All travellers need a Visa to enter India. Most tourist visas are issued for six months and are valid from the date of issue NOT from the date that you arrive in India. Your passport must have at least 6 months’ validity after you return home for the Embassy to issue a Visa. It is useful to carry a few photocopies of your passport's photo/ID and visa pages for smooth check in at the hotels as hotels are required to take a copy of this information at the time of your arrival at their establishment. You can also keep a photocopy of your passport's identity page and your airline ticket to reconfirm your flight tickets if required.
If your itinerary includes one or more internal flights, please note that security at Indian airports is tight and there are many restrictions on what is permitted in carry-on luggage. It is best to take as little onto the plane as possible to speed up the process and minimize the chances of being asked to repack an item into your checked in luggage.
It is essential to have travel insurance to cover you for all eventualities while travelling. All our vehicles are properly licensed tourist vehicles with complete insurance cover.
India is so vast and there are lot of weather patterns that are extremely varied in nature.
The best time to visit India is between late October and mid-March. However, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, Agra – Taj Mahal, will be very cold in December and January. But April and May can be very hot and humid, with daytime temperature soaring high as 40C - 50C, though these are good months to visit the Himalayan foothills and the hill stations of Shimla and Darjeeling. High summer is pleasant in Kashmir and Ladakh(From March to June).
Hotels in India offer great value during April to September. The reason being temperatures from May & June can go up to 4o-45°C and the level of humidity can be very uncomfortable.
The best time to travel to South India is from November onwards when the monsoon has ended. Monsoon starts in Kerala Karnataka in June July whereas in Tamil Nadu monsoon is from 2nd week of October and ends by 1st week of December. Hotels in Kerala offers Kerala Monsoon special prices for tourists between June July
You don't need to bother with too much in the way of a first aid kit. You can buy almost anything over the counter at pharmacies which are everywhere in India. You may carry any specific medication you have been prescribed by your own doctor. But painkillers, antiseptics and even antibiotics, are very easy to find.
- "Wet tissues" are very handy for washing your hands before eating. A small bottle of anti-bacterial hand-wash (alcohol-based, self-drying) is a good idea although these are widely available locally.
- An inflatable pillow can be useful for long train journeys - general bedding, including a small pillow is provided.
- Earplugs for light sleepers.
- Good quality sunscreen as this is difficult to find
- A journal for noting your varied experiences
- Universal power adaptors are readily available.
- You can buy almost anything you need in India. You will almost invariably have your first day in a big city or tourist town where there will be an array of items for sale at prices which are often only a fraction of what they cost at home.
- Try to keep your luggage to a minimum especially if your tour includes train trips and flights. You will find many wonderful things to buy along the way so leave room for them when you start out!
- A small day pack is handy to carry your camera, water bottle and daily needs.
Being vaccinated is a very personal decision. Some people prefer to be covered for everything that might happen and others prefer not to have anything more than is necessary. There is a lot of information on the internet about vaccinations but it is always best to combine your own research with the sound advice of your own doctor or a specialist travellers’ medical centre. It is strongly recommended that everyone be covered for Tetanus. One injection should cover you for 10 years.
Malaria is uncommon in most parts of India commonly visited by tourists so taking anti-malarial drugs is not essential. Advice varies however so this is a personal decision and you should consult your doctor before leaving home. Wearing light coloured clothing, covering ankles and arms and using an insect repellent will certainly help you to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. In most hotel rooms, you will see a small plug in electrical device to vaporize mosquito repellent at night in your hotel room. Switch it on at dusk and leave it going through to the morning. Ceiling fans and air-conditioning will keep the air in your room circulating, making it very difficult for mosquitoes to land and bite. You can also buy Odomos cream locally. Please weigh up all the advice on health issues and make your own informed decision.
Online application must be submitted minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 30 days. Example: If you are applying on 1st of September, you can select arrival date from 5th September to 4th October. That is one can apply more than 30 days or precisely 33 days in advance of actual date of visit.
- The validity of visa will be 30 days from the date of arrival in India.
- The fee is US$ 60/- per person excluding interchange charge for credit/debit cards.
- You are allowed for a maximum of two visits in a calendar year for on-lline visa.
- On-line visa is for single entry, non-extendable and non-convertible.
- This visa is not valid for visiting Protected/Restricted/Cantonment Areas.
While making payment for the E-Tourist Visa, if the number of unsuccessful attempts is more than three times, the application id will be be blocked and the application form has to be filled again and re-generate a new application id.
The rules for applying for multiple entry visa are different. You will be needing a multiple entry visa if you are visiting India twice.
To know more details, please visit the link for the visa - https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html