Full moon above Mount Kanchenjunga

INDIA
 Passports and Visas
All foreign nationals require visa to enter India. However, there are some
relaxations for Bhutanese and Nepalese nationals. Details and types of visa and
the fee may be obtained from the Embassy of India.

Information for Tours which

offers trekking and
mountaineering expeditions to
India.

1. Where the proposed tour includes

any point above 6000 mtrs, visa may
be given only after receiving the
formal clearance from the Indian
Mountaineering Federation.

2. Where the proposed tour is for areas below 6000 mtrs. the visa applications
should be accompanied by an itinerary indicating days and places to be visited
along with their height, a map of the proposed area with the distinct markings of
the places to be visited and a copy of the brochure outlining the tour highlights.
These details are required to ensure that the proposed tour does not violate the
mandatory conditions laid down by the IMF.
 Restricted & Protected Areas
Certain parts of the country need special permits before they can be visited.

These permits are issued by:

NAGALAND
1. Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi

2. Directorate of Tourism, Nagaland, Kohima, Phone- +91 (370) 21607/ 22214/ 21945
3. Secretary, Tourism, Nagaland, Kohima, Tele-Fax- +91 (370) 33067

ARUNACHAL PRADESH AND MIZORAM

Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi
110 003 at least 4weeks before the date of the expected visit.

SIKKIM
Certain areas of Sikkim have been declared as restricted areas.
Permits can be issued by all Indian Missions abroad, all FRROs, Immigration Officers at Airports at Mumbai,
Calcutta, Chennai and New Delhi. Manipur.

MANIPUR
Manipur has also been opened to foreign tourists; permits can be issued by all Missions abroad, all FRROs,
Home Commissioner, Manipur, Imphal.

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS

Individual foreign tourists can visit Port Blair Municipal Area, Havelock Island, Long Island, Neil Island,
Mayabunder, Diglipur, Rangat, where a night halt is allowed and Jolly Buoy, South Cinque, Red Skin, Mount
Harriet, Madhuban where only day visits are allowed. Prior permit is necessary.

LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS
Only Bangaram and Subeli Islands are open to foreign tourists. Permits are required, obtainable from the
Lakshadweep Administration, Wellington Island, Harbour Road, Kochi -3.
 Health Regulation

Yellow fever: Any person (including

infants) arriving by air or sea without a
certificate is detained in insulation for a
period up to 6 days if arriving within 6
days of departing from an infected area.

Malaria risk exists throughout the year

in the whole country excluding parts of
the States of Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim. No
certificate required, but a course of
anti-malaria pills is recommended.

Drinking water: Bottled water is available and usually provided in flasks

in hotel rooms. For people with delicate digestive systems. It is advisable
to use bottled mineral water, this is widely available.

Medical: It is advisable to bring specific medicines. There are state

operated facilities in all towns and cities and private consultants and
specialists in urban areas.
 Language

The official language is Hindi in the

Devanagri script. The States are free to
decide their own regional languages for
internal administration and education,
so there are 18 official languages spoken
throughout the country. English is
widely spoken.
 Tip
It is usual to tip waiters, porters,
guides and drivers. Tips are not
included in the bill.
Time
GMT + 5 1/2 hours.
Guides
Trained English speaking guides are
available at fixed charges at all
important tourist centres. The Govt. of
India Tourist Offices can be contacted
by tourists for the services of approved
guides. French, Italian, Spanish,
German, Russian and Japanese
speaking guides are available at some
cities. Unapproved guides are not
permitted to enter protected
monuments, and tourists are,
therefore, advised to ask the guides
for the identity card issued by the
Department of Tourism, Govt. of India.
 Electricity
Voltage in most places is 220 volts AC,
50 cycles, although some areas also
have DC supplies

Photography
• Special permission of the Archaeological
Survey of India, New Delhi, is required for
use of tripod and artificial light.
• Photography in the wildlife sanctuaries
is allowed on payment of a prescribed fee.
Photography is prohibited in tribal areas.

Communications
Fax/Telex/Telegram: International 24-hours service
from large hotels and telegraph offices in major cities.
Telephone: Telephone calls to most countries are
now direct. There are telephone facilities between the
most cities and towns. The international direct dialing
code for India is +91.
 Money

Currency: Rupee = 100 Paise.

