Luxury holidays to India

Luxury,  as easy as it sounds is in fact extremely difficult when you actually try to define it.  During my visit to Rajasthan in July 2009, I came across the Aman Resorts, a chain of luxury resorts scattered not far away from each other in the colourful state of Rajasthan.  Since 1988 when the flagship Amanpuri opened in Phuket, Aman has established three resorts in India redefining luxury holidays to India.

Aman Bagh with IndianExplorations.com

It’s difficult to express the guests experience at Aman as it ticks all the boxes. It offers an intimate and discreet experience while providing the highest level of service. Each resort and setting is unique, but certain elements characterise all of them — a beautiful natural location, outstanding facilities, exceptional service and a small number of rooms to ensure exclusivity and privacy.  From the garden estate Amanbagh set in the foothills of the Aravallis built in a haveli style to the wilderness camp Aman I Khas that sits on a gentle slope on the fringes of Ranthambore National Park against a backdrop of hills each leaves an impression, an indelible mark. Their newest addition is Aman Delhi just minutes from the grandeur of Rashtrapati Bhavan and the peaceful Lodhi gardens. It completes the triangle for someone in search of luxury holidays to India. The design of the resort is contemporary, complemented with Indian touches such as hand-made rugs and jaali screens. Spacious suites afford guests the opportunity to relax in enveloping comfort.

Amanikhas with IndianExplorations.com

Aman excursions are a class apart. I was particularly impressed by their walks that can be combined with culture trails.  At Aman Bagh the resort can arrange day trips to the Pink city of Jaipur and walks to the surrounding countryside.  The experience at Aman I Khas is focused on wildlife viewing. Having said that they also arrange visits to the Old City and Khandar Fort which is one of Rajasthan dramatic ruins. Not very far from the resort is the Banas River, an ideal spot for a picnic style lunch. The pools are fringed by water grass and decorated with lilies, creating an excellent feeding ground for wading birds and other water fowl. Guests can enjoy a half-day excursion to this birder’s paradise, strolling the banks of the river with a naturalist. At Aman Delhi they arrange off the beaten track tours to the Moghul city of Shahajanabad or to several private galleries that regularly host art exhibitions of paintings, pottery, sculptures, photographic art and prints by many up-and-coming artists.

Luxury Holidays to India with IndianExplorations.com

The Spa at Aman Resorts is a class apart. It provides a refined and peaceful environment in which to relax. Using organic Aman products created from pure and proactive ingredients, traditional treatments as well as henna art, local specialities are on offer.

Forsyth’s Satpura

The view from my window as I write this is of a dense jungly patch, bright and glossy with post-monsoon vigour. I can hear white-eyes – tiny olive and lemon birds with a white eye-ring – flutng within the foliage. A Common Crow butterfly hovers briefly by some pink lantana flowers and flutters on. A mild breeze moves the leaves. It is end September and the afternoons are warm and still humid. The breeze brings welcome relief. The insect proof netting on the window holds a lone somewhat drab winged creature with interesting wing markings.  I must ask David the resident expert on all wee creatures what it is. Beyond the window a narrow trail meanders into the dense jungle. It would be exciting if it is a trail used by the several species of small mammals that should inhabit this type of habitat. In fact the 44 acres of jungle that surrounds the lodge have been protected and managed to encourage the smaller cats and mammals – porcupines, civets and palm civets, mongoose and smaller rodents – that underpin a healthy habitat but which are so often ignored. When the jungle is so vibrant, it fairly pulses with possibilities. If I can summon the energy I might spend a few hours on one of the nights sitting in the hide. For the moment I might just wander over to cool off in the small bright azure swimming pool where Anant the manager photographed a beautiful Bronze-backed keelback snake swallowing a full grown Brown skink this morning. It’s a very low chlorine pool and in the summers birds regularly flash past swimmers to drink from it. Yesterday, as I finished my swim one of the young tribal boys who form the majority of the staff at Forsyth’s, asked with great aplomb whether I would like a cold beer. Only to help along in his training, I accepted. It was delicious.

