Some destinations to recharge those batteries and bring home a little sunshine

Off the beaten path, or near beaten paths, some destinations to recharge those batteries and bring home a little sunshine.




Go now, go later, go whenever - please give the monsoons a break - but try and go. Sand-wiched between Nepal and Bhutan, Sikkim is one of India's best, warm-hearted hill getaways.

The Kanchenjunga
The capital Gangtok is perched at a little over 6,000 feet, but that's not why you go there. The joy of Sikkim is in viewing exotica, whether it's stunning orchids or richly coloured, exquisite thangka and wall paintings in monasteries, with walks along bright bazaars or bubbling brooks on snow-peppered meadows.

You can take trips heading out of Gangtok to take in the monastery of the Tibetan Kagyupa sect at Rumtek (24 km) with its regular festivals, moving on to spend a couple of nights or more at Pemayangtse, a day's journey west, fora ; view of the Kanchenjunga. Enticing Chhanggu lake (33 km away, at 12,440 feet) is on the route to Nathula, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and blazing with orchids in the Primula gardens.

If you're planning to trek, the trails here are among the most enthralling. If you are planning to hide away in a small monastery town, it's an enchanting slice of life and culture - a week is the least you should spend in this state. Gangtok has good hotels (the best are Nor-khill, Tashi Delek and Hotel Tibet), but most other places have smaller private establishments (see the rooms first), and government rest houses (basic).

Sikkim food is an interesting combination of Tibetan, Chinese and eastern plains. There are regular bus services and the tourism department organises conducted tours, but if you want to avoid the crowds, hire a car. Many travel agencies offer customised holidays in Sikkim.

Pemayangtse: A fulfilling experience
Gangtok is best reached from Bagdogra (four-hour drive, airlinked to Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati), and New Jalpaiguri (same time, similar links by rail). It's very easy to factor in Darjeeling and Kalimpong in neighbouring West Bengal. They have lost much of their charm, but they are in less of a mess than Shimla and Mussoorie, and the tea-garden drives are wonderfully scenic as are the Himalayan views. Best time: except the monsoons, which damages roads, and high winter which blocks the upper reaches of Sikkim.

Kalpa, Kinnaur's heart: Beauty revisited
Himachal Pradesh

The popular perception is that Himachal Pradesh consists of four places: Shimla, Kufri, Kulu and Manali. They do have their charm. However, there are many less-travelled places that can be reached from these destinations, if you only have the time, inclination and budget to do so. It gets you that much closer to nature, mountains, Himachali hospitality, and that much away from standard hill holidays.

There's Kalpa in the Sangla valley, with a route from Shimla taken in easy stages over two-three days - the winding Indo-Tibetan border road dictates the pace as much the sheer beauty of the mountains and vall eys you traverse through Narkanda, Rampur, Sarahan, in and out of Sangla valley to get to the heart of Kinnaur.

You get the same feeling of space, travelling north from Manali, crossing over Rohtang Pass, heading on to the timeless beauty of Lahaul and Spiti valley to Keylong; the trip is like a travel brochure come alive, only much better. From Shimla, you can absorb the Kangra valley, with it rolling hills, tea plantations, lakes, and move to Dharamshala-McLeodganj (8-10 hour drive from Shimla or Manali) the seat of the Dalai Lama.

There are good hotels in Shimla and Manali but, elsewhere, you will have to make do with a combination of average tourism department hotels, government rest houses and small private establishments. There are numerous travel agencies offering excellent treks and tours - customised tent holidays and camps - of the region.

It takes a day's drive/ride to get from Delhi to Shimla, Manali. There are regular flights to Shimla and Bhuntar (10 km from Kulu, 51 km short of Manali) from Delhi. Best time: for Kinnaur and Spiti, June-October; for Kangra, except the monsoons.


Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Here you have it: a paradise not many make a beeline for. Enjoy. Swim, water ski, snorkle, dive, sail. Emerald to blue seas, white sand beaches, enchanting corals and views to rival southern Thailand's. Stay in Port Blair or nearby Corbyn's Cove (7 km south), the main island's major beach, in any number of hotels ranging from budget (Rs 250) to upscale (topping Rs 3,000; Travel Corp oration of India and Welcom group run a hotel each).

