Antilog Vacations Travel Blog

Does the subtle flavor and aroma of wines have an enticing effect on (alter) your mood? Are you a sophisticated wine connoisseur or just an enthusiastic novice who recently discovered a new interest, then India is all set to alluring you with its finest world class vineyards? India has seen an unpredicted boom in wine tourism in the recent few years and to cash in on its growing popularity, Indian wineries are taking keen interest in investing and setting infrastructure to develop vineyards as tourist destinations. Many wineries have their resorts and stylish wine tasting rooms to enhance your wine tasting experience. Gaze at the bunches of grapes, simply stroll along the lined up vines or see the grapes being picked up, crushed and processed in the fine bottles among the picturesque vista of Nashik and Nanda hill.

Here is a collection of the best vineyards from India offering wine tasting packages or visits

Sula Vineyards tour, Nashik, Maharashtra

Counted among the India’s finest wine making winery, it is situated in Nashik around 170 Kilometers northeast of Mumbai. Nasik, known as the Napa valley of India has managed to establish its reputation as the wine capital of India producing some of the best wine brands.

Since its inception in 2000, Sula Vineyards in Nashik are the producer of the award-winning Sauvignon Blanc wine. Surrounded by the hills mesmerizing Gangapur Lake, it is a perfect escape for people looking for luxury retreat. Special wine tasting vacation sessions and courses are conducted for educating the visitors. Their exclusive resort ‘Beyond’ offers a luxurious and fine wine-dine experience.

York Winery tour, Nashik, Maharashtra

Enjoy a stroll, gaze at vineyards set in the foothill or simply just unwind with a glass of your favourite wine in hand among the breathtaking views of the Gangapur Dam backwaters or relish the different flavours of their wines in the York Tasting Room.

Located at twenty minutes drive from Nashik, York Winery offers guided tours of the wine making process-a completely different experience for first time visitors. Spread across sprawling seven acres, York winery offers completely different wine and vineyard vacation experience.

Grover Vineyards tour, Nashik, Maharashtra & Nandi hills in Bangalore

Grover Zampa Vineyard is a place where passion meets expertise. Located among the picturesque vistas of Nashik, Maharashtra and Nandi hills in Bangalore, it is among the early pioneer of Indian wine industry with history dated back to 1960. From the time the first French grape vines were planted in 1988, the Grover Zampa vineyards have recognized itself as the most trusted brand in the Indian wine industry.

Their soft, rich, opulent and distinct wines are quite popular among the wine lovers. On very minimal charges you can visit their any winery at Nashik and Nanda Hill and savour the classic wines of this brand. They are proud producers of highly acclaimed La Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz red wines. The winery created history in 2014 when it won the Sauvignon Blanc International Trophy at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, the first international trophy to be won by an Indian wine.

Fratelli wines Tour, Solapur, Maharashtra

Since the launch of its first vintage in 2010, the Fratelli wines located in the agro friendly ambiance of Solapur Maharashtra is an India-Italian venture that has marked its presence with some premium brand.

Fratellis Wines offer multiple Wine tasting packages; you can book a day trip, weekend & rejuvenation getaway or rent a vineyard to go all the way out and have a wine party.

The Four Seasons Vineyards tour, Maharashtra

The four season’s wine offers a 60 to 90 minute wine tasting vacation sessions for the people who are inquisitive to learn the whole process of converting raw grapes into the finest wines. Here you will discover the art of wine making, tasting and collecting.

Situated near Baramati, the Four Seasons winery produces wine from grapes grown around the Sahyadari Valley in Maharashtra, about 65KM from Pune. The winery has 14 rooms, a swimming pool, a spa and a terrace for parties which are perfect to get soaked in the luxury retreat.

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Does the unboundedness of the roads entice you to explore its vividness? Do you have courage to lose yourself on uncharted paths and experience the thrill of the finding the way back home. Are you a motorbike aficionado who wants to conquer the world on the motorbike or just want a weekend escape, then India is definitely a place worth exploring? The recent travel boom in India has opened the new doors to motorbike travelling. The vivid rough terrains, landscapes and valleys present a perfect trail/roadmap for the motorbike enthusiasts in India where you can dwell deep into the woods, feel the liveliness in the stillness of the sand dunes, experience the heat in the bone chilling cold of snow wrapped passageway, see your hair raises by riding bike on the edge of the steep valleys and soaked up into the vastness of the sea and much more. Here we bring the best Indian routes for bike lovers.

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Manali- Leh

No doubt route from Manali to Leh is among the one of the best Motor Bike Tracks. Considered among the most difficult motorbike routes, the whole terrain from Manali to Leh is highly unpredictable and needs lots of physical stamina and preparation in advance. Despite the harsh weather conditions, thin air, tough climbs; it is still successful in notching the top position as the favourite route among the motor bike Expeditors.

