Different Contrasts of India Tours

India, the land of architecture brilliance, cultural heritage, traditional beliefs and colorful festivals is the most sought after tourism destination in the world. Also, it is a place where saints do yagna to recall god’s power, farmers do harvesting to earn money and women do fasting for their spouse’s welfare – all of these make India an utmost travel destination.

The most valuable aspect of India tours is historical excellence due to which millions of tourists visit here every year. They usually come here to see magnificent architectural and cultural diversities in numerous major historical wonders in the country. Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Nahargarh Fort, Jaisalmer Fort, Lake Palace etc are the topmost pre-historic structures of India that should not be missed. Besides it, temples present you a cultural diversity of India. Birla Temple (Delhi), Akshardham Temple (Delhi), Lotus Temple (Delhi), Sun Temple (Kerala), the Dulhadeo Temple (Khajuraho), Iskcon Temple (Vrindavan), etc are some most popular scared destination of India.

Over the last years, wildlife has got fame amongst tourists in India. Today, one finds countless exotic national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in every part of the country. The most renowned wildlife reserves in India are Ranthambore (Rajasthan), Bandhavgarh (M.P), Kanha (M.P), Kaziranga (Assam), Sundarbans National Park (West Bengal) etc. One common feature of all the wildlife reserves of India is ecology that means greenery or nature beauty. One also finds a wide range of exotic mammals, birds and other group of reptiles in all the Indian wildlife reserves. The most interesting part of many wildlife sanctuaries is safari that allows a tourist to capture endangered animals with close up shots.

Moreover, India is widely famous for Kerala backwaters – a merger of fresh water, interlinked by lagoons, rivers, lakes, bays and inlets. It offers you outstanding scenery of beauty to behold. The bluish scenery during evening makes backwaters an ultimate holiday destination. One can witness charming loveliness of backwaters via houseboats. A boat glides on backwaters takes you to numerous beautiful destinations to behold. Apart from beauty, houseboats are fully equipped with contemporary amenities and services. One enjoys spa massages, royal accommodation, delicious food and thrilling parties on the deck by opting south India tours.

What’s make India so prominent? Traditional lifestyle is fittingly matched answer. Lifestyle lies in different castes and religions in our country. It can be witnessed through festivals, languages, cuisine and festivals of people, living proudly in India. Diwali, Holi, Teej, Bisakhi, Dussehra, Navratra, Rakhi, etc are some well-known festivals of India. Other than it, Independence Day, Children’s day, Republic day, Gandhi Jayanti etc are some famous national festivals of India. 

Well, India is an influencing country that can easily attract scores of tourists from its multi-facets, be it cultural, architectural, nature beauty colorful festivals and rituals.

Things to do in India Holidays

India is internationally famed for its diverse culture, unique traditions, simple living, alluring beaches, backwaters, delicious cuisine, exotic wildlife etc. One cannot see all the admired destinations at one go, so India travel agents have declared numerous theme holiday tours. India holidays can be categorized into beach, cultural, heritage, adventure, historical etc. Each categorized theme offers you a distinctive experience to have. 

If you choose historical theme, then Rajasthan is the ultimate destination to visit in India. It is a heritage land which is dotted with plenty of memorials of past Kings. There are scores of Forts & Palaces where you will explore marvelous antique interior as well as exterior designing. City Palace in Jaipur is the well-suited example of glorious past. Additionally, Lake Palace of Udaipur, Havelis of Chittorgarh and Hawa Mahal of Jaipur are the other magnificent historical destinations to visit in Rajasthan. Other than it, camel safari is a must adventure ride that one has to take while touring Rajasthan. On the way, you are going to witness simple lifestyle of villages and also get an appetizing taste of their home-cooked dishes. what to do in India

For a lovely sightseeing experience, Kerala backwaters theme is the best travel option for you. It presents you a magic of incredible natural beauty of our Mother Nature. Backwaters are a mix of rivers, lakes, bays and canals. Via houseboats, one can get a grand chance to witness spotless charm of Kerala. A houseboat is a synonym to lavishness. On board, you are offered deluxe rooms and suites to stay, unlike a king. While riding on boat, you can explore paddy green valleys, rustic villages, magnificent pre-historic buildings and other lovely destinations of Kerala. 

