A member of our team recently went on the Taj Traveller tour to India and took these super photos. Have you been on a tour to India? What were your favourite moments? What would you still like to see? Let us know in the comments section.

Summer is on its way in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing an armful of exciting festivals to entertain and delight locals and travellers alike in destinations across the world. And as the seasons change and bring warm weather back to the south, the festivals head that way too! Take a look at these five festival highlights for ideas on how to spend your next holiday, and for more fantastic festivals, check our list of Festival Tours.

In case you’re left with extra time on either side of your tour to Israel, travel writer Matthew Teller offers a few ideas for how to make the most of a day or two in Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv is just about the sexiest city on the Med – a fashion-conscious metropolis which dazzles with sun, sea, sand and lazy, chilled-out style. The biggest city in Israel was founded in 1909 as overflow from Jaffa, a trading hub and Mediterranean port dating back to Old Testament times. Today, biblical Jaffa has been sanitised as a touristy artists’ quarter, while its modern neighbour Tel Aviv (the name means “Hill of the Spring”) has become one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East.

Sun, sea & sand

Tel Aviv’s beachfront promenade gets better the further north you go. Take a stroll past the marina and the curving Hilton beach to hit the boardwalk. This funky stretch is always buzzing with couples and families, skaters and bladers, people loafing and lounging at beach bars. Keep going towards the old port, now rejuvenated as a leisure and shopping zone, with cafés, restaurants and a great little indoor food market.

Tel Aviv faces due west over the Mediterranean, making every sunset a romantic’s dream. Anywhere on the three-mile strand serves up epic sunset panoramas nightly – the promenade at Frishman Beach is a popular favourite. Alternatively, head south to Ajami Beach, just beyond the old town of Jaffa – a broad stretch of creamy sand that is equally beautiful but half as busy.

Shake it on Sheinkin

Tel Aviv’s most famous street is Sheinkin, in the heart of the urban hum, packed with streetwear outlets, music stores, design boutiques and terrace cafés – including the famously unpretentious Orna & Ella’s (33 Sheinkin), a perfect pitstop for a light lunch, or just coffee and a sticky pastry.

Fresh produce for sale at Carmel Market.

Down market

Plunge into the fascinating, maddeningly packed Carmel Market, where Tel Avivians of modest means shop every day (except Saturdays) for fruit, veg, meat and household essentials. It’s a frenetic, full-on maelstrom of shouts and smells, packed into a network of alleyways beside the downbeat Yemenite Quarter, a traditionally-minded neighbourhood of hole-in-the-wall bakeries and soup kitchens. Just to the south is charming Neve Tzedek, with wine-bars and quirky restaurants lining Shabazi Street, before you reach the ethnic whirl of Florentin, where Greek delis rub shoulders with Iranian cafés and Balkan bars.

Wow house

Architecturally speaking, Tel Aviv is most famous for its original Bauhaus architecture – Modernist buildings designed chiefly by Jewish architects expelled from Germany after the closure of the Bauhaus design school in 1933. Aim for the always lively Rothschild Boulevard, a glamorously curving sweep that is flanked by original Bauhaus architecture. Amble down the shaded park within Rothschild’s central divide to view the clean lines and distinctive curving balconies on both sides. Look out in particular for the Levin House, a villa that once served as the Russian Embassy, and the Dizengoff House, from where the State of Israel was declared in 1948.

The good doctor

The streets of Jaffa

It’s worth making time for Jaffa. Even though the old town has been blandly restored, there’s still a good deal of atmosphere down by the Ottoman clock tower. The Flea Market fills nearby streets – fascinating for a browse through the junk (sorry, antiques) – with a tasty morsel in hand from the popular Palestinian bakery Abulafia, which has been in business by the clock tower since 1879. Then head round the corner to Doctor Shakshuka, a fabulous, fast-moving local restaurant in high-vaulted stone premises bedecked with old-fashioned memorabilia, where loyal fans scoff plates of homecooked shakshuka, a spicy North African tomato/egg casserole, from breakfast till midnight.

Matthew Teller is a freelance journalist and travel writer specialising in the Middle East. He tweets @matthewteller and blogs at QuiteAlone.com. Matthew was recently in Israel researching a story for Wanderlust magazine – article here.

It’s Video of the Week time again, and we’ve got another gem here from the mysterious and beautiful land of Morocco.

Morocco by Stian Rekdal on Vimeo.

