A small first-aid kit will always be handy. Buy one from a pharmacy or get your doctor to suggest what you should take.

You can bring in any amount of foreign currency or travelers cheques into the country but in excess of US$ 2500 must be declared which will enable you to export the unspent portion on departure from the country. You must exchange currency, traveler's cheques, drafts etc only at the authorized foreign exchange dealers / counters to avoid landing with counterfeit currency. There is a 24 hour exchange facility at the airports and all major cities.

All major credit cards are accepted at the member hotels, shops and establishments.

Banks are open from about 1000 Hrs to about 1400Hrs weekdays and on Saturday from 1000 Hrs to 1200 Hrs. Post offices are open from 1000 Hrs to 1700 Hrs on weekdays and 1000 Hrs to 1300 Hrs on Saturdays. Most offices operate from Monday to Friday, 0930 Hrs -1730 Hrs and many of them work half days 0930 - 1300 Hrs on Saturdays.

There are all types of shops in India - Bazaars, shopping complexes, supermarkets, road side shops and corner shops too! The ones in the shopping complexes are open from around 1030 Hrs to 2000 Hrs in most of the cities. However the road side shops and corner shops are open till 2200 Hrs.

Many of the eateries and restaurants other than the ones in the hotels remain open till midnight.

However, there are exceptions to all of the above. There are 24 Hr coffee shops and Banks at airports, for example, stay open to accommodate international flights.

You need a Yellow fever certificate if arriving within six days from an infected area. You may be detained up to six days if you don't have a certificate.

While traveling in India, you must use bottled water only which is provided in the hotels and is freely available. Do not eat at the road side eateries. People with sensitive digestive system may not eat hot spicy food.

In India mobile phone operators utilize the GSM system so you will have to organize international roaming with your service provider before you leave home if your phone operates with this system.

India is the second most populous country in the world (1 Billion people) after China with a population density of 267 (Germany is 224). From North to South the country stretches 3 214 Km and East to West 2 933 Km. Total coastline of India is over 7516 Km (which is twice the distance from East coast to the West coast of USA).

India is the largest secular parliamentarian democracy of the world. There are 35 Union states and territories.

Hindus are a majority comprising of 82,6%, followed by Muslims 11,4%, Christians 2,4%, Sikhs 2,0%, Buddhists 0,7%, Jains 0,5% and others 0,4%.
A vast majority of the population speaks English in the main cities and towns. The two official languages are English & Hindi. However there are tour guides we can make available in main metros who can talk French, German, Portuguese and Italian.

India is rich in flora and fauna and there is an abundance of natural resources. The famous mountain ranges are Himalaya (2400 Km long and between 240 & 320 Km wide), Kanchenjunga (8534 Mtrs). Others are Aravalli, Mount Abu, Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats.

Forests comprise 23,4% of total area (770 000 sq Km) and deserts 200 000 km² about 1/3 of total cultivable land. There are total 80 National parks and 441 Wildlife Sanctuaries. India has 60% of
world's tiger population with 23 Tiger reserves under "Project Tiger".
There are 65000 different species of fauna. This includes Fishes: 2500, Amphibians: 150, Reptiles: 350, Birds: 2100 and Mammals: 350

The animals population includes, Tiger, Asian Lion, Elephant, Four horn Antelope, One horn Rhinoceros, snow Leopard, black an brown Bear, Yak, Tapir, Moschusdeer, Sibirischer Kranich, Indian Wild ass, Indian Bison (Gaur), Indian Buffalo (Nilgai), Crocodiles.

You can choose between Air, Rail or Road travel depending on your preference and the availability of time. Most tourists prefer Air or Train travel. Road travel may not be as comfortable as in Europe, America, South Africa or some other countries. For road transportation car is the best mode and you can choose from a wide variety of small cars, saloons or luxury cars.

Trains
If your stay in the country is long enough to enjoy train travel, there can not be a better way to experience the diversity of India. There are Super Luxury trains like Palace on Wheels, Orient Express and Deccan Odyssey, which will give you a glimpse into the history of the country coupled with a tour. Some of these trains are ranked amongst top ten luxury trains in the world!
Next choice can be express trains connecting length and breadth of the nation. You can book your train travel in advance before commencing the tour.

Airlines
You can choose from the state run Indian Airlines or Air-India and also from many private operators like, Alliance Air, Deccan Aviation, Jet Airways and Sahara India Airlines. We will advise on the choice to pre-book your domestic air travel.

There are accommodations to suit every pocket. Some of the finest international hotel chains have their hotels in many of the cities which include a few Indian Hotel chains like Taj and Oberoi. There are hotels, resorts and guest houses in 5/4/3 star category and budget accommodations. We will help you with the right choice to suit your pocket and taste.

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