juliajane

My son will be living in Ranchi, Jharkhand India. We would like to visit him and then travel. It maybe just me and my daughter who is 13. We have done the golden triangle and udaipur and mumbai.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Someone mentioned south India but that seems to be a 5 hour flight to kerala. My daughter has severe food allergies so we have to be careful where we eat and stay. We have done the oberoi bubble in the past. Would love a 2 week itinerary....any suggestions of where to go from here?

thursdaysd

What time of year? Unless it's winter I would go up to the mountains - the heritage railway to Darjeeling to start, sleeping in the Windamere. Maybe Sikkim. Certainly Kolkata. Perhaps Varanassi.

See Kathie's TR:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...p-to-india.cfm

juliajane

we will be there mid march

CaliNurse

Are you and daughter into wildlife sightings?

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/bi...k/introduction

You are in the"corner" of India near Odisha state, and in the other direction, toward Kolkata and beyond (as referenced by Thursdaysd, above). Odisha is one of my "gotta get there" places, so perhaps investigate that.

For example:This looks about as opposite of the Oberoi bubble you mentioned, as you can get, in geographically nearby Odisha state. It's ighly recommended by the "I swear by" trip planner I use for India:

http://www.chandoorisai.com

And here's a sample-only itinerary from his company:

http://www.indianpanorama.in/tour-it...-up-close.html

However, the BIG problem in md-March could be WEATHER. A friend who loves the coastal area of Puri didnt mind going in Spring, but you need heat/humidity tolerance! Along the coast, you'll have breezes, but in March, inland will be very, very hot and humid. How do you and daughter do with that? For me, it would be a deal-breaker.

If heat averse, another excellent reason to "head for the hills" as mentioned above and via the quoted trip report.

Replane transport to anywhere from your son's city: the frustrating fact of domestic air travel in India: Any flight, even to places that are geographically much closer to where you'll be than is Kerala, will be at least five hours because all domestic flights from Ranchi, or most local airports throughout India, go via Delhi! Totally counterintuitive ! !You see airports that are close by, and LOOK as if they should be easy and direct...but have to route through a hub airport.

juliajane

we are not really into wildlife. we are more into culture/history/shopping /food. I will investigate your suggestion. I may need to deal with the long flight. i would love more suggestions. Perhaps flying to Kolkata and then south? I will look.
J

juliajane

also I'm not opposed to seeing more of the north. we have been to delhi, agra, jaipur, udaipur and mumbai but I know there is lots more.

Kathie

The far north (Sikkim and Darjeeling or Shimla) are very different from the ares you have visited. These places are in the Himalayas and are really lovely. But they are not easy to get to. Southern India is also a good option.

thursdaysd

"Southern India is also a good option."

But not in March, except for the hill stations.

vp_singh

As already observed by the above posters, you could visit Calcutta, the Hills of Darjeeling / Sikkim & Glenburn, for March will see an explosion of activity on the Tea Estate.You could thereafter do Varanasi & move westwards for Amritsar.
Lucknow is another destination, the forgotten city of Nawabs, which has much to offer in the way of culture & sightseeing. The markets are throbbing with activity. A walk through the old city will hark you back to a time when the nautch girls performed and led many a nawab to penury! The serpent of the original sin have long since departed and in their place are shops selling finest chikan work.
The Oudh cuisine holds a high place with the connoisseurs , the best being Tundey Kabaabs, Rahim's etc. The Oudhyana Restaurant at The Taj will be happy to dish out a thali of Nihari Gosht, Murgh Awadhi, Biryani & wafer thin rumali rotis!
The Lucknawi culture has been shown in many of those Indian films like Umrao Jaan & Pakeezah...outstanding works of art...though I am not a great fan of movies.
I trust Lucknow will find it's place of pride in due course, once again.
Enjoy your travels!

juliajane

what do people think of this travel suggestion?
you could visit Calcutta, the Hills of Darjeeling / Sikkim & Glenburn, for March will see an explosion of activity on the Tea Estate.You could thereafter do Varanasi & move westwards for Amritsar.

someotherguy

I'd like to put in a bad word for Darjeeling. I was there this January and was disappointed how far it is from the Himalayas: it's not like Zermatt or Chamonix where the big peaks are in your face--they are a long way away and often hidden in mist and cloud. I was staying at the Windamere (whose charms wear thin fairly quickly) and other guests recommended Sikkim for a better experience. Unfortunately, I did not have time to check that myself..

