Pre-Travel Information

Arrival Customs: A reasonable amount of items brought for personal use are exempt from duty, but any commercial goods must be declared. Narcotics and drugs, other than prescription drugs, are prohibited. Please carry a copy of your prescription with you in case you are asked, or if you need to obtain a refill for some reason in India. Indian Customs requires a form to be filled out on board and handed over when you exit the Customs hall. The officers there have the option of scanning your luggage prior to exit and regularly do this. Depending on declarations, you may choose the Green (Nothing to Declare) or RED (declarations) channel. Currency: Foreign Exchange / Currency: Any person can bring into India from a place outside India foreign exchange without any limit. However, declaration of foreign exchange/currency is required to be made in the prescribed Currency Declaration Form in the following cases:

Where the value of foreign currency notes exceeds US$ 5000/- or equivalent.

Where the aggregate value of foreign exchange (in the form of currency notes, bank notes, traveler cheques etc.) exceeds US$ 10,000/- or its equivalent. Import of Indian currency for those travelers NOT of Indian residence is prohibited. Please note that you can convert your currency in India or withdraw using an ATM.

PLEASE DO NOT BRING INDIAN RUPEES into the country with you.

  • ATM’s will allow you withdraw INR 10,000 (US$120) at a time only. You can repeat the transaction if you need more, however, there may be a transaction fee each time. On the positive side, the exchange rates at the ATM’s are generally better than at moneychangers.

  • Please do notify your bank and credit cards that you will be traveling, so they do not block your card after seeing a transaction coming from India.

  • Please review the exchange rate online prior to your travel. www.oanda.com is a good source as will be your local bank.

Credit Cards:

  • Most larger establishments accept major credit cards- Visa and MasterCard, as well as American Express however, the latter is not as popular. Hotels will accept all cards.

  • In smaller cities, the acceptance of credit cards is not as widespread, and shops will prefer cash.

  • Some shops may add 2- 2.5% as the transaction fee for a credit card, particularly if you have negotiated on price. They will generally let you know this before the run the total, but you are advised to check the total amount before authorizing the transaction.

  • Use all standard precautions regarding passwords and PIN’s as you would anywhere in the world.

Language: Hindi is the main language spoken in Delhi and the surrounding areas with varied dialects. You will be accompanied by a local English speaking guide as well as your Amber Tours driver, so language should not be an issue. English is the lingua franca in all the hotels you will be staying at.

Time: There is only 1 time zone in India.

India is GMT + 5.5 hours in Daylight Savings and GMT+ 4.5 hours in Standard Time or Eastern Standard Time + 10.5 hours in Daylight Savings and + 9.5 in Standard Time

Tipping: Tipping is not an obligation but at the discretion of the clients.

Hotels: There is generally no service charge or gratuity included in your hotel charges. Most hotels request that if you leave gratuity, that you do it at the reception upon checkout, in an envelope.

We suggest $15 a night/ room to include all services, including meals. This is then shared amongst the staff.

Restaurants: In most hotels and restaurants, the tip is usually a maximum 10 percent of the pretax bill. If the service was exceptional, please feel free to go over this limit.

Larger restaurants may include the service charge in the bill, and it will be separate line item on the bill.

Please do review the bill- service tax/ GST is different from service charge and is levied by the authorities.

Drivers: They will accompany you through India and should contribute a lot to your trip. If the service meets your expectations, we suggest up to $15 per day for out of station and $10 for within the city.

Guides: We work with the best guides and hold them to very high standards. In the event that there is any concern with your guide, please let us know right away and we will make the appropriate changes. If you are happy with the guide, we suggest $20 as gratuity. For an expert or linguistic guides, we suggest $25/ day or more.

Weather + Clothing (broad guidelines): The weather varies a lot depending in India depending on the season and region. Broadly, Delhi and Rajasthan and other parts of North and Central India can vary from a low of 40 to a high of 70 during December- early March. We suggest warm clothing with layers to keep you comfortable during the day and a heavier sweater or jacket for the evening.

March-April, the weather warms up although you may need a light sweater in the early morning or late evening. The days will be warmer and into the 90’s Fahrenheit.

Mumbai and South India are generally warm and balmy right through the year and you might need a light sweater or shawl to be comfortable in the air-conditioned environment of most hotels and restaurants.

For dinner or evenings, you will be fine with smart casual. Some private clubs require a collared shirt. A Navy Blazer or Sport coat is the most you will need in India unless you have a business meeting.

