20 places in India for your bucket list

India, a country known for its natural beauty and cultural diversity offers many places which are perfect for a holiday. With the wide range of popular tourist destinations that this marvelous sub continent has to offer, visitors across the globe and within the country have made their vacations memorable. Along with popular sites, there are many lesser known, yet charming and interesting destinations that highlight the natural and cultural beauty of this heavenly country. 

Based on my travel experience, below is list of 20 places in India that is recommended for you to add to your bucket list. With no particular order or ranking, the list covers places being very less known and some being popular destinations.

Nubra Valley

Part of the newly formed Union Territory, Ladakh, Nubra Valley is a place like no where else in the country. Situated about 150kms from Leh (capital of Ladakh), this valley provides breathtaking views of the surrounding Himalayan ranges where the Shyok river meets Nubra river. The cold desert in Hunder offers tourists beautiful vistas and sand dune rides on the bactrian camel that has two humps on its back (these camels are found nowhere else in the country).

 

The valley is also of religious importance as it has some of the most beautiful Buddisht monasteries and learning centres such as Samstanling and Diskit. Another attraction at Diskit is the very large statue of Maitreya Buddha.

Nubra valley also has hot sulphur water springs in its small village of Panamik. The valley offers tourists an amazing camping experience with deluxe Swiss cottage tents available at Sumur and Hunder. 

The most common way to reach the valley is to cross the awe-inspiring KhardungLa, World's highest motorable road.    

Sand dunes at Hunder

Nubra Valley

History, Architecture and Arts - A day well spent in Konark

In the first week of December 2019, we traveled to Odisha for a trip of five days. Out of all the days, there was one day, that was so well spent in Konark (65kms from the state capital Bhubaneshwar). It was so rich in art, history and culture that we were overwhelmed with joy and the things that this place had to offer us was a feast to our eyes.

Konark, located in Puri district of Odisha, is home to the Konark Sun Temple, an UNESCO World Heritage site which is one of the spectacular classic Kalinga style temple built in the 13th century by King Narasimhadeva 1 of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. The temple is one of the major tourist places in India for its amazing and intriguing architecture.

Konark is not just known for its Sun Temple but also for its love for visual and performing arts. During the 1st week of December, Konark hosts two major events - International Sand Art Festival and Konark Dance Festival, both happening simultaneously for 5 consecutive days with each day being an amazing celebration of culture and arts with the spectacular sand arts and the classical dances of India. Together, these two events have gained worldwide recognition and one among the most awaited festivals of India and attracts tourists from all over the world. 

Our trip to Konark was planned so as to witness this cultural festival along with the fascinating history and architecture of the Sun Temple and we are so happy about that.