indianapearl

Hi Fodorites,

Please review our itinerary for our first visit to India in Nov-Dec. Is this reasonable/rational or are there better ways to go to the destinations with less wear and tear on our aging selves? When we travel we always make our own itinerary and avoid guides when possible. We also drive ourselves, but that's not realistic in India, so we will hire and care and driver.

Many thanks in advance to all those who've already given so much good advice.

Day 01 (11/15): Depart Newark
Day 02 (11/16): Arrive Delhi (Delhi B & B)
Day 03 (11/17): Delhi
Day 04 (11/18): Arrive Jaipur (car)
Day 05 (11/19): Jaipur
Day 06 (11/20): Jaipur
Day 07 (11/21): Arrive Jodhpur (car)
Day 08 (11/22): Jodhpur
Day 09 (11/23): Jodhpur
Day 10 (11/24): Arrive Udaipur (car)
Day 11 (11/25): Udaipur
Day 12 (11/26): Udaipur (Ranakpur)
Day 13 (11/27): Arrive Delhi (plane) – Agra (car)
Day 14 (11/28): Agra
Day 15 (11/29): Agra (Fatipur Sikri)
Day 16 (11/30): Gwalior
Day 17 (12/01): Gwalior
Day 18 (12/02): Orccha
Day 19 (12/03): Khajuraho
Day 20 (12/04): Khajuraho
Day 21 (12/05): Varanasi (plane)
Day 22 (12/06): Varanasi
Day 23 (12/07): Varanasi-Delhi-Newark (plane)
Day 24 (12/08): Newark

Pearl

travelaw

Looking good Pearl! You can easily stop at Ranakpur on the way from Jodhpur to Udaipur, so you don't need to do a day trip out there from Udaipur. I like that you are staying 2-3 nights most places ~ that is a good pace. I hope you are enjoying your planning ~ I'm excited for you!

magical

I like your plan...great start already.

I too like to drive myself...but in India for the same price you can get a car with driver...saves a lot of wear & tear on the body. No parking to worry about, etc.

Any particular reason you are choosing Gwalior? I would have picked Jaisalmer, Rajasthan instead.

Also in case you want to have a train experience, Delhi-Agra is an easy train ride, and then you can pick a local car in Agra.

Absolutely the right length of time for a first trip to India..long enough to be not rushed, and to soak in what is real India. Enjoy your planning and the trip. Perfect time of the year too.

rajuindia

Hi Pearl,
Peace be at your home and in life too.
The itinerary you wrote is not perfect, it has some errors.

Day 01 (11/15): Depart Newark
Day 02 (11/16): Arrive Delhi (Delhi B & B)
Day 03 (11/17): Delhi
Day 04 (11/18): By flight or night train to Jodhpur
Day 05 (11/19): Jodhpur
Day 06 (11/20): Jodhpur
Day 07 (11/21): Ranakpur (car)
Day 08 (11/22): Udaipur
Day 09 (11/23): Udaipur
Day 10 (11/24): Shahpura Bagh (car) (From Udaipur to Jaipur is too long so better to stay on the way, this is beautiful authentic village or you can stay in Pushkar)
Day 11 (11/25): Jaipur
Day 12 (11/26): Jaipur
Day 13 (11/27): Jaipur (car)
Day 14 (11/28): Agra (Fatipur Sikri on the way from Jaipur to Agra)
Day 15 (11/29): Agra
Day 16 (11/30): Gwalior
Day 17 (12/01): Orccha (Gwalior is not worth place to stay for two nights)
Day 18 (12/02): Orccha
Day 19 (12/03): Khajuraho
Day 20 (12/04): Khajuraho ( If you are interested in wildlife then you can stay in Panna National Park just 40 km from Khajuraho)
Day 21 (12/05): Varanasi (plane)
Day 22 (12/06): Varanasi
Day 23 (12/07): Varanasi-Delhi-Newark (plane)
Day 24 (12/08): Newark

This is modified route as you wished, I am sure you will like it.
I try to plan your time in a better way.
Wish you all the best.
Raju India.

jules39

Excuse me for coming in on your post Pearl but hope you don't mind if I ask a quick question. How long is the drvie from Orccha to Khajuraho?
Thanks J

indianapearl

Jules39: according to googlemaps.com, it's 181 km, about 2 hrs. 40 mins.