Morocco has long been associated with artistic inspiration, with titans of 20th Century art and culture like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac all drawing inspiration from Morocco’s buzzing cities and wild, arid landscapes. But it’s also been used extensively by film-makers, with films like The Last Temptation of Christ, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Lawrence of Arabia and the 1951 production of Othello all being filmed here, along with many others. And when you see the footage included here in our Video of the Week, it’s hardly surprising!

We’re in total agreement with Stian about this one – it’s definitely best viewed in full-screen HD! And just in case you plan on doing a tour of Morocco and doing a bit of a re-enactment, here is a list of the locations featured in the video: Marrakech, Ait Benhaddou, Dades Gorge, Erg Chebbi, Fez, Meknes, Chefchaouen, El Jadida, Essaouira and Legzira beach.

Our very own Andy Henderson lived in Cairo for two years, and these are his top spots to see if you’ve got a few extra hours to kill on either side of your tour. 

A view of Cairo, Egypt's bustling capital.

- Felucca / motorboat ride down the Nile at night

The river comes alive at night in Cairo as families and wedding parties take to the river. It’s a great time to be on the river, the perfect viewing point to see the city lit up at night. There are many places along the river where you might find boats for hire, but try the river bank in front of the Intercontinental Cairo Semiramis Hotel.

- Cairo Jazz Club
197, 26 of July Street- Sphinx Square,
Agouza,
Cairo,
Egypt
http://www.cairojazzclub.com/

This is a great little spot. An unassuming club, this is where you’ll see top local jazz musicians in action. It fills up really quickly and is quite small, so don’t get there too late. Their website is very helpful, and even provides you with a phonetic version of Arabic directions to tell your cab driver.

- Football matches between Al-Ahly vs. Al-Zamalek

Al-Ahly and Al-Zamalek are Egypt’s main rival football teams, and whenever they play against each other the city comes alive. Locals pour into the streets to drink coffee, smoke sheesha and watch the game on whichever TVs are available. The atmosphere is electric, and it’s the perfect chance to immerse yourself in local culture.

- Sequoia Restuarant
53 Abou El Feda St,
Zamalek
Cairo
Egypt

Overlooking The Nile River, this is a great place either to have a really good meal or simply enjoy a sheesha and have a sundowner. With super views of one of the world’s most famous waterways, this is the ideal spot to unwind and reflect.

- Cairo Tower:
http://www.cairotower.net

One of Cairo’s most recognisable landmarks, the tower has had a full refurbishment and features a 360 degree viewing platform with a decent restaurant at the top. It’s a great spot to visit if only to get a feel for the sheer size of the city of Cairo.

- Da Baffo Restaurant
15 Batal Ahmed Abdel Aziz St
Mohandessin
Cairo

If you’re after a pizza and a few drinks, this is your spot. Under the guise of an Italian restaurant, Da Baffo is more or less a bar, with a huge canopy that shields patrons inside from passers-by. Alcohol is served here, but it isn’t advertised so you’ll need to ask for it specifically.

Have fun, but remember that whatever you end up doing, always be responsible in cities that you don’t know. If there’s a city you’d like The Inside Track on, get in touch with us here, on Facebook or on Twitter. And for more information on our tours to Egypt, visit the On The Go Tours website.

Guest expert Wendy Gomersall visited Egypt, and the home of world-renowned archaeologist Howard Carter – the man who uncovered the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamen back in 1922.

Imagine it – after years and years spent rummaging around in the desert, at last you find the final resting place of a pharaoh, still intact and stuffed to the gills with precious artefacts. It’s a treasure hunter’s dream.

Ninety years ago this November, English archaeologist Howard Carter broke into the newly discovered tomb of some unimportant boy king who had ruled Ancient Egypt for just a few years. Inside he discovered ‘wonderful things’, as he described them, from jewellery to golden coffins, exquisite statues and alabaster urns.

And on the mummy itself, the best prize of all – a stunningly beautiful mask of gold and gemstones. It is the serene, charismatic face of Tutankhamun that ignited Egyptmania and it’s still the most iconic image of Ancient Egypt, instantly recognisable all over the world.

The same cannot be said for poor old Howard Carter though…

The entrance of the tomb of King Tutankhamen, Egypt

Millions of tourists from all over the world now visit both Cairo’s Egyptian Museum every year to admire Tutankhamun’s 5,000-plus treasures and his tomb, designated number KV62, in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor in southern Egypt, where his mummy still lies.

