Asia Overview & Highlights
The Taj Mahal. The sacred Ganges. The Ellora and Ajanta Caves. Vibrant saris in every color. The fragrance of curry. Tiger eyes burning bright.
India is a place of the senses. It’s the sight of soft pinks and whites of marble palaces, bold yellows and brilliant reds of tribal costumes, fortresses rising out of golden desert sands. It’s the haunting sound of traditional music. The feel of intricate gold embroidery on a sari; the intoxicating fragrance of gold and red curries, black cumin, and just steeped Darjeeling.
Up until now, exploring India has been a puzzle, even for intrepid travelers. Local infrastructure has limited most itineraries to one or two regions, allowing for a limited understanding of all that this fabled sub-continent has to offer.
Bushtracks is the first company to offer regional private air travel in India, so you can now experience both North and South India in a single journey, without the exhaustion and discomfort of nine-hour coach rides.
Highlights of India & the Himalayas include:
- Agra and the Taj Mahal—A World Heritage Site and one of the wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal is a beautiful mausoleum of pure white marble, an architectural marvel.
- The Ajanta and Ellora Caves—A World Heritage Site located near Aurangabad, the Ajanta and Ellora caves are some of the most astounding examples of cave architecture in the world.
- Bharatpur—Famous for the Keoladeo National Park, once the hunting ground for the local maharajas. The park is home to mammals and reptiles – blue bulls, spotted deer, otters, and Indian rock pythons – but birds are the main attraction.
- Bhutan—High in the Eastern Himalayas, see the people and their way of life, the great Himalayan mountains, the spectacularly colorful and genuinely traditional festivals and the citadels of Himalayan Buddhism.
- Cochin and the Malabar Coast—A natural harbor where backwaters include lagoons, canals, coconut groves, fishing hamlets, and spice markets. It also has the oldest Anglican church and synagogue in India.
- Corbett National Park—Comprises the broad valley of the Ramganga River in the Himalayan foothills. It is noted for its tigers and you may also see leopard, Asiatic elephants, three species of deer and some of the over 500 species of birds seen in the park. The rare gharial crocodile resides here.
- Delhi—The capital of India has a fascinating history, a stimulating presence and is the political, economic and cultural capital of the world’s largest democracy.
- Jaipur—The rose-pink capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is crowned with forts and surrounded on all sides by rugged hills.
- Jaisalmer and the Magical Thar Desert—A 12th-century desert stronghold in the Thar Desert, where its central fort resembles a sandcastle from the fairy tale “The Thousand and One Nights."
- Kanha Tiger Reserve—The jungle that inspired Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book.” The most prevalent animals are the Chital (spotted deer), langur monkeys and the world’s only population of the barasingha deer.
- Kaziranga National Park—With its swamps and tall thickets of elephant grass, it is the ideal habitat for the Indian One-Horned Rhino. Other species include Indian Elephants, Indian Bison, Hog Deer, Sloth Bears, Tigers, Leopard Cats, Jungle Cats, Otters, Hog Badgers, Capped Langurs, Hoolock Gibbons, Wild Boar, Jackal, Wild Buffalo, Pythons and Monitor Lizards.
- Keoladeo National Park—A World Heritage Site with over 350 species of birds, including rare Siberian cranes.
- Nagarhole (Rajiv Gandhi National Park)—Huge herds of Asian Elephants flock here together and it is blessed with wildlife abundance.
- Nepal—A land of incredible scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best hiking trails anywhere. It’s a poor country, but it is rich in scenery and culture.
- Sikkim—A garden state with an incredible variety of orchids, rhododendrons, gladioli and a host of other flowers. Rustling, tumbling streams and torrents. Mountain monasteries and quaint shopping plazas.
- The Temples of Khajuraho—A World Heritage Site, these medieval temples represent some of the most exquisite examples of Indo-Aryan architecture. Their intricate carvings reflect the practice of Kamasutra.
- Varanasi and the River Ganges—Perhaps the most important holy places for Hindus.
- Udaipur—The City of Dawn looms up like a vision in white. City Palace was built in 1725, and has various palaces inside all ornately decorated. Visit Shilpgram, a crafts and performing arts center housing various craftsmen from different states.
