downhill all the way. The immediate stretch of road from Rohtang towards Keylong was also in bad shape. Accommodations were very limited at places like Losar, Kaza and Tabo enroute. On the way, after an hour’s journey, we reached the village called Khoksar which was really just a bunch of dhabhas and a police station put together. It is after Khoksar that the best part of our journey began when we entered the Chandra valley. The valley is completely barren, flanked by dry, snow-capped mountains on either side. On the sides of the road, you can see hills covered with masses of snow. It is almost that a gush of water was flowing down the mountain in its full glory, when someone lifted a finger and said: Statue. And the water froze midway, without getting a chance to settle down. We went through the lonely and lovely journey full of breathtaking landscapes, snowcapped mountains and time stopping silence crossing several villages, mountains, bridges, bad and good stretches of roads for three odd hours before we reached Tandi, where we got the car tank filled. It is the last petrol pump till Leh. By the time we reached Keylong, it was 1930 hours. But to our surprise, even at that time, sunset had not happened. By 2000 hours, it finally occurred. The chilly winds of Keylong rejuvenated our moods and we refreshed ourselves. We had our bookings in PWD Guest House. The Guest House was a pretty decent one and the rooms were cosy, neat and tidy. There are other good budget hotels in Keylong. Occupancy is very low because only foreigners or adventurous tourists like us visit this place. DAY FOUR & FIVE24.06.08 (Tuesday) and 25.06.08 (Wednesday) We walked on the majestic bank of wild grass which was full of music. We lay down on the grass under trees, listening to the murmur of the water, and watching the clouds float across the sky. We climbed the hilly terrains and got their good tidings. Nature's peace had flown into our souls as sunshine had flown into trees. The winds blew their own freshness into us. Keylong is a perfect vacation destination. One can find a plethora of small and large waterfalls amidst this valley where the crystallized water flows. One can find a perfect peace away from our hectic schedule of life. Keylong has also Buddhist Monasteries to be visited. Kardang, Shasur, and Tayul monasteries are a must to be visited. Besides, one can experience a beautiful landscape in this valley of Keylong. Near Tandi, there was a bridge (Thakur Davi Singh Pul) and after crossing that bridge there was a beautiful place on the bank of river. We sat down on the sand, feeling like VIPs coz no other soul was present there. As if the whole of bank had been booked for us. While resting there, we saw a group of around 25-30 foreign adventurous tourists traveling on motor bikes one after another going towards Leh. The sight of these foreigners including female drivers on their powerful bikes equipped with petrol cans, beddings, tents, etc. whizzing on the rugged track raising clouds of dust was just like a scene out of a Hollywood movie. DAY SIX 26.06.08 (Thursday) Return journey to Manali was smooth and we left for Manali at 0800 hrs and reached there at 1400 hrs. In the evening we saw folk dance being performed by men and women in very colourful traditional dresses on the mall road from balcony of our hotel. DAY SEVEN 27.06.08 (Friday) Started return journey from Manali to Delhi at around 0900 hrs in the morning. On the way, after crossing the tunnel, we clicked some snaps of wonderful waterfalls and green mountains. The rain had washed the dust and soot off the tree leaves, if there would have been any, making the mountains look greener. There is this uncanny similarity between these mountains and those in Arunachal Pradesh and other areas of the North-East, more so during rainy overcast conditions, vegetation and trees being a bit different, causing a dejavu. We did not face any problem on the way and reached Delhi at around 0100 hrs.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>Keylong has few restaurants and dhabas where though one can find North Indian Food also but not each and every North Indian dish is available there. Momos in Keylong are a must to taste and relinquish. Especially the Momos chutney is soooooo….. tasty that one will surely miss that when one goes back from Keylong.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>We walked on the majestic bank of wild grass which was full of music. We lay down on the grass under trees, listening to the murmur of the water, and watching the clouds float across the sky. We climbed the hilly terrains and got their good tidings. Nature's peace had flown into our souls as sunshine had flown into trees. The winds blew their own freshness into us. Keylong is a perfect vacation destination. One can find a plethora of small and large waterfalls amidst this valley where the crystallized water flows. One can find a perfect peace away from our hectic schedule of life. Keylong has also Buddhist Monasteries to be visited. Kardang, Shasur, and Tayul monasteries are a must to be visited. Besides, one can experience a beautiful landscape in this valley of Keylong.