Adventure is a major part of India tours. Being a vast geographical land, it offers you a grand adventure experience. Lusty forests, thick Bamboo trees, mixed spice vegetation and paddy fields are the truly exclusive attractions of national parks to behold. Ranthambore has a rich recorded adventurous background. It is well-established national park which is dotted with exotic wilds. It is also known for its eco-friendly atmosphere where one wants to visit to enjoy vast greenery of varied trees and vegetations. The main attraction of Ranthambore is its lovely lake which is mostly crowded with a large number of wilds, most probably in summers. 

Apart from experiencing all the amazing places, one can also try at Goa beaches, Varanasi temples, hill stations and summer festivals etc. In India travel packages, a tourist can witness a plethora of other magnificent destinations of this fascinating land.

Tour to Tea Gardens of India

Geographically, India is a diversified continent in whole of Asia. So, a trip to India can be planned for many purposes. Blessed with nature, sheltered with greenery, celebrations of festivals, depicts of varied lifestyle, India is simply an incredible country. One can be seen different languages, used in every corner and canny of India travel packages which illustrates a meaning of multiplicity. Not only this, tourists can have a golden chance to explore magical tea gardens, mostly in Darjeeling and Assam.

Major tea gardens in India

Assam Tea
Enclosed by high density of jungles, Assam tea gardens is famous as black tea. This kind of tea is widely used by a large number of people by its bright colour, strong flovour and malty combination. The low surface is the perfect location to grow these gardens. In fact, you will find tea plants mainly on the edges of the River Brahmaputra and River Barak. The surroundings around the garden are green and density. Some renowned places such as Sonitpur, Tezpur, Kalain and Silchar are the most preferred cities for varied kinds of tea. Tourists can also view some special type like Scottish style bungalows, tracking back to the British era, used as guest houses. The view of the mighty Brahmaputra River is the ultimate sightseeing from Assam tea. Alongside, this part of India is famous for folk cultural dance. 

Darjeeling Tea
Renowned as an oolong tea, Darjeeling tea backyards is also popular as black tea in whole of the world. Nestled in the Indian state of West Bengal, the diverse types of tea- green tea, black tea and white tea are known for its strong essence and aroma. Perched on high region, these gardens offer you a sight of Kanchenjunga (the third highest mountain peak in the world) to explore. So, a visit to Darjeeling is must in India tours.
 
Nilgiri Tea
A tour to India cannot afford to be considered without touring to Nilgiri hills which is enriched with a variety of black tea. It is such a scenic beauty of Western Ghats of India. The total area of gardens is simply alluring which is surrounded by beautiful greenery. Thus, a visit to this region is a memorizing experience. Consequently, an India tour operator of tea gardens fascinates you with the true beauty of India that will relish forever.

India Tours Top Destinations

If you are planning a culture and heritage trip, India would refer first for it. It is the globally renowned for the rich culture and heritage beauty that is incomparable. It is therefore India tourism comes at the top position amongst the world travel itinerary today. Surcharged with outstanding attractions and places to visit, India tours promises you to offer you a cherished experience. Being a diversified land, one will find a true amalgamation of exotic cultures, forts and monuments, cultural sites, enthralling beach destinations, quaint backwater destinations, houseboats, luxury & heritage hotels, nature blessed landscapes, etc that will help in making your India holidays remarkable. 

Refreshing hill stations lies at the hill point of the country is truly a magical fascination that makes any visitor spellbound. India is also beautifully painted with number of popping festivals and fairs like Diwali and Pushkar fair which are celebrated with full of joy and passion. Tours to India is the perfect gateway to explore different contrasts and colours of India. Being the most sought tourist destination in the world, it also offers best accommodation facility by several resorts and hotels resided in it. While staying in hotels and resorts, you can also avail some extra-ordinary surpluses like spa therapies, Ayurvedic treatments and body massages.

Well, India is considered as a Film footing in the world travel map as it a wide potpourri of people traveled here around the world. Travelers are welcomed here with warm hospitality; either they opt for fascinating honeymoon holidays or pilgrimage tours or thrilling beach vacation or adventure vacation or heritage tours, etc. Or you can say that India has countless enchanting attractions to visit that never fail to lure the heart of the tourists and vacationers. If you have keen interest in adventure activities, so India has several national parks and sanctuaries in all around the country. For example: Periyar national park, Ranthambore national park, Kanha national park, Bandhavgarh national park etc.

