Diu, Gujarat, India

Diu is a town in Diu district and is part of union territory of Daman and Diu in India. Diu is a lesser known tourist spot.

How to reach

Air: Diu has one airport at Nagoa and is connected by Jet Airways flight from Mumbai daily except Saturdays.

Rail: Diu do not have railway facilities, nearest railway station is Veaval (90 km). The nearest railway station is Delwada, which is 8 km away and is connected with Junagarh and Veraval on a meter-gauge line.

Road: Diu is well connected by road with major cities of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Places to visit

Diu Fort

Diu Fort is a very large and imposing structure on the coast of the island. The fort is surrounded by the sea on three sides and a canal on the fourth side. The fort offers a magnificent view of sea. The fort now houses a Light House and the Diu jail. You should visit this place in the evening when the fort and the sea provide an amazing landscape.

Fortress of Panikota

Fortress of Panikota is a magnificent stone structure in the sea, built right at the mouth of the creek. You can reach here by a canoe or a motor launch. The fortress offers a very beautiful view whether seen from the jetty, from the fort, from the village of Ghoghla or from Diu proper.

Gangheshwar Temple

Gangeshwar temple is situated 3 km away from the Diu town in Fudam village. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are five Lingas which are located in the middle of the rocks on the seashore, and are washed by waves of the sea. It is believed that these Lingas were established here by the five Pandava brothers of the Mahabharat during their exile.

St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's church is dedicated to the Lady of Immaculate conception. The church was built during 17th century.

Jallandhar Shrine

Jallandhar Shrine is located on a hill close to the beach. A stone carved face of the demon Jallandhar can be seen here. Near to this shrine is a temple of Goddess Chandrika.

Diu Museum

Diu museum houses wooden carvings, statues, idols, shadow clocks and other important artifacts collected from various sites.

Naida Caves

The Naida Caves are situated outside the city wall. These caves have an intriguing, overgrown network of square hewn hollows and steps leading off into nowhere.

Shell Museum

The Shell Museum contains amazing shells range from the silver abalone to folding shells collected by a merchant navy captain Devjibhai Fulbaria.

Ghoghla Beach

Ghoghla Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Diu. This beach offers various water sports facilities.

Nagoa Beach

Nagoa Beach is located in the Nagoa hamlet of the Bucharwada village. This long, palm-fringed beach is very beautiful, quite, horse-shoe shaped and stretches about 2 km from one end to other and is very safe for swimming.

Gomtimata Beach

Gomtimata Beach is located on the western end of the island. This is one of the best beaches of the region, long and secluded with natural white sand.

Zampa Gateway

The gateway marks the entrance to the District of Diu. The walls and the gateway have remarkable carvings of lions, priests and angels. Inside the gate is a chapel which was built around 1702 AD and is another beautiful and intricately designed monument. The site is a must for every tourist.

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Daman, Gujarat, India

Daman and Diu are union territories and are situated in the state of Gujarat. Daman is situated on the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra and is an Industrial hub. Daman and Diu are lesser known tourist destination. It was a colony under the control of the Portugal rule from 1539 to 1961 and as a result has a lot of Portuguese architecture and cultural influence. There may not be many facilities that attract tourists but there are few things that any tourist looks forward.

If you are bored from hustle bustle of city, will love this place and get a peaceful ambience, beautiful places to see and overall relaxing feeling. You will love this place for its unique and hidden nature.

How to reach Daman

Air: Airport of Daman is Nani Daman (Little Daman) area and has all the facilities for tourists traveling to city. Regular flights are available from the nearby cities of Mumbai (170 km) and Baroda (300 km).

Rail: The nearest railway station is Vapi (12 km). From Vapi you can reach Daman by local buses, taxis. Major trains on Delhi- Mumbai and Mumbai-Ahmedabad route halts at Vapi.

Road: Daman is well connected by road with some of the major cities nearby. Vapi is 12 km away and lies on Bombay-Ahmedabad National Highway No.8. Daman is 170 km from Mumbai, 110 km from Surat, and 300 km from Baroda, 360 km from Ahmedabad.

Hotels

There are many Hotels to suit your budget.

Places to visit in Daman

Fort of St. Jerome

Fort of St. Jerome is a heritage sight overlooking the Damanganga River and Arabian Sea. Only some parts of the Fort are still there.

Devka Beach

It is a popular beach front in Daman. Beach here is dark in colour.

Church of Bom Jesus

Church of Bom Jesus is part of Portuguese history of the Moti Daman area. Church is visited by tourists for its heritage character.

Mirasol Water Park

Mirasole Water Park is a popular Lake, Restaurant and Water Park near Devka Beach. You can enjoy many rides here and boating in the lake.

Jhampore Beach

Jhamplore Beach is in Moti Daman area and is an ideal beach with casuarinas trees alongside.

I shall write about Diu in my next post.

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Gangtok

Gangtok is capital city of the state Sikkim in North east India.

How to reach

Rail: Nearest Railway station is New Jalpaiguri in Siligury, West Bengal, India (124 km) away.

Road: Gangtok is well connected with National Highway 31A with Siliguri.

Air: Nearest Airport is Bagdogra (124 km) .

Places of Interest

Rumtek Monstery

Himalayan Zoological Park

Nathula

Ganesh Tok

Isomgo Lake ( Popularly known as Chhangu Lake)

Hanuman Tok

Toshi View Point

Banjhakri waterfalls

Ropeway

Do Drul Chorten

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Dalhousie, Himanchal Pradesh, India

Dalhousie town was named after British Governor-General Lord Dalhousie. Those who want to spend time in peace Dalhousie is a beautiful hill station in Northern state of Himanchal Pradesh in India. It is built on and around five hills and located on the western edge of Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas. It is surrounded by the beautiful scenery of snow-capped peaks,

Dalhousie was a summer retreat for troops and bureaucrats of British Empire.