Ride along the Alpine forests and meadows in Manali through steep valleys in Lahul, sprawling plains at Sarchcu and Ladakh, a land with a hue of orange, red and brown. Embedded with turquoise lakes, ascending barren but picturesque landscapes with blue clear sky above head and spiritual ambience echoed with the chanting of Buddhist mantra, this route is once in life time exploring opportunity.

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Spiti Valley

Tucked among the high mountain ranges, Spiti valley is as beautiful as Manali-Leh. This desert mountain valley offers a breathtaking motor biking route which is not everyone’s cup of tea. The awe inspiring roads amidst the beautiful ambiance encompasses amazing and breathtaking views of Kullu- Manali , remoteness of Kaza, Tabo, Spiti and Pin valley supported by the adrenaline rushing drive through apple and apricot orchids and snow capped shrines of Baspa and Kinnaur with Satluj in the backdrop.

Counted among the most treacherous but surprisingly beautiful roads of the world, motor biking through the woods, ice cold water streams and rough terrain with abrupt climatic change and bone chilling nights is not for faint hearted people.

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Arunachal Pradesh

May be Arunachal Pradesh is a lesser known state, but it offers one of the toughest and veritable biking track that needs to have knuckled down approach. Hanging bridges, majestic mountains, dry river beds, dense jungles, turquoise streams, slush and sand laden tracks make this state an ideal destination to set on the wheels.

Arunachal Pradesh literally means ‘the land of dawn lit mountains’ takes one into crazy ride expedition through its bumpy and off beaten road tracks enough to rush in gusts and test your driving skill to the max .

Thar Desert

Popularly known as the Great Indian Desert, bike riding in Thar Desert has been uncanny yet enjoyable. Unlike other part of the country, riding in the Thar Desert will leave you wonder-struck with its varied and barren tracks that take you through the former majestic kingdoms, colorfully ornamented alleys, high and low sand dunes, golden sandy plains, low barren hills and rural Rajasthan.

Low and erratic rainfall with temperature rising up to 50 degrees at times could give tough time to a trained bike rider even. Tour to Thar Desert all along through Ranthambor, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner, is extraordinary and gives you an opportunity to explore new and remote part of Rajasthan and neighboring states.

Rann of Kutch

Have you ever imagine of running wild and crazy on the roads, if yes, then Rann of Kutch is the perfect choice to give wings to your imaginations. Situated in the heart of the Thar Desert with India on one side and Pakistan’s Sind province on another, this marsh land is a blessing for speed lovers. As the wheels touch the hard ground of the extensive pathways, your two wheeler would start talking to the wind.

Perfectly carved roadways of the Surendranagar, Dhrangadhra, the Great Rann of Kutch, the little Rann of Kutch and Banni Grassland would definitely take a person by storm. Night ride in the beautiful starlit sky is a great way to experience the rustic life of Rann of Kutch.

NH 17

Love to explore the vastness of the sea and get drenched into the water, then N17 is indeed the first choice that offers you the pristine and picturesque views of the white sand beaches, swaying palms lining the seashores and eye dazzling views of the sunrise and sunset.

Flicks like Bombay to Goa has gracefully captured the magnificence of this biking track which run all the way from Mumbai, Maharashtra to Edappally in Kerala and allow you to run riot into thrilling ride along the heart capturing views of the west coast of India. However, it is among the busiest roadways, but still no other coast, route can be compare with the sheer bliss of riding into the remote place and unravel the best kept secret.

Shillong- Cherrapunjee

Bristles with the mind –blowing landscapes and evergreen forest, the beauty of motor biking tracks from Shillong to Cherrapunjee is beyond words. This 60 Km riding track has everything that one need to feel alive and excited.

Tropical forest, curvy roads with sharp edges, cascading waterfalls and hill tops can behold any first timer with its mystified beauty. Hilly terrains may make your trip bit challenging, but it is worth exploring, so what are you waiting for, prepare your gun and get lost into the most amazing stretch.

Bangalore to Bandipur Forest

Go and explore the wonders of the forest. This riding track from Bangalore to Bandipur is perfect to unwind and distress yourself at weekends. Sun playing hide and seek amidst the tree, encounter with wood dwellers like deer on the way will give you the perfect start for the day.

This charming roadway will take you on an enchanting journey of forest reverberating with melodies of birds, roars of animals and the crackle of insects, totally out of the world experience.

East coast of Tamil Nadu

East coast of Tamil Nadu is a fascinating and offbeat route where you can explore the vivid color and amazing culture. Seeing people engaging in their daily chores, roadside markets with sights of vast shores of the sea and Bay of Bengal, all along are icing on the cake.

Ride along this off beaten yet sassy route will lure you with amazing views of the French settlement, Adam Bridge and Mahabalipuram Temple.