Health and medical facilities:
India has good medical care in the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur etc.. And if there is a problem, we are right there to help ensure you are well again quickly. The following tips are precautions:

If you have travel and emergency insurance, please keep copies and details with you. we always available should you have a problem and having the following documents and records will help immensely:

Copies of prescriptions

● In case it is necessary - contact details of your personal physician.

● Travel or Health Insurance policies with contact details for the claims and authorization departments

Please bring enough of your prescriptions to cover your stay and perhaps a little extra. Most medications are available in India, but the names may vary. Occasionally, a particular medication will NOT be available, so we advise being a little conservative and bringing a little extra.

Other:

  • Mosquito repellent and sunscreen are STRONGLY recommended. ODOMOS is an Indian repellent that is quite effective and can be provided upon request.

  • Please do check with your physician in regards to Malaria pills.

  • Visitors should also carry a few general medicines for cold, sinus, heartburn, stomach upset, and headache etc.

  • Some guests prefer to travel with a wide spectrum antibiotic, but please do check with your physician.

Water:

  • Tap water is NOT recommended for drinking nor for brushing one's teeth ANYWHERE.

  • Mineral water bottles are easily available in all the hotels and kiosks.

  • Reliable Indian brands of bottled water include Himalaya and Bisleri, guests should ensure that they purchase sealed bottles. You should have no problem in the major hotels with getting bottled water.

Food and drink:

  • Avoid raw vegetables and salads, as well as peeled fruits. The hotels where you will be staying however have a very high level of hygiene and you should be fine eating there.

  • Aerated drinks including Coke, Pepsi, and Limca (like Fresca), and packaged fruit juices are easily available.

  • Fresh lime soda, served in all restaurants, is a refreshing drink. We recommend that you ask for the soda bottle to be opened tableside.

A note on Alcohol:

  • Almost all hotel restaurants and larger eateries serve beer and alcohol, unless specified otherwise. Kingfisher Ultra is a favorite local brand and with common imported brands available. If buying outside hotels please specify that you prefer regular beer, as there is a stronger, fortified version available as well.

  • Among the better brands of local wine are Grover, Fratelli and SulaDindori.Chandon produces a lovely sparkling wine as well that is reasonable.

  • Imported Alcohol, particularly in hotels can be very expensive given import duties. You have the option to buy alcohol and tobacco products-

  • Duty Free- once you land in Delhi. There is a very good selection after immigration and before baggage claim. Each adult is allowed 2 liters of Alcohol or wine and 200 cigarettes or 50 Cigars or 250 grams of loose tobacco.

Electricity: 220V and 50-60Hz.

If you are bringing an 110V only device (US standard), you will need a converter (220V step down to 110V). While these devices are available in India, they are not easy to get a hold of and that too, in larger cities only. Please advise your Amber representative as soon as you arrive that you need one and specify the device, as we need to know the Wattage of the device as well.

Your Apple and Android devices have multi voltage chargers in general and these will mostly work regardless of the voltage. Cameras too in general will be fine unless they specifically require 110V.

Wi-Fi and the Internet:

  • Public Wi-Fi is a rarity in India and we suggest it not be expected.

  • Hotels will provide Wi-Fi, but mostly on a chargeable basis- some have packages starting by the hour and some for the full day.

  • If possible and if you consider it necessary, we advise getting a good roaming package with your home carrier as this will help keep you connected without exorbitant charges.

  • India does NOT block sites like Facebook or Google and you can access ANY of the regular news sites you wish to.

Beggars: Beggary in India is very common. While to the foreign visitor this may be heart breaking,they should remember that these beggars are generally part of a large mafia. Foreigners in particular can expect more attention from beggars but giving money to them is not recommended. This will only draw throngs of beggar children who will follow you. The best option is to ignore them or ask your guide/ driver to arrange food for them if you wish.

General etiquette and dress code :

  • Indians traditionally greet each other with a namaskar or namaste, said with the palms pressed together.

  • Guests should take off their shoes before entering a temple or any other place of worship. Men should generally avoid wearing shorts to places of worship; ladies should wear either trousers or dresses that are at least mid-calf length and carry a scarf to cover their shoulders

  • Some temples will require you to remove any other leather items as well- you can leave them in the car

  • In the markets there can be a lot of people and it’s best to make sure you are appropriately dressed and ladies have their shoulders covered.

  • At times, especially in the rural areas, you will find that people stare- this is fairly normal and not the same as staring in the West.

  • When doing walking tours like Old Delhi, markets in Jodhpur/ Udaipur, we advise wearing trousers and closed shoes like sneakers