The town itself has seen massive population growth in recent years and is hardly a rural idyll. The toy train is fine for a joy ride, but I wouldn't want to do the 7 hour trip from the lowlands. OTOH the 3 hour drive from Bagdogra is not a lot of fun either. And while many Indian airports have been hugely improved in the last few years, Bagdogra is old school.

There are some good suggestions in this thread, but I'd think twice about Darjeeling.

Kathie

We loved our time in Sikkim, but were not charmed by Darjeeling. But many people do love Darjeeling. For us, Sikkim with its Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and the presence of the Himalayas was magical. Take a look at the photos: http://www.marlandc.com/Sikkim-2010

Getting there is a hassle - the long drive from Bagdogra is not fun, though you do get to see a lot of scenery and get a glimpse of daily life in Sikkim. You have to really want to experience Sikkim to make the long trip worthwhile.

juliajane

I have been to delhi, mumbai, jaipur, agra and udaipur...would like a different trip.
Have not been to pushkar/jodhpur. would like to visit varanassi and the south but how to do this I am not sure yet?

thursdaysd

Darjeeling was almost the first place I visited in India, so that may have colored my response. Even so, I was not particularly impressed with the town, but I loved the view of the mountains, and I loved the historic Windamere (I grew up in England, that may have affected my response to the Windamere). I didn't ride the railway all the way up, as part of it was out of commission, and I agree it is not for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride up from Kurseong. However, I see at http://seat61.com/India.htm that it no longer runs daily. BTW, that is the site to read if you are planning any train travel.

Ranchi to Varanasi by train is an overnight in AC3. You would be better off visiting Kolkata and taking the train to Varanasi from there. See cleartrip.com for train schedules.

indianapearl

My adult son and I were in the hill stations of Simla, McCleodGanj, Dharamsala, and Ranikhet last June. The weather was perfect. McCleodGanj and Dharamsala were of more cultural interest than the other two.

CaliNurse

If you decide on both Kolkata and Varanasi, and don't want to do train--as interesting as that always is-- you can get between the two cities via plane, about 5 hours including one of those frustrating mandatory "hub" stops in New Delhi. About $100. I did it a couple yrs ago. Long drive from Varanasi airport to the town itself i could swear there was a stop in Lucknow too, but that may have just been that one particular flight.
Speaking of Lucknow...thank you VP for your detailed description and recommendation!!

thursdaysd

Forgot to mention that I have been to Lucknow. While it is of some interest to history buffs, it is not a particularly worthwhile destination otherwise.

See: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...20/into-india/

About half way down the page.

kritikasingh

If you were been to Rajasthan, New Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh then this time of your trip in mid March opt for North Eastern states of India fondly called "Seven Sisters". There you could witness everything different from what had you seen in India during your last visit. Moreover, the place you are going to visit is Ranchi this is close top NE India for cultural, heritage richness as well as for natural prosperity and if you are more into shopping than fly to Kolkata. Hire a car there and enjoy your shopping as well as age old cultural amalgamation there.

Thanks

juliajane

would the seven sisters be good for people who like traveling Oberoi bubble style? Seriously, we do need to be careful about where we stay as my daughter has life threatening allergies to nuts, legumes and sesame. Thinking maybe Bhutan and then kolkata and the south or Thailand..still exploring all options.

Kathie

I don't know what the man is referring to by "seven sisters."

If you have 10 days, that would be good for Bhutan. You need more time if you want to visit additional places.

In Bhutan, if you want Oberoi luxe, you'll need to go with Aman or Uma hotels