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>1. you can reach upto Kullu by air and then by pvt taxi or bus. 2. direct bus from delhi, volvo or any other deluxe bus. these buses normally takes 12-13 hrs to reach manali and from there Taxi or another bus although their is direct bus for Keylong also which takes around 24 hrs (avoid such a long journey and halt at either kullu or manali). 3. By own vehicle. Total journey is around 1400 kms (to and fro) and one can take halt at kullu or manali. Get your vehicle serviced b4 departure. Prefer 4X4 vehicle although we went in Alto</P></div></td></tr>06 Oct 2008 19:20:53 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Lahaul-and-Spiti-Reviews.htmlCoolman@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>I don't think Goa need any introduction but still for someone who hasn't heard about it, the state of Goa is known as 'Pearl of the Orient' and a 'Tourist Paradise' located on the western coast of India in the coastal belt known as Konkan. Goa is full of scenic beauty largely famous for its beaches. Apart from beaches Goa has architectural splendors in form of its temples, churches and old houses which makes it among the top 10 tourist destinations in the world. Bordered with the state of Maharashtra borders on the north and the state of Karnataka on the south and east Goa has a multitude and distinctive lifestyle quite different from the rest of India. Goa can be broadly divided into North and South Goa with a very contrasting life style in the region. North Goa is mostly famous for beaches and much of the fanfare and fun happens in this region. South Goa is much more a peaceful and secluded beaches.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>This was my first trip to Goa and I was in the North part of Goa hence I can only give information that region. I was in Arpora near Baga Beach. While on Baga Brittos was the place we used to have snacks & meals. The other option there is St. Anthony’s Bar & Restaurant which is the oldest restaurant. Both are right on the beach with some good sea food options. The bombay bhel poori stalls near the temple on the baga beach also serve some good bhel. Also Delhi Chat near the Calangute Beach is a must visit for some veg snacks including Bhature Chole, Tikki et al. Tila Kulfi is also popular from this joint. The beaches worth visiting in order of my preference is Calangute, Baga, Anjuna & Vagator all in North Goa. Beaches to avoid for sure is Miramar beach in Panjim. The sunset cruise on Mandovi River is also worth the fun. I had a great time with the cruise. Among the churches I visited St Francis church was an architectural marvel. Fort Aguda had some nice scenic beauty for some nice clicks for the camera. While in Goa make sure you shop for alcohol, cashew & feny & preferably from Panjim.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>The activities that can be done in Goa include - sun bathing on shacks available on various beaches. This is the best activity available. Clubbing: the night life is the must to enjoy while in Goa with clubs open till early morning. Tito's near baga is one happening place. Beer & wine: The cheapest alcohol I had in all over India. To be honest I had more beer than water while in Goa. Go Karting : One thing I would surely advice any Go kart fan is to try Go Kart track in Arpora near Saturday Flea market. I totally enjoyed it & the track had good challenges for an amateur like me.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>The best time to visit Goa is from mid October to March when Goa is at its full season. The peak season from 20 Dec - 10 Jan when there is carnival. Avoid traveling in August - early September when its monsoons in Goa. Though Goa is at its greenest during this period. While is Goa make sure to carry lot of sun cream as you might get a lot of tan while in Goa. If you plan to take a volvo bus from Bangalore to Goa prefer using the service of KSRTC.</P></div></td></tr>05 Oct 2008 10:19:50 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/states/reviews/Goa-Reviews.htmlRahul@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>A quaint, quiet old town with a plethora of historical monuments to visit. Udaipur, derived from the former ruler Maharana Udai Singh of Mewar, has adjusted to the times and has now customized itself to tourist requirements. So, the old part of the city, consisting of a labyrinth of close buildings (many of them in fact adjoining each other - common wall) has been converted into ‘Tourist Hostel’ or its equivalent. Each of the buildings has renamed itself as a haveli and converted to a hotel. Since most of these haveli hotels are easy on the pocket (amazingly so in fact, especially when you compare the rates to the 5-star hotels nearby) the area is choc-a-bloc with foreign tourists wearing sunglasses and the mandatory backpack and looking pleased as punch with their surroundings. The food is accordingly overpriced and