India Holidays

You can book your India holiday online by simply choosing from our huge range of flights and hotels to create your own unique arrangement. By booking with Unwind Worldwide you can be asssured that our India holidays represent excellent value for money. We pride ourselves in sourcing the cheapest offers on the best flights and hotels.

Booking a holiday to India online is simple, safe and secure. However, should you have any questions, our Reservations Team are always are on hand to help you book your ideal holiday to India. You can contact our team via LiveHelp or by telephoning 0203 282 7684.

India Travel Guide

India is the largest country in the Indian Subcontinent and shares borders with Pakistan to the west, China and Nepal to the north, Bhutan to the north–east, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia lie to the south–east in the Indian Ocean. It is the seventh largest country in the world by area and, with over a billion people, is second only to China in population. It's an extremely diverse country, with vast differences in geography, climate, culture, language and ethnicity across its expanse, and prides itself on being the largest democracy on Earth.

Befitting its size and population, India's culture and heritage are a rich amalgam of the past and the present: From the civilizations, fascinating religions, variety of languages (more than 200!) and monuments that have been present for thousands of years to the modern technology, economy, and media that arises as it opens up to a globalised world, India will never cease to awe and fascinate any visitor.

Holiday in India and let your senses be stimulated by the fragrant spices and colourful saris, marvel at the magnificent temples and enjoy the festivals and fairs that are an integral part of Indian life. From the buzzing cities and architectural wonders of the 'Golden Triangle' in the North to the scenery and serenity of Kerala in the South and from tiger sanctuaries and national parks to colonial hill stations and tea plantations, a holiday to India leaves a lasting impression.

Climate

In India, it rains only during a specific time of the year. The season as well as the phenomenon that causes it is called the monsoon. There are two of them, the Southwest and the Northeast, both named after the directions the winds come from. The Southwest monsoon is the more important one, as it causes rains over most parts of the country, and is the crucial variable that decides how the crops (and therefore the economy) will do. It lasts from June to September. It hits the west coast the most, as crossing the Western Ghats and reaching the rest of India is an uphill task for the winds. The western coastline is therefore much greener than the interior. The Northeast monsoon hits the east coast between October and February, mostly in the form of occasional cyclones which cause much devastation every year. The only region that gets rains from both monsoons is North–eastern India, which consequently experiences the highest rainfall in the world.

Things to See and Do

Goa Fair (carnival)–February heralds the carnival at Goa. For three days and nights the streets come alive with colour. Held in mid February, the weeklong event is a time for lively processions, floats, the strumming of guitars, graceful dances and of non–stop festivity. One of the more famous of the Indian Carnivals the Goa Festival is a complete sell out in terms of tourism capacities.

Surajkund Mela – (1–15 February) As spring glides in, full of warmth and vibrancy leaving the gray winter behind, Surajkund adorns itself with colourful traditional crafts of India. Craftsmen from all over the country assemble at Surajkund during the first fortnight of February to participate in the annual celebration known as the Surajkund Crafts Mela.

Holi – The Spring Festival of India, Holi – is a festival of colours. Celebrated in March or April according to the Hindu calendar, to welcome the spring and win the blessings of Gods for good harvests and fertility of the land. It is the second most important festival of India after Diwali. The exuberance and the festivity of the season are remarkable.

Diwali –"Diwali", the festival of lights, illuminates the darkness of the New Year's moon, and strengthens our close friendships and knowledge, with a self–realization! Diwali is celebrated on a nation–wide scale on Amavasya – the 15th day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashwin, (Oct/Nov) every year. It symbolizes that age–old culture of India which teaches to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali, the festival of lights even to–day in this modern world projects the rich and glorious past of India.

Pushkar Mela – Every November, the sleepy little township of Pushkar in Rajasthan, India comes alive with a riot of colours & a frenzied burst of activity. Very few, if at all any, fairs in the world can match the liveliness of Pushkar.

Traditional Foods

Indian cuisine is superb and takes its place among the great cuisines of the world. There is a good chance that you'd have tasted "Indian food", but what India has exported abroad is just one part of its extraordinary range of culinary diversity.

Indian food has well–deserved reputation for being hot, owing to the Indian fondness for the liberal use of a variety of spices, and potent fresh green chillies or red chilli powder that will bring tears to the eyes of many, and found in unexpected places like sweet cornflakes (a snack, not breakfast) or even candies. The degree of spiciness varies widely throughout the country: Andhra food is famously fiery, while Gujarati cuisine is quite mild in taste.

Tip: To enjoy the local food, start slowly. Don't try everything at once. If you would like to order your dish not spicy, simply say so. Most visitors are tempted to try at least some of the spicy concoctions, and most discover that the sting is worth the trouble.

In India eating with your hand (instead of utensils like forks and spoons) is very common. There's one basic rule of etiquette to observe, particularly in non–urban India: Use only your right hand. Don't stick either hand into communal serving dishes: instead, use the left hand to serve yourself with utensils and then dig in. For breads – the basic technique is to hold down the item with your forefinger and use your middle–finger and thumb to tear off pieces. The pieces can then be dipped in sauce or used to pick up bits before you stuff them in your mouth. Rice is more challenging, but the basic idea is to use four fingers to mix the rice in curry and pack a little ball, before you pop it in your mouth by pushing it with your thumb. However, it is worth remembering that eating by hand is frowned on in some "classier" places. If you are provided with cutlery and nobody else around you seems to be doing it, then take the hint.