7 weeks India/Sri Lanka Jan/Feb - just starting!
 

I've been reading all the fabulously interesting trip reports here on fodors re India and Sri Lanka.
As retired folk we're now in habit of taking off from cold NE for Jan/Feb and travelling independently. Always have a difficult time narrowing down/deciding on next trip. A great problem to have of course. And always seem to get a late start!! After looking at weather conditions etc for touring/seeing animals/birds in Jan/Feb, we're leaning toward India/Sri Lanka - or one or the other. We've got about 7 weeks. Budget wise we tend to travel mid to lower range ( a long trip after all!) - though are game for a splurge or two along the way, and we are definitely of the stay at least 3 nights at each location school.

Would love any and all feedback to help me get off the dime and start planning. Guess some first qs might be folk's experience/advice re airports to fly in/out of and must sees. No miles to use this trip sadly. . . . Think we'll try for a good mix of culture and nature. Not big beach people - though one stop might be fun.

Have read recs for a few in country travel agents - eg. boutique sri lanka and castle and king.
Wondering if they deal only at the uppermost brackets or will help plan with moderate budget.

Let me suggest you start your planning with Sri Lanka. As a smaller country it is much more manageable than India. You can see much of Sri Lanka in a few weeks, but only a small part of India.

BSL does help with moderate priced accommodations as well as higher priced places. I've not worked with Castle and King, but I expect they, too, will work with you on moderately priced accommodations.

For Sri Lanka, there is only one airport to fly into. For India, where to fly to depends on which part or parts of India you want to visit. Consider less-visited areas of India. We loved our time in Sikkim!

Thanks Kathie, hoped you'd respond. We have you to thank, after all, for our wonderful stay at Borneo Rainforest Lodge a few years ago. And, I'll add, your enthusiasm for Sri Lanka has been infectious.. will continue to reread your TR. Re Sikkim: were your thoughts on it part of an India TR? Don't remember seeing that . .

I'm glad I've been helpful.

We loved Sri Lanka and plan to return.

We thought Sikkim was remarkable: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...p-to-india.cfm
And do look at the photos at www.marlandc.com
We felt like it was an opportunity to see Tibetan Buddhism as it no longer exists in Tibet. The mountain scenery was wonderful (and we are from an area of snow-capped mountains in the Pacific NW).

Do let me know if I can be of further assistance.

glover - what Kathie said. I have no experience of India but we did go to SL last year and had a wonderful time.

our only complaint was that the 2 weeks we had were not long enough. 3-4 weeks would have been loads better.

you don't have to stick with BSL for the entirety of your trip. you could use them to provide your transport for the trip, plus to book hotels in the most popular places, leaving, say, a gap in the middle where you do your own thing.[ with your driver if you like]

one thing - a vehicle with driver is essential. with the roads and traffic in SL, self-drive is not an option.

I agree with starting in Sri Lanka, aka India lite... But not more than three weeks, then you should be ready to tackle India. Since you're in the south I'd spend at least a couple of weeks there, although you could spend four weeks easily. If you fly into Chennai you could do a loop south and west through temple country to Kerala.