Satpura with IndianExplorations.com

Sitting on one of the terraces of the lodge, watching dusk darken the beautiful hills of the Satpura Tiger Reserve across the lake, I was filled with excitement. News of a tigress with cubs in such uncertain times for tigers is always good. When the park opens in two weeks from now, the walking safaris will be hugely enjoyable. The mornings sparkle with freshness and the sandy substrate where the walks take place will still be moist enough to etch a tiger’s track with crisp precision. Perhaps there might be more than one set of tracks to set the pulse racing.

Camel treks in India

Camel Treks in India come in many guises. The most popular – certainly the image that is conjured up by the phrase – is of brightly turbaned men leading camel trains across scrubby desert interspersed with giant sand dunes with a romantic looking desert castle in the background. This is the classic camel trek or camel safari of Rajasthan which are conducted in the Thar desert beyond Jodhpur and all the way to Jaisalmer and Bikaner where the desert plunges into Pakistan. For all it’s clichéd images, this remains a fantastic experience. There is nothing that can match the camels ability to navigate across these inhospitable lands and open up a magical realm of desert communities, wonderfully colourful nomads, amazing if austere scenery and an unimaginable wealth of wildlife. The Rajasthani’s are a naturally large-hearted and hospitable folk to which qualities they bring tremendous style and panache. Typically an overnight camel safari will camp in the middle of the dunes somewhere with not another tourist in sight and under the glitter of desert skies, you will be treated to superb music and food lit by mashals or flaming torches.

Camel Treks India with IndianExplorations.com

But camel safaris or treks are available across Rajasthan and can go from just a couple of hours to several days. One of the best places to head out into the country-side is in a remote corner of southern Rajasthan where the landscape – while arid, is broken by jagged, rocky hills which are the haunt of leopards and hyena amongst other wildlife. It is a fantastic place to experience the Rajasthan that is rapidly disappearing under the press of 21^st century development. This is still a place where the seasons dictate the pace of life; where a group of nomads on the move – with their sheep and goats, swaying camels loaded with baggage, straight-backed women clothed in bright swirling clothes and white clad, scarlet turbaned shepherds still evoke a timeless way of life – and it is entirely fitting that it should be explored from atop a camel!

Tiger Safaris in India – The high season for travel in India – especially for wildlife safaris – is traditionally from late October until mid April, with February and March being the peak months in north and central India – and for good reason. The bitter cold of January mornings and evenings has lost its edge and the vegetation is beginning to die back allowing for greater visibility especially in the moist forests dominated by sal trees. But the fact is that each month has something special to offer and my favourite time is undoubtedly the green lush period after the monsoon. As I write this in early October, I am in the middle of travelling slowly through the remoter parts of central India visiting old friends in Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Panna Tiger Reserves and checking out the rash of new properties that have crowded into these beautiful places – of which more later.

Tiger Safaris in India with IndianExplorations.com

At Jabalpur station I am met by my friend Jehan Bhujwala who – with his wife Katie – owns and runs the lovely Shergarh Camp in Mukki, Kanha. As we twist, turn, rock and roll around and through the potholes that do service for the highway between Jabalpur and Mandla I stare delightedly out of the window at the impossibly beautiful countryside we are driving through. Lush deep green paddy fields crowd against the dark green forested hills of the Maikal Range of the Satpura Mountains. This is a region that is blessed with rich soil and plentiful water. It is drained by the stunningly beautiful Narmada River – the Sacred Virgin – that cleanses even the Ganges of its burden of sins. Against the mosaic of subtle greens the cluster of beautiful red-tiled roofs that mark a village or hamlet add interest and depth to the scenery. The houses here are substantial – built of mud and wood with the elegance and beauty of architecture evolved and honed over centuries to deal with the climate, social conventions, practical requirements and available raw materials. Traditional architecture, in short and it is magnificent. I drive through prosperous villages in Jehan’s open jeep that are spotless, uncontaminated by plastic and the horrors of flat RCC roofs.  In one charming village, half the village high street appears to be occupied by just a handful of dwellings stretching amazing distances on either side of the road, pierced periodically by elegant gateways that lead to large courtyards. As I peer through them I can see that behind the outer wall is a thriving community of inter-connected homes, courtyards, wells, barns, cow-sheds – clearly the dwelling of an entire clan where the high wall screens the women folk from public gaze and allows for complete privacy. It is utterly charming and unique to this region.

