Weather concerns: July in Northern India
Jan 7th, 2008, 09:48 AM
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Weather concerns: July in Northern India
Hello!
My friend and I are looking to book a tour with Intrepid. We may not be able to pull it together for their late march departure and they do not have any more departures until early July. What kind of weather should we expect then, so we can pack accordingly? Will it be hot and sunny or hot and humid? Will there be rain? Monsoons? Just want to ask so we are prepared.
Itinerary is as follows:
Days 1-2 Delhi
3-5- Jaisalmer
6-7 Jodhpur
8-9 Udaipur
11-12 Pushkar
13-14 Jaipur
15 Bharatpur
16-17 Agra
18-20 Varanasi
21-22 Kolkata
My friend and I are looking to book a tour with Intrepid. We may not be able to pull it together for their late march departure and they do not have any more departures until early July. What kind of weather should we expect then, so we can pack accordingly? Will it be hot and sunny or hot and humid? Will there be rain? Monsoons? Just want to ask so we are prepared.
Itinerary is as follows:
Days 1-2 Delhi
3-5- Jaisalmer
6-7 Jodhpur
8-9 Udaipur
11-12 Pushkar
13-14 Jaipur
15 Bharatpur
16-17 Agra
18-20 Varanasi
21-22 Kolkata
Jan 7th, 2008, 04:59 PM
#3
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Take a look at weatherbase.com for some info on temps. I agree that you will find it very hot, and the monsoon will have broken in most of the places on your itin by July. In Rajasthan you will not get huge downpours, but will have some rain and lots of overcast days (which will keep temps "only" in the high 80s to low 90s or so), in Delhi you could have flooding. It will also be quite humid. While this is better than traveling in say April or May before the monsoon breaks when it is just plain super-hot, I don't really think it is that enjoyable to travel in those weather conditions. Transport can be severely affected by the monsoon, so you may not even get the full time in the places on your itin if flights or trains are delayed or your bus has to sit in traffic due to flooded roads.
There is not really a reason that you need to join a tour to see India. Most of us on this board do it on our own and you can too. That way, you could schedule a trip on your own. Some tour agencies will also set you up with airfare, hotels and perhaps a car and driver which is really all you need. You can set your own itin and go at a better time of year like the fall and winter months. The itin above, IMO, is very rushed and in that heat and humidity will be exhausting. Traveling in India is not like traveling anywhere else. I would not want to do this itin in Europe with only 2 or at most 3 days in each place, much less so in India. 2 days in Delhi and Varanasi and Jaipur, IMO, is not nearly enough to begin with. The tour is trying to cover too much ground in too short a time. 10 places in 3 weeks, I would do 6-7 at the very most.
There is not really a reason that you need to join a tour to see India. Most of us on this board do it on our own and you can too. That way, you could schedule a trip on your own. Some tour agencies will also set you up with airfare, hotels and perhaps a car and driver which is really all you need. You can set your own itin and go at a better time of year like the fall and winter months. The itin above, IMO, is very rushed and in that heat and humidity will be exhausting. Traveling in India is not like traveling anywhere else. I would not want to do this itin in Europe with only 2 or at most 3 days in each place, much less so in India. 2 days in Delhi and Varanasi and Jaipur, IMO, is not nearly enough to begin with. The tour is trying to cover too much ground in too short a time. 10 places in 3 weeks, I would do 6-7 at the very most.
Jan 8th, 2008, 08:34 AM
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Thank you, all. I would like to go at the end of March but its Jan and my friend and I wanted sufficient time to save and plan.
Thank you very much Cicerone for the tips..of these cities in this itinerary can you suggest the "must-sees"? and the "skip this one"?
Thank you very much Cicerone for the tips..of these cities in this itinerary can you suggest the "must-sees"? and the "skip this one"?
Jan 8th, 2008, 10:37 AM
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you have a nice if not hectic itinerary.
My only caveat, I assume you are going to Bharatpur for bird sighting. Be sure to check to see what is there in July.
I went in April, which is the low season and the park was virtually empty. I spent about 1/2 hour inside and then wnet and bought postcards of what I WOULD have seen.
My only caveat, I assume you are going to Bharatpur for bird sighting. Be sure to check to see what is there in July.
I went in April, which is the low season and the park was virtually empty. I spent about 1/2 hour inside and then wnet and bought postcards of what I WOULD have seen.
Jan 8th, 2008, 11:18 AM
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Darn. I was looking forward to seeing birds if I could manage the late March depature. (Which would put me at the bird sanctuary in April.) There are other options for people who are not interested in birds so maybe I'll join that instead. Thats for the tip.
