Travel Topics
Forget the crowds of Ranthambore. In the heart of Madhya Pradesh, a little-known sanctuary offers tigers, 30,000-year-old cave paintings, and the kind of stillness that busy lives rarely afford. The…
Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best festivals in March 2025 across the globe, from Wales to Colombia, with cherry trees, loads of Guinness and even some frozen dead…
As we enter the new year, Mark Bibby Jackson provides a guide to worldwide festivals for 2025. From voodoo in West Africa to miraculous lords and Hampshire watercress, here is…
The Serendipity Arts Festival is an exciting celebration of art, culture and wellness held annually in Panjim, Goa. This vibrant festival brings together local and international performers, artists and wellness…
From the India to Turkey and Colombia to Belgium, we bring you the best December global festivities, including where to ring in the New Year, and that is not even…
Namaste, fellow yogis and yoginis! Are you ready to embark on a life-changing journey to the spiritual heart of India? Then look no further than the International Yoga Festival at…
From two of the most important festivals in the Indian calendar, to sausage festivals in Lincoln and Weimar, October is a month full of fun. Here is our selection of…
Welcome to our guide on things to do in India, one of the most culturally diverse and fascinating countries in the world. India offers an unparalleled travel experience, with a…
If you’re planning a visit to India, Delhi should definitely be on your itinerary. As the country’s capital city, Delhi is a bustling metropolis that offers a rich cultural heritage…
Travel Begins at 40 has scanned the globe to bring you our tips on where to go in March from Japan to Brazil, with activities from watching bulbs grow in…
Whether it is for ethical reasons or health, increasingly large numbers of people are turning towards veganism. According to the Veganuary website 620,000 people tried being vegan last January, from…
The symbolic power of light has always played a powerful role in the world’s many cultural and religious traditions. But apart from their traditional significance, festivals of lights are also…
In the second of two photo essays from Varanasi India we discover the cremation rituals at the burning ghats on the banks of the Ganges river. Read the first article…
The first of two photo essays from Varanasi India exploring life and death in the holy city along the banks of the Ganges river. Varanasi is also known by its…
Considering its vast size and enormous population, it’s no surprise that India is an incredible diverse country home to many different ethnic groups and religions. And with each of these…
Although travel has been prevented for most of us, we can still dream of the future. Hopefully these wonderful travel images of Asia by Rupert Marlow will inspire you on…
During Uttarayan, one of India’s most eagerly awaited celebrations, the International Kite Festival in the state of Gujarat sees millions of kites…
India is an incredibly diverse region that is home to as many as 1599 languages and at least nine religions. This variety can be attributed to it consisting of many…
Durga Puja, one of the most important festivals for Hindu Bengalis, is the biggest yearly event in Kolkata and known as the Carnival of the East. Usually taking place in September or October…
Usually held every year on the second Saturday of August, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race sees huge, iconic snake boats engaged in a fierce and colourful contest. It has turned…
During the days of the Onam Festival, the biggest and most spectacular festival of Kerala, the entire Indian state goes on a spree of celebrations, music and dance performances, elaborate…
The biggest event of indigenous warrior tribes in India’s Nagaland state, the 10-day Hornbill Festival in December sees singing, dance and sports performances mix with traditional crafts…
The Hindu Holi Festival is a riotous Hindu celebration where crowds douse each other with colour and water – and is probably India’s most vibrant and fun festival. Holi, the festival of colours…
Maha Kumbh Mela or Prayag Kumbh Mela is a phenomenal spectacle of millions of Hindu pilgrims in India who gather every six years to bathe in a sacred river. It is held every six years…
It’s astonishing that India attracts less tourists than a small country like, say, The Netherlands, while this subcontinent boasts an almost endless list of attractions, from the spectacular Himalayas and steaming jungles to megacities, silent yogis and colourful festivals – not to forget the famous beaches of Goa. The Modi government has opened up remote areas to tourists while visa procedures have simplified, so now is as good a time as any to explore this incredible country.
Its capital is New Delhi, but the country’s largest city is Mumbai. The country also has dozens of states each with its own state capital, with some of the most famous including Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur and Srinagar.
India truly is a festival country with countless of Hindu festivals taking place throughout the year such as the spectacular Durga Puja and Ganesh Chaturthi festivals. But not all festivals are exclusively Hindu festivals, including many of the country’s most popular ones such as Diwali and Holi festival India or sports festivals such as the International Kite Festival in Gujarat and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Kerala.
There are multiple climate zones including desert, tropical, highlands, lowlands and savannah climates. January, November and December are best to visit the north while January, February and December are good for the east and west.
The main official language is Hindi while English is widely spoken, but there are literary hundreds of other living languages.
Its food is almost as varied as its country and an attraction in itself. It comes as no surprise its delicious and rich cuisine can be found in restaurants all over the world.
