Thursday, May 24, 2012

Taj Mahal the epitome of Love enshrined as a Grand & Magnificent  Mausoleum in the city of Agra is the very reason for almost all cultural travelers to India.

Much has been  written on the hues it takes with the sunlight at varying hours of the day. The Taj also looks fabulous on a moon lit night. Since 2004, it has been open for public viewing for 5 nights in a month ( 2 days before and 2 days after the full moon night). 

Travelers looking for night viewing of the Taj can do so on the following dates. for further details and bookings one can contact the ASI office or us on support@sterlingvacations.co.in

The forthcoming full moon dates of the years from 2012 to 2013 is given below. The day of full moon may subject to minor variation.
Month 2012 2013
January - 27th
February - 25th
March - 27th
April 6th -
May 6th -
June 4th -
July 3rd -
August 31st -
September 30th -
October 29th -
November 28th -
December 28th -

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Goa as an All Season Destination!

There has been concerted efforts by the Goanese State Government to make Goa an all season destination. Goa is heart throb in the winters for the travelers coming into India mostly from the Western Countries. 

The Goa in Winters is beckoning paradise but come Indian Tropical Summers & the fabled Indian Monsoon, Goa becomes gloomy. Though the Indians spirit never sees the grey monsoon as it throngs the shores of Goa in the Monsoon's too. The fares are low, the best of hotels welcome with open arms and the kids are holidaying or not faced with their exam times!  

The State Government is wooing the ones who would not consider Goa in monsoon. It is calling it as 'Raindrop Tourism'. Waterfalls rushing down the hills in Western Ghats, lush green forest lands and inland waterways are being looked upon as an alternative for beaches, which receive maximum footfalls in non-monsoon months. State Tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said "the government is now planning to develop waterfalls as tourist destinations. A master-plan is being prepared so that these places are made accessible for the visitors. The beaches get shut during monsoons leading to a lean season. “We want to change the concept that Goa is only for beaches. We have more variety of destinations to offer for the travellers,” he said. The foreign tourists usually pack-up for their homes during monsoons. The state is then entirely dependent on the domestic crowd. “Domestic tourists love to be with nature. We will provide them all the facilities so that they have a reason to arrive in Goa,” he said. The Ambolim waterfall in Maharashtra and the Dudhsgar waterfall on the Goa-Karnataka border are prime attraction during monsoons. Mr Parulekar said that Goa has the likes of Ambolim at several places in rural talukas, which can be explored for tourism purposes. The state government has already announced 50 per cent concession in luxury tax to hotels, which will help them to work out attractive monsoon packages.