multi-cuisine. I was amazed to find every cuisine from Italian to Spanish on the menu of even the simplest of havelis. Additionally, the people who cater to tourists are extremely polite and well-mannered – a pleasure to see compared to most places frequented by foreign tourists where hotel personnel are very perceptibly if politely rude to those who have a non-white skin. I loved the weather of Udaipur. Cool and pleasant, it is a complete contrast to that of the rest of Rajasthan. The sun does not burn you to a cinder as it does in the rest of the state. Although it is still advisable to stay out of the sun from say 11.00 am to 5.00 pm. Although I saw only three of which two were interconnected (Lake Swaroop and Lake Fateh Sagar), the water does lend coolness to the atmosphere of Udaipur.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>The main attractions are the City Palace which takes around 1.5 hours to visit with a guide and the Monsoon Palace which has a fantastic view of the sunset as it is situated around 3000 sq. ft above sea level. Additionally, the Fateh Sagar lake is a don’t miss. The lake is a lovely blue with patches of green that can be seen from the Nehru Park. You can either hire a boat for Rs.300 (around 9 seaters) or pay Rs.80 per seat in a normal boat. The hired boat will take you around the lake for 45 minutes and wait for you while you explore the extremely cute and well-manicured Nehru Park. This is a garden which is right in the middle of the lake, fountains and all and makes for a very pleasant break in the middle of the day. The normal state owned boat will take you to Nehru Park and back without the 30 extra minutes around the lake. Do wander around the ‘Tourist market’ in the old city as well as ‘Gandhi market’ in the main city. Rates are most reasonable at ‘Gandhi market’ which is near Hathi Pol. Another attraction is ‘Saheliyon ki badi’ but I didn’t find it exactly attractive. It is a garden which had a pretty deserted look when we visited mid-day – possibly that time of the day was too hot for touristy walks around open-air gardens. Lake Pichola is supposed to be another attraction but the cost prohibited us from enjoying the attraction. Rs.325 per person for a boat ride around the lake and a visit to Jag Mandir which apparently is not a mandir (temple) at all. But I couldn’t verify this. Hotels are aplenty in the old city area next to Lake Pichola at rates that are easy on the pocket and have the advantage of being close to the main attractions. There are hotels on both sides of the lake, so you have a vast pick. The four and five-star hotels are a little further inside the city while there are a couple on the Fateh Sagar lake which are very beautiful but seemed likely to have transportation problems since they are a little farther away from both the city or the attractions.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Not much to do besides sight-seeing and shopping but that is enough to keep you occupied for the trip.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>There's a lot of walking and climbing of steps to do in Udaipur. As the old part of the city is built on a slope, even the simplest of walks becomes an uphill climb. So - be sure to take a pair of good walking shoes along!</P></div></td></tr>04 Oct 2008 21:36:38 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Udaipur-Reviews.htmlWanderlust@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Its real heaven with lots n lots of greenery.Really beautiful place to visit. nice break from the city mechanical life.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>You will really feel that our eye sight isnt enough to look at the beauty of Coorg scenery. No much of shopping can be made though.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Activities with your partner can be done in lot many different ways, coog atmosphere motivates you to do so.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Coorg has no rail transport it is best to reach coorg by road from b'lore</P></div></td></tr>03 Oct 2008 18:10:35 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Coorg-Reviews.htmlAnuradha@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Chikhaldara s really a cold rsgion.. But it need special care and nurture. i visited Chikhaldara for my project work with my father.. The thing i noticed is theat ther are no public washrooms.. No food to eat at spots and the trees are reducing in numbers.. and the tigers are getting extinct with other wild animals..<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>No food and shopping place... Really needs a good place to freak out!!<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Can enjoy a long drive and Relax!!!<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Fill lot of fuel in ur car as u have to buy petrol at higher rates here...