ACTIVITIES IN INDIA

ELEPHANT RIDE AT AMBER FORT JAIPUR

One of the highlights of a visit to the stunning Amer Fort is the chance to ride an elephant up the hill to the main entrance. These wonderful animals are decorated with traditional painted patterns and effortlessly transport visitors up the steep slope to the fort. The Amer Fort elephant ride is a fantastic experience and gives a feeling of royalty. Visitors must arrive early to guarantee a ride. There is a limit of maximum four trips with a maximum load of two persons for each elephant  can do in a day and this has been introduced to prevent over working the elephants, and possible animal cruelty.

CAMEL SAFARI AND RIDES  

Rajasthan is famous for its Forts and Palaces, rich and colorful culture, people and great Indian desert. One of the best way to experience the rustic deserts with sand dunes is via a camel safari Camel safari or a short rides is a thrilling, exciting and an altogether fabulous way to get a taste of the rural desert life — as well as immerse in the local culture. There are several places in Rajasthan where you can go for Camel Safari and rides, and the best ones include Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Pushkar, and Jodhpur. Each of these places offer a unique and memorable experience.

BOAT RIDE IN VARANASI

Varanasi also known as Banaras or Kashi, situated on the banks of river Ganges has been a pilgrimage and cultural city for thousands of years for Hindus. According to Hindu mythology death in Kashi  brings salvation. The tour starts early morning with a drive through the city to the sacred  Ganges  River and  visit  by boat the Bathing Ghats,  Observatory,  Nepalese  Temple (Temple  of Love), Cremation Ghats and Aurangzeb’s Mosque. Witness morning rituals being performed by Hindus. Return to Desasswamed Ghat and then back to the hotel.

TOY TRAIN OR NARROW GAUGE RIDES IN INDIA

DARJEELING AREA – The two-foot gauge railway, known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, is an outstanding example of a hill passenger railway. Originally designed to open up access to the hills for the British in the summer, it became the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company in 1881 and achieved UNESCO status in 1999. The whole journey of 83 km from New Jalpaiguri is scheduled takes approximately 8 hours which is full of magnificent scenic beauty.

It is possible to take a shorter journey between local stations, like from Ghoom

to Darjeeling  during which you can still enjoy the romance of the train and stunning views of the surrounding area. For this shorter journey, steam locomotives are  still operating with comfortable first class carriages.

SHIMLA – Kalka to Shimla by toy train offers a grand view of pine covered hill tops, flora and fauna, and the typical picture which makes the hills, queen of hills. It has now come under the world heritage list of UNESCO. Time taken by tiny toy train to reach Shimla is around 5-6 hours passing through more than 100 tunnels. In addition to the above one can also enjoy short ride from Shimla to Taradevi approx. 50 minutes.

OOTY (NILGRIS) – The Toy Train which covers a distance of 46 km in around 5 hours, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway takes tourists from Mettupalayam to Ootacamund or Ooty. This is a truly amazing journey that takes tourists from a height of 1069 feet to 7228 feet. A Swiss inventor, Riggenback worked on it, and built up the initial line upto Coonoor by the year 1899. Later, by 1908, the track was extended upto Fernhill and then Ooty.

The uniqueness of this rail line lies in it being the steepest one in Asia. To cope with it, a unique system, ABT (Alternate Biting System) is used, which is also called the rack and pinion system. In this the method, pulling the train is quite different from the usual one. Instead of the engine pulling the train on level lines, here there are two rack bars out of steps with each other between the rail lines. On these racks, the opinions of the train climbs in the same fashion as a person climbs a ladder. The engine, while going upwards, is on the backside to push the train from behind. On the other hand, it is on the front side on the return journey downhill so as to prevent any collision or derailing.

Nilgiri Mountain Rail – The journey itself from Mettupalayam to Ooty is full of scenic beauty en route. Starting from Mettupalayam, a small place that sits on the banks of river Bhavani, the train passes through plain areas for the first five miles or so. Thereafter, in the next 12 miles the line rises to an impressive 4363 feet, and passes through nine tunnels. The tourists are treated to outstanding views of the eastern slopes of forested Nilgiris. From here, tourists can concentrate more on their left side as it is on this side that more beautiful views can be seen. The train passes amidst tranquil and serene views of Coonoor, Wellington, Lovedale to finally reach Ootacamund. It covers a total distance of 116 km and crosses 250 bridges and 16 tunnels.

 

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