Numerous studies have built up an intimate picture of the handsome pharaoh since 1922 – his life, his wife, what killed him – until ironically, we know more about this ancient ruler than we do about the modern man who ‘found’ him.

It’s fascinating then to pay a visit to Howard Carter’s house, the domed, mud-brick place close to the Valley of the Kings that he called home.

The house was renovated and turned into a museum just a year or so ago, and it’s NOT the white house misinformed guides sometimes point out on a hill. You can’t squeeze a big group inside, so it’s best to visit it on a private tour, but it costs only 20 Egyptian pounds (around £2.50) to get in.

The author inside Howard Carter's house, Egypt

OK, I admit, I found it a little underwhelming at first, especially as I have been to the Cairo museum a few times and still not seen every one of Tutankhamun’s marvellous artefacts. It took ten years to catalogue and clear all them all from the tomb – I reckon you’d need half an hour for Carter’s.

But you do get an intriguing, intimate mini-portrait of one of the world’s most famous archaeologists. Instead of a golden mask, you’ll find Carter’s trademark Panama hat. There’s his shaving set, all neatly laid out in a case, walking sticks, an old gramophone, letters and notes in his handwriting, a desk with an old typewriter and his easel – he was a good artist.

You can see his excavation tools and the darkroom where he and photographer Harry Burton processed the 2000 or so images taken of the tomb and its contents. Some are on display, too.

When it’s working, there’s also an entertaining film in which a Howard Carter lookalike actor tells the story of his quest and presents his discoveries.

One other thing you learn is that Carter, born 9 May 1874, died in 1939 at the age of 64, some 17 years after breaking into the tomb. So if there was a mummy curse, it must have been a bit of a slow one, eh?

Egypt is filled with spectacular ancient monuments and natural wonders too. As a destination, it’s definitely one of those must-see places. Here are a few of Egypt’s highlights, a taste of some of the things you’ll see on a tour of Egypt. Which have you seen? And which have we left out?

Three of the most popular Sri Lankan festivals commemorate important events in Buddhism, and include Vesak Festival, Kandy Perahera and Duruthu Perahera festival. Find out more about these amazing festivals here.

Buddhism forms the basis of religious festivities in Sri Lanka

Vesak Festival is one of the most important festivals in all of Buddhism, as it commemorates Buddha’s birth, his attainment of enlightenment and his passing into Nirvana. Vesak is mostly spent in thoughtful prayer and meditation, with Buddhist recitals and a procession taking place in the evening. Followers of the Buddhist faith gather at their temples before dawn on Vesak day, singing hymns and making simple symbolic offerings to their teachers. Devotees also make a special effort to bring happiness to those around them, and will make gifts of cash or service to charities and worthy causes. Devout Buddhists also provide free refreshments and vegetarian food to those who visit the temple. It’s a colourful, joyous festival – every home will be displaying coloured lanterns which illuminate the towns and cities.

Kandy Festival

Kandy Perahera is one of the most famous of the Sri Lankan festivals, and takes place in the days leading up to the full moon in August. Legend has it that after the Buddha’s cremation, one of his teeth was brought to Sri Lanka – supposedly smuggled in the hair of an Orissan princess. Sri Lanka’s King Megavanna was so overjoyed to have a relic of such importance on the island that he paraded it through the city of Anuradhapura for everyone to see. The tooth was held in the custody of the king, and as the capital city shifted, so the tooth was moved with it. Eventually finding a resting place in the city of Kandy, the tooth now lies in the Dalada Maligawa (Palace of the Tooth Relic), and a replica – housed in a golden casket – is used for the festival.

A mighty elephant carries the casket through the streets, with revellers singing, dancing and performing devotional acts to the accompaniment of booming drums and the blowing of conch shells. Look out for acrobats, fire performers and hundreds of elephants in procession. Taking place over several nights, the loudest and most impressive procession takes place on the final night of the festival, with preparations for the following year’s festival beginning almost immediately!

Duruthu Perahera is another Buddhist festival in Sri Lanka, celebrated at the Kelaniya Temple in Colombo, commemorating the anniversary of the Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka more than 2500 years ago. Three colourful processions take place, with drummers, dancers, musicians and actors all dressed in white as they parade through the streets. The most lively of the parades and the climax of the event is the Randoli Perahera, held on the day prior to the January full moon.

If you’re taking a tour to Sri Lanka, be sure to time it to coincide with one of these incredible festivals, and gain real insight into the rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka. Visit our website for more information on Festival tours.