Tiger safaris in India with IndianExplorations.com

We ford crystal clear streams that are overhung by arjuna and jamun trees and patrolled by dozens of species of dragonflies. Indeed nothing can compare with the sheer richness of colourful insect life at this time. Village ponds, meadows, streams have their air-space densely occupied by dozens of hawkers, darters, darners, ghosts, ditch jewels stacked high in darting squadrons, wings glittering dangerously in the sunlight. Magic!

South India Hampi

Tucked away amongst the ancient folds of the Deccan Plateau, amidst a wild landscape of giant rocks that date from billions of years ago, lies one of the world’s great forgotten cities – Vijaynagar better known today as Hampi. Early one morning, in pre-dawn dark, I am taken by my guide to the top of Matanga Hill. Murthy is a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to the history and archaeology of this magnificent ruined city that governed the last great Hindu empire of medieval India – Vijaynagar. He’s trudged up this hill hundred’s of times but he can barely suppress his excitement, chivvying me up the hill as I beg for a break to dip into the flask of hot tea. “On top, on top. Can’t be late”. We make it in good time. Matanga Hill is the highest point in Hampi and we are here to watch the Sun thunder out of the boulder strewn East to illuminate the splendid city below us with the long slanting rays of early light. This is high drama. And it doesn’t disappoint. For one lingering moment the giant technicolour tower or gopuram of the Virupaksha Temple is caught in a slanting beam of light throwing the rest of the temple and the long bazaar street beyond into deep shadow and then suddenly the city is revealed below in a vast, glorious, tragic panorama. Vast broken structures crowd the plain below us, girded to the north by the sparkling blue waters of the Tungabhadra River. I gaze overcome with awe and a strange sadness at so much tortured, broken magnificence. Once this city ruled an empire that stretched from coast to coast and covered the whole vast expanse of the southern peninsula. It commanded such resources, such wealth and such power that awed Persian and European traders and diplomats – no strangers to great cities judges it to be the greatest in the world.

South India Hampi with IndianExplorations.com

For over two days I explored this city on foot and by cycle following my inspirational guide who made the history, the art, the architecture, trade and commerce, religion, society and politics of Vijaynagar come alive in vivid detail often reflected or connected to the building or a particular piece of sculpture that we were examining. Nothing in this amazing place is mediocre. Everything is extraordinary and with so much beauty it is only just that the entire city has been declared a World Heritage Site. The great city was destroyed in a paroxysm of regional rivalry in 1565 but even what remains is worth several days of exploration. Vijaynagar or Hampi as it is now known, remains a quiet backwater. For me that is a major attraction because one still gets a sense of personal discovery as one wanders amongst the treasures here often with just a handful of fellow explorers.

Chariot Vitthalafront Hampi with IndianExplorations.com

Hampi can be combined with several fascinating itineraries of southern India – depending on your interests.

Snow Leopard Trek

Our snow leopard trek is a unique journey in quest of one of the most elusive and iconic of the Big Cats. Guided by experts and contributing directly to the Snow Leopard Conservancy, this exclusive trek gives one a unique insight into the ecology of these exquisite and beautiful creatures in the high Himalayas.

Holidays to Ladakh with IndianExplorations.com

Snow Leopards are rarely seen, but this trek is not a random one. Although their low numbers and reclusive nature, coupled with the inhospitable nature of their habitat can make the possibility of actually finding a snow leopard the most forlorn of forlorn hopes, our treks narrow the chances considerably. The treks take place at the end of the winter or early spring when the snow is at it’s deepest. The Snow Leopard is tied to its prey, and in vast and inhospitable country the prey is concentrated in the relatively few hospitable areas. By this time of year forage is scarce and the animals descend to the valley floors in search of graze and open ground. This narrows and focuses the search. Our treks concentrate on one such area in the Hemis National Park in Ladakh, south of the River Indus. This is an area that has been the location for snow leopard research and filming in the past. The bonus, and for many the real reward, is the exploration of the natural and human landscape of snow leopard country. The mountains are rugged but indescribably beautiful, as streams and rivers that bring the area to vivid life water the valleys that seam this barren but colourful vastness.

Snow Leopard Trek with IndianExplorations.com

The snow leopard does not inhabit this mountain fastness alone. It sits atop a complex eco-system and shares it’s habitat with a number of other fascinating creatures like Wolf, wild dog, Blue Sheep, Urial and Himalayan marmots while the skies are patrolled by such charismatic species like the golden eagle and bearded vultures.