Besides it, this incredible continent is steeped with hidden treasury of rich and heritage culture. In order to experience it, one will have to visit to Rajasthan, the land of fascination. This enchanting state has been dug into old Indian tradition and royal lifestyle which could has been finding during rules of Kings and empires. The best way to explore the true charms of India tours, one can opt for India tour packages which makes you trip cherished for lifetime.

India Tours - An Awesome Experience

Planning a tour but confused about the destination?

Well! Here is the solution of your problem. India is a diverse country and provides a vast number of thrilling experiences to the tourist. The god’s gifted country houses many temples, mosques, backwater cruises, hill stations, wildlife safaris, adventurous camps, culinary, ayurvedic centers and monuments. So, there is no better place than India tours; if you really want to have a memorable and thrilling holiday, opt for India tours and have an awesome experience. 

India not only gives the incredible landscape but also let you explore its 5000 year old civilization. With a lively ethnicity, plentiful heritage sites, fairs, festivals and rituals, India tours present visitors an exclusive chance to enjoy a gripping experience which not only comprises of visiting all the known places of India but also captivating some of this eminent culture and history. Also, the people of India are so warm, friendly and kind that you will not feel like going home. You just want to spend rest of your life, here.

India tour is incomplete without having a tour to Rajasthan. The land of colors enchants tourist with its variety. Blessed with wonderful sand dunes, striking Thar Desert, lively wild life, magnificent Arawali ranges, colorful fair and festivals, splendid forts, captivating palaces, crystal clear lakes and many more attractions, Rajasthan becomes the much adored tourist destination of the tourists. And how can we forget the thrilling camel safari across the Thar Desert. The safari makes us enjoy the flora and fauna of Rajasthan in their own habitat, which is an amazing thing in itself. Getting an south India tours will certainly let you enjoy this colorful city with a difference.

Next famous destination of India is Delhi, the city of diversity. The culture of Delhi has been taken from its prolonged history and historians. Old Delhi is a place where one can still find Mughals influence. Also, many forts and monuments are built in old Delhi, itself. In New Delhi one can find Parliament house, presidential house, Akshardham temple and India Gate. Along with these historical forts and monuments, Delhi is also popular for its shopping centers like Janpath, Connaught place, Chandni Chowk and Palika Bazaar. One can also find different varieties of cuisine in Delhi especially non-vegetarian. So, get you trip to India and enjoy the city of foodies.

Another famous destination of India tours is Kerala. The state is famous for many things such as ayurvedic centers, backwater stay, beaches and many more. Taking about Kerala’s ayurvedic centers, Ayurveda in Kerala is treated as a religion. The oldest method of treatment, Ayurveda provides a great strength and relaxation to oneself. Also, the state is preferred by many honeymoon couples as it has got most admired and soothing exotic locations, which is impossible to find in any other country. Make a trip to India and enjoy a quality time with your love ones.

Allow yourself with the chance of opting, your much loved south India tour packages and have a lifetime experience.

Thrilling Experience with India Tours

India is the destination sought by tourists who also target the thrilling experience with the tours in India. The vast geographical features followed by hundreds of rich cultural heritages in all over the country are actually presenting India a dream destination for the tourists. In the northern part of the country lies the immovable great Himalayas Mountain which is protecting India from external invasions, cold Siberian winds and of course, playing vital role in determining the climatic conditions of the country. It has adorned the country making it crowned with many beautiful hills ranges in the north.

In the southern part of the country one can enjoy the thrilling experience with India tours through the beautiful coastal lanes wonderfully designed by the three seas which always unmistakably wash the feet of the country with greater devotion. India is a magic box for tourists; the cultures histories, and scenic beauties turned the country into one of the favorite hub for global travelers. The number and types of tours available in the country usually provide a lot of choices and based on their preferences the visitors can have various tours suitable to them.

In India, there are various ready made tours like cultural tours, golden triangle tours, pilgrimage tours, educational tours, leisure and pleasure tours, business tours, wildlife tours, tigers tours, honeymoon tours etc, that are catered to the different varieties of tourists.