I have a weakness for Raj-era things. In this attempted recreation or imitation of the homeland, Britain, they seem to become something else and not quite here or there. The passing of time simply does the rest. Take heading into the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country, preferably on the charming little railway from Kandy up past Nuwara Eliya in the highlands.

Though part of the so-called Main Line originating in Colombo, by the time it leaves Kandy it almost feels like a Himalayan mountain railway. Craning one’s head out of the observation car’s windows, you wonder if the tracks might have been laid in the 1880s as much for a pleasurable challenge as for practicality. Nuwara quickly become a retreat, if not a playground, for fusty old colonials drawn to its cool climate and conservative clubs. Here they might imagine they were back home somewhere between the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands.

Today, as the little train chugs up through verdant valleys, over rocky gullies and round countless hills, the scenery is distinctly Sri Lankan. Strands of forest give way to the lines and swirls of myriad bright green tea bushes that contour the open landscape like an immense mosaic. Clusters of pickers, usually Tamil women, add splashes of colour with their yellow, scarlet or amber saris. The tea factories look starkly functional, like outsized shoeboxes with numerous windows and gleaming corrugated iron roofs.

Nuwara Eliya remains a popular hill station though the clientele is now mostly Sri Lankan. There’s a ‘season’ of racing, flower shows and family-oriented gatherings. Hotel names like The Grand, Windsor and St Andrew’s suggest those old colonial sentiments still have an almost novel currency. Perhaps it was the chill air or pure gluttony but I readily succumbed to lashings of marmalade at breakfast, sponge cakes at tea time and muscular roast beef and pork dinners topped off with custard puddings ‒ all rather appropriate as there’s little to do up here except walk off those heavy meals in the hills or perhaps play golf.

The Raj-era pantomime climaxes at the time-warp Hill Club, a baronial-looking place with sentry boxes and velvet lawns. It’s a rather snooty private club with an almost comical air of formality ‒ such as white-gloved waiters ‒ but it does accept guests. I strolled in with my chick merely for an evening drink, quite prepared to be mistaken for, say, a travelling salesman but was politely offered temporary membership (“on a daily basis only, sir”). Then I was directed to the cloakroom and its choice of cast-off jackets and risky ties; some non-members mock the dress code pertaining to the formal dining room and the once men-only bar.

Now suitably, if not stylishly, attired, we browsed the lobby adorned with old pictures, mementos and pedantic memoranda summarising stiff regulations. We checked out the bar and peeked into the snooker room. Formerly, women visitors were forced to use a discreet side entrance and when I joked about these ‘good old’ days the chick gave me the filthiest of looks. Sometimes it just isn’t worth going back.

A member of our team shares her experiences of the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the Commonwealth War Memorial Cemetery in Cairo this morning.

Often forgotten are the brave ANZAC servicemen that died beyond the shores of Gallipoli, many serving along the Mediterranean coastline in Libya, Egypt and Palestine.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Cairo was headquarters to the British garrison in Egypt. With Alexandria, it became the main hospital centre for Gallipoli in 1915 and later dealt with the sick and wounded from operations in Egypt and Palestine.

This morning we attended the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the Commonwealth War Memorial Cemetery in Cairo. This year the commemorations were hosted by Australian Embassy, every other year the services are hosted by New Zealand. On a perfect April morning in the well manicured and candle-lit lawn the services were held and the Last Post played.

The morning is an intimate affair with the Australian Ambassador greeting everyone upon arrival. Australians & New Zealanders living in Egypt, the Ambassador of Turkey, dignitaries from Canada, USA, Pakistan and India amongst others were present as well as a number of tourists in Egypt on holiday, and members of the Australian and New Zealand contingents serving with the Multinational Force and Observers, Sinai, Egypt.

If you are in Egypt on ANZAC Day in 2013, consider coming along. This is a truly unique experience and a chance to pay your respects to the fallen, not to be forgotten.

If you are travelling to Egypt in October 2012, you might like to visit the War Memorials of El Alamein. This year marks the 70^th Anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein, fought during the 2^nd World War and the Australian Government will be organising commemorations and have arranged for a number of Veterans who served here during WWII to attend the event.

The Cairo, Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery is located at:

9 Nabil El Wakad Street
Heliopolis
Cairo

Click here for contact details should you be interested in finding out more about visiting the War Cemeteries of El Alamein or attending the 70^th Anniversary later in the year.