</P></div></td></tr>01 Oct 2008 19:34:50 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Chikhaldara-Reviews.htmlUttara@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Tarkarli is around 550kms by road from Mumbai. I took Mandovi Express on 2nd May 2008 to reach Kudal Station. As usual, the train departed late from CST station and could not cover up the distance as there is a single track on Konkan Railway. he train was supposed to reach Kudal station at 16:30hrs but it was late by 3 hours. I got down and reached Kudal ST stand but could not get a direct ST bus to Malvan as Tarkarli is 6 kms from Malvan. So, had to take the Kankavli bus and got down at Kasaal. Luckily, the Ratnagiri-Malvan ST bus was late by some time, so I could reach Malvan by that bus. I reach Malvan bus stand late in the night at 21:15hrs. Finally, somehow I managed to reach my hotel at Tarkarli by an Auto-Rickshaw. The next day i.e. on 3rd May, I woke up early and went to the Tarkarli beach. I saw a group of people pushing the boat into the sea to go for a fresh catch for the day. Within some time, the boat was deep in the sea. There were many small and medium sized boats on the beach and also there were some tourists for early morning walk. I took the breakfast and headed to the Tarkarli Water Sports Jetty. Later, I went to Malvan Jetty and headed to Sindhudurg Fort by boat. You have to shell out Rs 27 (return fare) to visit the fort. You can see the only temple in India of Shivaji Maharaj. The temple is known as Shivrajeshwar Mandir and was built by his son, Rajaram Maharaj. The sword placed near the statue weighs 2.5kgs and is 3.5ft long. It is removed from the cover once in year on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashmi (Dassera). You will also find a coconut tree with two branches within the vicinity of the fort. There around 18-20 houses within the fort and the entry and the exit to the fort is restricted during the monsoon. You will also find the foot and hand print of Shivaji Maharaj as soon as you enter the fort. There is not much to see on the fort as the fort is no more maintained, just like other forts and the outer wall is becoming weak due to the strong sea waves.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>The hotel owner Mr. Gajanan Kubal is a superb person I met in this trip. He just asked me to get fresh and have the dinner. That is what we call 'Atithi DevoBhava'. He offered me Veg and Non-Veg food option. I said, How can i think of having veg diet in Konkan? I simply want to eat Fish and Sol Kadhi. In all, I paid Rs 800 for 2 night stay, 2 dinner, 1 lunch, breakfast and tea. (Rs 300 for a spacious room, where at least 3-4 people can sleep). He has around 5 rooms and its right near the beach. You can enjoy the fresh sea food near the Malvan jetty. Malvan market is closed from 1pm-4pm. You can get the Cashewnuts (Kaaju) , Aambaa (Mango) Poli, Kokam and Aawla Syrup and much more.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>MTDC has started Snorkeling near Sindhudurg as the water clear there. Scuba Diving activity will be started very soon. MTDC charges Rs 250 for a good 20-30 minutes of snorkeling. The best part of this activity is, the non swimmers can also enjoy this activity. The divers here are of great help and they take great efforts for the tourists to enjoy snorkeling. Snorkeling can be enjoyed from 9am-3pm. I was able to see at least 4-5 varieties of fish and the corals here. Later, in the evening I went for Devbagh backwaters, Bhogwe Beach and other small islands near Bhogwe beach. I simply cannot express the view of these places. Bhogwe beach is a place where some scenes of the famous Oscar nominated Marathi film “Shwaas” were shot. I was not lucky to see the Dolphins near Devbagh. You can enjoy the Devbagh Backwaters, Bhogwe Beach, Dolphin view and other small islands by paying Rs 600, which is worth watching.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Kudal Station to Kudal Bus Stand:- Rs 10 (Share Rickshaw) Kudal to Kasaal (ST Bus):- Rs 15 (I had to take this bus, as i missed the direct bus to Malvan) Kasaal to Malvan (ST Bus):- Rs 23 Malvan to Tarkarli (Auto Rickshaw):- Rs 80 (They don't charge much during daytime) Tarkarli to Malvan:- Rs 20 (Share Rickshaw) Malvan Jetty to Sindhudurg Fort:- Rs 27 (Return Fare) Malvan to Tarkarli:- Rs 10 (Share Fare by Mahindra Jeep) Kankavli to Kolhapur:- Rs 90 (By good 2x2 Asiad Bus)</P></div></td></tr>01 Oct 2008 15:55:15 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Tarkarli-Reviews.htmlSurendra@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>District headquarters of the recently formed Udupi District...65 kms from Mangalore off the Mangalore Goa Mumbai Coastal Highway (NH 17 ). The University town of MANIPAL is just 5 kms from Udupi. The nearest Railway Station is UDUPI on the Konkan Railway Line<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>The temples in UDUPI are its biggest attraction. The town is famous for its history of religious tolerance, being a renowned and ancient centre of Hindu culture. The Various MATHS which are the seats of ancient spiritual heads of the HINDU faith advocate peace and harmony , understanding and tolerance among the various religious groups.