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I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina and write to ask your advice about a voyage to Delhi next August for two/three months. Our daughter and our two grandsons are going to live in Delhi as my son in law is working there. We, my wife and I, are trying to get cheap tickets to fly from Buenos Aires to Delhi. The cheapest we get is by Malaysian, US$ 1,300. Now we are trying to get a cheap ticket from Johannesburg to Delhi as we can reach Johannesburg for US$ 600. Can you tell us the cheapest way to reach Delhi?

Luis Chiodo
Buenos Aires

The best prices are generally available from the point of departure. For example, a Buenos Aires / Delhi / Buenos Aires Return Excursion Fare purchased in Delhi is US$ 2,916 while you are getting it much cheaper at the point of origin. Breaking up the journey at Johannesburg does not really help in saving. I would suggest that you look for a good travel agent in Buenos Aires and request them to quote you their best price.

I would like you to suggest me any travel agent who can take my family (myself, my wife and two children) from Thiruvananthapuram to Singapore/ Malaysia for a week and drop us at New Delhi/Kolkata and the charges therefore.

Ravikumar
by email

You can approach any local IATA approved Travel Agent who would be more than happy to assist you in planning your trip to Singapore / Malaysia. Packaged tours to Singapore / Malaysia are also promoted by certain Airlines directly. You can visit GSA of Malaysian Airlines in Thiruvananthapuram or Chennai. However, in order to return to Delhi / Kolkata the routing shall be Chennai-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore-Delhi/ Kolkata.

I often read in travel articles which speak about destinations like the North East, tiger reserves, national parks, etc. that the accommodation available is government guest houses. How accessible are these places to the general public? Kindly give me details of the procedure to get a reservation in a government guesthouse?

Madhumita Sharma
Delhi

It is correct that many such parks do have Government Guest Houses which are affordable. However these are by and large meant for Government employees, hence they need to be booked by and in the name of a government employee. There are separate guesthouses for Central Govt. employees and separate for State Government employees.

I hear that Cherrapunji and Mynaswaram are the wettest places in the world getting the most rainfall. Does the state government have any plans to market these places as tourist spots? Where does one stay if I decide to visit the place? How do I reach there?

Sanjay Patel
Mumbai

Mynaswaram has now taken over from Cherrapunji the honour of being the wettest place in the world.

Cherrapunji is 58 km from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. Buses and taxis ply to Cherrapunji from Shillong. www.tourism-of-india.com, the official website of tourism department of government of India provides you with a complete information on Cherrapunji. It also provides you information on various tour packages available for you to pick and choose.

Hotel Polo Towers is a centrally located Four Star Luxury Hotel, which is an ideal base to explore the post-card country that is Shillong. And if you plan to stay in Cherrapunji, it has several comfortable private hotels. Staying at the Circuit House and the Dak Bungalow, however would require prior permission from the local administration.

I wish to trek my way into Tibet. How do I get the formalities cleared and is there an easy route from India? Are guides allowed to accompany me? What would be the cost of such an expedition?

Bharat Kumar
Allahabad

The best route to travel to Tibet is through Nepal. There are various expeditions from Kathmandu that cover Tibet and are always accompanied by guides who are experts on these routes. As regards the costing, this would depend on how long do you plan to trek. Ideally 3 to 4 days should suffice an average trekking enthusiast. The cost generally covers camping cost, food cost, trekking gear cost and the guide charges.