India is Amazing. From 21st entury modern cities and industrialized economy that preserves ancient forts palaces, sacred temples, and monumental wonders like "Taj Mahal".
The country boasts of highest mountain ranges the Himalayas, cold deserts, sand desert, dense forests, grassland ecosystems and maginifcent wetlands like Bharatpur that are best bird habitats.
Amazing India has diverse habitats which are home to endemic, resident and migratory birds. The diverse topography and affinity with zoo geographical regions, varied habitat types are home to more than 2000 species of birds almost thriteen percent of total nunber of species found on Earth.
Climatic varies widely in India. Harsh winter prevails from November to mid-March. The heat of the summers is followed by humid pre monsoon period of June. The torrential rains during monsoons brings the country to halt on days. The hill resorts in Himalaya and Western Ghats offer much needed relief in months of August and September. Cool breeze and pleasant Sun takes over in October followed by winters December onwards.
valid Passports / Visas: These are must for visitors to India. British and Irish nationals passport should have minimum validity of 6 months prior to visa application.
Vaccination is not a prerequisite for visiting India for people from UK and Ireland. Innoculation typhoid, Hepatitis and meningitis is advised. Yellow fever certification is required for visitors from Africa, South America and Papua New Guinea.
Rupee is Indian currency. Rs. One Rupee = 1oo paisa. Coin denomination of 1, 2, 5, Rupees and 10, 25 & 50 Paisa are in use. Denominations of Rupees is in Rs. 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 Rs. Info about exchange rates is available online. Money is changeable at International airports. It is advised to hold a mix of cash and traveler cheques.
Credit cards are accepted in small cities and hotels, restaurants, and shops. Accepted credit cards are American Express, Master card and Visa.
Use of English is widespread followed by Hindi in North and Central India. The local language are Bengali, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Sindhi, Gujerati, Malayalam, Assamese, Kannada, Kashmiri, Oriya, and various dialects of Hindi and regional languages of the state.
India is a secular country and religiously diverse. Hinduism, Islam and Christianity ara major religions. Others are Buddhist, Sikhs, Jain, Zoraostrians, & Jews.
Hotel accommodations, B&B and Lodges are present everyhwere but not on remote areas. Indian cuisine is available in all restaurants.
Voltage is 220 AC, 50 cycles, round pin plugs and sockets are in use. Please check voltage before using electrical appliance. It useful to carry plug adaptors.
Banks: 1000 to 1400 (Mon. to Fri.), and 1000 to 1200 (Sat.). Five star hotels have twenty four hour money changing facility. Post Offices: 1000 to 1700 (Mon. to Fri.) and Saturday morning. Business offices: 0930 to 1700 (Mon. to Fri.), 0930-1300 (Sat.). Shops: 0930 to 1800 (Mon. to Sat.).
For holidays contact Tourist Offices, London (Tel: 020 7437 3677)
For visitors to Taj Mahal at Agra is closed on Fridays, Ajanta Caves on Monday and Ellora Caves on Tuesday. Red Fort in New Delhi closes on Mondays.
Internet connectivity and cafes are present in hotels and post offices. Courier service is wide spread and reliable