Called as the beach capital of India, Andaman and Nicobar islands are must to see beach destinations that have a charisma of their own to keep one enticed and spell bound and persuade for romantic holidays in tropical paradise full of greenery and serenity. There are various pristine and exotic beaches and secluded, heavenly islands to boast of and to draw your attention to visit the island world again. When you enter the wonderful and mystic land, you may a bit confuse to choose the best beaches. In order to make your holidays memorable and to provide you some of the best ways of celebrating holidays, we have come up with the list of top 10 beaches in Andaman that you can add in your Andaman tour packages.

Ross and Smith Island Beach
Ross and Smith Islands – two wide and beautiful islands joined by a sand bar is making this the beautiful place to lie down or walk along the beach side.

Laxmanpur Beach at Neil Island
Don’t ask your tour operator to add Laxmanpur Beach at Neil Island in your Andaman tour. Widely spread beach has fine with white sand on the one end and ideal for walk on beach on the other.

Radhanagar Beach a Havelock Island
Once named as Asia’s best beach and world’s seventh best beach, Radhanagar Beach has something magical to attract romantic lovers and family’s altogether to celebrate holidays in a way like never before. After visiting this beach, you will realize that it truly deserves the honor.

Guitar Island Beach
Being one of the most beautiful and favorite places in Andaman, the beautiful island look like a guitar and hence the name Guitar Island. The beach is not wide, but it is secluded and the water is never wavy or choppy here. It is ideal place to spend a lazy afternoon here in a memorable way.
 

Lalaji Bay Beach at Long Island
Surrounded by lush greenery and very tranquil, Lalaji Bay Beach at Long Island is a must to see beach and to add in your Andaman tour packages for honeymoon or any kind of other holidays. For romantic couples, it is a paradise. It is also a perfect location for swimming and some water sports.

Butler Bay Beach at Hut Bay Island
Hut Bay Island is serene and wonderful place to add in your Andaman tour that will surely provide you some of the best ways of exploring the sea world.
 

Wandoor Beach at Port Blair
It is very famous tourist spot because of having in Port Blair. Wandoor Beach goes full all round the year because of proximity to city and some of the finest accommodation options.
 

Aamkunj Beach in Rangat
It is one of the busiest beaches of Andaman that is mostly frequented by locals and tourists as well. It is ideal beach for get together in evening or walking on the sand by hand in hand with your partner to enjoy a romantic evening out.
 

Pathi Level Beach in Diglipur
Serene, beautiful and clean beach, Pathi Level Beach in Diglipur is a must to see beach in Andaman and Nicobar Islands during your India vacation.
 

Merk Bay Beach in North Passage Island at Long Island
Merk Bay Beach of North Passage Island is remarkable and known for its white sand. It is a photogenic beach that is always loved by photographers and honeymooners altogether.

Apart from the aforementioned beaches, Casurina Beach in Diglipur, Raman Bageecha Beach in Rangat, etc are also some of the wonderful beaches to add in your Andaman tours that will surely make your dream come true for memorable beach holidays.

In order to explore the real natural beauty and beaches of Andaman, you have to choose the right tour package from a selected tour operator. These tour packages include all world-class facilities, modern amenities and state-of-the-art services. You can also choose a customized tour packages for selected number of days and to explore a few selected beaches online. Not to mention the sea food that will help you in fulfilling your desire for some tasty bites.

From accommodation to food of your choice and from sightseeing to spa facilities (sometimes complimentary and sometimes in tour package) to a lot more added in your tour packages.

One of the oldest living civilization, nestled on the banks of the Holy river the Ganges, where the confluence of the river Varana and Asi takes place. This is how the sacred place, well renowned for the salvation of the Hindus, attained its name, the name that it’s known by today; Varanasi. Apart from that, the place is well renowned with names such as Kashi, Benares, Avimukta, Anandavana, Rudravasa, and Mahashmahana.

“Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together” – Mark Twain.
So how old is Varanasi? Archaeologists believe that the first settlements in Varanasi happened in the 11th or 12th century BC. The recent excavations and findings even suggest that it maybe as old as 1800 BC. The mention of this place can be found in the Vedas, Puranas, the epic Mahabharata and Ramayana, along with much Buddhist as well ass Jain religious texts. There is a constant effort to find more about the history of the place,  find some artefacts or remains to support their belief. An abode of the Hindu Lord Shiva, no foreign invasion could dismantle the strong Hindu faith in this region.