Jan 8th, 2008, 05:59 PM
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I would skip Kolkata (Calcutta), it is far east, not part of Rajasthan and does not really make sense for this itin which is north India, esp. if you have to then fly back to Delhi for your itn'l flight out. It would make sense if you wanted to do an East Bengal trip and include places like the Sundnerbans, consider for another trip.
I might also consider skipping Puskkar. Although I think it is actually an interesting place, and offers far more than just the camel fair (it is a somewhat major religious centre), most tourists like to go in November for the annual camel fair which is very colourful. With a fairly packed itin, IMO you could cut out Pushkar.
Varanasi is very interesting, I would definitely include that. Jaipur, Jodphur, Jaislemer, Udaipur are all the main tourist route in the Golden Triangle, all are interesting; it might be possible to cut out one, the first to go is usually Jaislemer because it is the most remote and hardest to get to; the others can be reached more easily or even by air which on your short itin works best. However, if you cut out Kolkata and Pushkar you may be able to fit them all in. IMO rather than trying to see all 4, you might want to choose 2-3 and spend more time in the countryside around these areas, rather than just racing from place to place. There is for example, a bird sanctuary about 2-3 hour drive from Udaipur called Jaisamand on a lake and which has its own hotel (see www.jaisamand.co.in). There is also Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary near Jodphur and about 2.5 hours from Udaipur. Finally there is Sonkhaliya Park and Chambal, which would be reachable from Agra or you could stay in the Ajmer area. I know that Bharatapur is the most famous and probably offers the most bird life, but these others may fit into your itin better and may offer a different variety of bird species at the times of year you are consider. (Bhartaphur generally makes sense for a Jaipur-Agra loop as it is basically on the way, this is also IMO why so many tourists know about it). However, whether there may be more birds in the Udaipur area is an unknown to me, perhaps you could look into that. I would assume migratory patterns are quite similar between the two areas so perhaps not.
There is also what looks like a wonderful tented camp outside Jodphur on a lake which has some bird life, I have wanted to try for a while, you might take a look at that at http://www.chhatrasagar.com. That would give you the opportunity to see local village life and local wildlife. IMO slowing down and taking more time in few places is a more enjoyable way to see the country, otherwise it may be just a blur of places you can't remember – esp. in the heat if you go in April, where temps over 100F are not at all uncommon. It's fairly brutal.
Don't forget abut Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary near Delhi, probably about and 1.5 hours drive or so. (See http://www.haryana-online.com/sultanpur_sanctuary.htm)
IF you really want to do birding and you really need to go in March/April, then you might consider a completely different itin and go north to the Himalaya areas, starting in Chandigarh where there is bird park near Narkanda. You could go on to other northern -- and more imporantly much cooler areas – in Himchal Pradesh from there like in the Tirthan Valley. This itin may make more sense for March. See weatherbase.com for info. Ladakh would also be very interesting, I don't know much about birding there, but I could do some asking around from colleagues and friends in India. Overall, the Himalaya area would be better IMO in March and April than Rajasthan (you can of course go see Agra and the Taj Mahal, an easy trip from Delhi by train.). The weather is much more pleasant there then, see weatherbase.com.
A hotel guidebook for India I have come to just love is Alistair Sawday's book called Special Places to Stay India. This has literally hundreds of very interesting places to stay, many in the range of less than US$60 a night and several in the range of less than US$30 a night. They also have a website at http://sawdays.co.uk/, click on the book for India. The vast majority of these hotels are not in the luxury range and some are in the very low budget range, but all look interesting.
I might also consider skipping Puskkar. Although I think it is actually an interesting place, and offers far more than just the camel fair (it is a somewhat major religious centre), most tourists like to go in November for the annual camel fair which is very colourful. With a fairly packed itin, IMO you could cut out Pushkar.
Varanasi is very interesting, I would definitely include that. Jaipur, Jodphur, Jaislemer, Udaipur are all the main tourist route in the Golden Triangle, all are interesting; it might be possible to cut out one, the first to go is usually Jaislemer because it is the most remote and hardest to get to; the others can be reached more easily or even by air which on your short itin works best. However, if you cut out Kolkata and Pushkar you may be able to fit them all in. IMO rather than trying to see all 4, you might want to choose 2-3 and spend more time in the countryside around these areas, rather than just racing from place to place. There is for example, a bird sanctuary about 2-3 hour drive from Udaipur called Jaisamand on a lake and which has its own hotel (see www.jaisamand.co.in). There is also Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary near Jodphur and about 2.5 hours from Udaipur. Finally there is Sonkhaliya Park and Chambal, which would be reachable from Agra or you could stay in the Ajmer area. I know that Bharatapur is the most famous and probably offers the most bird life, but these others may fit into your itin better and may offer a different variety of bird species at the times of year you are consider. (Bhartaphur generally makes sense for a Jaipur-Agra loop as it is basically on the way, this is also IMO why so many tourists know about it). However, whether there may be more birds in the Udaipur area is an unknown to me, perhaps you could look into that. I would assume migratory patterns are quite similar between the two areas so perhaps not.