Snow Leopard Trek with IndianExplorations.com

This is one of our most outstanding and inspirational journeys, as you trek in one of the most beautiful regions of the Himalayas and meet and interact the fiendly people who inhabit this harsh mountain area.

Tiger Safaris and Goa

Possibly the best area to see tigers anywhere is the clutch of reserves that span the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (and parts of neighbouring Maharashtra) that occupies the rugged heart of the subcontinent. With relatively low population densities and the largest absolute area of forest, this region – about the size of France – supports 8 tiger reserves of the total 30 that exist across the entire country. The habitats range from moist to dry deciduous jungles and each of the reserves offers a unique experience due to the differing scenery, habitat, surrounding cultural and historic attractions. Some of the reserves like Satpura also offer a unique model of tourism with a greater emphasis on walking safaris and enjoyment of the entire eco-system that the tiger occupies rather than just a tiger centric experience. While it is possible to visit all the parks of this region in one trip, we strongly advise limiting the number of parks to a maximum of 3 with at least four nights spent in each. If you are into walking and enjoying wildlife in a quiet undisturbed manner then Satpura should be part of any mix of parks where Forsyth’s Lodge offers very comfortable accommodation, excellent guiding and a unique wilderness experience. But as anyone who has a bit of experience knows, safaris can be hard work. By the end of two and a half weeks the lodge swimming pools simply don’t cut it for relaxation and thoughts can turn to vegetating by a beach somewhere.

Tiger Safaris in India with IndianExplorations.com

Goa lends itself perfectly to this role.  Despite the growth in charters this traffic remains pretty localised and huge swathes of coastal Goa remain quiet and charming, with a wonderful selection of beautifully restored boutique resorts and getaways. Some of them are so jealous of their seclusion that they won’t even tell you where they are located until you actually pay for the booking! The sea in Goa is always warm, the food is a delicious mix of Indian and Portuguese and because of it’s Portuguese association the state is exempt many of the excise and customs duties on alcohol that bind the rest of India. You guessed it – cheap and good booze. Which doesn’t mean that Sun, Sea and booze is the sum of Goa’s attractions. The colonial past has left a huge number of beautiful buildings, charming villas and distinctive villages; thriving markets offer some wonderful shopping and the wildlife – particularly the birds – are nothing short of spectacular. People forget that backing the Goa coast is a high range of mountains – the Sahyadris of the Western Ghats which are clothed in wet and rain forest teeming with a colourful array of birds and other wildlife. A couple of lovely camps and lodges allow you access to these treasures and the opportunity to experience the contrast and diversity of Goa. Hmmm, trying to think of a good title for a safari and Goa holiday – Tigers & Vindaloo? Perhaps not…

Goa with IndianExplorations.com

Rajasthan Holidays – My friend Balendu Singh is one of those annoying characters who does everything better than I can: he owns a lovely small hotel called Dev Vilas just outside Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve which, despite his protestations seems forever full. At least I can never get a room there. Of an evening you will find Balendu holding court either by the swimming pool or on the expansive terrace just above it. He is an historian, naturalist, hard-headed conservationist, no mean photographer and a thoroughly entertaining raconteur of Rajput tales, jokes and history. Charming, knowledgeable and warmly hospitable, it’s no wonder his fan club keeps growing and I can’t get a room in his hotel. Balendu belongs to the growing tribe of Rajput aristocrats who have taken to the hospitality business with such enthusiasm, zest and style that it is now possible to explore the very depths of beautiful and untouched rural Rajasthan, staying in some of the most spectacular forts and palaces that have been rescued from crumbling ruins by their owners and converted to some of the most beautiful and stylish heritage hotels you can imagine. This takes luxury travel in India to another dimension altogether. Because not only are you treated to the creature comforts and superb local food but you have the company of the owner who treats you as a personal guest spending time and often guiding you around his or her area, providing insights that are impossible to gain from the formulaic efficiency of an ‘industrial’ 5 star hotel. You come as a guest and leave as a friend – for the Rajputs that is more than just a catchy tag line.