Travelling to Varanasi today takes you back in time. I do not know how the livelihood was back in those days but, when you walk past those narrow alleys embellished with age-old buildings, shops around every corner, the ringing of the bicycle bells and, the slow paced enormous bulls and cows walking along your side, it makes you realize, how well the city has retained its charm. The moment I stepped onto the old part of the town, I had a vivid imagination about what it would have looked like when there were lesser people, commercialization hadn’t crawled in, the holy river was much more vigorous and pristine. However, I’m not complaining. I love every bit of the chaos this city has to offer. Sometimes I think to myself, if I were to be born in some other nation, I wonder how I would have made it through as I strongly believe, I was born to embrace the chaos that India and its various cities have to offer. With utmost delight I would get lost in its narrow lanes, making it more constrict with my presence in the bustling crowd, where some are rushing towards the temple and ghats and at the same time, others are just as lost as I am.

When I first visited Varanasi, it was during the wedding season. Oh! What a sight to see. It isn’t every day you order your food in a cafe and while you wait for it to come, you see a bride and groom pass through the narrow alleys every 5-10 minutes, to get married in the ghat of the holy river Ganges.

The Ghats. The ghats are basically the stairs that lead us to the river. Any pathways here leads you to the Ghats. You might get lost, only to find yourself on the banks of the river Ganges. And when you reach the Ghats, the sight that you may comprehend is like no other. Where is it that you often get to see from temples to the flower shops, fruit stalls to residential houses, from massage stalls to open air barber shops; everything in such great proximity to each other. One moment you hear the chanting of the Mantras and two steps further all you hear is the assorted voices of people trying to sell something or the other. Just walking past one ghat to another, meeting new people, seeing someone take a dip in the holy water with such devotion is extremely enthralling.

One of the highly recommended activity in Varanasi is the boat ride. Be it the morning or the evening boat ride, you get to appreciate the beauty of the city from a distance. The city is said to have 87 Ghats in a total of which Harishchandra Ghat and Manikarnika ghat are one among the very few important ones. As you pass through these ghats from a distance, its lot easier to picture the day to day life of a person living in Varanasi. You also get a glimpse of the cremation grounds. Once your boat ride is over, be a part of one of the biggest thanksgiving ceremony for the Hindus in the world. The ceremony is conducted every day, throughout the year.

Another important thing to do in Varanasi is a visit to the Ramnagar Fort. If you go there expecting one of the finest examples of the Mughal architecture, you might as well be disappointed because this fort is a lot smaller in comparison to the other forts you may come across. Now, it is more or less a museum with a collection of fine weaponry, vintage carriage, and other machinery as well as some attires, used by the then King and Queen. The only drawback to the museum is that it lacks maintenance hence it is not so popular among the visitors.And brace yourself. The traffic on the way to the fort is outrageous but I did enjoy the temporary bridges which you come across before you make it to the fort.   If time permits, you may also visit Sarnath. 10-12 km away from the main city. Sarnath is the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. It is one of the very famous places for Buddhist pilgrimage. Due to lack of time, I couldn’t make it to Sarnath but there’s always the next time.

If you would have noticed, I haven’t really discussed the cremation grounds in this article. I saved it for the last because it is one of the very critical sights to see. Varanasi has one of the largest Hindu cremation ground, which burns approximately 80 bodies a day. It is said that a Hindu who is cremated here earns salvation(moksha). When I first reached the cremation ground, all I felt was uneasy on being there at that point in time. The very thought of being a spectator to someone’s grief and not being able to comfort the family members in any way, rather just add up to their miseries by considering it as just another tourism spot; I couldn’t stand there a minute longer. I was severely displeased by the ignorant attitude of the people around. It is such an emotional moment for someone who has lost a family member, someone close to them, and all I could see was the spectators flashing their fancy phones and cameras and take a picture. No, it’s not illegal, it is not written anywhere but what about being ethically correct?
Do your moral values allow you to do so? How would you react if one of the close member of your family is getting cremated and there are some ignorant people taking pictures? No doubt your Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram feed would look tremendously attractive with pictures so raw but the question is, how far would you go?

