Home to almost one thousand million people, India is a huge country filled with many incredible things to see. Whether it is the beautiful beaches of Goa, the wonder that is the Taj Mahal, the famous Pink City of Jaipur or the busy cities of Delhi and Bombay, it truly is an incredible country to visit.

Anyone visiting India for the first time will no doubt take with them preconceptions of what to expect when they get out there. It is such a large country and so diverse that it is difficult to describe even half of it and do it justice. However, it is also important to point out that the notion many people have of the poverty in India is one that often holds true. There are beggars in the cities and towns and for some this is difficult to get over, particularly when it is also obvious that alongside these sights of extreme poverty there can also be examples of great wealth

The 'Golden Triangle' is probably the most travelled circuit of India. This includes Delhi where the traveller can experience first hand, the noise, crowds and life in the capital, Agra home to the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, and Jaipur known as the 'Pink City'. The 'Golden Triangle' allows the visitor to see some of India's most famous sights, none of which disappoint.

Udaipur has been called the 'Venice of the East' due to its location near the Lake Pichola, it is said to be the most romantic city in Rajasthan. With its marble palaces, beautiful gardens and whitewashed buildings it is a lovely place to visit. There are many incredible sights in Udaipur from the City Palace to the Jagdish Temple.

Many travellers to India head for Goa where the beaches are beautiful and it has a history of being popular with hippies, where people go to 'find themselves'. As it is now, there are still those people who come here for more than just a holiday however; it is a great place to visit if you simply want a relaxing holiday where you can find great beaches and friendly, courteous people.

To write about the hundreds of other interesting places to visit in India would turn this page into a book. If you were visiting India, the best advice would be to find out as much as you can about the area you intend to visit. This will ensure you get to see all the thing you want to see and will also inform you of the best times to go in terms of weather and festivals.

India weather profile is difficult to sum up in one paragraph and could take an entire page. In general October and March are the most pleasant months over the majority of the country.

The monsoon season in the south makes January to September the more pleasant months in the south of India.

Whereas if you are visiting India for the skiing - the ski season here runs between January and March.

Because it is such a vast country with such diverse towns and cities, there are many different things to do in India. It is difficult to do it justice and the following points are merely a selection of things to do.

The Indian Museum in Calcutta is excellent and probably the best in the country.

Also in Calcutta visit the Botanical Gardens, home to a banyan tree that is 200 years old, and the Howrah Bridge that is considered to be the busiest in the world.

Skiing in India runs from January to March, resorts being in Narkanda and Auli. The apres-ski may differ slightly from other ski resorts, but who says ginger tea and chapatis aren't just what you want after a days skiing?

Travel the 'golden triangle' and see the Taj Mahal, the Pink City, and experience the capital Delhi - the most popular circuit to travel in India, and for good reason.

For walkers, the main trekking centres are in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and provide a peaceful way to experience the incredible mountain range.

There are many festivals in India, wherever and whenever you choose to visit, you will no doubt happen upon one whether in a small village or one of the larger towns or cities. They can provide travellers with an interesting insight into the Indian people and their customs and religions.

Lonely Planet: India - Christine Niven, et al (Paperback September, 1999)

Footprint India Handbook 2001: The Travel Guide - Robert Bradnock, Roma Bradnock (Paperback September, 2000)

The Rough Guide to India - David Abram, et al (Paperback 28 October, 1999)

Festival celebrations in India are a riot of dance, song and colour and feasting, being occasions for devotion and prayer in many but not all cases. They provide a fantastic opportunity to see both the culture and excitement of this diversely religious nation. If you are in India at the same time as of the following festivals I would recommend getting involved, or even better, planning to be there specially for them. You won't be disappointed.

January - Republic Day Festival in Delhi

February sees the Nishagandi dance festival in Kerala and the Elephanta Festival in Maharashtra, whilst Holi in North India marls the end of the winter and all everyone throws red powder water over each other for one day of the year.

In Goa during March there is the Shigmo and Tansen festival in Madhya Pradesh

April and May - The International Flower festival in Sikkim and the Shi'ite Muharram commemorative festival.

On the 2^nd Saturday of every August in Kerala you can't miss the Nehru Cup snake boat races. This is one of the largest events in Kerala.

November, if you're in the area you must see the Camel festival at Pushkar in Rajasthan

And of finally of course Christmas and New Year can is fantastic, wherever in India you happen to be you can be sure of a huge party!

The Ashok Hotel in New Delhi is a 4* hotel, prices start at £60, whereas a standard double room can be booked for as little as £12 a night at the centrally located Hotel Syal in the heart of New Delhi. The same is true within Calcutta, in fact very reasonably priced hotels can be found throughout India for the savvy traveler

Get the feel of Indian Royalty at one of the Heritage Hotels. The large Palaces and Mansions of the Maharajas have been transformed into five star hotels. Laxmi Niswas Palace in Bikaner, a former Maharaja palace with 32 rooms has rooms available from £70 a night for the standard double room.

There are many luxury hotels throughout India, and if you want to live in luxury but are not too bothered about the weather, great bargains can be found during the monsoon season.

Hep A, Polio Typhoid and Malaria are all strongly recommended. Yellow Fever is essential if arriving within 6 days of visiting an infected country and Meningitis is sometimes required, dependent on the time of year and specific area visited. Please seek professional advice. If you have not previously been immunised against diphtheria, polio or tetanus this is an ideal opportunity to have the immunisations carried out.

The usual health advice applies as with most foreign countries. Don't drink the tap water or consume ice in drinks. Drink bottled water or use purification tablets.

Take care against dehydration and over exposure to the sun, by drinking lots of (bottled) water and use high factor sun creams.