Indian Wildlife

India has a large number of national parks and sanctuaries, most of them fairly easily accessible, with comfortable lodgings. Here, a wealth of wildlife can be sighted: the Indian tiger in all his majesty, rare animals such as the snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, Indian rhinoceros, gaur, thamin deer, Kashmir stag, Asiatic lion, wild ass and the Indian elephant. There are some magnificent Bird's Sanctuaries too, home to hundreds of species of resident and migratory birds including the wintering Siberian crane, and the great Indian bustard, once thought extinct.

India boasts 53 national parks, 247 sanctuaries, with over 350 mammal and 1,200 bird species. Accommodation A very wide range of hotels is available: business hotels in busy metro cities; resort style hotels at popular tourist destinations; small and charming guest houses in off the Beaten track destinations.

A range in the budgetary levels usually accompanies these too, with a choice of five stars to inexpensive, budget lodgings. Hotels usually provide all facilities on par with their counterparts all over the world.

Though India has developed the service industry technique indigenously too, it also has a number of international hotel chains that have made their presence felt in the market. These include, Among others Sheraton, Marriott, Inter Continental, Hyatt, Holiday Inn,Meridien, Sofitel, Kempinski, Best Western, Taj, Oberoi and Quality Inn.

Dining India is a Gourmets paradise. Several of its Restaurants have become legends, even overseas, and Indian food has found a very wide acceptability worldwide. Understanding the kind of Indian food you wish to taste may pose a difficult choice. Each region has its own distinctive cuisine with its own flavours and spices. The cuisines of North India is generally gravied with the Exception of the popular Tandoori (Barbecue) ranges and is rich and flavoursome, and is usually eaten with a variety of unleavened breads called riots. That of the south is lighter by far, usually vegetarian, and there is a lot of emphasis on lentils, yoghurt and rice. The cuisine of Goa is hot, and Seafood is a specialty. Food from Lucknow and Hyderabad has attained an excellence in its experimentation with different means of preparation and flavouring. East Indians love fish, and eat a light diet. Savoury snacks from different regions also give you a piquant taste of India.

There is a wide variety of international cuisines available too in the finest of restaurants, with wine and music. Chinese cuisine is very popular, and there are number of restaurants. But Italian, French, Spanish, English, American, Mediterranean, Japanese, Thai, Greek, Lebanese and other cuisines too are available, while coffee shops all over the country can provide you with the light meal or sandwich of your choice at any time of day or night.

Drinking Water In standard hotels, drinking water is generally filtered and available in your room. However, it may be safer because of the number of different places you may be travelling to ask for mineral water in sealed bottles. It may be better for you to carry a stock of mineral water with you when travelling to some of the smaller resorts. In large cities and tourist destinations, it is easily available.