Beauty of India - HIGHWAY movie locations

Highway the most beautifully shoot movie in India.Highway directed by Imtiaz Ali starring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda. 

1. Aru Valley, Jammu & Kashmir

Aru Valley
(Image courtesy: Irfanaru, Wikipedia)

Aru Valley at a glance:

A tourist delight and a treat to the eyes, in midst of green mountains with a sweet scented air is the Aru valley. The valley is the starting point for trekking to Kolahoi glacier and is also a good site for camping & enjoying the full sense of natural beauty. It is situated just 15 kms from the town of Pahalgam.

2. Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

Ki Monastery
(Image courtesy: Wikipedia)

Spiti at a glance:

The Lahaul and Spiti district comprises of both the valleys which are separated by Kunzum pass. The whole district is separated from Kullu valley by the Rohtang Pass. One of the most unexplored and virginal destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Spiti or Spiti valley is located at a very high altitude in the eastern part of Himachal Pradesh. This region is a desert mountain valley and is known for its beautiful monasteries and untouched natural beauty. The terrain of Spiti Valley is highly difficult and the entire region become completely isolated during the winters. A visit to Spiti would remain incomplete without visiting the monasteries here. The Ki/Key Monastery and the Dhankar Monastery are must-visits. For adventure-enthusiast there are a few trekking trails and mountain biking routes that they must go for. The Chandratal lake and Surajtal lakes are some of the most beautiful lakes in the world and are among the highest lakes of the world. This region plays host to a number of festivals which are all celebrated with a lot of fervour, which include burning of the devil, chaam dance and Pauri festival.

3.Ajmer, Rajasthan

Ajmer Sharif Dargah
(Image courtesy: khwajagharibnawaz.com)

Ajmer At a glance:

Surrounded by Aravali ranges, the city of Ajmer is most famous for its Dargah Sharif of Saint Moinuddin Chishti. Located almost in the center of Rajasthan, Ajmer is a major pilgrimage destination for Muslims and recieves thousands of visitors every year. During the festival of Urs, the festival commemorating the death anniversary of Saint Moinuddin Chishti, believers from across the globe throng the city. With many famous temples also present here, the city is a renowned religious spot for Hindus and Jains alike. A lot of travelers visiting Pushkar stop by Ajmer and make a day trip to Ajmer.

4. Nurmahal, Punjab

Serai Nurmahal, Nurmahal
(Courtesy: Gopal1035)

Nurmahal at a glance:

Nurmahal or Noor Mahal is an ancient town in the Jalandhar district of Punjab. It was earlier known as Kot Kehloor but it was destroyed around 1300 AD due to some unknown reasons. The city was later built again by the Mughals and the name was changed to Noormahal after Noor Jehan, the wife of Mughal emperor Jehangir. Noor Jahan was brought up here and she spent her childhood in this town. Serai Nurmahal is the major point of tourist attraction here as it is a remarkable specimen of oriental architecture and is is looked after by the Archaeological Department. The whole structure of the sarai is in the form of quadrangle consisting of 140 cells, spread over the four sides of the structure.

How to reach Nurmahal:

Apart from roads, one can take a train to Nakodar Junction, which is the nearest railway station well connected with the rest of North India and then take a local train or hit the road to reach Nurmahal.

5.Faridkot, Punjab

Faridkot At a glance:

Faridkot is a town and a district in the North Indian state of Punjab. Named after the Sufi Saint Baba Sheik Fariduddin Ganjshakar, this town was founded by Raja Mokalsi in 13th century. This town celebrates a unique festival for 9 days in the month of September (15th Sep-23rd Sep) and the festival is called Farid Mela.
This town has some famous Gurudwaras including Gurudwara Tilla (Chilla) Baba Farid and Gurudwara Godari Sahib. Apart from Gurudwaras, Faridkot is famous for some of the architectural monuments like Qila Mubarak which is the most majestic fort of Faridkot and it includes the Royal palace, Tosha Khana, Modi Khana, Treasury Buildings, and gardens. It is currently not open to the public though as renovation work is going on.
Other attractions include Raj Mahal, Darbar Ganj, Fairy Cottage, Check Tower and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park.

Apart from the above mentioned destinations, there were a few more places which were featured in the movie These were Pushkar, Delhi, Kolkata and Bikaner

Overall, if you are looking for a review of the movie Highway, it is great from a traveller’s point of view. The movie has been shot in beautiful locations and most of the filming locations are relatively unknown to regular Indian travellers. We are off to the Highway now, hope to see you there too!

Trip to Egypt

Everyone wants to visit Egypt to see various historical monuments; Egypt has a romantic as well as scary feeling in the mind of tourists. The best time to visit Egypt is from October through April, especially if you wish to see Egypt's ancient sights like the Pyramids of Giza, the Temples of Luxor and Abu Simbel.

If you wants to visit Egypt in near future please take care of few points.

              

 a)    You have to be sure that the agency you have booked your trip with is travel agency that has a license from the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Travel Agency Association according to the Egyptian Law.

b)   You have to be aware that there are some persons who organize trips on the website of "trip advisor" that have no legal cover whatsoever, the thing that might expose you and your trip to many risks.

c)    The Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Travel Agency Association grantee all the money transactions and transfers with the travel companies that have a license.

d)     If any change occurs to your trip itinerary or if the itinerary was not carried out from the first place, you can obtain your rights from the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Police that is available in all cities in Egypt. All of this is conditioned that you have to book with a travel company that has a license.

e)    Please make sure that the price includes the taxes and that there are no other additional fees.

f)      Never use "Western Union" to transfer money, because they transfer money with the name of individuals and not companies.

g)    Be sure that you have transferred the money with the name of the travel company and not an individual so you can regain your money if there are any breaches to the trip you have planned with the company.

h)   According to the Egyptian law, tour guides are not permitted to organize tours. If a tour guide organizes your trip, this exposes you and your money to many risks.