It’s common to hear that India is so big that it’s more like a continent than a country.
From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the tropical vegetation of Kerala, India has a huge diversity of landscapes, people, cultures and religions.
To travel through India is to immerse yourself in history, witness rituals, remember civilizations that date back to the time of the Egyptian pharaohs and Indian maharajas, get to know smells and tastes, and experience a world so different from our own.
India Asia
OVERIEW
- Capital: New Delhi
- Language: Hindi and English.
There are also 22 other officially recognized languages that are used by part of the population, including Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu. - Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
- Travel Visa: Required
- Travel Insurance: Not compulsory but recommended
- Vaccination: Yellow Fever at least 15 days before travel and international vaccination certificate
- Covid-19 vaccine: ZyCoV-D, Moderna, SputnikV, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Covaxin
- When to go: The best time to visit most of India is during the cool, dry season between November and March.
Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are ideal at this time of year, and temperatures in Goa and central India remain comfortable.
However, from March onwards, the Himalayas become more accessible for trekking.
The trekking season reaches its peak in August and September, while the rest of the country is being drenched by the monsoon rains. - General Safety: In general, India is safe for tourists, but dangerous for solo women.
Violent crime is not common in this country, especially against foreigners, but petty theft can happen in tourist areas.
You should be on the lookout for pickpockets in crowded places, such as bus and train stations, and it is highly recommended that you keep your bags and belongings by your side at all times.
Bag snatching is also a popular form of theft.
There are reports of thieves breaking into tourists’ accommodation.
So watch your accommodation and your belongings.
Be prepared for people to try to rip you off and extort money from you, even the police, although the situation with corruption has improved in recent years. - Safety for Women: Sexual assaults against women are high in India and traveling alone can be dangerous, day or night, but it is possible to travel with closed tour groups, which is what one MN traveler reported here.
Always make an effort to be accompanied by someone when out and about, and avoid deserted and poorly lit streets. - LGBTQI+: Homosexuality is illegal in India under a colonial-era law, with penalties of imprisonment or a fine.
The law, which is still in force, has been used for years to persecute the LGBTQI+ community.
Police officers have been known to harass, extort money from and blackmail homosexuals in India.
Beware. - Transportation: Urban transportation in India may not be the fastest or most comfortable in the world, but it is cheap and goes more or less everywhere.
Generally, you have the option of train or bus, sometimes by plane and even by boat.
Transportation in some cities may offer a state-of-the-art metro system or people-pulled carts. - Women’s Compartments on Public Transport: Women’s compartments currently only exist on suburban trains in big cities, so single women or women traveling alone don’t have to sit in a carriage with only men.
If you prefer to sit in this compartment, you can ask the ticket inspector to change your seat.
Some stations also have waiting rooms exclusively for women. - Traveling by Car: the country follows the left-hand drive system.
Indian roads are not in the best condition, Indian drivers can be reckless when driving and you may come across many cows in the middle of the road. - Socket type: Generally 220V, although there are other voltages too, so check before plugging in your appliance.
Most sockets are triple round pin (accepting European size double round pin plugs).
Tip: Use voltage stabilizers to operate sensitive devices such as laptops.
