West India

Chor Bazaar’s literal translation is the Thieves Market, although, it was born on the premise of ‘Shor’ Bazaar, which meant a noisy market. It was named so, because it was used to house mechanics and their repair garages. The British for the greater convenience of their tongue misnamed it Chor’ Bazaar.

Gujarat is the state of elegance and colours and Ahmedabad as its capital is a hub of colours and aristocracy. The markets here are a mixture of culture and modernity. Ahmedabad is known as the 'Manchester of India' due to a huge number of cloth mills present here.

While Handicrafts from Gujarat are exported to far off places all across the world, you can buy it all from Kapasi Handicraft Emporium. They include pottery and handicrafts made out of brass and rare metal work, wall hangings, vases, marble art pieces and more.

The village is surrounded by large trees which are home to many local birds. Cooing pigeons and partridges flutter and flit in the air, as they go busily about their daily routines. Peacocks often wander in from the surrounding areas.

You can see the view of the star homes from outside. Then learn the taste of the Bollywood Dance! A mixture of numerous styles, best explained as beautiful storytelling and shake a leg with the instructors on a Bollywood song.

Forget cars, jeeps, buses and aeroplanes while you are a guest at the resort. In this secluded vale, you get thrown back in time as you travel on camel carts to sleepy villages where time seems to stand still. As the ‘ship of the desert’ gently pulls the cart along unpaved, sandy paths, there is a gentle, undulating rhythm in its movement.

A lot of sunshine and a never ending sleek stretch of sand is what makes the desert of Jaisalmer an ideal allure for travel enthusiasts. And what better way to enjoy the beauty than a desert safari in Jaisalmer – the golden city.

Nagpur is one of the major cities of Maharashtra where one can go on a shopping spree. It has a variety of shopping stores and malls where one can shop. All kinds of stuff ranging from clothes to footwear to accessories can all be found at a single place. It is also famous for its mouth-watering delicacies. The killer combination of food and music wins the heart for sure.

Making food in India is ritual every dish has a specific way to make it in an authentic manner. This experience will take you to an Indian family where you will learn what it is like to cook, serve and eat like a Rajasthani. You will relish and cherish every moment of this culinary expedition.

The Amber fort and its magnificent palace will remain the spotlight. In this tour you will explore the landscape around in the backdrop of the Aravalli range. You will learn the history of the Rajput’s who aspired to fortify their reign and town which consists of temples, museums and historical structure. This walk will take you through that past age and time.

Musical evenings are the heart and soul of desert camps in Jaisalmer. After you have spent an engrossing day fighting dust and sand across the Thar, it’s time to rejoice yourself with some refreshing dance moves and folk music in a relaxed environment. Rajasthan has a history of soulful and enlivening music, which makes you tap your feet to its tune.

• Street Food Walk – Khau Gully

A tour dedicated to the street food of Mumbai! If you are in the mood to tickle your taste buds or are looking for an excuse to ditch that diet and indulge in some gluttony – then look no further! This tour takes you through the bylanes enjoying a cultural joyride through food.

A tour titled as “God’s Sake” takes you on this religious sojourn, where you meet the different religions of Mumbai and observe and understand culture and tradition as they carry them out in a way quintessential to their religion. Be it the Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians or the Buddhist, this journey gives you a deep insight into lives and beliefs of Mumbai and its people.

Imagine getting a tattoo that you can wash off or wear at will! Henna or Mehndi is an ancient form of body art in which decorative designs are created on a person’s body, mainly the hands by applying a reddish orange paste. At the resort, we have special arrangements for Henna Decorations by experts.

Take a walk through Fontainhas, the old Latin Quarter of Panjim, impeccably maintained, this part of Goa takes you back to its Portuguese past that remain untouched by the developing hands of 21st century.

To really get to know a place, you have to feel it’s earth beneath your feet. A short, two and a half kilometre trek to a quaint hillside temple is not only a great way to stretch your muscles, but to also get acquainted with the surrounding countryside.

The jeep safari takes you across the unexplored beauty of the Thar Desert with much ease and comfort. Jeeps, as compared to camels are swift and make for a fun ride along the glittering sand dunes. The fact that jeep safari is the most popular activity amid most of the tourists headed for desert safari camp in Jaisalmer, speaks a lot about it.

