Golden Triangle Tour - A Journey of Rich Indian Heritage

India is a globally renowned country for its glorious past, rich heritage and culture. It was ruled by several kingdoms for over long time span that result in evolution of several wonderful heritage sites and amalgam different cultures and traditions. These things collectively project Indian country as a wonderful landscape for vacationers, cultural enthusiasts and artistic travelers. Millions of tourists visit Indian landscape every year from different countries. The country offers various flavors for travel and tourism and lures all kinds of vacationers. One can visit several wonderful hill towns blessed with unparalleled natural beauty, manmade historical structures and important religious places on a well planned holiday in India.

If you are planning your first visit of India and want to explore its wonderful heritage and culture, the Golden Triangle circuit can be the right choice for you. It is one of the most selling tour packages in the country. Well planned Golden Triangle trips offer exposure incredible heritage of India. Generally, this tourist circuit covers three most deserving tourist spots of North India. Namely, these destinations are Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Generally, this circuit starts from national capital Delhi due to its worldwide connectivity and exceptional tourism facilities. Delhi is a beautiful city with fusion of different cultures. There are lots of places to see in this city. Historical Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun Tomb are the three major attractions of Delhi tourism. These three sites are declared as UNSECO World Heritage Sites. Besides these, travelers will also visit several other interesting sites in Delhi including Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India), Akshardham Temple, Lotus Temple, India Gate, Parliament House and many more. Apart from manmade structures the city is also known for its huge markets. Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk and Dilli Haat are most popular places for shopping in this city.

After Delhi, travelers will visit Agra, the next destination of Golden Triangle circuit. In Agra, travelers will see amazing Taj Mahal; it is the most popular tourist attraction of a Golden Triangle trip. It is a World Heritage Site and also included in the Seven Wonders of the World due to its unique architecture and eye-catching beauty. The masterpiece was built by Mughal emperor Shan Jahan in memory of his wife. At the time of sunrise or in full moon light the monument really becomes outstanding and spellbound its audience. Travelers will also visit several other interesting sites in and surroundings of this city. Agra Fort, Itmad-ud-Daulah Tomb, Ram Bagh gardens and Buland Darwaza (the largest gateway around the world) are the some must watch sites them.

Jaipur is the third destination of this tour. It is a prime tourist destination and capital city of Rajasthan. The city receives millions of travelers every year from around the globe. Magnificent forts, palaces, old temples, luxury heritage hotels and delicious cuisines are the most appealing attractions of this city. Jaipur City Palace, Amber Fort, Sheesh Mahal, Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts, Hawa Mahal, Birla Temple and Laxmi Narayan Temple are most popular sites of this place to visit. You can also enjoy shopping of traditional items like leather footwear, carpets, handicrafts, gems and jewelries at open street markets of Jaipur. Maniharon Ka Rasta is the most popular shopping street of this city.

This is the glimpse of a Golden Triangle tour. Tourists will surely enjoy much more on real expedition. To enjoy these wonderful attractions in a single visit, you can plan a Golden Triangle trip with any reputed India travel agent. Several reputed tour and travel service providers are working in Delhi and other popular tourist places of the country. They are providing excellent Golden Triangle trips with Rajasthan packages according interest of travelers. So, to explore the rich Indian heritage you can select a right tour package according to your budgets and holidays in next vacation.

Pramod is an expert writer primarily focusing on travel and tourism related topics. Currently he is working with Swagat Holidays, a leading India Travel Agent offering exciting range of Golden Triangle Tour.

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Golden Circle Tour – A best of Iceland in one day

With only a short stopover in Iceland I had planned for a day in Reykjavik, a visit to the Blue Lagoon and a day trip featuring the highlights of the land. The thing I didn’t know was what those highlights were. Iceland has a serious branding issue when it comes to its destinations. Apart from the capital (Reykjavik), how many people can name another city or place in Iceland?
Even after its most famous volcano erupted in 2010, disrupting the travel plans of millions of people, can you actually name the volcano? That would be Eyjafjallajökull, which pronounced apprximately like AY-yah-fyah-lah-YOH-kuul, doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue like Mount Etna, Bromo or Vesuvius.
Fortunately once you are on the ground in Reykjavik tour options are abundant. I can’t recall a country that is better organized for tourism than Iceland is. At the airport there is information on every tour available on this little volcanic outpost.
By the time the 40 minute bus journey from the airport to downtown Reykjavik was over, I had picked out the Golden Circle Tour. This tour covers a broad selection of highlights in the Southwest which can be covered in a whole day, giving you a taste of the land of fire and ice. There are a number of tour companies that offer the tour, most of which offer the following highlights.
Kerið Volcanic Crater Lake
Think of Iceland and think volcanos. The Kerið volcanic crater lake has its caldera intact and is the most accessable crater of is type from Reykjavik.

[Kerið volcano crater]
Strokkur Geyser
Did you know that Iceland gave the world the word Geyser? Geysir is a geyser located at in the Haukadalur geothermal area. Also in the park is the Strokkur geyser, which erupts every 5 minutes or so, making it one of the most regular geysers in the world. Most tours stop for over an hour here, so you will get plenty of chances to see it go off.

[Strokkur Geyser]
Gullfoss Waterfall
The Gullfoss waterfall (“golden falls”) is a classic example of lack of marketing on Icelands behalf. How many of you have heard of the Gullfoss Waterfall? This should be marketed along with the great waterfalls of the world, yet it rarely gets a mention. It has a mercifully Anglo friendly name so it would be a breeze to promote as well. It is a sight to behold.

[Gullfoss Waterfall]
National Park Þingvellir
Iceland is home to the worlds oldest parliament, which first sat in 930. This was located within the Þingvellir national park. The Alþingi (assembly) met here and the Rock of Law was the platform where speeches were held. The location was picked as it was the most accessable location for representatives from most of the island, and the rock sits on an accoustically friendly location. What they didn’t know though was that they were straddling two continents.

[Rock of Law]
While Iceland is politically located in Europe, physically the island sits on the Eurasian and North American Plate on the the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The park features the rift valley which is a sort of no mans land in terms of continents. This is where the two continents are separating at 2.5 centimetres per year. Home sick Americans can touch this wall (pictured), which is the edge of the North American continent.

[Rift Valley - Walking along the edge of the North American continent]
Tour Details
This tour takes all whole day and there are a number of tour companies offering this tour. I went with Netbus.
You can also include a tour to the Blue Lagoon afterwards (which is highly recommended doing while visiting Iceland.)
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