There are no resorts like in Goa and no party zones - unless you make a quiet one on the beach - but that adds to the charm of the Andamans. Pick up on a bit of seafood with the day's catch - lobster, pomfret, the works, fresh, and cooked the way you want. Hire a scooter, mobike or bicycle and travel the main South Andaman island's few roads.

Undersea pleasures in the Andamans: Go for it, soak it up, revel in it
Most activity is centred on this island or near it. While you need a very strong sense of history to appreciate the Cellular Jail and its scratchy son et lumiere show, you're better off treating the Andamans as purely a leisure destination. Visiting centres of the island-chain's tribal population can be arranged, but unless you're a social anthropologist, drop it: nobody, particularly the Onges and Jarawas, likes being treated as zoo exhibits.

Instead, check out the scuba-diving courses. Hire equipment to go snor kelling around Corbyn's cove, or even better, at the Wandoor Marine National Park around the south end of the island, the area comprising the nearby islands of Jolly Buoy, Redskin and Grub.

The day's catch off Car Nicobar: Gastronomics unlimited
Take jungle hikes, varying from 2 km to 12 km. Get on a glass-bottomed boat to view corals and tropical fauna if getting under water is too much for you. Take ferry rides to see the uninhabited, former British township in Ross Island, 20 minutes from South Andaman, with its crumbling houses, clubs and churches.

For a touch of exclusivity, hire a boat and cruise out to any number of uninhabited islands, one to four hours away, grab seclusion for you and yours. This holiday is good for at least a week. Regular flights fro Madras and Calcutta to Port Blair.

Best time: October-May Plan ahead - the planes carry lower than normal loads to factor in Port Blair's short runway.

The Orissa Coast

If you're looking for a different destination - Puri is overcrowded and Konarak's beach isn't a blast unless you plan to head out to a resort tucked away on the 80 km stretch of the Puri-Konarak seaside road-head for Gopalpur-on-Sea, close to Andhra Pradesh.

This place is different not only because it's off-way but if you tire of what is a gorgeous, though rustic, seaside holiday (despite very comfortable private boarding houses and a very comfort able, airy Oberoi property; activities usually restricted to bathing, walks and lazing) you have the awe-inspiring Chilka Lake.

The country 's largest salt-water lake 72 km long and 15 km wide, is a half-day drive from Gopalpur, and has small state and privately run budget hotels strung along either end and the middle. You can hire power boats for a cruise around the lake or head for some small islands, drop anchor and coast for a while.

These places were on the earlier danchi babu route (so-called because emanicpated bhadralok from Calcutta's not-too-distant past used to show up, walk the market and pronounce fish and other goodies 'damned cheap' compared to back home). Today, the bhadralok are few and far between, but not the bargain basement prices, and views and colour that go beyond bargains. Specialities of this entire stretch include superb crab, fish and strong seas.

The way to do this circuit comfortably is to hire a car, either from the railhead of Berhampur (18 km from Gopalpur) on the Howrah-Madras route. Or get to Bhubaneshwar (flights from Calcutta and Delhi, plus trains), Puri (trains from Calcutta and Delhi). Both places have a wide range of hotels. You can do any of these places individually or as part of a arger, two-week circuit beach and culture circuit. Best time: just skip high summer and the monsoons.



Move away from the Rajasthan of Jaipur's Hawa Mahal or Udaipur's Lake Palace to the Rajasthan of Jaisalmer and Shekhawati with its stunning havelis, of Bikaner and its awesome fort and the ever present sand dunes. By all means visit Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. Their palaces and forts - impressive and imposing - are well-known, and for good reason: you don't have to be a connoisseur of architecture to appreciate them. The palace hotels in these cities are the stuff oflegends translated to pricey reality, if you can afford it, ambience worth booking in advance for. But dream on, cast your net wider.

Bikaner's Junagadh Fort: A view Jaipur that rivals the best anywhere
If you have a night or more to spare, give it to the desert. Just head west from Jodhpur. Anywhere. Your car or camel train will lead you. But spend some time at both Jaisalmer and Bikaner, well connected by rail, road. Once you are there it's a no-man's land - between belief and disbelief. The Arabian Nights could have been written here, though the best views of Jaisalmer's golden sandstone fort and desert are at dusk and dawn.