When to visit

The best time to visit this place is summer i.e. May to September.

How to reach

Air: Nearest airport is Gaggal in Kangra (13 km).

Rail: Nearest railway station is Pathankot (80 km) and you can hire Taxis from outside the railway station to reach Dalhousie.

Road: State bus services connect the town in and around Dalhousie. You can also avail overnight luxury buses from Delhi (560 km).

Places of interest

Kalatop Khajjar Sanctuary

Khajjar Lake

Satdhara Falls

Rang Mahal

Dainkund Peak

Chamunda Devi Temple

Jhandri Ghat

Shivkul

Bhuri Singh Museum

St. Andrew's Church

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Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India

Jaisalmer is one part of Thar Desert triangle of Bikaner and Jodhpur. Jaisalmer, famous for 'Sonar Kila', is located on the westernmost  border of India in the state of Rajsthan and is close to Pakistan border.

Jaisalmer is a popular tourist destination of domestic as well as foreign tourists.

Like various other cities of Rajasthan, you will discover different facets of Jaisalmer as you explore this wonderful city.

How to reach

Air: Jaisalmer is not connected directly with air. Civil Airport has been constructed and soon it will be inaugurated. At present nearest Airport is Jodhpur about 300 km away.

Rail: Jaisalmer is connected to major cities of India. Famous Train Palace on Wheels also visits this place.  

Road: Jaisalmer is well connected by roads with important cities of Rajasthan and major cities of India.

Local transport: Auto rickshaws are the main mode of commuting within the city. You can also move around within the city on bicycle.

When to visit

The ideal time to visit Jaisalmer is from October to March when weather is pleasant. In summers there are chances you might get affected with heat stroke. A few quite days spent wandering around the city and the surrounding desert can be a wonderful way of unwinding from the chaos of larger cities.

Accommodation

There are many Hotels and Guest houses offering accommodation to suit your budget.

Places of attractions

Jaisalmer Fort

One of the most magnificent attractions is the Jaisalmer Fort, also known as "Sonar Killa", due to the yellow stone with which it was built. There are shops, hotels and age old Havelis (Homes) where families have lived for generations.

Gadisar Lake

It is a rainwater lake which supplies water to the city. The lake is surrounded by temples and tombs of saints. You can enjoy Boat rides. Desert cultural centre is also nearby. A local museum built out of collections of a school teacher is also nearby. This centre conducts puppet shows in the morning and evening.

Jain Temple

There are seven beautifully carved temples built between 12th century to 15th century. All the temples are connected by walkways and corridors. You are not allowed to carry leather articles inside temples. They are open from 8 AM to midday.

Safari in Jaisalmer

If you are a fun loving and adventurous person, you will enjoy safaris in Jaisalmer be it Camel safari or Jeep safari amidst desert where the horizon meets. You can see long stetches of sand dunes as far as your eyes can go. The golden crests and throughs provide you with the sense of limitlessness. A camp in the lap of nature, so barren yet so subtle, you have all the time in the world to spend yourself which you yearned for…

A proper Camel safari in the desert can only experience all these. A large number of travel agents and tour operators in Rajasthan organise Camel safaris and Jeep safaris. Jeep safaris is usually affordable and is generally done on 4x4 open Jeeps.

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Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Jodhpur is the second largest city of Rajasthan. Jodhpur was founded by Rao Jodha, a chief of the Rathore clan, in 1459. Jodhpur was previously known as Marwar. Jodhpur has expended and a new city has developed outside the 10 km wall surrounding the old city.

The scenic and mesmerizing city of Jodhpur attracts many tourists, Indian as well as foreigner. Jodhpur city has many beautiful palaces and forts such as Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswant Thada, Umaid Bhawan Palace and Rai ka Bag Palace. Beside these other attraction are Government Museum and beautiful Umaid Garden. The city is known as the "Sun City" because of its bright and sunny weather throughout the year.

How to reach

Air: Regular flight services connect the city with other major cities in and around Rajasthan. The Airport is 5 km away from the city centre.

Train: Jodhpur city is well connected by railway lines with major cities of India. The famous train "Palace on Wheels" also visits this city of royal spendor.

Road: Jodhpur is well connected by roads with major cities of India.

Local Transport: For commuting within city you can avail services of Taxis, auto rickshaws and city buses. Auto rickshaws are best for commuting in old city.

Accommodation: There are a number of Hotels and Guest Houses in Jodhpur to suit every budget.

When to visit: Jodhpur has typical desert weather. The best season to visit the city is between October and March when the climatic conditions in Jodhpur, India are best.

Places of interest

Mehrangarh

Mehrangarh Fort is situated on a 150 meter high hill. Rao Jodha constructed it in 1459. There are a number of attrations within the fort like several palaces, galleries, a museum, and temples and so on.

Umaid Bhavan Palace

Umaid Bhavan Palace is one of the fascinating palaces of Jodhpur. Maharaja Umaid Singh constructed it in the 20th century. A part of the palace has now been converted into a hotel and a museum.

Jaswant Thada

Jaswant Thada is located to the left of Mehrangarh Fort complex. It I a royal cenotaph made up of white marble. It was built to commemorate Maharaja Jaswant Singh. Some rare portraits of the former rulers of Jodhpur are also displayed here.

Government Museum

The museum is located in the middle of Umaid Public Gardens.

 
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