India: a country that keeps drawing you back

India is a place that stays with you long after you have boarded your flight home. A place where the more you see, the more you realise there is to see.

At first impression, this complex country can feel like chaos, an affront of your senses. But as you take a breath and relax into your surrounds, you begin to appreciate all that is unfolding around you. What felt like chaos is, in fact, a phenomenal mix of moving parts, where everything, and everyone, have their place. 

With a population of over 1.3 billion people, that is no mean feat! India is a diverse mix of religions and traditions. The subcontinent is the birthplace of four of the world’s major religions; Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism yet also maintains the world’s most ancient religions like Zoroastrianism. India’s spirituality is a living force, the narrative behind the photos that come home.

If the population is diverse, so too is the natural landscape. From the towering mountains of the Himalayas; to jungles thick with wildlife; the expanse of its desert, to the gentle flow of the Kerala backwaters. Each region a reflection of its surrounds, through the people, the architecture, the food.

Oh, the food! Even before tasting the food, the rich aroma of spices is an experience. Carefully blended, adapted, and perfected over centuries, the spices in Indian cuisine give life to even the most humble vegetable. Needless to say that each region serves up its own delight: colourful thalis, elaborate dosa, firey vindaloo, or a humble biryani. Accompanied by sugary sweets, a refreshing lassi or the comfort of a steaming masala chai. It is a reason to visit in itself!

India is just one of those places that leave its mark on your senses. Once is certainly not enough, and once you’ve had a taste, it is a country that keeps drawing you back.

Blue Dot Travel has a number of different small group tours to India for you to choose from – Find out more here.

Story by Olivia Curtis