We will be going to India in Feb, 2007 for the second time. The first time we did some of the north. We are interested in the south. Trip length is 17 days ( including flying) My flight options are open at this point (? flying into Bombay). I am coming in from EWR or JFK .... I was thinking of going into Cochin ( Bombay- Cochin) at the beginning to get my LONG FLIGHT out of the way. Then, doing Kerala ( Cochin/backwater tour) etc. SOmeone suggested working my way to Madurai but the thought of taking a flight from Madurai to Chennai onto Bombay is less than appealing. Should I just add more days on to what I have here or, is there something else I could add?

Going .... Mumbai ( maybe get a day room or go take a shower) then head off for Cochin same day OR,
Mumbai - Aurangabad ???? ( maybe maybe not) (2 days)

If Cochin route is taken right from the onset .. then,
Cochin ( Bruton Boatyard) 2 nights

Kumarakon ( Coconut Lagoon)2 nights

Houseboat ( maybe going to land for the night..... I don't do creepy crawlers that well) 1 night

Alleppey to Periyar (Spice Village 2 nights

Then, this is open to question: Cardamon House ( which I think is 1/ 1/2 to 2 hours ride from Periyar ... but not sure.

THEN..... I am stuck because I really don't want to spend the day flying back from Madurai ..... via Chennai

ANy suggestions on the last lap of this trip? Where to go once I finish the houseboat. I will go back for a few days to Bombay but at the tail end of the trip ( not at the beginning). unless someone advises otherwise.
Thanks,

Just a suggestion about your flights, if you fly Emirates from NYC, you can connect in Dubai, and then directly on to Cochin...so only 1 stop. You can then fly out of Bombay with the same airline.

Thanks .... did think of Emirates but the price is very high AND the total flight time is much longer. I am still spending 4 hours at Dubai airport ....

I am a little confused about your requirements.

I count 9 days so far in your specific plan. You have 17 in total. How many days do you wish to have at the end of the trip in Mumbai before flying home?

There are loads of wonderful places to see in Tamil Nadu - ie you do not have to fly from Madurai to Chennai.

I would spend more time in TN. Then if you are keen on seeing Aurangabad (well, I assume Elora, Ajanta) then you can take a train from Chennai to Jalgaon - from whence you can get to Ajanta by bus - can't remember exactly, maybe 2 hrs. Then about the same or a bit longer from Ajanta to Aurangabad. Fly back to Mumbai from there.

Sure the train takes a long time - but interesting and fun. In first class it would be pretty comfy too.

Just a thought in case you hadn't considered it as an option.

I am thinking that maybe 3 days in Mumbai should do it .... After 9 days, then I am open for options.

Fuzzylogic .. thanks for the comments. I am thinking on 3 days at the end of the trip for Mumbai. I did see some rather cool things to do in TN. Are you suggesting that I take the train from Madurai up to Bombay?
I have taken the train from Delhi to Rambanthore so I know it's fun. I am not sure of the amount of time involved though. Any other thoughts? AND THANKS

Don't know about train direct from Madurai to Mumbai - but then if you went exploring in TN you wouldn't necessarily want to go back to Madurai to catch a train.

I was thinking more train from Chennai.

Indian Railways have a website but can't give you a link off the top of my head. Should be easy to find.

But when I said the journey from Chennai to Jalgaon was long - I meant LONG - c 32 hours I think.

Have you checked the poss of flying from Chennai to Aurangabad?

Fuzzylogic... thanks I will entertain that thought....will post again after I have dwelled on the concept. Thanks again

Why do you want to go to Chennai? Except for one interesting museum I didn't think much of Chennai and my husband thought it was the ugliest city he had ever seen! We are staying 2 nights at brunton boatyard in november so will be able to give you more detailed info if you like.

Hi Carrom,

I don't want to go to Chennai but it seems that there are no direct flights Madurai to Bombay. I can tour to Madurai but then, the only way to get back to Bombay is via Chennai .... at this point there are no direct flights that I can find. So, my question was once I finish with the houseboat, did anyone have any suggestions where to go from there. Thanks

hello there.

After traveling thru Kerala u can slowly travel ur way up thru the State of Tamil nadu from Maurai and visting such places as Tanjore, Trichy, Pondicherry, and Mamahalipuram, depending on your time, yur interests and how u route it. So mnay choices and options.

U can travel slowly by land towards Chennai visiting great places In Tamil, and if u do not want to actually visit Chenani, u can consider just transiting thru that city for a flight..

for example, u can stay in Mamallipuram or something and drive to Chennai just for the flite.. I think it is about 2/3 hours?

And yes, a few days in Bombay at the end of the trip is a great idea.. I love that city. Wonderful places to stay, great shopping and superb Food.

Take care, and happy travels and feel free to drop me a mail for info. happy to help. [email protected]