Tourists can take advantage of the multi cultural beauty of the country which can be experienced from north to south and east to west. In the north the travelers can find their souls wandering through the heavenly valleys of beautiful snow covered mountains, green forests and pleasant hills stations. India tours with thrilling experiences are the attractions for thousands of foreign visitors who after enjoying the natural beauty of the north explore the cultural wonders of India’s past rich cultures in the form of monuments, forts, palaces and Mahals etc. Delhi is a live example which takes travelers deep into the India’s historical roots; Red Fort, Humayun Tomb, Jantar Mantar, Jama Masjid, Qutab Minar, Lotus Temple, Akshardham, Parliament and Purana Qila are the major attractions of the city which show the artistic skills of the people in the past. 

Rajasthan, the largest western state of the country displays too many mind blowing tourists’ attractions in the form of Mahals, Palaces, forts and natural landscapes like the Great Indian Thar Desert. However, the major India’s landmark is the eternal beauty in the form of Taj Mahal which is shining like a twinkling star and whose glow of beauty pulls hundreds of tourists.

No tourists can have the thrilling experience of India tour packages unless they extend their exploration to deep in the south. The major destinations in the south are Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu having beautiful and heavenly beaches, hills stations, scenic beauties, backwaters, churches and temples and various wildlife sanctuaries where they can find certain amazing facts of the animal world.

Thousands of tourists visit India to enjoy a thrilling experience with places to visit in india through the length and breadth of the country in which various cultural and natural wonders forming a full entertaining package is ready for them to be explored.

Wonders of India Tours

Whole of India, be it, north, south and central, India is the best tourist destination to behold. There is uncountable number of tourist attractions in every part of the country which are simply exploring and worth-taking.

Major wonders of India tours

The biggest wonder of India- Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal of India - "an epitome of love", is the biggest lure of India that depicts the rue love of Shah Jahan for his beloved wife. The monument has inestimable beauty which is beyond words to describe.

A symbol of Peace and Harmony – The Golden triangle, Amritsar

The great essence of secular India, Golden Temple is one of the scared destinations in India, Amritsar. This temple belongs to Sikh culture which is built with unforgettable architecture. Around this temple, there is a samovar (lake) which is famous as holy water.

The splendid Tawang Monestry

Located at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, The famous Tawang Monestry was created by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in the year 1680-81. The name Tawang means Chosen Horse. Also referred as Galden Namgey Lhatse, represents a true name that looks like a heaven in the moon light.

Sun Temple - Konark, Orrisa

Built by the King Narasimhadeva, The magnificent Sun Temple is also renowned with names of Konark, Arkakshetra, and Konaditya. It is one of the impressive temples of India thirteenth century that was referred to as the Black Pagoda.

Khajuraho - Madhya Pradesh       

For those who love to discover rich heritage Indian culture, they must not miss to visit Khajuraho, the wonderful scared destination in India. Situated in Madhya Pradesh, it is widely known for its erotic sculpture and houses several medieval Hindu and Jain temples.

Jaisalmer Fort - Rajasthan

One can experience the aesthetic ancient India with India tours. This tour offers you to visit Jaisalmer Fort in Rajasthan which is also renowned as "The Golden Fort". The great Rajput raja Rawal jaisal was established this fort in Jaisalmer city in 1156 AD.

Red Fort - Delhi

Sited on the banks of the Yamuna River, Red Fort in Delhi was the largest wonder of 17th century. The great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was built Red Fort which is also better-known as Lal Qil'ah or Lal Qila.

Dholavira Site - Gujarat

Discovered in 1967-68, Dholavira Site is the biggest attraction of Gujarat that is built by J. Joshi. Referred as Harappan site, it is counted as the topmost site in India subcontinent. With the availability of India tours, one must not miss a superb chance to see topmost wonders of India and all of them have some unique features to attract the tourists.

Remarkable Tours in Konkan

For the last few years, we had been planning a Konkan tour without much success.

My wife hadn't seen the sea in her lifetime and I was reluctant to take her to any of the Mumbai beaches because I didn't want her first impression about the sea and beaches to be bad.