A good vantage point is the back of a camel - from Jaisalmer many operators offer camel safari packages ranging from a day-long ride to a week-long expedition. The night sky in the open desert has to be seen to be believed. Get your guides to take you to an uninhabited oasis if possible. The safaris cost upwards of Rs 300 per day (in different food included, but then again, you're there for the flavour).

Taking your own tent along might be a good idea. If strapped for time, at least go for a spin in a jeep. Even if sand isn't your thing, both Jaisalmer and Bikaner have plenty of architecture to mesmerise you. Not to be missed is the Junagadh fort in Bikaner (actually it's impossible to miss).

Being on the international tourist map means that almost any place you go to in Rajasthan has a wide range of accommodation to suit all pockets. Bikaner and Jaisalmer aren't that slick but the raw beauty is enough charm. Give yourself a couple of weeks, for these two places in concert with Jodhpur, Jaipur or Udaipur. Best time not to visit: April-September.

Madhya Pradesh

Hardly any crowd and plenty of variety, both historical and geographical. Gwalior is a good place to start. The fort was good enough to impress Babar to try a shot at it-it still is, for travel-route conquerors. It's close enough to Delhi (320 km) to merit a weekend trip. But why waste it? Plan for a few days more, if you must, take it in with Bharatpur (160 km) and Agra (118 km).

If you've been to these places, good. Your mind will be less cluttered and free to travel to Khajuraho (278 km by road, or a flight away from Delhi). As for the temples, the beauty goes beyond what seems like a great advertisement for pagan pleasures. Besides, there's nearby Kalinjar fort (25 km), and the Panna National Park (40 km). This circuit is best travelled by road and the accommodation range, besides Gwalior and Khajuraho, is state-run and basic.

From the sensual to the sublime means a trip to Shivpuri (112 km from Gwalior). A former game reserve of the Gwalior kings it is now home to the Madhav National Park. It has a lot of big game, including the occasional tiger. Best time to visit: spring. Avoid the monsoons. Just three hours from Gwalior lies Orchha, with its lakeside ruins and hotel that's a double whammy charmer. Heritage is a lot more than a coffee-table book. Visit, and you'll see why.



Many are trying it now, but that's no reason why you shouldn't think of a holiday in the backwaters-there's more than enough to go around. You could do worse than lie back in a country boat and float past coconut palms that dip into the water, drift past hamlets and revel in a journey which at its end asks you to do nothing except get off the boat - or not, if you hire a houseboat modelled in the traditional Kettuvallam style for Rs 3,000 a day upwards.

A stretch of backwaters: A journey into peace and tranquility
This is an expensive way to experience part of Kerala's often-heard but usually not seen 1,300 km of winding backwaters, inland lakes in inlets. A cheaper way is to book into any of the well maintained hideaway hotels (the best are the Taj, and the Choice Group's Kumarakom and Coconut Lagoon properties which, for a price, offer unmatched peace and pampering) that any major travel agency in your city or nearest metro can arrange. Houseboat tours are picking up - if you find less information, once you get to Kochi, Alleppey (the main backwater tour points) or Trivandrum, there is no dearth of operators who can fix you up for between a day up to a week or more.

The catch word of these tours is quietude. Getting away from the humdrum - an activity that Kerala, perhaps more than any other state, has recently specialised in - capitalis ing on the natural draw of the backwaters and the thousands of acres of spice and coconut plantations (the mini resorts around Thekkady built with traditional architecture and designed to blend with the surroundings are getting popular). These holidays work best if you have a few days planned for complete calm or, along with taking in the quaint streets of Kochi or the beach-strung coast near Trivandrum, you want to disappear.

A culture resort near Trivandrum: The sea, with a lot of substance
And do keep your options for another delight. Many culture-ayurveda meditation-traditional massage hotels and resorts are coming up around Kovalam - the main tourist beach near Trivandrum - which are gaining in reputation as among the best holidays worldwide.

It's easy to land in Trivandrum and work your way north towards Kochi (210 km away) and the backwaters region, or the other way around. Either way, chances are it's a holiday you'll never forget, besides hankering for more. Trivandrum and Kochi are ext remely well-connected by air and rail; it's best to drive between these two points. Best time: besides the summer monsoons, anytime.

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