Mihir Garh with IndianExplorations.com

Rajasthan Holidays with IndianExplorations.com

Rajasthan in luxury to me means a remote camp deep in the stark, arid rocky country of southern Rajasthan peopled by a handsome and colourful race of shepherds called the Rebaris where the descendants of the erstwhile feudal barons have negotiated an innovative arrangement with the shepherds to help protect the local wildlife and where you can ride a lean, hardy local breed of horse looking for wildlife that includes leopard and hyena far from any national park or sanctuary. This is the India that is under threat of extinction before the march of 21^st century ‘development’. See it before all that remains is tourist ‘theme parks’.

Walking in the Himalayas has to be one of the most perfect antidotes to frantic modern living. Our Himalayan holidays include long fairly arduous but exhilarating treks in high country but also a terrific range of relaxed walking holidays at somewhat lower altitudes that enjoy panoramic views of the high ranges while simultaneously providing fascinating glimpses into the lives and culture of the mountain people. Some of our Himalayan walking holidays use charming village homes that have been simply but tastefully adapted to the needs of western travellers. We have also recently added a couple of lovely, gentle treks in the lower (relatively speaking) hills of Himachal Pradesh that end up in Shimla or begin in Shimla. The classic Himalayan trek or walking holiday was the expedition style adventure where you went off into the high mountains with a large train of pack horses or porters, completely self-contained except for water. This remains the preferred option in high country and for longer treks. The independence and flexibility that this allows is particularly in keeping with that quest for freedom that underlies the impulse to foray into mountains away from the humdrum bonds of domesticity that anchor our everyday lives.

Walking in the Himalayas with IndianExplorations.com

In recent years there has been an exciting development that has added to the possibilities of Indian luxury holidays in Himalayas. This is the growth of beautifully located historic homes that are being converted to homestays in the most magnificent locations – many of which are now either within or at the edge of protected wildlife sanctuaries.

Walking in Kumaon with IndianExplorations.com

There is nothing more relaxing, more fun than to have a comfortable base from which to head out for gentle or vigorous walks as the mood takes one without the compulsions of completing a set day’s march to the next camp. And if the weather turns bad – as mountain weather can – the option to retreat to a warm fire with a good book and, glass to hand, smugly contemplate the prospects of nothing more rigorous than an excellent meal while the weather blows itself to exhaustion outside. Our Himalayan walking holidays encompass the entire gamut of winter treks in Ladakh searching for snow leopards to relaxed walking trips from a comfortable base.

Kerala luxury safari holidays are a fantastic option to get away from the crowds and really explore this magical slice of coastal India which encompasses such a variety of landscapes. Start off in the balmy backwaters at sea level and head inland rising to the middle hills and then up into the magical high country of the Western Ghats, the range of mountains that run parallel to the west coast of India for 1500 kms north to south. The coastal strip is narrow and the mountains that back it rise sharply catching the full weight of the monsoon with some parts receiving up to 200 inches of rain.

Kerala luxury safari holidays with IndianExplorations.com

Dense rain forest clothed these slopes once housing an incredible diversity of life. And even today – despite the surge of humanity up these mountains – they are counted amongst the worlds 24 biodiversity hotspots. Elephants roam these forests and I’ve seen tracks of tiger at over 600 feet high in the Munnar hills. Endemic species like Nilgiri Tahr (wild goat) and lion-tailed macaques make their home here. Coffee and cardamom with their dense cover are favourite haunts. At the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve, in the buffer zone forests many of which now have an understorey of cardamom, it is possible to walk and camp in the wilderness. A single fruiting fig can hold one mesmerized as it attracts insects and birds to fruits and more birds hunting the insects and more birds hunting birds.

Tigers safaris with IndianExplorations.com

As evening falls the canopy comes alive with palm civets, eyes gleaming emerald in the torchlight and the distant trumpeting of elephants is suddenly drowned by the explosive alarm calls of sambar deer that sets the hair on the nape of your neck erect. In the morning you emerge from the tents and head out for another adventure packed day along trails that plunge across streams and then climb out to high clearings with the most exhilarating views you can imagine. And one of the joys of Kerala is that a luxury pad is never far from reach. I’ve always felt a little bit guilty ‘adventuring’ from such a luxury base – but the feeling passes quickly.

Luxury Kerala with IndianExplorations.com