Coins are in denominations of 10, 25
& 50 Paise & l, 2 & 5 Rupees.
Notes are in denominations of
Rs 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000.

Indian Quotation Amount International Quotation

1 Lakh 100,000.00 100 Thousands
10 Lakhs 1,000,000.00 1 Million
1 Crore 10,000,000.00 10 Million
10 Crores 100,000,000.00 100 Million
100 Crores 1,000,000,000.00 1 Billion
 Currency Regulations

There are no restrictions on the amount

of foreign currency or travelers’ cheques
a tourist may import, provided a
Declaration Form is completed on
arrival, This will facilitate the exchange
of imported currency as well as the
export of unspent currency on
departure. Cash, bank notes and
travelers’ cheques up to US$ 2,500 or
equivalent need not be declared at the
time of entry. Any money in the form of
travellers’ cheques, drafts, bills,
cheques, etc. which tourists wish to
convert into Indian currency should be
exchanged only through authorised
money changers.

There are 24 hour exchange facilities

available at all big cites and
international airports.
Custom Regulations
All personal objects which are required in India are free from
duty. Under this heading fall personal jewelry, presents up to a
value of Rs. 600, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars and 0.95 l alcoholic
beverages. Professional material and articles which have a high
value can only be imported duty free if the traveler gives a
written undertaking that these articles will be re-exported.

Airport Tax
Passengers embarking on journey to any place outside India will
have to pay an airport tax of Rs. 500. For journey to
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the
Maledives = Rs. 150.

Generally airport tax is included in the airfare.

 Public Holidays

There are many festivals and special events in India, but only a few of
these are full public holidays. These are: 26 Jan Republic Day, 15 Aug.
Independence Day, 2 Oct. Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday.
 Weather and Climate

Hot tropical weather with variations from region to region. Coolest

weather lasts from November to mid-March, with cool, fresh mornings
and evenings and dry, sunny days. Really hot weather, when it is dry,
dusty and unpleasant, is between April and June. Monsoon rains occur
in most regions in summer between June and September.
 India Facts - General

Expanse Population Population density

India 3.287.263 km² 1 India 267

Europe 2.400.000 km² Billion(2000)
340.000.000 Europe 107
Germany 357.000 km² 79.500.000 Germany 224
China 567
Belgium 327
England 366
 History

• 5000 Years of History

• 2300 Years of Cultural exchange with Europe
• 60 Years of independence 15. August 1997
• In addition to the British social and cultural influence, the
Portuguese and the French have also left their hallmark in
Goa and Pondicherry.

RELIGION
Hindus 82.6% Politics
• Largest secular parliamentarian
Muslims 11.4%
democracy of the world
Christians       2.4% • 35 Union states and -territories

Sikhs 2.0% Languages

• 16 regional languages
Buddhists 0.7%
• Official language are Hindi and
Jains 0.5% English

Others 0.4%
 Festivals and Fairs
The Indian calendar is a long
procession of festivals; if you can
find yourself in the right place at
the right time, it is possible to go
through your visit with a festival
each day. The harvest festivals of
the south, the immersion of
Ganesh in Mumbai (Bombay),
the car Festival of Puri, snake-
boat races in Kerala, Republic
Day in Delhi... every region,
every religion has something to
celebrate.
                                           The Indian
craftsman has been perfecting his art for
SHOPPING centuries, passing down traditions and
techniques from generation to generation. Each
region has its own specialties, each town its own
local craftsmen, its own particular skills. The
results is a consummate blend of ancient skills
and modern aesthetics. Silks, spices, jewellery
and many other Indian products have long been
famous and widely desired, and merchants would
travel thousands of miles, willingly enduring the
hardships and privations of the long journey in
other to make their purchases. Nowadays, the
marketplaces of the subcontinent are only 9
hours away, and for fabrics, silverware, carpets,
leatherwork, antiques the list is endless India is a
shopping paradise. Goods are exotic, attractive,
beautiful hand-crafted and excellent value for
money. Half the fun when buying goods in the
bazaars is the bargaining, and you can always
check for reasonable prices at state-run
emporiums. Below are some of the best buys,
either for the souvenir hunter or the connoisseur.
 Cuisine
The unforgettable aroma of India is not just the heavy scent of jasmine and roses
on the warm air. It is also the fragrance of spices so important to Indian cooking -
especially to preparing curry. The world "curry" is an English derivative of "kari",
meaning soice sauce, but curry does not, in India, come as a powder. It is the
subtle and delicate blending of spices such as turmeric, cardamom, ginger,
coriander, nutmeg and poppy seed. Like an artist’s palette of oil paints, the Indian
cook has some twenty-five spices (freshly ground as required) with which to mix
the recognized combinations or "masalas". Many of these spices are also noted for
their medicinal properties. They, like the basic ingredient, vary from region to
region. Although not all Hindus are vegetarians, you will probably eat more
vegetable dishes than is common in Europe, particularly in South India. Indian
vegetables are cheap, varied and plentiful and superbly cooked.

