Top Picks for Summer Rafting in India
This article has originally appeared in the March 2020 edition of National Geographic Traveller India.
Travels with My Daughter – Return to the Ganga
A SCOUTING VIEW OF THE DREADED RAPID CALLED THE WALL At the ATOAI annual convention in January this year, I was lucky enough to win a two-night stay at Bull’s Retreat, the home base camp on the Ganga of Mercury Himalayan Explorations, founded by my friend Akshay Kumar. I cut my teeth white-water rafting on…
Visit to the Ramgarh Hunting Lodge: A Royal Retreat from Jaipur
Motoring through the Aravallis after the monsoon has set in is a special experience. The dusty hills come alive with their new coats of green, like sheep growing back their fleece after the hot summer in preparation for the winter to come. Leaving the urban sprawl of Jaipur behind, my daughter Mallika and I drive…
Visit to Bhopal: Going to the Heart of the Matter
Smack bang in the middle of the Indian subcontinent is the giant sprawling state of Madhya Pradesh. And lying in the centre of the state is its unassuming capital of Bhopal. As a tourist destination, Bhopal has little to offer – unlike Jaipur or Hyderabad it was never the seat of a great empire. And…
Explore the Fascinating Colonial Heritage of Andamans!
At first glance Port Blair seems like an unprepossessing Indian market town, but dig deeper and you will find a fascinating colonial history.
Barefoot at Havelock: A Perfect Stay in the Andamans
At daybreak, I stand at the edge of the great forest where it gives way to the vastness of the Indian Ocean. Behind me is a vaulted cloister of giant Mahua trees that blocks out the sky. In front of me, a single wave rises to form a cylinder of the most impossible blue as…
Travels with My Daughter: On the Nasik Wine Trail (Part 2)
The luxury car manufacturer of the wine set is clearly Chandon, the champagne maker. And much like the exclusive Rolls-Royce, the winery sits in solitary splendour, about an hour north of Nasik, against a picturesque backdrop of the ancient Dindori Hills. The difference in atmosphere and style is evident from the instant we drive in…
Travels with My Daughter: On the Nasik Wine Trail (Part 1)
As a wine enthusiast of long standing, I have travelled the world in search of this nectar of the gods, from Napa Valley to La Rioja to the Cape Winelands. But I am embarrassed to say that I have never visited the vineyards in my own backyard. Sometimes you end up ignoring that which is…
Trip to the east in 2000 : Down memory lane (Part 2)
The golden glow of sunrise lights up the majestic Kanchenjunga The drive up to Darjeeling (“the land of the thunderbolt”) from Bagdogra airport failed to evoke any memories, but as soon as we reached the outskirts of Ghoom, the glow of the setting sun on the Kanchenjunga massif as it soared above the evening clouds…
Attending the ATOAI 2019 convention in Araku Valley
Anubhav the Boy Wonder comes in for a perfect landing!