Suddenly in April this year we had the opportunity to visit Konkan and we grabbed it with both hands!

About Konkan

Konkan is the hilly area along the western coastline of India, with Arabian Sea on one side and Sahyadri mountain ranges on the other side.

It starts from Thane District near Mumbai and goes southwards up to Mangalore District in Karnataka.

However most Maharashtrians feel that Konkan starts from Thane District and ends at Sindhudurg District.

The legend goes that Parashuram created the beautiful land of Konkan by reclaiming it from the sea and it is the Karmabhumi of Lord Parashuram, the sixth avatar of Vishnu.

It is also called as the California of India, famous for the produce of Alphonso mangoes and a land with rich mineral resources, a land of landscapes, carpeted with tropical forest, a land of coconut, betel nut, cashew, jack fruit, tamarind, bamboo etc.

Konkan receives heavy rainfall during the monsoon season and earlier this area used to remain cut-off from the outside world for 2-3 months during monsoon.

Now with Konkan Railway and better road connectivity, the conditions have somewhat improved. With better connectivity, tourism has also increased significantly.

Konkan is not a commercially well-developed tourist destination and that is the best part about it.

Some ingenious local residents have started giving out their cottages on rent to tourists. They also arrange meals for these guests.

Don't miss out on local cuisines like Ukadicha Modak, Solkadhi and different fish dishes if you are non-vegetarian. Even the rice here tastes different!

The joke within the state is that the people in Konkan are misers, although there are exceptions. But the reasons behind them being misers are understood only when you visit Konkan.

The financial condition of masses is not very good. They are still dependent on natural resources and now tourism.

This area remains isolated from the outside world for 2-3 months during monsoon. The infrastructure is poor.

As a result, people are used to maintain sufficient stocks of food grains, money and other household items. They are used to spending these things wisely and conservatively. And that has happened since ages. So it's in their blood.

Today even if the infrastructure and their financial conditions may have improved, it is difficult to change the basic nature all of a sudden.

Even we faced a problem in a major tourist location like Ganapatipule. We needed to refuel but there was no diesel available on all the petrol pumps nearby. So we had to take 20 litres of diesel from local fishermen society, which is made available to them for fishing boats.

In their hearts, these folks are good people. You don't feel insecure while roaming alone on a vacant beach.

Our tour stared from Dombivali by road.

From Dombivali, we went straight up to Chiplun on the Mumbai-Goa highway in India Tours.

Our first destination was Parashuram village near Chiplun. This is a mythologically significant place and there is a 300 year old temple of Lord Parashuram in this village.

After darshan and lunch, we proceeded further to visit another sacred temple at Marleshwar.

This place is known for the Cave Shiva Temple where one can see venomous snakes who do not bite the devotees. This has resulted in increasing faith in the place and every year thousands of devotees visit the place. Unfortunately we never got to see the snakes inside the cave, but we did see a snake on the road.

After Marleshwar we had planned to visit Shiv Srushtee at Dervan. But we were running behind schedule and had to reach Malgund for night halt. So we decided to skip Dervan and moved forward.

Malgund is a place just 1 km away from the famous tourist spot of Ganapatipule. We reached Ganapatipule at 9.30 pm. So we decided to have the dinner there.

By the time our order was getting ready, we could not resist ourselves from getting near the noisy sea beach. Especially for my wife, it was her first experience to view the sea. That too at night in torchlight! But she was very excited.

After dinner, we went to Malgund and it was decided to visit the Malgund beach at 7 am the next morning.

Many tourists don't know the place and that was actually good for us, since there was nobody on Malgund beach. The beach at Ganapatipule is not always safe.

But the beach at Malgund is excellent, flat, clean and clear, very safe and not crowded at all!

After all the enjoyment at Malgund beach, it was the time to have some breakfast and then visit to Ganapatipule Mandir.

Ganapatipule is approximately 375 km south of Mumbai, along the Konkan Coast.

Ganapatipule is a very small town with about 100 houses, having one of the most spectacular beaches along the Konkan Coast -- an idyllic getaway that attracts peace-seekers, beach lovers, and pilgrims alike.

The temple of the swayambhu (self-originated) Ganesha is frequented by thousands every year. The God is considered to be the Paschim Dwardevta (Western Sentinel God of India), and those who visit Ganapatipule, make it a point to pay their respects to this great deity.