                     Broadly speaking, meat dishes are more common in the north,

notably Rogan Josh (curried lamb), Gushtaba (spicey meat balls in yoghurt), and
the delicious Biriyani (chicken or lamb in orange flavoured rice, sprinkled with
sugar and rose water).

Mughlai cuisine is rich, creamy, deliciously spiced and liberally sprinkled with nuts
and saffron. The ever popular Tandoori cooking (chicken, meat or fish marinated in
herbs and baked in a clay oven) and kebabs are also northern cuisine.
 Dance and Music
                          Indian music (Hindustani in the north and
Carnatic in the south) has been evolving as part of India’s culture for
centuries. Aspects of musical from such as tonal intervals,
harmonies and rhythmical patterns are the unique products of a
wealth of musical traditions and influences; they are also very
different from those familiar in the west. Much of the music recalls
Indian fables and legends, as well as celebrating the seasonal
rhythms of nature. Indian dancing, similarly unique and timeless, is
also widely performed throughout the country, either at major
festivals and recitals, or at the many cultural shows which are staged
in hotels.
 Wildlife Sanctuaries
                                                 The Indian peninsula is a continent in
itself, whose geographical diversity has encouraged the flourishing of a
whole range of wildlife with over 350 species of mammals and 1200
species of birds in the country. While there is an overlap in the habitats of
many species, each region has something special to offer - the hangul is
restricted to the valley of Kashmir in northern India, the rhino is found in
North-East states of India and pockets along the Brahmaputra river area,
the black langur in the western ghats, and western India is the home of
the last remaining Asiatic Lions.

Two of India's most impressive animals, the Bengal/Indian Tiger and the
Asiatic Elephant are found in most regions, The tiger originated in Central
Asia and migrated over the great Himalayas to the dense tropical forests,
adapting itself well to the plains.
Ayurveda

"A gateway to Indian Medical Heritage."

                              Ayurveda in Sanskrit means "the science of Life". It

is an ancient, unfailing system of treatment based on medicines
prepared from herbal plants found in abundance in India. Ayurveda is an
integral part of the people of India. In the recent years this ancient
knowledge system of medicine has gained global acceptance especially
for alternative ways of preventive, curative and rejuvenative processes
making life a more pleasurable experience.

We can find historical evidence of Ayurveda in the ancient books of

wisdom known as the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparation were
mentioned that could be used to assist an individual in overcoming
various ailments. The Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago, but
really Ayurveda has been around even longer than that.
 Do’s & Don’ts
DO’s
All foreign tourists must pay hotel bills in foreign currency. This can
be paid in rupees if the tourist has a bank receipt as proof of currency
exchange
Exchange money only through authorised banks and money changers
Insist on a receipt when exchanging money
Retain all receipts to facilitate re-conversion of unspent money on
departure from India
Shopping recommended from Government Emporia and suggested
shops on the list of Dept. of Tourism
Export of most wildlife and their products is either banned or strictly
regulated.
Try to avoid the touts and brokers of shopkeepers
It is obligatory to cover your head before entering Sikh shrines
DON’Ts
Don’t get lured by shopping bargains on the street
Don’t purchase travel tickets through strangers or unauthorised travel
agents
Don’t encourage beggars by giving them money or other articles
Don’t buy silver / ivory articles or peacock feathers in bulk
Don’t wear any footwear inside any places of worship. Some temples
do not permit leather articles to be taken in
 INDIAN SUMMER TOURS PVT.LTD.
 
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