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>A visit to the UNIVERSITY town of Manipal is highly recommended. This is a tribute to the genius and vision of Shri.T.M.A.Pai and the PAI family. The University town has been modelled on the highly acclaimed University towns in the United States...!!!<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>The Karnataka State Government can certainly afford to maintain the roads in this town of religious significance to the Hindus. The roads in MANIPAL are disgusting......!!!! Hotels to be avoided in Manipal....HOTEL GREEN PARK.....!!!!</P></div></td></tr>01 Oct 2008 09:10:28 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Udupi-Reviews.htmlTitan@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>It?s proximity to Srinagar makes it easily accessible and visitors flock from far and near to take in its splendor. The journey to Gulmarg is half the attraction of reaching there, in any season. In the summer the sight of the rolling hills sprinkled with wild flowers makes Gulmarg look like a Van Gogh painting and in the winter it?s like a clip from Dr Zhivago with snow covered fields and houses. http://nomadicrider.com/2008/09/holiday-destination-gulmarg/<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>Shiv Mandir<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Gandola Ride, Horse Riding<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Any season travel</P></div></td></tr>29 Sep 2008 15:24:15 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Gulmarg-Reviews.htmlnomadicrider@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Visiting the north eastern states of india had been my wish since my childhood as i was always very keen on indian geography and wondered why these seven sisters are soo isolated from the mailnland india.. finally after making a lot of research work and convincing my parents about their safety concerns we moved to this paradise undiscovered.we covered parts of meghalya,assam and arunachal pradesh.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>People don’t know about the beautiful north eastern Indian states, people even don’t know about their existence and others think those are the most terrorised states of India. But I found all these things wrong when I insisted my family to tour to the north-eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. To my surprise there are also direct flights from mumbai to guwahati{by kingfisher airlines}. When we landed up in assam we were amazed to see beautiful green plains of assam full of greenery. The tea gardens of tezpur just took my breathe away. The wildlife of kaziranga, just insisted me to forget that there is a place in the world called Africa. I found the people of assam the most hospitable people I have ever seen. After assam we carried our happy feet to feel the neighbouring Meghalaya . We visited a border town of Noongooch to feel the traditional khasi culture. We also visited a bustling capital of Meghalaya, Shillong and also cherrapunjee[sohra]. Meghalaya can be called the ‘scotland of the east’ because of its extensive natural green grasslands and deep forests, a great place to visit for the bird watchers and tourists. On our way to Arunachal we made a point to take a halt at eco camp at the nameri national park in assam. This place is really crafted with good perfectionism, amazing bird watching sight, amazing river rafting experience, and the best of accommodations to live in for the nature lovers. At last we entered to the most unexplored paradise of mother india, the state of arunachal pradesh, rightly called as the land of rising sun of india, by dr. Manmohan Singh. The beauty starts from the time you enter the state [one requires permission to enter arunachal pradesh] and goes along with you from bhalukpong’s lush green jungles to dirang’s beautiful valleys, from sella’s frozen lakes and snow-clad mountains to tawang’s large monastery and beatiful landscape. Arunachal Pradesh, best visited during the month of april-may is a complete package of forests, greenery, frozen lakes and snowclad himalayas which will make you feel proud about India – we got it back from china after fighting bravely against them in sub-zero temperatures. To feel the indo-sino war you can visit the war memorial at tawang and also can visit the Indo-Tibetan border via pangong-tso,a beautiful frozen lake with amazing beauty around it. I think that we have visited a paradise which we all are unaware of. Just don’t think much and pack your bags and start exploring the unexplored gigantic north-eastern india.. Hotels Shillong, meghalaya hotel tripura castle Nameri,assam the eco camp Bhalupong,assam the tourist lodge ,assam tourism Dirang,arunachal pradesh hotel pemaling Tawang,arrunchal pradesh hotel tawang inn <P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Just activate your eyes to see a unknown and beautiful paradise of india<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>One can book a customised tour from mumbai, guwahati or dibrugarh to avoid any hotel booking problem. Though all the places