The 106th anniversary of the heritage Nilgiris Mountain Railway (NMR) services was held in Udhagamandalam (Ooty) on Tuesday, 16th October 2013. Passengers alighting from the train were welcomed with red rose, cake and chocolate by railway officials. Built by the British, NMR train ran on steam engines for a long time. Running between Mettupalayam in Coimbatore and Coonoor covering 41.8 km, it now operates on an oil-fired engine. It is very popular among tourists alike the other mountain railways such as Shimla, Darjeeling and Jogindernagar. It has been given Heritage Status by the UNESCO. The train shot into fame after the song “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from popular Bollywood film “Dil Se”, featuring Shahrukh Khan, was shot on its roof top. METTUPALAIYAM - OOTY : It was in 1854, that ...
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Once, adventure travel was the exclusive domain of daring young backpackers, this on longer is applicable. This season you can head for an adventure escapade filled with endorphin-boosting and some eye-opening extreme activities at Independent India’ s first planned hill city Aamby Valley City. 19 Degree North at Aamby Valley Cityis an ideal adventure getawaywith diverse range of fun activities, the adventure park promises an exhilarating experiences to enjoy the first-of-its-kind rides for the whole family! 19 Degree North, the epitome of adventure in Maharashtra is the place for all adventure and adrenaline junkies. If you are one of those brazen person who wants to get down and dirty, who revels in the mud and fears no twist or turns; who simply holds the handles of the bike and let
Read MoreValley of Flowers National Park — a World Heritage site — will remain closed this year even as the yatra to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Hemkund Saheb has been resumed. The national park opened on June 1 this year and closed on June 16 after incessant rains triggered landslips and destroyed a bridge near the national park. The bridge — across the Pushpawati river — connected the Valley of Flowers and Ghangaria. The three-kilometre stretch between the bridge and the national park was also destroyed after heavy rainfall triggered landslips in the area. Sarvesh Kumar Dube, Sub Divisional Officer, Nanda Devi National Park, Joshimath, said, “Had everything been fine, the national park would have remained open till October end.” “The Public Works Department (PWD...
Read MoreIn a decision that could increase foreign exchange earning from tourism for the country in future, the Planning Commission of India has recommended a comprehensive overhaul in the visa facilitation process for travelers intending to visit India. In a joint meeting of the officials of the related ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Tourism, etc., it was recommended to extend Visa on Arrival (VoA) facilities to citizens of 40 more countries. The Commission also recommended VoA for senior citizens and pensioners from all countries, as well as setting up online visa processing system to enhance smoother facilitation of visas for overseas travelers. The 40 countries which would be included in the list for VoA include the USA, UK, Russia, Germany, France, China, Canada, Brazil, ...
Read MoreFirst gopuram of the Virupaksha temple in Hampi as seen through a hole in the wall inside the temple. This hole with a pin hole camera technique transmits an inverted image of the gopuram on the wall just opposite to this hole. See it to believe it. ...
Read MoreOne of the India's top super luxury train Royal Rajasthan on Wheels (RROW) embarked on its first commercial journey of the new tourist season on Sunday from Safdarjung Railway station in New Delhi. On its first trip trains had 26 passengers. This train is jointly operated by Rajasthan Tourism and Indian Railways. This train has been running since 2008. This is second luxury train running in Rajasthan besides Palace on Wheels (POW). Leaving Delhi, this train will take travelers to tiger reserve of Ranthambore, historical fort of Chittorgarh, City of lakes Udaipur, Blue city Jodhpur and Pink city Jaipur in Rajasthan. Outside state train will go UNESCO world heritage complex of Khajuraho, city of TAJ Agra and Varanasi before returning to Delhi in a weeklong journey. This train has been
Read MoreBackwaters in Kerala in southern India is always an enchanting experience. Here in backwaters of Alleppy, a flock of thousands of ducks pass through a houseboat.... ...
Read MoreBrand USA, the United States of America’s first-ever nationally coordinated tourism-marketing organization, today concluded its second India Travel Mission. Organized between September 22 to September 26, 2013 in New Delhi and Mumbai, the mission witnessed the participation of 47 delegates, representing 31 organizations from various U.S. destinations, attractions, hotels and destination management companies. The travel mission included two interactive business sessions in Mumbai (September 23) and New Delhi (September 25) that provided an opportunity for US delegates to develop and strengthen co-operation with their Indian counterparts. The invitees included major stakeholders from the Indian travel trade, airline representatives, hospitality representatives and tour operators. Addi...
Read MoreKashmiri women singing a traditional wedding song at a village near Anantnag on way to Kokernag in Kashmir valley. Kashmiri weddings are a treat to watch. At this particular occasion the groom has gone to the local mosque and the women folk are waiting for him to return, while singing this song on the main road to village. Song is praising the bride and the groom and reminds them that they are finally now together.... And it was raining too! Here is a video of this song Kashmiri Wedding Song...
Read MoreThis is a good news. The pilgrimage to famous Sikh shrine, Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand in Himalayan India, suspended since the June 16 natural calamity, resumed on Saturday with Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna flagging off a batch of nearly 100 pilgrims from Govindghat. The flag-off took place after “bhog” and a ceremonial recitation of Akhand Path. The portals of the shrine located at a height of 15,200 ft will reopen on Sunday when the first batch of pilgrims arrives there. Now the pilgrims and trekkers alike will be able to make most of whatever season is left to go to Hemkund and world Heritage site of Valley of Flowers. Though damage to the shrine devoted to the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh was not as extensive as in Kedarnatah, a 6 km stretch of the trek route to the high...
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