Traxplorers – Top 5 Favorite Cities in India

Welcome back to our Guest Blogger Series, today, it’s gonna be about Cities in India. Our guest blogger will share us their Top 5 Favorite Cities in India. From about 4,000 cities in this wonderful country, there are over 300 cities with 1 million population.

This would be very interesting to know which of the thousand cities that our Guest Blogger have chosen.

Traxplorers (Travellers & Explorers) is a couple traveler traveling with their kid. A family who loves to travel together and experience wonderful adventures. They offer a great blog where a family could relate and inspire to travel without any hesitation.

On their blog, they are sharing most of their travels in various cities of India especially Heritage Sites and Historical places. They love Road trips, Off-the-Beaten Track, Trekking/Hiking, and Paragliding.

Let’s find out their Top 5 Favorite Cities in India!

Jaisalmer

Sunset at Sam Sand Dunes, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India

Location:
Jaisalmer also known as “The Golden City” is in the Indian state of Rajasthan is a World Heritage Site. Situated in the western Rajasthan region amid the Thar Desert, close to Indo-Pak border.

Culture:
Jaisalmer is the historical city of India with rich culture, tradition, heritage, and monuments. Highly cultivated classical music and dance is part of the cultural tradition.
Why we chose this place?

Jaisalmer is known for its splendid Sam Sand Dunes, ravishing havelis, vibrant markets and beautiful temples. We were attracted towards the “Thar desert” also known as the Great Indian Desert. This is a largely arid region in northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is world’s 18th largest desert.

Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan, India

Best Places to visit:

1) Jaisalmer Fort also known as “Sonar Kila” and market inside the fort
2) Patwaon ki haveli
3) Jain Temples
4) Gadisar Lake
5) Sam Sand Dunes

Unforgettable Experience:
We visited Jaisalmer on the day of great Indian festival “Diwali”, festival of lights. Apart from the festival day it was Aditya’s (my husband) birthday. This was the most amazing experience of my life that I was longing since my childhood days to visit sand dunes of Jaisalmer.

We had desert jeep safari, the most thrilling experience. In addition, we opted for camel safari and witnessed beautiful sunset at Sam Sand Dunes of “The Thar Desert”. At night, cultural program and dinner was organised by various camps at the desert site. All in all, it was the awesome first ever experience of our desert trip.

Diu

Naida Caves, Diu, Gujarat, India

Location:
Diu is a coastal town at the eastern end of Diu Island, India. It connects to the state of Gujarat via a bridge. Diu district is one of the two districts of the union territory of Daman and Diu of India.

Culture:
This region used to be Portuguese colony at one point of time in history. So, the sociocultural life here shows the blend of European, tribal, Indian culture and heritage. This blend very much reflected in their traditional dances.

Why we chose this place?
Diu has a rich and variegated past. Rulers of different dynasties ruled Diu in different periods of history. Diu on the Arabian Sea coast was part of Portuguese India for more than 400 years made an interesting history of India.

Pani Kotha, Diu, India

Best Places to visit:

1) Naida Caves
2) Gangeshwar Temple
3) I.N.S khukri memorial-Historic ship memorial
4) Diu Fort
5) St. Paul’s Church
6) Fortim-do-Mor ( Pani Kotha)- Unique jail
7) Jalandhar Beach

Unforgettable Experience:
Our visit to “Naida Caves” was the best part of this trip. This place has a picturesque network of caves featuring unique rock formations and tunnels with square hewn steps. This place looks like straight from the Indiana Jones movie.

The caves have natural openings for sunlight to enter which makes this place magnificent. Exploring these caves was the best part of Diu. This is absolutely a must visit place.

Kutch

Sunrise at White Desert, Kutch, India

Location:
Kutch means ‘surrounded by water’ is the largest district in the state of Gujarat and is surrounded by the Arabian Sea in the west and the south. It is also known as ‘mystery land’ and is located in a remote location far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Culture:
Kutch is sparsely populated but it is a home to 18 different tribes and has their own culture and language. It is famous for its creative art and people speak typical ‘Kutchi’ language.