Marija

I think it took us about 4 hours. We left after breakfast in Khajuraho and arrived in time for lunch at Orccha.

indianapearl

jules39: Best go with Marija's estimate who has boots-on-the-ground experience.

jules39

Thanks

halemu

Indianapearl: We did a similar trip in March - 21 days, but excl Gwalior, but incl Bikaner, Mandawa, Jaisalmer, Bundi, and Ranthambore - so your trip is easily doable in the time allotted. Our trip was primarily by pvt car, except 2 places - from Agra to Jhansi by train (then short drive to Orchha and a 3 hr drive afterward to Khajuraho), then early afternoon flt to Varanasi. Be sure the car you hire is comfortable (Toyota Innova or larger - NOT a Tata), and be psychologically prepared for Indian traffic and roads (between large cities they can be decent, but otherwise they may be slow and painful on the bottoms) - a nice description of a recent trip can be found here in Fodors forum by 'StCinq' titled 'My first Passage to India' - esp their Oct 19 trip to Jaipur and description of roads and shopping - much better written than I could ever hope to do.
As we have no idea what interests you have, we won't suggest specific sites - you have more time in most of the cities you are visiting than we had (our max stay was 2 nights). I would note that the temples in Khajuraho (be sure to read about them) can easily be seen in 3-4 hrs - and as the likely flt to Varanasi is in pm, you could see the temples easily i the am that day, and thus save a day there, or as suggested above, perhaps visit Pann Park - lovely, tho tiger sightings not common (as you have no other parks on you itin, this may not interest you).
We have travelled extensively on every cont (ex antarctic) and found India the most colorful and interesting destination - BUT, the cultural shock (traffic/roads/poverty/fabulous wealth of a few/ubiquitous cow pies/etc) has yet to wear off, even after a month. The people we met were wonderful, the food incredible, and sites (esp the Taj) beyond words - so enjoy your planning (from an ex Hoosier).

vp_singh

a. Your itinerary covers just about all important cities / urban centres in Rajasthan. However, to feel the unique ambience of this state, is to stay in one or two of those stately rural fort palaces like Devgarh / Rohet etc. These places are oozing old world charm & still provide of that atmosphere, lost elsewhere, due to modernism.
b. Flying from Udaipur to Delhi & then taking a car to Agra is practicable if you take a morning flight. The days are small in winters & I do not fancy driving on this busy road, after sunset. This difficulty, atleast, could be overcome if you reverse your itinerary.
c. If you decide on Gwalior, do stay at the Taj Usha Kiran Palace. The museum has some excellant artefacts. Datia will also interest you from the point of view of photography. It will take about 4 hours between Orchha & Khajuraho, for the road is single & just ok. In Khajuraho, the Western enclosures are the main temples. Panna does have some Sambhar Stags with record horns, but of the tiger you may niether see or hear anything!
Happy Travels!

v_sapi

vp_singh, you seem to really understand india tours. We are a couple from NY, coming to India May 21. we need some help getting to Kathmandu on May 28. We can either fly from Jaipur to Kathmandu (are there direct flights?) in the early afternoon or we can drive from Jaipur to Delhi and fly from Delhi in the evening. What would you suggest? Also, who can I contact to make the travel arrangements for me?
Any advise would be much appreciated!

indianapearl

Thanks to all for your advice. We are modifying our plans as we receive input. We prefer to stay 2-3 days in each place -- or longer if we can -- when we travel. We'd rather see less, but more in depth.

We had planned to go to India in 2007 for 6-7 weeks, but an opportunity to spend a month in Hong Kong cropped up, so we took that instead. Now that we're revisiting our India itinerary, we've decided to do a shorter trip with the option of returning to see another part of the country if we enjoy our first.

I'm the primary tourist to India and my husband is my escort (and being most gracious about it). I'm interested in historical and religious sites rather than wildlife.

bonnieheather

Love the intinerary through Rajasthan. Agree with most everything. We stayed at the Roop Niwas Heritage Hotel , in the Shekhawati region. It should run about $50 in May. We, too, are about to travel to Delhi, then drive to Chirawa to visit friends, then back to Delhi to head north to Rishikesh and Champawat. For the trip North, are there any suggestions as to whether it is better to drive all the way from Delhi or to go as far as Haridwar by train, and then book a car? There will be 3-4 of us travelling. Cost and comfort are both concerns.