Practical Information

The Attraction

India is an experience!

A land that impacts upon all your senses and which creates impressions and memories in you to last forever. It is a land with great variation of scenery and landscape. From dry deserts, frodig jungle, long miles of beach, to the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas. But what sticks in the mind most after a trip to India is the people, smiling and hospitable.

http://www.incredibleindia.org
http://www.tourisminindia.com

The sub-continent of India is very large covering great open spaces and distance. Signposting along the roads, like train and bus information, is not usually in English and they use lettering and script which is not understood by foreigners. On a trip with Indian Adventures all travellers will be led by a Norwegian guide who knows the country and culture. All transport details will be taken care of by our Tour Leaders.

Traffic in India drives in a very different mode from Norwegian culture and aboard our MC-tours you will get an introduction on how to drive in India. The country drives on the left side and the horn is used frequently. The variation in quality of road surfaces means that speed is considerably less than what we are used to in western lands. Our Royal Enfields are the perfect vehicle to experience an exciting ride through one of the world’s most exotic lands. As always when you are on a journey through an exotic country it can be essential to change the programme in situ due to unforeseen circumstances.

Booking and Conditions for Cancellation
The deposit/booking fee is 6000 Nkr and is payable at the latest 14 days after application. An email confirmation will follow. The balance is required at least 60 days prior to your chosen trip. If making a booking later than 60 days prior to departure the whole amount is required with the booking.

Possible cancellation is required in writing. The cancellation date begins on the day the written cancellation arrives at Indian Adventures. If a possible cancellation notice falls on a weekend or a public holiday the actual cancellation will be determined on the first normal working day following that. Conditions of cancellation are as follows: If cancellation of the trip is more than 60 days prior to departure the deposit is non returnable. If cancellation is between 59 and 30 days prior to departure 50% of the total sum is non-refundable. If cancellation is less than 30 days prior to departure 100% of the total sum is payable and non-refundable. Beyond departure date there is no refund.

Cancellation Cover

We strongly recommend that our travellers take out some form of cancellation cover. Indian Adventures do not offer cancellation cover but you can easily take out an appropriate policy with an insurance company. For example: www.europeiske.no
Banks often have travel insurance and cancellation insurance tied into their accounts and services. Failure to have insurance does not affect our usual conditions of cancellation. See Travel Insurance.

Motorcycle Tours

Number of Participants: Normally minimum of 7 and maximum 15 participants per group, in addition to the Norwegian tour leader.

We expect the following of our participants:
- That you are an experienced motorcyclist.
- That you are prepared for an adventure trip and not a chartered holiday.
- That you are willing to work in a group and consider other people.

Kit: Please bring your own helmet, driving gear and rain cover. A packing list will be sent in advance of the Information Meeting which is normally held around two months prior to the travel date.

Recommended: A small torch/headlight, a Leatherman knife, sunglasses and a water bottle are also useful. We recommend a waterproof bag or a small rucksack that can be strapped securely to the motorcycle with camera, drinks and the like. This is also useful for walking tours in the mountains.

We also recommend that personal medicine for diarrhoea ( following unfamiliar food), suncream and mosquito repellent are brought with you from home.

Driving in India: The majority of the Tour is on asphalt/partial asphalt roads, but you should also be prepared for an amount of driving on dirt roads. Driving on India’s roads is exciting. You should always be aware of loose gravel on bends as well as holes and animals, even on good asphalt roads. With a little practice it is no problem to drive on the left-hand side of the road. Flexibility is an especially necessary characteristic in Indian traffic. Actually, although it seems chaotic, there is a system that works. Avoiding pedestrians, cyclists and the frequent presence of animals on the road demands considerably more attention.

Tips and rules for driving in India will be offered at the Information Meeting prior to the start of the Tour.

Driving Licence: All drivers need to have a current motorcycle licence from their own country. An international driving licence is also required. You can apply for this in person at your local NAF office or Online: http://www.naf.no/Bilferie/Forbered-bilferien/Internasjonalt-forerkort/

Luggage: Maximum allowance on the flight is 20 kg of checked-in baggage, in addition to 8 kg hand baggage.

Your baggage will be transported in a support vehicle. Don’t pack too much – Remember: Less is more. On occasion we will need to carry our own bags a short distance to the hotel.

Guided Tour: MC-tours with Indian Adventures are guided motorcycle tours. This means that we drive together in a group. Tours on your own are not possible, with the exception of simple stretches that you will be informed about on the actual day. Believe us when we tell you that this is for your own protection. It is not a good experience to take off yourself into a country where you don’t speak the language and the roadsigns are puzzling.