There is also what looks like a wonderful tented camp outside Jodphur on a lake which has some bird life, I have wanted to try for a while, you might take a look at that at http://www.chhatrasagar.com. That would give you the opportunity to see local village life and local wildlife. IMO slowing down and taking more time in few places is a more enjoyable way to see the country, otherwise it may be just a blur of places you can't remember – esp. in the heat if you go in April, where temps over 100F are not at all uncommon. It's fairly brutal.
Don't forget abut Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary near Delhi, probably about and 1.5 hours drive or so. (See http://www.haryana-online.com/sultanpur_sanctuary.htm)
IF you really want to do birding and you really need to go in March/April, then you might consider a completely different itin and go north to the Himalaya areas, starting in Chandigarh where there is bird park near Narkanda. You could go on to other northern -- and more imporantly much cooler areas – in Himchal Pradesh from there like in the Tirthan Valley. This itin may make more sense for March. See weatherbase.com for info. Ladakh would also be very interesting, I don't know much about birding there, but I could do some asking around from colleagues and friends in India. Overall, the Himalaya area would be better IMO in March and April than Rajasthan (you can of course go see Agra and the Taj Mahal, an easy trip from Delhi by train.). The weather is much more pleasant there then, see weatherbase.com.
A hotel guidebook for India I have come to just love is Alistair Sawday's book called Special Places to Stay India. This has literally hundreds of very interesting places to stay, many in the range of less than US$60 a night and several in the range of less than US$30 a night. They also have a website at http://sawdays.co.uk/, click on the book for India. The vast majority of these hotels are not in the luxury range and some are in the very low budget range, but all look interesting.
Jan 9th, 2008, 02:12 AM
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If you have to go in July, don't do your itinerary. There are better places to go in India during that time. Either shift to go to Ladakh and Kashmir, or if you want to experience the monsoon and lushness that comes with that time of the year, go south to Kerala and possibly some parts of Maharashtra.
But as someone above mentioned, there is no reason to take a set tour. India is very easy to do on your own, whether it be pre-planned or seat of your pants. A set tour will just limit your flexibility.
March is great for wildlife.
Skip Kolkata and try and fit in a national park like Corbett or Bandhavgarh instead. Ranthambhore is the best located per your itinerary, and one of the most beautiful, but a bit of a train wreck in the way they manage tourists.
But as someone above mentioned, there is no reason to take a set tour. India is very easy to do on your own, whether it be pre-planned or seat of your pants. A set tour will just limit your flexibility.
March is great for wildlife.
Skip Kolkata and try and fit in a national park like Corbett or Bandhavgarh instead. Ranthambhore is the best located per your itinerary, and one of the most beautiful, but a bit of a train wreck in the way they manage tourists.
Jan 9th, 2008, 09:32 AM
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Thank you all very very much!! I am SO overwhelmed right now. Part of the reason I am leaning toward a tour is because everything is prearranged...I can pack and forget about the rest. Plus, I love meeting other travelers. The reason I chose this company (Intrepid) was because youre free to do what you like when you arrive in each place and you cant beat the price (740USD per person not including meals). All organized sightseeing excursions are optional. Im really going to have to do thorough research on this.
Jan 16th, 2008, 07:38 AM
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There is certain value in having the pre-arranged tour and the price is good. But, those places that time of year may not be fun.
gshah18, not sure I would agree that india is easy to do on your own. Making train reservations, dealing with local taxis and rickshahs to get to your destination is not always easy.
gshah18, not sure I would agree that india is easy to do on your own. Making train reservations, dealing with local taxis and rickshahs to get to your destination is not always easy.
Jan 16th, 2008, 02:15 PM
#12
July will be hot hot hot and very humid. But...I did my first trip to india in August and loved it!
Take an umbrella, and use it when out in the sun or the rain. It will really make a difference.
I think your tour is very agressive considering the weather, but I guess if you are being chauffered, it won't matter as much. For three weeks, I'd only wnat to do 6 cities or so, and I'd choose to spend part of the time in a very northern town in the Himalayas- Shimla, Ladahk, or Darjeeling- where it is cooler.
Take an umbrella, and use it when out in the sun or the rain. It will really make a difference.
I think your tour is very agressive considering the weather, but I guess if you are being chauffered, it won't matter as much. For three weeks, I'd only wnat to do 6 cities or so, and I'd choose to spend part of the time in a very northern town in the Himalayas- Shimla, Ladahk, or Darjeeling- where it is cooler.