Valparai and the Vazhachal Forest

This route is no less than a romantic counter. Covered with tropical evergreen rainforest engulfed in mist and cloud, this route connecting Pollachi in Tamil Nadu to Chalakudy in Kerala is definitely the best monsoon riding route of the country.

Coupled with stunning waterfalls, wildlife sightseeing and innumerable beautiful tea plantation, it is a terrain with uncertainty –a paradise for explorers.

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With a view to encourage inter-tribal cultural interaction and to bring together the festivals of the various tribes under one umbrella, the Government of Nagaland has introduced this one-of-a-kind festival that goes by the name the Hornbill festival, where one can see a mélange of Naga cultural displays at one place. Organized by the State Directorate of Tourism every year between December 1 and 5 in the capital city of Kohima, the festival is intended to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage and attract tourists. The festival, in a way, is also a tribute to the hornbill, a local bird most admired by the Naga people for its qualities of alertness and grandeur.

There are as many as 16 major tribes and many sub-tribes in the State that have their own ways of maintaining their distinctive cultural traditions and customs. The tribes try to popularize their cultures through various forms of performing arts, which are an integral part of all Naga festivals, as much as it is during the Hornbill Festival. Each of the tribal communities that dwell in the hills can be distinguished by the colorful and intricately designed costumes, jewellery and beads that its members wear. The traditional ceremonial attire of each tribe is different from that of the other. There are the multi-coloured spears and daos decorated with dyed goat's hair, the headgear made of finely woven bamboo interlaced with orchid stems and adorned with boar's teeth and hornbill's feathers, and ivory armlets.

The Nagas are admired for their rich repertory of folk dances and songs which is quite evident from the way the festival is celebrated. In spite of the tremendous advance of modernity into their lives, the Naga people have a penchant for vibrant dances and songs praising the brave deeds of ancient warriors and folk heroes, love songs that immortalize tragic love stories, gospel songs and folk tunes.

The Hornbill festival mainly revolves around agriculture, it being the mainstay of the economy. Over 85 per cent of the population of Nagaland is directly dependent on agriculture and lives in the 1,000-odd villages situated on hilltops or slopes overlooking verdant valleys. In this blissful setting, Nagas enjoy nature with a rare gusto that visitors to the State look at with awe and admiration. In most of these places agriculture consists of a single crop. Although some religious and spiritual sentiments are inter-woven into secular rites and rituals, the predominant theme of the festivals is the offering of prayers to a supreme being, which has different names in different Naga dialects.

At these festivals, the gods are propitiated with sacrifices by the head of the village, for a bountiful harvest, either before sowing or on the eve of the harvest. In fact, agricultural work and religion are so interwoven in Naga society that it is difficult to describe the festivals independent of the processes of agriculture.

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Gadgets have become the indispensable part of our travel life style. Since there is an upsurge in technology, every day countless applications and gadgets are launched in the market with tall promises of their superiority that make one bewildered which gadget is worth including on the go. From handy gadgets for translation to luggage monitor & chargers to keeping your smart phone powered up during the trip, we have come up with inventory of gadgets worth carrying for frequent expeditors.

Power Drives: Battery life and storage is always a problem with Smartphone user. Weigh just around 7.5 oz with dual USB output, it has a battery power of 7800 mAH and storage capacity between 16 GB and 128 GB perfect for the people on the travel. Designed especially for IOS platform this power drive can fits in your pocket and offers quick, secure storage for files, music, photos and videos.

Trackstick II: Available for just $ 199 this track stick keeps you away from wandering while driving in to the alleys. Slightly larger than a USB thumb drive, it keeps you on the track by copying your driving route to Google earth and thus avert you to take any wrong turn.

Chargers, Adapters and Cables: Go for universal adapters instead of country specific adaptor. Plenty of super cheap models are available online which are worth investing. Multipart adapters are other good options however they are bit expensive but tend to have more options. Some models alsocome with USB socket. A good USB charger should also be in your bag.

Luggage monitor: A Luggage tracker is a must to be included in your travel gear to avoid unwanted headache of lost luggage. Work in coordination with your cellular phone it tracks your luggage anywhere in the world wherever a cellular network exist. This small and extra light weighted mini monitor automatically goes to sleep mode during flight and as flight landed at its desired location it wakes up to relocate its current destination which you can receive through email and message notification.

Gorillapod: Photography is an essential part of traveling and here is a special tripod that will enhance your photography experience. Featured with three legs Joby’s gorillapod tripod is designed in such a flexible way that it wrap-around almost any object.

Super Pen Translator: Franklin’s super pen is a big relief for language-weary people. It can scan a complete line of text andsee a word by word translation. It comes with build in test to speech technology that can dictate the words in English.