Based on the personal experiences of friends, relatives and acquaintances, foreign travelers have a lot of queries and questions in their mind when it comes to India Pilgrim Tour. In order to clear the doubts of discerning overseas clientele, we have listed a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) by our visitors. Read on…
Q. Do I need to apply for an additional visa other than the Indian visa?
Answer. If you happen to be a foreign traveler who is planning to visit India (not particularly for pilgrim tours) , you are required to obtain a visa beforehand. The regular visa is about 6 months from the time of issue and is beneficial for multiple entries in the country. All visas are issued by the Indian consulates and embassies and can take around 2 weeks to process. In case of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, all foreign nationals as well as Indians are required to obtain a Chinese visa. One must have a six month valid passport in possession to obtain a Chinese Visa.
Q. What I certainly need to know while planning an India tour?
Answer. India is as safe as any other foreign country. If you will stick to the following guidelines, a safe and enjoyable India tour is guaranteed.
1. Post your arrival in India, you should have somebody to escort you to your hotel.
2. For the first leg of your journey, have your accommodation booked in advance.
3. Since westerners do not have a great immunity as Indians, avoid eating roadside food, raw salads and drink mineral water.
4. Don’t roam outside during late nights
Q. What is the best time to undertake pilgrim tours to India?
Answer. Except for a few destinations, there is no particular time to undertake pilgrim tours in India. These destinations include Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, Amarnath Yatra and Char Dham Yatra. May to July is the best and only time for Amarnath Yatra. On the other hand, April, May and June is the appropriate time for Char Dham Yatra.
Q. Are there any specific clothing guidelines?
Answer. From a foreign traveler, it is always expected that they should respect Indian culture and norms. From the perspective of clothing, women are advised to cover their full body while entering into the religious places such as temples.
Q. Is non-vegetarian food available near pilgrimage destinations?
Answer. All the religious places in India adhere to certain norms and eating pure vegetarian food is one of them. So, foreigners who are fond of non-vegetarian food have to give up their habits for a while.
Q. Can I have some suggestions from the security perspective?
Answer. India is generally a safe and you might be very unlucky to fall prey to pick-pocketing. It is always wise to take precautionary measures. Avoid carrying huge currency notes at a place small currency notes like Rs. 10 or 20 can do. Almost all hotels have security locks and people prefer to leave their stuff locked inside the room. Always carry attested photocopies of your travel documents as they are of great help in case of originals getting lost.
Q. Do I need to take health precautions?
Answer. It is just a matter of common sense to stay healthy in India. With simple rules like drinking bottled water and fresh cooked food, you’ll be able to accommodate yourself as per the environment. However during pilgrim tours in a high altitude region, you must have pre-heath check up to avoid further tensions.
