First Time to India?

Frankly, there was a time when many people were a little leery of travelling to India. Sure, it was surpassingly fascinating, heart-trippingly colourful, and its monuments and sceneries were magnificent beyond compare, but what about the creaky infrastructure, the bureaucratic hassles, and—this is an ongoing question—the country’s widespread poverty?

Let’s take the last question first. Indeed poverty is still widespread in India—as it is just about anywhere one looks or travels. But India, as we know, is surging economically. It’s estimated that 20% of Indians live under the global poverty line, down from 51% in the late ‘70s and 36% in the mid-‘90s. That’s still far, far too many impoverished people, but the country’s middle class numbers in the many hundreds of millions, and the ways and means to climb out of poverty have never been as available in India as they are today.

As for the old nagging difficulties of Indian travel, those days are past. Especially, if you don’t mind us saying so, in Micato’s expertly escorted India. Infrastructure—roads, electricity, air travel—is vastly improved (as, for just a couple of examples, a swift ride on the Yamuna Expressway from Delhi to Agra or a look at Mumbai’s new airport will prove).

Our Travel Directors, who accompany every Micato journey in India from beginning to end, are adept at navigating any and all impediments to smooth travel—as you’ll notice when your Travel Director strides to the desk at one of our sparkling modern or regally traditional hotels, and says “Micato,” and the staff snaps to attention. And if you want to change your return flight reservations or hunt down something you left in your room, our 24-hour Concierge Team is at the ready, 365 days and nights of the year.

Micato’s roots are in India, and we’ve been introducing our ancestral home to travellers for more than three decades. Our theory matches seamlessly with our practice: India is a stupendous destination, fun, entrancing, friendly, and enriching, and travelling in India with us should be, and is, the same, in spades.