If you have adventure in your blood, India has a smorgasbord of delights that'll draw you to the far corners of the subcontinent.

Picture this. You're walking up a hill, surrounded by pine trees. Nature lays out a welcome mat of soft green grass as you trod along. You take a breath of crisp, clean mountain air and thank your stars that India still has a few places that commercialisation hasn't touched. And if you're mentally already in the Himalayas or Garwhal region by now, you're our man. Or woman as the case may be. For thousands of nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts like you, India is a dream waiting to come true.

To really enjoy adventure sports in India, the most important prerequisite is the right spirit, coupled for an unbridled passion for life in the great outdoors. Once you have these, India will open her arms and welcome you into a world of unspoilt beauty, where nature teases and challenges you at every turn. A world that can be explored only if you respect its unique rules and leave it as you found it for those who will follow in your footsteps. Thankfully, for the adventure sports enthusiast, the country is blessed with such natural diversity across its length and breath, that you can indulge in almost most adventure sports in every region. So, if you feel like indulging in a spot of skiing, trekking, white water rafting or mountaineering, there are tour operators in every corner of the country, who'd be only too happy into indulge you - with a lot of help from Mother Nature, of course.

As a rule, the adventure sport you choose depends on what you really want from your holiday. A quiet week in the midst of nature? An action packed holiday, where you're constantly on your guard? Or a gruelling test of physical endurance, perhaps? Every adventure sport also has grades of difficulty that are directly linked with your state of fitness and your experience in that particular activity. But the flip side is that someone who's never skied in his life can learn the rudiments in a week or two. Similarly, a novice trekker or white water rafter can enjoy the thrills and the joys of the sport even if he or she has never attempted it before. As they say, there's always a first time for every thing.If you're sick and tired of the same old holiday spots and feel like stretching your legs a bit, try a gentle trek for a change. The unexplored mountain ranges of India offer, trekking routes, which pass through some of the most scenic regions in the country. Depending on the region you're trekking in, you'll encounter rugged hills and mountains, green slopes carpeted with wild flowers and ice cold streams gurgling as eagles soar high above in a clear blue sky. Most tour operators also grade treks in terms of difficulty and provide base camps and porters, so you can just enjoy the beauty around you - without being bogged down by tonnes of luggage. What's more, improved equipment and transportation, and the availability of year-round bookings in areas, hitherto, considered inaccessible, have made even parts of the mighty Himalayas accessible, throughout the year! So, strap on your walking shoes and let's take a quick look at what lies before a trekker, in various parts of the country.

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