Clothing :- Dress informally while on tour; carry lightweight clothes that can be laundered easily. For evening dinners and events, a blazer for men and appropriate evening wear for the ladies. During winter, you will need light woolens, sweaters, a light jacket or wool wrap. Dress in layers, so that you can strip down during the warmer days. In summer, light cotton clothes will do everywhere except in the mountain regions, where it will be cold at night. Bring a warm jacket and be prepared for temperatures in the 30s F.

In South India, It is advisable to wear light cotton clothes through out the year, as the climate is hot and humid. In North India repare for hot, sunny days and cool nights. Temperatures in North India range from the 30s to the high 80s Fahrenheit. Be prepared for cooler weather in higher altitude. Temperatures in South India range from the 50s to the 90s Fahrenheit. In winter during the days the temperature is rather warm, however, at night it can get cold. Therefore, both warm and cold weather clothing is required. This is likewise for the Himalayan foothills, even though it is cold there, while hiking you will get hot and sweaty.

The Indian subcontinent is conservative, so women should avoid wearing shorts, mini-skirts and bare backed dresses. Pants are acceptable. Women should wear long pants or skirts to the ankles, Punjabi outfits, or saris. short skirts or shorts should be avoided

Useful items to carry

• Good walking shoes with grip, and preferable ankle support for trekking.

• Slippers or sandals

• Warm jacket or coat

• Gloves

• Underwear

• Socks, preferably synthetic or wool for trekking.

• Sweater

• Bathing suit

• No jewelry that is indispensable.

• Sunglasses

• Large hat (preferably the fold-up kind).
  Long-sleeved shirts and long pants to wear while outside whenever possible, to prevent illnesses carried by insects (e.g., malaria, dengue, filariasis, leishmaniasis, and on chocerciasis).

• Tee shirts and sweat shirts

Food :-

Contrary to popular belief, not all Hindus are officially vegetarians. Although you'll find vegetarians everywhere, strict vegetarianism is most prevalent in the south (which has not been influenced by meat-eating Aryans and Muslims) and in the Gujarati community. There are considerable regional variations from north to south, partly because of climatic conditions and partly because of historical influences. In the north, much more meat is eaten and the cuisine is often Mughlai, which bears a closer relationship to food of the Middle East and Central Asia. The emphasis is more on spices and less on chilli; grains and breads are more popular than rice. In the south, more rice is eaten, there is more vegetarian food, and the curries tend to be hotter. Another feature of southern vegetarian food is that you do not use eating utensils; just scoop the food up with your fingers - though not with those of your left hand.

There's more to Indian food than just curry - the country has more than 15 different regional cuisines (curries are favored in the south). Thali (pronounced TAR-ley) is the most ubiquitous meal in India. Served either as a vegetarian dish or with meat, it consists of rice and chapatis (similar to heavy flour tortillas) with five sauces and curds. Even those afraid of spicy food will love the mild chicken tandoori or Kashmiri-style dishes or, in Kerala, fish flavored with coconut, ginger or fruit. Any dish prepared in the Kashmiri-style will be delicate and have lots of fruits and nuts (in Kashmir itself, find a restaurant offering a wazwan, a traditional feast containing as many as 17 meat dishes). Pakoras (fried vegetable fritters) also provide an easy introduction to Indian cookery. Samosas are breaded, fried vegetable triangles.

Dal, an Indian lentil soup, can be found anywhere, and if the name of a dish has the word paneer in it, the dish contains cubes of compressed cottage cheese (it's better than it sounds). Dum aloo is a wonderfully spicy potato dish found in the north. Buff refers to water-buffalo meat, and mutton is usually goat. The breads are superlative - there's none better than naan (baked in a tandoori oven), but do try papadum, a wafer-thin lentil-flour bread, at least once. For dessert, try kheer (rice pudding). Fruit lassis are a yogurt-based drink that can be very refreshing; curd, a very mild yogurt, is often served with meals. We generally advise against eating from street stalls, unless the food is freshly cooked before your eyes. Indian food is eaten with the fingers of the right hand only. In addition to Indian foods, Western and Chinese restaurants abound. Beware of ice cream and dairy products except at the finest hotels.