With a bewildering array of geographically architected places, diverse landscapes, broad sweep of terrain and climate, India is simply a magical destination for adventure travel. If you’re looking for an adventure break that will get your energy pumping and adrenaline flowing, then we have a bucket list of some of the best adventure destinations in Incredible India. Experience the unforgettable - visit remote monasteries riding through some of the windiest passes of the world on your mountain bike, experience the thrill of trekking up a Himalayan peak or rafting down a snow-fed river, or diving deep into the sea to catch a glimpse of the colorful and vibrant marine life.
Gulmarg, Kashmir for Skiing
Gulmarg’s legendary beauty, prime location and proximity to Srinagar naturally make it one of the premier hill resorts in the country. While Gulmarg is an all-weather resort with refreshing summer meadows and pastoral scenes, the destination’s major attraction in the winter is the off-piste, deep-powder, long-run skiing. Gulmarg has some of the best slopes for beginners and intermediate skiers, all serviced by ski lifts and chair lifts. The diversity of skiing in Gulmarg means that you can experience what you want, when you want - extreme backcountry, off-piste, on-piste, the highest gondola in the world or even resort skiing; take your pick. The snow cycle here is unusually regular, often snowing every seven days for two to three days delivering over a meter of fresh powder at a time. The high altitude snow remains cold, crisp and light for days on end. Ski snobs love Gulmarg as the steep powder bowls stretch across the range, offering 1,000 meter vertical runs, not to mention skiing off the highest gondola in the world at nearly 4,000 m altitude. Experience the relentless pursuit of adventure, the thrill of slashing through untracked snow and the exhilaration of dropping into effortless runs in Gulmarg.
Manali, Himachal for Paragliding
The beautiful Himalayan ranges and snow packed mountains provide a spectacular backdrop for paragliding in Manali. The clement weather and geographical conditions of Manali are conducive for all grades of paragliding. You can paraglide all-round the year in Kullu valley in areas like Solang Bijli Mahadev, Marhi and Fatru. All these places afford panoramic views of the valley as well as the surrounding mountains and have excellent take off points. Generally two types of flights are offered; in the short flight the inexperienced client is taken above 100-150 ft high and they are joined by a pilot in the double seated paraglide. It gives you the thrilling experience of viewing the surrounding with the pilot taking care of maneuvering the glider. This flight lasts for one or one and a half minute. On the other hand high flight is conducted by experienced pilots and this flight lasts for 20-30 minutes. When the weather conditions are ideal it’s possible to stay in the air for more than three hours and rise to a height of 3000 m. The ethereal experience of serenity while sailing in air above the ground is something every adventure lover will vouch for!
Havelock Island, Andaman for Scuba Diving
The secret underwater diving world of the Andaman Sea reveals great diversity of marine life and colourful corals impossible to see anywhere else in India. Havelock in Andaman is the most popular island for scuba diving due to its two pristine white sandy beaches and clear turquoise blue waters. Many of the islands are surrounded by fringing reefs, often several hundred meters wide and separated from the shore by a lagoon of similar width. There are also more steeply undulating hills of volcanic lava, which makes for some unusual diving. Large pelagic are plentiful in these waters, as are variety of sharks. Silvertip, ocean white tips and large Manta Rays also appear out of the deep blue beyond. The visibility in the waters at Andaman and Nicobar is up to 40 m and some of the perfect places for diving include Radhanagar Beaches, Elephant Beach, Kalapathar Beach. It’s definitely one of life’s experiences that you really shouldn’t miss!
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand for River Rafting
Very few rivers in the world are endowed with the mystique of Ganges, considered as the living mother Goddess revered by the Hindu devotees. Rafting on her majestic waters, which comes down from the icy height of the Himalayas, is an invigorating experience in itself. The challenge of the wild, untamed and turbulent water is no less than the jagged, uneven mountains that surround it. Gushing water from the Ganges is a sporty delight for the first timers and one can test their endurance by battling out the ferocity of the downstream water. There are four different starting points of Rafting in Rishikesh, ranging from the basic to difficult ones. The basic stretch starts from Brahmpuri which is 9 kilometers upstream from Rishikesh and has mostly mild rapids. It just takes two hour of your day to go through the trip down from Brahmpuri to Rishikesh. If you are a rafting enthusiast, the advanced stretch from "Kaudiyala" is the starting point where you will experience some of the greatest rapids termed as "The Wall". Visit the Mecca of white water rafting in India where rafters take back unforgettable memories to cherish for rest of their lives.
Sikkim for Trekking
Sikkim is blessed with snow clad peaks & the mighty Khangchendzonga offers some of the finest trekking experiences in the Himalayas. Terrain in Sikkim ranges from humid, tropical lowland rain forests to the snow-capped peaks of mountains such as Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. The state’s vast unspoiled mountain ranges are a trekker’s delight and its amazing range of flora and fauna is a naturalist’s dream. From a distance, these mountains may seem formidable and unapproachable but as you approach them, they seem to welcome you into the beautiful forests. While trekking, one covers the beautiful views of the snowy peaks, the spectacular Himalayas, beautiful Gompas, colourful hamlets, meadows, forests and orchards. Most of the trekking routes are few tens of kilometers from major towns but going there is like travelling many hundred years back into time. Technical climbing experience is not necessary as most of the trek routes are between 6000 and 14,000 feet. Some of the famous trekking routes in Sikkim are the Yoksum – Dzongri Trek, Tashi View Point – Tinjure trek, Base Camp – Garakhet Trek, Phalut - Singelila - Chiwabhanjang trek, Hilley - Varsey Trek and Damthang - Tendong Trek.
Ladakh for Mountain Biking
There is no better way to get a feel of the local culture of a place than by actually biking through it and stopping at the hamlets to get a closer look at the way of life. Mountain biking in the Himalayas is one of the most adventure filled and novel ways of combining travel with experiencing the local flavor and culture of a place. Ladakh, skirted by huge mountain ranges is the nucleus of adventure. With the gigantic appearance and the tough roads through the mountain range, mountain bikers encounter unimagined transporting paths as some of the roads are rugged and perilous to ride. Riding up on those narrow roads, you can view Ladakh at your own pace, stopping your motorbike to have a dekko at the many attractive Buddhist Gompas, mingling with the locals at beautiful villages, relishing their cuisines, and all this while enjoying a long unbroken view of the snow clad Himalayan mountain ranges. Those who experience mountain biking in Ladakh are hooked onto it and are likely to return to it. Some popular routes are to Pangong Lake, the beautiful Nubra Valley or simply to the divine monasteries around Leh. Of all the routes the Leh Manali highway is the most exciting one and definitely not for the faint hearted as it has numerous hairpin bends testing the true ability of the rider as well as the bike.
About Odyssey Travels
Odyssey Travels is a leading IATA accredited Travel Company, established in 1992. We specialize in planning customized holidays in India and abroad for our clients which includes air ticketing, worldwide hotel reservations, inclusive tours, sightseeing activities, visa assistance & travel insurance services. For further information or to make a booking contact 020-66442929 or visit http://www.odysseytravels.net/