quimbero

This will be my first REAL time in India. (I previously visited Mumbai on business but I never really got to see India except for a restaurant and the airport)

I am from the states, but I assure you I am a hardy traveler and am always prepared for the worst. I am planning on visiting in January-February, so I know that the north will be cooler, and am prepared for that as well.

Here is my itinerary: All travelling is planned by train except from hyderabad to kolkata (I'm not crazy!). Anytime it says "travel" I am devoting a full day of travelling, despite journeys maybe only being 6-8 hours, since this is is India, after all.

Day 1 - Fly into Mumbai
Day 2- Mumbai
Day 3 - Mumbai
Day 4 - Travel to Goa
Day 5- Goa
Day 6- Goa
Day 7- Goa
Day 8- Goa
Day 9- Travel to Hospet/Hampi
Day 10- Hampi
Day 11- Hampi
Day 12- Travel to Hyderabad
Day 13- Hyderabad
Day 14- Travel (BY PLANE) to Kolkata
Day 15- Kolkata
Day 16- Kolkata
Day 17- Kolkata
Day 18- Travel to Varanasi
Day 19- Varanasi
Day 20- Varanasi
Day 21- Travel to Agra
Day 22- Agra
Day 23- Agra
Day 24- Travel to Delhi
Day 25- Delhi
Day 26- Delhi
Day 27- Travel to Jaipur
Day 28 - Jaipur
Day 29 - Jaipur
Day 30 - Travel to Udaipur
Day 31 - Udaipur
Day 32 - Udaipur
Day 33- Travel to Mumbai
Day 34-36 Mumbai, fly back to the states.

Is this reasonable? Is this too much to pack into one trip? I figure India is one of those countries I should see while I'm still young, rather than wait till I'm older and have it be more taxing to my body. Are there some places I could cut short? TOo many days in Calcutta? To few days in Varanasi? Any help is greatly appreciated!

MmePerdu

Rather than say it's reasonable I'll say, yes, it can be done. What I would change, if it were my trip, is to reduce the distances and, instead, visit interesting places in closer proximity to others on your list. I'd also spend less time, possibly, in cities and opt for smaller ones but that may be just my own preference showing.

For instance, you'll be in Goa for a number of days but not Kerala which is nearby and different from Goa, making it an opportunity I'd take advantage of. My favorite place in Rajasthan is Jodhpur rather than any of those I see on your list, for the reason that I find it unique in India. I could tuck myself into a guest house in the old town and stay for weeks.

If I had just 1 suggestion it would be to do more research and see if you see places in closer proximity that would satisfy you rather than doing the big jumps. That for me would make for an overall more satisfying month. I think travel in India, more than most places, benefits from slowing down and spending longer in a given area.

quimbero

Kerala would be a bit far... but good point about Jodhpur I hadn't even thought about it. If I can find a way to get from Jodhpur to Udaipur by train, I'll Include it. Thanks!

thursdaysd

There are a couple of interesting places between Hospet and Hyderabad - Badami and Pattadakal. However, the roads are awful, and I thought Hampi overrated. I would consider flying from Goa (or Kerala) to Hyderabad and skipping Hospet.

Actually, I would skip Goa altogether in favor of some time in the countryside - Coorg, for instance. I'd also take a day from Agra and give it to Varanasi.

Gabi7

My husband and I just completed a month in India and had the same idea as not wanting to rush it and yet to see some of the real India.

We opted not to go to Goa as it sounded a bit too touristy and did the following, which was perfect:

Arrive in Delhi for 2 days.
Fly to Leh for 6 days (magical area)
Fly to Delhi and catch a flight out to Varanasi for three days.'
Take overnight train to Agra. Two days in Agra.
From there we went to Jaipur (fair), Pushkar (delightful), Udaipur (magical), Jodphur (didn't much care for the city but visited Kumbulgargh Fort on the way that was fabulous), Jaisalmer (don't miss....you can also go to the desert and spend a night on the sand dunes), Bikaner (just so we could take the train to Delhi) and last two nights in Delhi.

There wasn't much we would have changed about this schedule and we stayed longer than planned in Udaipur and Jaisalmer as they were the most beautiful of all.

Oh, and a word of warning. Take malaria precautions. We didn't and my husband caught the disease

quimbero

Thanks for the tips on Udaipur. Leh and Jaisalmer are a bit out of the way. I'm originally from West Texas El Paso so the desert isn't necessarily appealing to me. And I'm going mid-January so Leh is probably going to be colder than I would be comfortable in.

What Malaria precautions should I take other than mosquito repellent?

thursdaysd

"What Malaria precautions should I take other than mosquito repellent?"

I take Malarone, but you should consult a travel slinic or at least your doctor. You might also read this:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinat...ler/none/india
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/index.html

julies

We spent 6 weeks in northern India end of Feb. to start of April.

Jaisalmer was one of our favorites, and we didn't even go into the desert so don't cross it off your itinerary for that reason alone.

We loved Varanasi and had about the same amount of time that you have allocated to the city. Be sure to stay on the river so you can just go out your door and walk. Staying further away in the big, fancy hotels just wouldn't be the same.


We skipped Agra and do not regret it.

It looks like the solid last 3 weeks are all in large, noisy cities. I would think this would wear after a while, and you may want to break this up with some smaller places for a respite.

Dubai_Muthu

Dear quimbero,

Your Itinerary seems good, but why can't you try South India tour.

Day 1 - Fly into Mumbai
Day 2- Mumbai
Day 3 - Mumbai
Day 4 - Travel to Goa (By train)
Day 5- Goa
Day 6- Goa
Day 7- Goa
Day 8- Goa
Day 9 - Travel to Bangalore (By train)
Day 10 - Bangalore
Day 11 - Bangalore
Day 12 - Travel to Mysore (By train)
Day 13 - Mysore
Day 14 - Mysore
Day 15 - Travel to Ooty (By Bus)
Day 16 - Ooty
Day 17 - Ooty
Day 18 - Travel to Mettupalayam (By toy train) and then to Cochin (By Bus or Train)
Day 19 - Cochin
Day 20 - Cochin
Day 21 - Travel to Alleppey (By Boat)
Day 22 - Alleppey
Day 23 - Alleppey
Day 24 - Travel to Trivandrum (By Train)
Day 25 - Trivandrum
Day 26 - Trivandrum
Day 27 - Fly back to States from Trivandrum

You can Cover the following states.

Maharashtra - Goa - Karnataka - Tamil Nadu - Kerala

Why Iam telling this Itinerary means, Iam from South India and already I explored these areas. If this time you are going to explore North India means then next time try to visit the South India.

Happy and Safe Holidays in Incredible India.

ashwinb

. I'm originally from West Texas El Paso so the desert isn't necessarily appealing to me.//

Jaisalmer is not just any desert, it's fort, the desert sandstone town, all are very appealing.
But dont miss Jodhpur- Udaipur and the places on the way like Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh at any cost. If you've seen this, you've seen a good part of Rajasthan.

everluxurytraveller

Your itinerary looks fine, but you could do better by adding Bangalore, Mysore, Halebid etc in place of Hyderabad because it looks a bit off the track.

Also by squeezing few nights in Goa & Kolkata, you can add in other interesting destinations like Khajuraho between Varanasi 7 Agra(fly from Varanasi to get to Khajuraho & next day you can drive onto Jhansi to take train to Agra) & Jodhpur between Jaipur & Udaipur.