Besides its clean beach and clear waters, Ganapatipule is rich in flora, including mangroves and coconut palms. But this beach is not safe for tourists. So it is better to avoid taking any risks and enjoy the Malgund beach just 1km away.

If you want to complete the 'pradakshina', you have to walk round the entire hill, which is a 15 minutes walk.

After Ganapatipule, we went to the place nearby called as "Prachin Konkan". Here we come to know about the traditions and lifestyle in Konkan for the last 400 to 500 years. It is depicted by statues, paintings etc.

There was another place nearby in Malgund which is the birthplace and smarak of great Marathi poet "Keshavsoot".

We got the opportunity to read some of the finest poems by him and other poets as well in a neatly maintained museum.

After lunch at Malgund, we left for Guhagar and visited Jaigad Fort and Karhateshwar Mandir en-route. There is also a Gomukh in this temple.

It was 9.30 at night when we reached Guhagar and were fortunate to get something for dinner since restaurants close quite early here. We got the cottage which was placed in a coconut trees plantation with a beach just at its backyard and it was a pleasant stay.

In the morning we left for Hedvi Ganapati Mandir with a Dashamukhi Ganesh. The mandir is neat and clean and well maintained. Even the walls of the hill facing  the temple are painted artistically.

There is a beach nearby named Baman Ghal. It is a beautiful rocky seashore and the uniqueness of this spot is that there is a huge gorge formed here and the sea water gushes inside that gorge. Gorge is called as "ghal" in Marathi and hence the name Baman Ghal in South India Tours.

Another uniqueness is that here we can walk from the right side on the rocks into the sea and we can see the waves behind us approaching the coast on the left side.

Another place nearby is Velneshwar with a clean beach and Shiv mandir alongside.

Then we had a lunch at Guhagar and took some rest. Then we had a visit to the Modi Farm nearby where we saw the green houses with floriculture technology used for commercial mass cultivation of flowers. Green houses are temperature controlled and moisture controlled. Interesting thing was that all the plants are planted not in soil but in opened coconuts.

Then we came back to Guhagar and took the Darshan at the Durga Mandir and Vyadeshwar Mandir and reached Guhagar beach just in time to enjoy the sunset.

In the morning, we departed from Guhagar and left for Diveagar. Somebody told us that there is a lighthouse en-route but the tourists are allowed only in the evenings.

We were going to Diveagar so we did not have time in the evening.

Yet we decided to take a chance and reached the lighthouse near Enron power plant.

The in charge there happened to be from Umred (a place 50 kms from Nagpur) and when we learnt that we are from Nagpur, he happily allowed us to see the lighthouse, the machinery inside and view of the sea from the top.

For security reasons, photography is not allowed inside where machinery is installed. The officer gave us the information about how lighthouse functions, how each lighthouse has a different colour code and light patterns to enable the identification from deep sea. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Another first time experience is to board our entire vehicle into the ferry. This was the ferry from Dabhol to Dhopave. We saved the distance of 80-85 kms by road by doing this since we just had to travel to the opposite end of the creek just 1 km away. That took us just 10 minutes.

As we reached the opposite bank of the creek and were approaching Aanjarle, we had the picturesque look at the Aanjarle beach from the top of the hill. The beach from the top looks like a curly bracket and seawater also takes the shape accordingly.

We had a lunch at Aanjarle and visited Aanjarle beach and had a darshan at Durga Mandir. There is also a famous Ganapati Mandir here called as "kadyawaracha Ganapati", but we had to skip that for the want of time.

After Aanjarle, it was the turn of another similar ferryboat ride, operated by the same shipping company from Veshvi to Bagmandale.

After reaching Bagmandale, we headed towards another sacred place of Harihareshwar also known as Dakshin Kashi. This is said to be the family deity of the Peshwas.

However unlike other temples in Konkan including the popular Ganapatipule, this place seems to be a commercialised now. There was a shortage of drinking water in the temple and a shortage of milk along the roadside restaurants.

After Harihareshwar, we headed towards Diveagar and reached there before sunset.

The beach here at Diveagar was a huge disappointment with black sand, frothy water, dead snakes and fish lying on the beach.