mentioned above are safe to visit, personal safety is highly recommended. Respect the tribes of these areas, to avoid any problems. Recommended to take a single vehicle with good ground clearance (eg tavera}from guwahati or dibrugarh with a knowledgeable guide and driver .enjoy the paradise. Travel in small groups of not more than 8 people to avoid delays in your programme. </P></div></td></tr>29 Sep 2008 15:22:49 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/states/reviews/Arunachal-Pradesh-Reviews.htmlsam@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Mysore is the cultural capital of the Karnataka state and is thronged by many visitors all round the year. Many visitors travelling from Bangalore to Hillstations and wildlife sanctuaries prefer taking a day or two stay at Mysore to checkout its Palace, Zoo and Brindavan Gardens.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>The Mysore Zoo is a must visit and one of the best Zoos in India, having Giraffe's, Zebra's, Gorilla and many more such exotic creatures from around the world. Mysore Palace is magnificent with amazing carvings and good architecture. Photography is prohibited from inside however pictures of the outside palace view can be taken. One cannot miss out the Brindavan Gardens and the musical fountain. The light and music show begins at 7 p.m. Mysore is famous for its Sandalwood items and silk sarees. The New Karnataka Cottage Emporium ( at Mysore Hotel Complex) has a lot of variety and has fixed prices and good offers. Veg Kourt on Shri Harsha road offers good Punjabi Food (Jain preparations were also available). Hotel Mysore Dasaprakash at Gandhi Square serves authentic South Indian Food.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Eco-friendly Battery operated cars are available to take a round of the Zoo. Santosh -The tall man waits outside the Brindavan Gardens offering a photo opportunity of him with you for Rs.10/-.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Polythene bags are strictly prohibited at the Mysore Zoo if you by chance happen to carry it u can transfer your contents to Paper bag provided by the zoo authorities. To reach Mysore from Bangalore A/c Volvo buses are your best bet, they charge around Rs.200/- and run almost round the clock. We took a bus at leaving Bangalore at 11 p.m. Auto Rickshaws and Horse drawn carriages are the best mode of transport for travelling in Mysore.</P></div></td></tr>29 Sep 2008 09:17:12 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Mysore-Reviews.htmlRonak@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Wild animals can be seen & photographed from the room of the Hollong forest bunglow.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>One must avail the elephant ride in the early morning to spot the wild animals.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>there are many places near by to visit also such as Gorumara, Totopara & Bhutan also.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>One can reach Hollong from hiring vehicle from Silliguri(140 km) or from Mudarihat.</P></div></td></tr>29 Sep 2008 09:14:56 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Jaldapara-Reviews.htmlAjeya@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>SHIRDI IS A PLACE SIMILER TO DWARKA OF LORD SHREE KRISHNA IS ABODE OF GOD & ATTRACTS PERSONS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WITHOUT ANY PREJUDICE, CASTE, NATURE TO DEVLOP THE HUMAN QUALITIES .AS MENTIONED IN SAI CHARITRA THAT BABA PULLS HIS BHAKTA FROM OVERSEAS AS HE CARES THE PERSON WHO ONCE JUST EVEN THINK OF HIM.A TIME WILL COME WHEN ALL THE HUMAN BEINGS WILL BECOME HIS DEVOTEE CONSIDERING THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH DAILY, IT'S JUST TRANSFER OF THOUGHTS WHICH TURNS THE PERSON TO MAKE MORE CAREFUL FOR THE SOCIETY ,A MORE CONCERN TOWARDS DUTIES BY ATATINING THE MATERIALISTIC THINS ALONG WITH SPRITUAL DEVLOPMENT.SHIRDI IS THE CENTRIPETAL POINT FOR ALL THE BASICS WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY REQUIRED AS MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURES TO ATTAIN THE HIGHEST STATE OF MEDITATION BY FOLLOWING SIMPLE STEPS SHRADHHA {THE FAITH} SABURI{ THE PATIENCE } WE PREY SHRI SAI TO DEVLOP ALL THE GOOD SKILLS TO HAVE YOUR KRIPA ALWAYS AND CARRY US BY HOLDING OUR HANDS TOYOUR DESTINATION MAKE US YOUR DEVOTEES & DELOP THE FEATURES OF NAVDHABHAKTI SO AS TO ATTAIN YOU . JAI SHREE SAI NATH. WHOESEVER WILL READ WHENEVER THIS TEXT JUST SEND ME THE FEEDBACK ALSO SHALABH BHARADWAJ sbharadwaj123 at rediffmail.com<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>sai prasadayala<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>just watch the BABA<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>reach by road transport from kopargaon / manmad. Nasik IF YOU ARE GOING VIA RAILWAYS pune if you reaching by flights</P></div></td></tr>27 Sep 2008 20:17:05 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Shirdi-Reviews.htmlshalabh@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Sindhudurg district is the most beautiful one in Maharashtra in terms of Natural beauty, flora, & fauna ! Lot many Sea beaches, temples of historical importance and forts ! Check the lni kbelow which has lot of information and pictures on Vengurla & Sindhudurg. http://www.geocities.com/ggavaska/navadurga.html<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>lot of site seeing places - temples, forts, sea shores. Pleasant atmosphere. Lot of Sea food as well as fruits.