It was in 2013 during my trip to Thailand, I took a picture holding a tiger cub. I was beyond delighted to have taken that picture. I completely ignored the fact that those cubs are kept hungry all day long so they would concentrate more on the fiddling bottle rather than excoriating our face. Till date, I feel bad about being so ignorant and selfish that I couldn’t really see beyond the fake brave woman I was pretending to be.

I know, I cannot change a thing as eventually, people will do what they have to do. But how about capturing good moments because every time you look at that picture, it takes you back in time. And not all moments are meant to be captured.

BTW, when in Varanasi, do not miss out the “Blue Lassi” where they do the most
amazing lassis.

10 Reasons to love Bengaluru

It took me almost 3 months to know Bangalore. Initially, I hated it when I was new here. Everywhere it was just cars, pollution, no footpath to walk and at some place no road only, so what you can expect from somebody. It was very difficult to commute from one place to another and the biggest problem was with these Auto people; nobody wants to go with meter (every time 10/ 20 rupees extra and sometimes double the meter).

But as time went, I was really amazed to know the real Bangalore- rich in culture, food, temples etc… And it becomes my favorite city to live in India.

Here’s how my thoughts about Bangalore changed:

1) Weather-Always pleasant

The best part of Bangalore which always attract outsiders (I was also one of them) is its amazing weather. It is due to its geographical location, 3000 feet above sea level. Nobody ever felt the need of air conditioned in their home till date. In morning it will be a bright sunny weather but the best part is, no sweating. Shades are necessary to wear. But at night you will feel the cold breeze in your bedroom, as if you are sleeping in some hill station. I will say it’s even better than this hopeless hill station of South India.

2) Green City of India

Still now it is greener than any other city of India. You will find trees on both sides of the road almost everywhere which makes Bangalore pleasant to walk on road. I like Indiranagar, Richmond Circle and MG Road the most.

3) Garden City of India

Also known as Garden City of India. Still now all the gardens are well preserved and maintained properly. Want proof?? Go to Cubbon Park or Lal Bagh. Cubbon Park is a jogger’s paradise. Lal Bagh is very famous among tourists.

4) Food

Food is the most important part of every cosmopolitan city that most of the people look for. I believe in this popular phrase: “When you are in Rome, do as Romans do”. I always try to grasp the local taste so that I can know more about it. That’s what I did when I came to Bangalore for the first time. I straight away went to MTR and Vidyarthi Bhawan to get the local essence of the food. It was out of the world (delicious). It’s a must visit place if you are in Bangalore. Food s are being served in the traditional way.

5) Silicon Valley of India

As we all know that from last few years Bangalore has reached the heights of development. The reason is only one: IT Companies. Almost all the IT companies from around the world have their offices in Bangalore. This has created enormous Job Opportunities for the people of every field. That is why everybody from all over India are coming to Bangalore to start their new life.

6) Like Minded People

Unlike any other city, the crowd of Bangalore is the best part of it. Almost 90% are educated. One can also say it as a Young City of India.

7) Breweries

For drunkard’s, Bangalore is a heaven. This is because of the presence of the world’s largest Brewery Company: UB Group (Owned by Mr. Vijay Mallaya). It will more appropriate to say people here are fond of drinking. People drink not only with friends but with family also. Isn’t it great, full family drank together (Mom, Dad and Son) you will get many options and many amazing places to drink like Sky bar, I-Bar, Aqua etc…

8) Passionate People’s

All of you must be knowing many of the known and famous things that have evolved out of Bangalore like Businesses (Red bus), Singers, Writers, Models (Deepika Padukone and Milind Soman), Sportsmen (Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble), photographers (Atul Kasbekar) etc… Many startups by the young entrepreneurs like Chai Point, Fasoos etc… Many youngsters got to found their element while working in Bangalore. Everybody is doing something or the other what they love to do.

9) Safe for Woman

Yesss, Bangalore is one of the safest city of India for Woman’s. Even if you will walk alone, people will not pass any lewd comments or do some non- sense.

10) Weekend Getaway

Bengaluru is in the center of South India. From here there are hell lot of options for weekend getaway. Trekking, Mountaineering, Hill Station, Jungles, Beaches etc… Everything is within 500kms and easily accessible.

If I miss something will be happy to do the additions.