Next visit the beautiful Kutch Village of Bhirandiyara, a cluster of about 20 houses and every member of the village is an artisan in some way. The town is most famous for its fresh MAAVO, milk reduced to a thick fudge-like consistency & sweetened with sugar. The local meghwal community is known for its fine embroidery & colourful mud bhungas which is major tourist attraction.

Visit some local markets in Bhuj. The craftsmen in and around Bhuj have good hands on Khadi work, block print, tie and dye, colourful thread work and embroidery work. Also the handloom products of Bhuj are famous all over because of its finished intricate mirror work and brilliant colour combinations.

Ludiya village inhabited by the Meghwal Community, flaunts beautifully painted circular huts organized around the temple. Between the vibrant Kanjari Blouse of the women & the men hunched over the various corners carving wood. The village is an aesthetic delight.

Start early morning for a unique experience to see the bustling city of Mumbai at dawn. Get a peek into the underbelly of the city and insights into what makes this magnificent city tick.

A dabbawala is a person in India, most commonly in Mumbai, who is part of a delivery system that collects hot food in lunch boxes from the residences of workers in the late morning, delivers the lunches to the workplace utilizing various modes of transport, predominantly bicycles and the railway trains, and returns the empty boxes back to the customer's residence that afternoon.

Visit the Calico museum of textile – the premier textile museum of the country. Its outstanding collection of Indian fabrics exemplifies handicraft textiles spanning five centuries and attracts large numbers of visitors from the general public, as well as increasing numbers of Indian and international research scholars.

At the last visit Shrujan (meaning Creativity in Sanskrit), is a not-for-profit organization working with craftswomen in Kutch to revitalize the ancient craft of hand embroidery. Shrujan craftswomen create a range of beautiful hand embroidered items.

Located about 50 and 20 Km to Bhuj are the villages of Dhamadka and Dhaneti where you can see traditional ajrakh block printing using natural dyes and the traditional embroidery work of the Ahir community in Dhaneti.

A visit to the local school will make your day as you will get to meet some of the most modest and innocent souls who travel distances to receive education. Their warm smiles will stay with you longer than the memories of your trip.

The camel cart trundles its way unhurriedly to a small village of the Gujar community, who are mainly involved in the dairy business. Here you will witness a quintessentially Indian ceremony, the Tulsi Vivah. The villagers dance and perform the symbolic marriage ceremony between Salig Ram, a form of Lord Vishnu and Tulsi, the holy basil plant.

Start on a tour of an 800 year old village present right in the center of the city - Worli Fishing Village. Here get the opportunity to understand and interact with the Kolis - Fisher folks and the original people of Mumbai.

Surrounded by dry desert and few stray trees village is inhabited by the vivacious and colorful Meena Tribes, the bare surrounding is complimented well by the striking attire of the villagers- men in their bright white ‘dhotis’ and women in their colorful ‘Lehengas’.

Less than 100 km away from Bhuj, this sanctuary is spread over an area of about 7505.22 sq. km. in the Kutch District of Gujarat. This wildlife sanctuary is considered as one of the largest seasonal saline wetland areas.

Jungle Safari is considered as the best way to watch wildlife in Ranthambore. There are two amazing safaris available in Ranthambore National Park, which are Jeep & Canter safari. Every day, two safaris are conducted for a specified time. The vehicles carrying groups of tourists are accompanied by a trained and expert guide permitted to enter the park.

A Batik creation involves 3 basic steps – waxing, dyeing, and scraping (removing).  Local legends share stories of the Batik practice of block printing being carried to Kachchh during the time of the Ramayana by seasoned, master craftsmen.

During the tour you will ride through the bygone lanes of Jaipur and side by side the guide briefs you about the religion, delicacies and culture. It is a very refreshing concept and riders are also very talented, enthusiastic and very passionate about their work.

