Hi everyone! My friend and I will be traveling to India for 3 weeks in January and are flying in and out of Delhi. We are in our 40’s, adventurous, active, and well traveled. Although we are adventurous, we prefer upscale accommodations and travel conditions. We are trying to design an itinerary that includes all of the “must sees” but also includes locations that are quite different from one another (i.e. we don’t need to see every temple, etc.) We are intrigued by the pink and blue sandstone monuments/temples in Rajasthan and tend to favor desert conditions because they feel so exotic. If possible, we would like to include a tiger park and a yoga retreat or ashram. (We are by no means yogis but would like to luxuriate for a few days at the end or even middle of our trip so that we can recharge as we run around the country.) Ideally, we like to stay at LEAST 2 nights in a location (assuming there are things to see) so that we aren’t constantly checking in and out of hotels each day. We are happy to fly instead of drive to different locales if it saves time and makes sense.
A tour operator proposed the following itinerary which seems to have too much moving around for my tastes. As far as the tiger park, Bandhavgarh is included because apparently all of the private jeeps in Rathambore are booked through March. (We were told that January isn’t a great time to see tigers there anyway.) We were thinking that Varanasi could be really interesting because we enjoyed the monk procession in Luang Prabang. (I hear that Varanasi is quite different though and really a shock to the system.) We were also hoping to spend time in Delhi upfront so that we don’t have to travel so soon after our international flight. With these things said, we appreciate your thoughts on how best to revise the following proposed itinerary:
1 Fly Delhi, Sleep Plane
2 Arrive Delhi, 11:00 PM, Sleep Delhi
3 Sleep Morning, Sightsee Delhi Afternoon, Sleep Delhi
4 Fly Udaipur, Sightsee Udaipur, Sleep Udaipur
5 Sightsee Udaipur , Sleep Udaipur
6 Drive Ranakpur (2.5 hrs), Visit Temples, Transfer to Narlai, Sleep Narlai
7 Drive to Jodhpur (4 hrs), Sleep Jodhpur
8 Early AM Transfer to Manvar Desert Camp, Sleep Manvar Desert Camp
9 Return Jodhpur, Tour Jodhpur, Sleep Jodhpur
10 Early AM Train to Jaipur (5 hrs), Afternoon Leisure, Sleep Jaipur
11 Sightsee Jaipur, Sleep Jaipur
12 Drive to Agra (5 hrs) Stops en-route, Sleep Agra
13 Sunrise Taj Mahal, Later Drive to Delhi (5 hrs), Sleep Delhi
14 Fly Varanasi, See Evening Prayer Ceremony, Sleep Varanasi
15 Morning Boat Ride, Sightsee Varanasi, Sleep Varanasi
16 Fly Khajuraho, Afternoon Sightsee, Sleep Khajuraho
17 Morning Sightsee Khajuraho, Drive Bandhavgarh, Sleep Bandh. Hotel
18 Bandhavgarh, 2 Game Drives, Sleep Bandh. Game Lodge (Different from above)
19 Bandhavgarh, 2 Game Drives, Sleep Bandh. Game Lodge
20 Drive to Jaipur Airport (4 hrs) for flight to Delhi, Sleep Delhi
21 Tour Delhi, Delhi Day Room
22 Fly Home, 1:45 AM
Your thoughts are greatly appreciated! We are hoping to nail down our itinerary ASAP because we are worried that we are quite late already and that many of the preferred hotels will be booked!
Thanks!!
Northern India Itinerary, January 2012 -- Needs Tweaking!
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The schedule and timing look good to me too. If you want to see everything on your itinerary, then you will be on the go quite a lot of the time. I do think that this is late to start planning a 3 week trip in January, so I would make the hotel reservations ASAP and be prepared to be flexible with your hotel choices. Have a great trip.
We visited the same places but in a different order: www.fodors.com/community/asia/bruce-and-marija-go-to-india.cfm. We found an afternoon to visit Khajuraho plenty. We then headed early to Bandhavgarh, arriving before noon, and going on the game drive. See what you think about the logistics of our trip.
Thanks, all. I think we would rather not see every destination in Northern India in favor of a more balanced and relaxing trip. Are are any of these places repetitive? We are not looking to become "india historians" and don't want to run ourselves ragged. Also, we don't have the yoga retreat in this itinerary, and would prefer not to travel immediately after our international flight.
I will check your post, Marija.
Any other suggestions, anyone?
Thanks!!
Well, IMHO - get a new travel agent. Fast.
Hi dogster, why do you say that?
Heya Kitty, right now I'm sitting in the middle of the Nile on a dahabiya and sadly can only grab internet for short periods - which is my way of saying I don't have the proper time to answer your perfectly reasonable question.
It's the itinerary from hell, put together by yet another [I assume Indian] travel agent intent on reducing his/her clients to gibbering wrecks by the end of it; thoughtless and exhausting without a care for the client - just endless shlep...
Of course, some of you will doubtless think it's great. What would I know?
The only way to answer your question further woould be to take it apart, day by day and show you just how really awful it is.
Life is short, I'm on the Nile and, frankly, I think the OP is quite smart enough to have already realised that.
What is IMHO and OP?
"In My Humble Opinion" and "Original Poster"
Thanks Dogster!
fyi everyone I am the one traveling with sueblue!
Previous Posters have recommended various agents in India.
My wide and i used VP Singh. He is highly recommend by other Fodorites. We thought that he was fantastic and provided a diverse itinerary. He introduced us to India and not just the various sights.
His website is LegendsandPalaces.com.
Have a great trip.
I have been to India twice for a total of almost 4 weeks on the ground and I have not been to half of these places. My advice is to pick a few destinations, spend 2, 3 or even 4 nights at each and take it slower. Dogster is of course, right - do not use the typical Indian travel agent's recommendation. If you love India (and there is a better chance that you will if you take it slow), then you will return.
I would favor Udaipur over Jaipur if you are intending to eliminate things. Varanasi and the Taj are must dos but there is absolutely no comparison between Varanasi and the monk procession in LP - totally apples and oranges. If time in the dessert and a tiger safari are things you want to do, then by all means go.
As for lodging, yes you are late. Forget about upscale accommodations and look into homestays and more modest places. You will be surprised at how nice some of these lodgings are. Also, you will receive more personalized service, better advice and probably save money on things like drivers, laundry, internet access and food.
Thanks Craig. Somewhere between a few locations and the current itinerary would be ideal. Any more specifics anyone? I haven't had the time to do my usual research so it is hard to figure out what we should eliminate. Also, this will probably be our sole trip to India so we would like to include the best of the best.
Thanks and please help!