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>touring<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>nearest railway station -kudal. lot of trains from Mumbai. nearest airport- Goa - Dabholim</P></div></td></tr>27 Sep 2008 20:13:44 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Sindhudurg-Reviews.htmlSachin@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>This green paradise is nestled among the mountains of western ghat and is located at a distance of 76 km from the nearest sea-shore of Kozhikode (Calicut) and about 250kms from Bangalore city. Wayanad is known for its picturesque mist-clad hill stations, sprawling Spice plantations, luxurious forest and rich cultural traditions. This is an ideal get-away during the monsoon season with other leading tourist centres like Ooty, Mysore & Coorg located around this region.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>Kerala cuisines are a must try but there aren't too many great hotels where you will get good food but its not bad either.. The focus here is not on food but the sights that you can go to like the Edakkal Caves, Soochipara Falls etc.. You can also shop for various kinds of tea and coffee powder with spices like pepper, cardamom and the likes<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Trekking to the caves or one of the three water falls in the region. The non-adventurous types can just chill out at their resort or homestay with a good drink or massage overlooking the mountains. One could also visit the Likkidi view point which is a sight for sore eyes<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Calicut is the nearest town to Wayanad forest range. You can also drive drown from Bangalore (260kms) via Mysore. </P></div></td></tr>26 Sep 2008 15:05:35 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Wayanad-Reviews.htmlBrian@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>THE WORTH SEEING PLACE AND WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE OF SEEING NATURE IN FULL BLOOM .<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>Valley of Flowers...in Maharastra...... From Pune or Mumbai if you are driving down then after crossing Kambatki Ghat just before Satara keep looking on left side for a restaraunt called'Virangula' .This place is damn good spot for testing Maharastrian delicacies like Chakali, Thalipeeth, Pithala Bhakari and for sweet tooth guys Chirote and Ladoo of Ground nut powder is must eat.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Enjoy the scene of carpet of flowers, of different coloures and sizes....spread hundreds of feet on platue. The flowers keep on changing if you visit aftera gap of a week or so. see birds like bulbul, Go driving down near kAS lake further down. If time permits and u are intersted in Historic places also visit SajjanGad . Thoseghar water fall is also near by.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Nearest location or town is Satara in Maharastra. You can reach Satara by car/bus from Pune,Mumbai. The driving time from Mumbai willbe approximately 5 to 6 hrs considering moderate speed and stops for snacks etc.Once you reach Satara if you want to take a bus the u can take a State Transport Bus going to Bamnoli or drive down on road to SajjanGad.Just when u are about to get out of Satara Town you will come across a small tunnel . Do not cross it and before that take a right turn.The board is there but not very visible and hence this instruction.From this point the platue of Kas is around 20 kms. The road unwinds the little Ghat section. You can view the Dam below on right hand side from the elevation. after 19 kms or so you get on to the platue. Start seeing widely spread flowers on both sides. The bushes are of knee high size and just full of flowers. You can see white,blue,yellow coloured flowers of different sizes. This phenomenon takes place after rainy season and currently its on. Its not yet crowded but on holidays you can see many visitors from Pune, Mumbai, Kolhapur coming to see this marvel. The PLACE IS BOOMING RIGHT NOW AND THIS MARVEL CAN BE SEEN TILL 2ND WEEK OF OCT.</P></div></td></tr>26 Sep 2008 15:03:56 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Satara-Reviews.htmlUDAY@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>If u r planning a visit to Araku, try this plan.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>Subbiah's hotel is must have at Kakinada. Dont expect ambiance, just good food on 'pathroli' (banana leaf) and lots of goodies. Pic up a packet of dry spicy vegetable powders for home. At Araku, u cn safely bet and eat at Apsara Hotel on the araku market street. At near the jeep stand at Borra caves lunch at Sharada Hotel gives u a taste of tribal cooking methods.