It was as if the seawater was extremely polluted.

Locals though said that there is no industry within 100 kms and hence there couldn’t be any pollution and black sand is due to illegal extraction of white sand on the top.

As per our original itinerary, this was the last beach to visit. Next day morning we were to join the Goa-Mumbai highway somewhere near Mangaon by going from Diveagar.

It was a night halt at Diveagar.  So we felt that the ending of fabulous trip was not memorable.

Thanks to the different maps we carried throughout our tour, we found a different route and it was decided to go back to Dombivali via Murud-Janjira on the same day.

Earlier we had dropped that plan since there is no ferry available to board the vehicle from Dighi to Murud (Rajpuri).

We were to view the fort and come back to Dighi. It would have taken us at least 4-5 hours. After some brainstorming we asked our driver to leave us at Dighi jetty.

We caught a ferry to Rajpuri and asked the driver to come by road covering a distance of 80-90 kms via Agardanda. In the meantime we could have easily viewed the entire fort.

From Murud (Rajpuri), one has to board a sailboat to go to Janjira fort.

Travelling in a sailboat, going with the wind, seeing the adjustments according to the wind direction is again a unique experience.

The fort is built 900 years ago and it is still strong. The story goes that this fort could not be conquered despite many attacks by Dutch, Marathas and the British.

Siddi used to occupy and rule this fort till the Janjira State came to an end in 1947 and merged with the Indian Union.

There is an underwater tunnel from Murud to the fort, which was operational sometime till 1971. The houses inside the fort were also in good condition till that time.

Then the Government decided to close the tunnel for safety reasons and people residing were also asked to leave the fort.

People carried door and window frames and roof tops with them. As a result, due to wind, rains and other weather exposure, the construction inside has now turned into ruins.

The main entrance door of this fort isn't noticed until we reach very near it.

The other fort, Padmadurga, just 2 miles north-west of Janjira. After the death of Shivaji, Sambhaji took over as the Maratha king and tried very hard to conquer Janjira so as to rule the western coastline.

He built this fort to attack Janjira from a shorter distance. But its construction remained incomplete since Sambhaji would rush back to the capital fort Raigad since Aurangzeb attacked it.

Although it is not as big as Janjira the sea fort that can be visited by taking permission from Indian CustomsNavy.

It looks great from Janjira. There are no direct ferryboats to Padmadurga.

Visitors have to hire a personal ferryboat. Due to incomplete construction, bombarding from Janjira during its construction, only the ruins of the Padmadurga fort remain.

Many parts of the fort are now inaccessible. This fort is under a seal by Indian Government as it has been claimed that the drugs were smuggled there.

We had decided to join Goa-Mumbai highway from Murud, via Roha.

But again, thanks to the maps and GPS devices, we found that there is a bridge to cross the creek before Revdanda.

So we decided to return via Alibaug. And best was still to come. Unexpectedly, we noticed that the beautiful Kashid beach is en-route.

Kashid beach is completely commercial, but very clean and safe, with water sports facilities and change room facilities. All the restaurants on the beach have their own hammocks so that tourists can relax.

We decided to take the Banana Ride. In this ride, 5-6 people sit on an inflated banana shaped boat shown in the picture.

The instructor sits at the back. This boat is then tied to a speed boat. When we are in deep sea, the speed boat attains full speed and turns. At the same time the instructor sitting at the back turns bends himself sideways. This causes the entire boat to turn and all the people take the plunge in sea water directly. Even if you don't know swimming like us, we still float due to the life jackets.

This is done twice in this ride, once in deep sea and once near the coast. Since we had some senior members on board, we had asked them not to turn the boat in the deep sea. For the second time near the coast, when we fell into the sea, all of a sudden we took the 3-4 feet plunge inside. Sea water was inside our eyes, nose, throat and all.

We were searching for help from the instructor. We first began to float with the help of life jackets. We were still unable to maintain our balance.

Then the instructor came near and just asked to stand upright, since it was just 4-5 feet deep, which nobody notices in a panic like situation.

All in all it was a thrilling experience for all of us.

After Kashid we returned to Dombivali after a brief visits to Alibag beach and Revdanda Birla Temple. And that was the happy ending of the memorable tour.