“Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost”

JRR Tolkien wrote this line in one of his poems included in The Lord of the Rings, and it applies beautifully to the many wanderlust affected people who want to take train trip vacations across the length and breadth of the Indian landscape. Given the enormity of the country which makes it so versatile in terms of cultures, histories and rituals, it is no wonder that these train trip vacations are a source of emotional nourishment, personal growth and knowledge absorption. Even when these processes are not identified per se by the individuals traveling the country, they are happening nonetheless!

Even though Tolkien had the best interests of wanderers at his heart when he wrote that poem, wandering a vast country like India is a Herculean task with real chances of getting lost in the deluge of information, which is why IRCTC Tourism has curated a bevy of train trip vacations that are affordable as well as intriguing, incorporating most of India’s finest tourism hotspots into the diverse itineraries. 

A Journey For All Travelers, Religious, Historical Or Cultural

People who harbor the desire to visit places that have great homages dedicated to the deities of Indian mythology can take their pick from the long list of Bharat Darshan trains: Do Dham Yatra, Nav Jyotirlinga Special, South India Special, Shirdi Special, Tirupati Darshan, Dwarka-Somnath, Gangasagar-Puri, Vaishno Devi Shrine and many others. Fulfilling the innate desire to visit the shrine or temple venerating a higher being has multiple positive effects on the psyche of religiously inclined individuals, making these Bharat Darshan trains a go-to option for families looking to experience such wholesome effects.

Another popular train trip vacation is the Trail of Ganges, which offers air conditioned journeys in three classes of accommodation (1AC, 2AC, 3AC) to and from the south Indian cities of Kochuveli, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Erode, Perambur and Vijayawada, covering the highly regarded sites of Devprayag, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Allahabad, Varanasi, Gaya, Kolkata and Gangasagar. The trove of religious and cultural experiences along with unique activities like the (optional) cable car to Mansa Devi at Haridwar makes the Trail of Ganges a great outing for the entire family! The confluence of the Ganga with the Yamuna at Allahabad is also a part of this soul-refreshing journey, followed by an observation of the pind daan ritual at Gaya. Further, the route reaches the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata, where participants of the tour can see the Belur Math and more important sites. The merging of the Ganga into the sea is appreciated best at the island of Gangasagar, which adds another facet to the tour by requiring a ferry ride from the southern edge of Bengal!

For ardent Buddhists and peace-seeking travelers alike, IRCTC Tourism has added the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train to its train trip vacations. Taking travelers from Delhi on a pilgrimage that spans Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Nepal (by road), this journey makes for a train trip vacation to be remembered for the ages! The places associated with the highlights of the Buddha’s life are Lumbini (birthplace), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (preaching) and Kushinagar (mahaparinirvana), and this train trip vacation includes the Taj Mahal in Agra on the way back!