Liability Insurance is included. Damage to the rented motorcycle to be covered by each individual participant. (Excess Liability is cheaper in India)

Health and Vaccinations

Check with your local health centre/your own doctor, so that they can assess your situation according to your own condition.

The following vaccinations are required:
Hepatitis A and B Vaccine, Typhoid Vaccine.
“Dulkoral” is recommended to protect from diarrhoea.

In general Indian health care products are of a good standard, especially in the larger towns, with well equipped hospitals and highly trained staff.

Travel Insurance
It is your own responsibility to obtain a good travel insurance that covers injury, repatriation and luggage.

Force Majeure
We will do our utmost so that the reserved trip is conducted according to the Itinerary or with necessary changes due to unforeseen circumstances. In the event of other circumstances beyond our control (“force majeure”) which make it impossible to continue the trip there will normally be no refund of the travel cost.

Climate
The best time to travel in the Himalayas is from April to November.

Single Room: Most of the places we will stay at are of a good standard but few of them offer the possibility of a single room. Prebooking of a single room cannot therefore be guaranteed in all towns. We will do our best to find a good solution for individuals who prefer a single room.

Passport and Visas: Visa Applications will be addressed at the information meeting prior to the trip.
Visas for Norwegian citizens cost 400 kr (January 2009) and are valid for 6 months in total. Passport must be valid for three months after the homebound journey.
For other nationalities there can be some variation in conditions. Contact the Indian Embassy for more information.
Information on Visa applications and application forms are available on the Embassy website: www.indemb.no
Completed Visa application form, two passport photographs, passport and payment should be sent to the Embassy. The process can normally take 1 – 2 weeks.

Embassy of India
Niels Juels g 30, 0244 Oslo

Telephone: 24 11 59 10/24 11 59 22 - Fax 24 11 59 29 (Visa Section)

For questions about Visas email: cs@indemb.no
Visa Applications accepted from: 09:00-12:00
Collection of Passport and Visa: 16:00-17:00
Telephone Enquiries : 14:00-15:30

NB! Remember to declare accurately the same name as it stands in your passport when you apply for our trips. If these do not match you can run into problems with the flight check-in and getting into the country.

Make sure you have with you copies of all the important travel documents like Passport, Driving Licence, Travel Insurance Policy and Flight Tickets in case something unforeseen happens.

It is your own responsibility to check and confirm that travel documents are in order and agree with your booking.

Religion and Language
It is a religious mixture in India. Around 80 % of people are Hindus. Muslims make up around 14% and the remainder include Buddhists, Sikhs and Christians. There are many tribal groups, mostly in the east of India. The main language is Hindi. India was an English colony until 1947 when the country achieved independence. Many therefore speak English. There are in the region of 24 languages spoken by more than a billion people, among them Urdu, Punjabi and Tamil.

Electricity
Voltage in India is the same as Norway, 220V.

Time Difference
There is a time difference between Norway and India. When we have wintertime India is 4.5 hours ahead of us. When we have summertime India is 3.5 hours ahead of us. (eg when the time is 12.00 in Norway it is 15.30 in India in summertime and 16.30 in wintertime).

Currency and Exchange

Currency in India is the Indian Rupee (INR). Current rate is: 1 NOK = around 8 Rupees (November 2009). Check the exchange rate with the bank before you travel, it is variable. It is not possible to exchange to Rupees in a Norwegian bank. There is a good choice of banks and exchange bureaux in Delhi and currency can be exchanged at all international airports. The best solution is to have with you a Visa, Mastercard etc. Cash works best in the Himalayas except in a few hotels/restaurants that do take cards.

India is a very reasonable country where one can get some great buys. When shopping in India it is very important to remember that bargaining is part of the culture. Relative to the first price that is offered the price is pushed down, probably to around half that amount. At the same time there are also some businesses that operate fixed prices.

Your Security:
Indian Adventures DA is a member of reisegarantifondet: www.rgf.no

Reisegarantiordningens priority is to protect customers who have bought package tours, from loss through bankruptcy, receivership or insolvency by the organiser. Customers are protected under law when buying package trips when the organiser is covered by this guarantee in Norway. The fund repays what the customer has paid in advance of the trip being cancelled. In the event of a trip being interrupted payment is made for the remainder of the package that has not been delivered. Further expenses for the stay and return journey are covered when the return journey is part of the package trip. Package trips are regulated and underwritten by the law on package trips.

Reading :
Lonely Planet India
India. Av Torbjørn Færøyvik