A major center of the Ajrakh block-printing technique. Ajrak is the name of a block printed cloth with deep crimson red and indigo blue background, bearing symmetrical patterns with interspersed unprinted sparkling white motifs. The highly valued Ajrak has also been made in Kutch for the Maldharis or cattle herders’ communities since the time Khatris migrated from Sindh in the 16th century.

Dhaneti is famous for mirror embroidery work done by the Ahir Community. The community believes to have descended from Lord Krishna. Their embroidery is dense, bright and colorful.

Ghanerao is the village of many big and small Hindu temples. It is located in proximity to the famous town of Ranakpur and is therefore a popular tourist attraction. Muchhal Mahavir Temple and the Gajanand Temple are the two most popular temples out of the 11 Jain temples located in the region.

Exploring the old temple of Lord Ram and Jain temples. The people live in clusters and have narrow alleys and streets. Some of the houses still have heritage touch on the facades, one can also see harmony in different communities of Hindu’s, Jain’s and Muslim’s. At every corner you can see Tea stalls where people are gathered and doing chit chats. The atmosphere is very lively.

Located south of Nakki Lake in Mount Abu, the Toad Rock is a colossal rock piece which looks like a toad about to jump into the waters of the lake. Known as the mascot of Mount Abu. To see the panoramic beauty of the surrounding lake and greenish hilly regions you can climb up the rock and capture the breathtaking scenery.

That one day where almost everyone in the country is a walking, dancing artwork! It is the day people let their hair down, forget all differences of caste creed or color or socio-economic divides and embrace each other with colors of various hues.

Jetpur is a textile town and one of the largest centers for screen-printing, block printing and yarn dyeing workshops in the country. It is famous for cotton saree industry. Jetpur is a pleasure for textile enthusiasts who can visit and experience the process of printing and dyeing. Here dye work is done in bulk by screen printing.

Here we can see women working on spinning and making thread spinning for looms, quite interesting to see and post that you enter in shop filled with stuff like cloth, home stuff, slippers , bags etc.

Mata-ni-Pachedi is a traditional art of painting the image of goddesses on a piece of cloth found in the temple which is of a multicolored animated images of gods and goddesses, devotees, followers, flora and fauna with a narrative story.

The walk starts from Ajmer Fort to the hilltop, it is a 2-3 hrs walk, trail covers the walk on uneven terrain and little bit of steep slopes, however it is worth it when you reach at hill top and enjoy the breath-taking view from there, on return there is an arrangement refreshments.

Pethapur village in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is a hub of wood block makers, who supply customized blocks to the centres of block printing. Wooden block making has been a popular profession among the inhabitants of Pethapur for about 300 years.

Sumrasar is a weaving village and specializing in Suf, Rabari and Garasia Jat embroidery. Visit the home of local weaver and learn about this art. We will also have an opportunity to visit the local school and interact with the friendly school kids. The village set up is very interesting to observe the daily village life.

The unique art form of Tangalia with its dotted splendor is practiced by the Dangasia Community in Bajana. Dangasia is the only community having the knowledge of this weaving technique. Women of Bharwad community are often seen wearing dotted wrapped skirts of Tangalia weaving.

Bandhani is an expression used in Gujarat for textiles where different designs are produced by tying individual parts of the fabric before dying. The Gujrati word‘ Bandhavun’ is derived from the Sanskrit word for tying ‘Bandhan’. The people engaged in producing designs on fabric as a result of tie-dying technique are known as ‘Bandhej’.

In a walking tour of Narlai Village you’ll get a peek into the lifestyle and culture of the close knit traditional community of Narlai, who still lead a traditional way of life. End your walk by hiking up to elephant rock that over looks the village and surrounding area and enjoy the fabulous sunset.

Achalgarh village is a picturesque village in Mount Abu which is famous for the Achalgarh fort and Achleshwar temple. The fortress Achalgarh is situated at the top of a mountain peak. A 10 minute climb from Achalgarh brings you to the beautiful and historic Jain Temples which are famous for scenic location and beautiful sculpture.

The wildlife safari in Tadoba is one of the most thrilling experiences you can ever have.The safari jeeps are not dangerous and a guide accompanies you throughout the safari. Also, knowledgeable English speaking guides are there to give you useful information during the safari. It is available in early morning and afternoon hours.