Come winter and everybody in India is busy packing their bags to travel. Its the time for the birds and the beasts, the season in Goa and Kerala starts, the mountains beckon and the monuments look all inviting. So, where would you like to go this winter ? Here are some great options if you are visiting India and are looking for something out of the ordinary.

Karwar – The salts of the sea beckon me as I set foot in a little nondescript town called Karwar, located in South India. Perched somewhere in the Western Ghats on the banks of the River Kali,  the coastal town is hardly a stone’s throw away from Goa and yet the two destinations are chalk and cheese. Karwar is quieter and serene, compared to Goa which is always in a frenzy and high energy mode.This ancient beach town flaunts several attractions such as the Sadashivgad Hill Fort , built at the confluence of the Kali river and the Arabian sea, the  Durga temple, the one-of-its kind octagonal church and the 300 year old Venkataramana temple .. And then there are the islands – Devbagh, , Oyster-rock, Anjudeep, Sadashivgad and Sanyasi..so get your bikinis and head to Karwar this winter..

2. Kutch – So, your travel agent told you that Rajasthan is one of the must see places in India. But you tell him that you would prefer another desert which is slightly offbeat and is yet beautiful. I would recommend Kutch in Gujarat which is located in West India . If you are into wildlife and birding, then the little Rann of Kutch must be in your itinerary . IT may not be your typical forest landscape, but the wide tracts of desert , dotted by scrubs  is home to Indian Wildass or the Ghorkar. The Nilgai, wolf, fox and some jungle cats are also found in this habitat. The saline belt is largely due to the tracts of land inundated by sea water during and after the monsoons.Come winter, Kutch is also known for the migratory birds as birders flock here to see flamingoes, cranes, pelicans  and several raptors. Plan your holiday now to India.

3.Sundarbans – The Ganges is synonymous with India. So is the tiger. If you  would love to relax and also see some wildlife in India, its time to head East The islands of mangrove forests  located amidst the creeks at the delta of the Ganges houses one of the most unique tiger reserves in our country. The Sundarban tiger has adapted to the saline waters and can be found swimming in the creeks . Stalked by the poachers and  often dubbed the man eaters, the tigers are believed to be slowly dwindling here. There are leopard cats, fishing cats, palm civets, crab eating mongoose, water monitors .  Birdlife is plenty as you could find heronries around here as well. Boat trips are arranged to get a glimpse of the rich wildlife in this reserve.

4. Sikkim – In the north east of India, bordering Nepal and Bhutan is Sikkim, a small mystical state surrounded by the mountains. The cold winter may bring in snow here, but you will forever be surrounded by the mist and fog. There is nothing more beautiful than the occasional rain in the mountains. Soak in it, go the monasteries, watch small rivers flow past you as time stands still..

You are indeed visiting incredible India. the winters can get harsher as you go up north and it is always better to check with the weatherman and also note down the condition of roads.

This post is written by travel writer and blogger Lakshmi Sharath who blogs at A travel blog of an Indian backpacker on behalf of Affordable Calling Cards that offers international phone cards to India

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsalgado/ / CC BY 2.0

In fairness, last summer stuck around a bit longer than usual. So I could forgive an extra week or two of winter. September 18, Chile’s independence day and time for long weekends and general merry-making, is usually considered the start of spring. After that date we still get plenty of grey, chilly days, but it’s usually heating up more or less definitively by mid-October.

But this? This seems like overkill. This morning was overcast, and I froze in my 3/4-sleeve jacket, wishing I’d opted for fuller coverage. Sure, by the time I got out of work it was decent enough, but by no stretch of the imagination was it hot.

Most Chileans I know are similarly frustrated by this shy summer, but they’re not too worried about it yet. That’s because unlike me, they didn’t hear about the Northern Hemisphere’s awful, cold, wet summer. As soon as I saw raindrops fall in California in JUNE, I started hoping Chile wouldn’t get hit with its own weird weather during what should be the warmer months.

I’m not giving up hope just yet. We’ve had enough nice, warm and even hot days to give me hope that this might just be a fluke, and by this time next month I might be missing the cool mornings and downright cold nights. But I will say that I’m starting to get worried. Weather gods, if you’re listening, please bring a little summer to Santiago.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsalgado/ / CC BY 2.0

Emily Williams is a US gringa living in Santiago, Chile. She writes about expat life at AffordableCallingCards.net and on her personal blog, Don’t Call Me Gringa, and loves hearing from readers!