India Travel Blog Newsletter is sent approximately once a month (sometimes less frequently), summarizing the previous month’s activity and giving a glimpse of the coming month on the website. Subscribe to the newsletter by keying in your email address in the box on the top of the sidebar. Here is a copy of this month’s newsletter, dispatched today.

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Hello Travellers!

The monsoon is almost behind us and four months of travel season is about to begin. It is already time to plan for a series of holidays coming up in the next three months. Where are you going this winter?

Here is a list of updates on India Travel Blog since the time last newsletter was sent almost three months ago, which may offer you some travel ideas.

Stories and Photo Essays

October Calendar Wallpaper: This month’s desktop calendar wallpaper is an image of beautiful backwaters of Kerala. Download it for your desktop here

Temples of Badami: Read about the rock cut temples and amazingly beautiful landscapes of the small town of Badami, in North Karnataka. The red sandstone cliffs of Badami are home to structures that are more than a millennium old. The deep crevasses in the sandstone cliffs and a huge lake add an element of surprise.

Chadar Trek: Chadar is an amazing trek of walking on a river when it freezes over. Every winter, when the road to Zanskar is buried under deep snow, people of the valley use the river like a road to connect with rest of the world. The walk on the frozen river is exciting, but unpredictable conditions of ice create obstacles and difficulties along the way. Read the story and see images of walking on the ice, popularly called Chadar Trek.

Travel Photography Article: Read the travel photography article on how even the most simplest subjects can make beautiful images.

Chandni Chowk: An hour’s evening walk in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk will gives you glimpse of its ancient heritage, mixed with its struggle to grow modern. Here is an account of short walk in this well-known street, through red fort, a gurudwara, mosques, food joints and the street life.

Photo Essay – Mountain Children: A compilation of images of beautiful and happy children of the mountainous regions of India.

Photo Essay – Kerala Backwaters: A collection of images of the famous backwaters of Kerala, near Alleppey.

Photography Tours

As the travel season begins, we have a long list of photography-centric tours coming up in the next three months. Led be pro photographers, our tours always have small groups which help us interact with everyone in the group closely. This enables us to have photography enthusiasts at all levels – beginners, amateurs as well as serious and experienced photographers – to get the maximum out of the tour. Non photographers are always welcome. I will look forward to seeing you in one of our tours in the next couple of months.

October 2011

Agumbe Rainforests – Oct 30th to Nov 1st: Experience the place which gets the highest rainfall in South India, get up-close with diverse endemic species of the region and interact with researchers studying these forests. And possibly see and photograph the king of these forests, the aptly named King Cobra. Read full details.

November 2011

Hampi – Nov 5 to 7: With the onset of winter, one of our most popular tours is now back. See the amazing landscapes, the rich wildlife and beautiful architecture of Hampi with a photographer’s eye. Full details.

Photography Workshop: The next edition of our extremely popular photography workshop is happening on the weekend of November 19 and 20. See more details.

Birding in Goa: Everyone goes to Goa for beaches. But we know this small state better, which has some beautiful forests in the hills and a rich riverine system. Join us in photographing the birds and other small wildlife in the forests and rivers of Goa, around Mahaveer WIldlife Sanctuary. Read more.

Rajasthan – Forts and Dunes: The beautiful Rajasthan needs no introduction. Join us on a trip that covers Rajasthan from one end to the other, from Jaipur to Jaisalmer, also covering Bikaner, Jodhpur and Udaipur. A tour you would not want to miss. Full details.

December 2011

The Lions of Gir: Visit the last resort of the Asiatic Lions – the only place outside Africa where you can find lions. And unlike other big cats, they are far less elusive and the chances of sighting are high. It is a great place to photograph a rare species and go creative with your camera. Full details.

Varanasi – Ancient Traditions: We take you on a photography tour of an India that has refused to change with time, at the ghats and galis of Varanasi, where much of what Mark Twain described over a hundred years ago can still be witnessed. See details of the tour to Varanasi.

Wildlife of Kutch: Pink hues of flamingos, flocks of cranes taking off, mighty eagles waiting for the meal of the day, pelicans with their large beaks swimming gracefully with the much smaller ducks, harriers flying gracefully over the grasslands, herds of Wild Asses running in the vast desert, and foxes scuttling away with food for their playful kids. All this is only a glimpse of what Kutch can offer. See full details of the tour.