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>While at Kakinada, hire a cab and go to Draksharama. An ancient Shiva Temple. A jyotirlinga. U can enjoy the ride with green fields around u for miles together. U can also visit Dwaraka Tirumala and while coming back u can also visit another Shiva Temple of ancient origins, at Bhimaeshwaram near Samaralakota. While going to Vizag by road u can visit Annavaram temple, where Lord Sathyanarayana Swamy resides. In case u r travelling by train, u can squeeze Annavaram while at Kakinada itself.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>There are several ways. </P></div></td></tr>26 Sep 2008 07:48:16 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Araku-Valley-Reviews.htmlGV@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Gopalaswamy Betta is on a hill top that is a part of Bandipur National Park & can be accessed by a small road which is maintained well through the village of Hangala north of the national park. This place is haven for trekking however one needs to be extra careful of not entering into the forest zone as lot of wild elephants are seen climbing the hill. At the top of the hill is a temple of Lord Venugopala Swamy built seven centuries ago and a travellers' bungalow which remains locked now and belonged to the Ruler of Mysore. This place is covered with fog and mist throughout the year and is quite cool hence it is advisable to be in light warm clothing and a good pair of trekking shoe. Staying beyond 5:30 PM is not allowed. No restaurants are available at the hill top hence you have to carry food/snacks and water just in case you would want to spend a day.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is available at Jungle Lodges & Resorts. The Bandipur National Park runs jeep and min bus safaris into the forest from 6:30am to 8:30am and 4pm to 6pm.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Trekking, Birding, Yoga & Meditation<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>Light warm clothing and trekking shoe. From Bangalore - Mysore -on to the Ooty highway, before Bandipur you will come across a village called Hangala take right here and drive about 12-15 kms on the hill.</P></div></td></tr>24 Sep 2008 21:24:22 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Bandipur-National-Park-Reviews.htmlPraveen@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>Its truly beautiful barog, a small quite hill station on the way to shimla. laze around or just take a walk in the forest.....the most picturous railway station you would ever see....apart from the bollywood movie......<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>...<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>just walk around...<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>we had taken the shatabdi till kalka, cab from there. comfortable option.</P></div></td></tr>24 Sep 2008 07:25:20 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Barog-Reviews.htmlXPLORER@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>we were a group of friends with our family for one day picnic at malshejghat. We start drive from lowerparel (Mumbai) and pick-up at 5 stops on the way during the travel. The road was so smooth and as good as we expected. The scenic beauty is fantastic around Murbad-Malshej way. We went under the waterfall at Malshejghat. Roads are covered by trees, dense green cover, clouds with full of water & rains during the whole day. We were enjoying every second of day. As we reached Malshej, we saw several groups enjoying waterfall along the ghat. I would recommend that to visit at Malshejghat ghat during july 1st week to August, 2nd week in the monsoon season.<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>Food & sight-seeing and shopping We carry our food from mumbai only and eat at top of the ghat in open space. Entire view is great from top of ghat.<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>Just enjoy the waterfalls, cloudy weather and greenary all the way.<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>At the time of visit take care of yourself and your group companion. Also carry First Aid box with u for any injury during the visit. Take all precautions of safety</P></div></td></tr>20 Sep 2008 11:36:50 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Malshejghat-Reviews.htmlSANDIP@holidayiq.com<tr><td colspan='3' align='left' class='copy'><div><I>Overview of the destination</I><BR>a nice n memorable trip around the months of august<P><I>Food, sight-seeing and shopping</I> <BR>nothin to shop<P><I>Activities & things to do </I><BR>u can swim....have good fish fry...body massage....<P><I>Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.</I> <BR>bangalore to hoganekal is around 140 kms...good road via hosur.....</P></div></td></tr>20 Sep 2008 11:35:50 GMThttp://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/reviews/Hogenakkal-Reviews.htmlmayur@holidayiq.com