Why we chose this place?
The main reason to visit this place was “The Great Rann of Kutch” also known as “White Desert” which is one of a kind. It is a salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in Kutch. The name ‘Rann’ comes from the Hindi language means ‘Desert’

Best Places to visit:

1) Kalo Dungar (Black Hill)
2) Mandvi (for beaches, palaces and temples)
3) Dhordo (Desert)
4) Khavda (pottery)
5) The Great Rann of Kutch (White Desert)

Unforgettable Experience:
The beauty of some places can never be captured through lens but can only be actually appreciated when you see it yourself in real. The White Desert is among the places which are surreal.

Luckily, we got opportunity to visit the Great Rann of Kutch during “Rann Utsav”, a cultural festival of Kutch and on the night of ‘Super Full Moon’. It felt majestic at night in the moonlight. We felt like landed on moon actually because of the white colour and traces of water at some places.

This was awesome feeling can’t be captured through cameras. We had to come back again on the next morning to capture some of its beauty through lens and witnessed a spectacular sunrise.

Mcleod Ganj

Triund top, McleodGanj, India

Location:

Mcleod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala in district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh, India. Mcleod Ganj, located 241 km to the north-west of the state capital Shimla and 500 km from the national capital Delhi.

Culture:

It is known as “Little Lhasa” or “Dhasa” (a short form of Dharamshala used mainly by Tibetans) because of its large population of Tibetans. The tourists flock in there from different parts of the world as it is famous for its culture and crafts, antique items etc. The shopping experience is worth remembering, provided you know how to bargain and purchase the local items of the place such as Tibetan mats and carpets.
Why we chose this place?
We wanted to escape rapidly increasing the heat of northern plains, so we picked Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. The top reason was to explore and trek the great “Triund”. I would like to give a brief overview of this mountain.

Triund Trek
Grade: Easy to moderate.
Elevation: 9350 fts.
Distance: Approx. 10 km gradual trek from Mcleod Ganj.

Camp site at Triund top, McleodGanj, India

Best Places to visit:

1) The Great “Triund” trek
2) Bhagsu Nath Temple and Bhagsu waterfall
3) Tsuglagkhang Monastery: The place where Dalai Lama resides

Unforgettable Experience:
Trekking on the Triund trek was the most unforgettable experience we ever had. We trekked the mighty Triund in three hours after crossing “22 tiring curves” near the top. But the view from the top was exhilarating and quite inspiring.

Dhauladhar ranges in front of our eyes seen from the Triund top was the breathtaking moment. This experience was extra special to me as I was unaware of my pregnancy and our daughter become “Unborn Trekker” with us.

Hyderabad

Ramoji Filmcity, Hyderabad, India

Location:
Hyderabad in southern part of Telangana in southeastern India. It lies on the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of the Deccan Plateau. Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana as well as Andhra Pradesh’s de jure capital.

Culture:
The culture of Hyderabad is also known as “Hyderabadi Tehzeeb” is the traditional cultural lifestyle of “Hyderabadi Muslims”. It characterizes distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North and South India.

Why we chose this place?
Hyderabad tour means the must-visit Charminar (“Four Minarets”), a monument and mosque. This landmark is the global icon of Hyderabad and listed among the most recognized structures of India. It is a historical place with a mosque at its top.

Best Places to visit:

1) Charminar (“Four Minarets”)
2) Ramoji Film City
3) Golkonda
4) Buddha Statue of Hyderabad
5) Qutb Shahi Tombs

Unforgettable Experience:
Our visit to Ramoji Film City was the best highlight of Hyderabad tour. This film city is the favorite choice of Bollywood filmmakers and is a must-visit destination. It is world’s largest integrated film studio complex spread across 2000 acres of land.

We enjoyed kaleidoscope of attractions ranging from striking gardens, rolling landscapes and thrilling rides. There are various amazing and equally realistic sets of royal palaces from Mughal era, Mauryan Empire and towns of Africa. We got a chance to stay at luxury five-star hotel Sitara inside the film city complex. The most exciting thing we had the picture perfect replica of the Hollywood signs.

Guest Blogger

I would like to thank again our guest blogger Traxplorers (Supriya & Aditya) for sharing us a few your travel adventures around India. You guys have some great travel together as a family.

Thank you for sharing your Top 5 Favorite Cities in India. Your photos are incredible most especially the Sunrise at the White Desert in Kutch, Sunset at Sam Sand Dunes, Jaisalmer, and the rest of your photos.

To follow more of this lovely family’s travels, you can follow them on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Visit their Blog: Traxplorers for more tips and guide about India.

Traxplorers – Top 5 Favorite Cities in India