Ericka

Hi all,

Please forgive me. quot;> I've broached this subject before, asking if there were any nonstop flights from Delhi to Male. The answer at that time was that Sri Lankan Air was probably the best way to go, with an overnight in Colombo.

However, I now realize that Delhi is a good 4 hour train ride from where we would be staying in Ranthambhore park. Is there a better airport to fly out of than Delhi, where there would not be so much movement in the wrong direction?

What about Jaipur? Any good flights to Male from there? It doesn't look like Sri Lankan air flies out of there, though. I have no idea where the airports are in India.

JamesA

I doubt you will find anything from Jaipur at all, you really need to look at Sri Lankan via Mumbai or Delhi to Colombo and a flight change there. Although geographicaly close there is not so much traffic between Maldives and India as you might expect, Sri Lankan has the majority of flights in and out of Maldives.

Ericka

Wow. India is a tough place to get around. Mumbai is so far - a train ride from Ranthambhore to Mumbai would be horrendous.

Going back to Delhi would cost us another 4+ hours unless we feel like splurging on the $6000 one-way helicopter transfer. NOT!

Well, these are good things to know. Thanks JamesA. Lots to think about.

hobbes

Yes, India does not have airports in many lartge cities...the Ranthambore-Delhi train is quite a convenient one and the scenery en route quite interesting. From Delhi also look at Indian Airlines and Air India flights - they may have good connections to the Maldives.

steven_ber

Ericka

India might not be for you, you seem to be in such a hurry.

A train ride from Sawai Madhoppur (for Ranthambhore) to Mumbai would be a great experience (if you want to 'experience' India).

Where else are you going?

There are flights to Mumbai from Udaipur and Jaipur, from Mumbai (or Delhi) you can get a flight to Trivandrum, then a flight to Male.

nks267

The best option would be to get to Trivandrum by Air from either Delhi or Mumbai. From Trivandrum, Indian Airlines has a direct flight to Male.

Ericka

We are trying to tack a few days in India onto a Maldives trip but we would prefer not to take more than 2 weeks vacation due to work considerations. Here's what we hope to accomplish:

- 4 nights Aman-i-Khas (including a day trip to Taj Mahal w/Aman escort)

- 4 nights FS Maldives

- 3 nights FS Island Explorer

While we would love to experience more of India, our time is short.

How long would the train to Mumbai be? We cannot take Sri Lankan Air then, correct?

If we flew south, it sounds like we would need to allow for the 3 hour drive to Jaipur, then two Indian Air flights.

-----------------------

Our other option is to skip India altogether and go to one of the Amans in Sri Lanka before our Maldives trip.

Cicerone

Getting to the interior of India from the Maldives is difficult no matter how you slice it, you generally have to change planes at least once to get anywhere into the interior of the country which is of course huge. Also, going to a culturally and geographically diverse country like India as an "add on" to the Maldives is like going to the US as an "add on" to a vacation in the Caribbean, where you do start and what do you choose? I would not attempt it with only 2 weeks, India is a destination in itself and deserves to be seen a better pace and at the best time of year; you don't mention what time of year you are going but IMO you don't want to be going to Agra (Taj) and Ranthambore in the late spring or summer months. It is extremely hot and humid and/or the monsoon is breaking which means rain and flooding. I would do India as a separate trip in the winter months.

The Taj Mahal as only a day trip is a complete waste of a trip, IMO. You have to see it at sunrise and sunset to really see it at is most beautiful. There is a fantastic Oberoi hotel right at the Taj, don't just be swayed by the Amans, wonderful as they are.

The Maldives are stunning in themselves and you can really relax there for 2 weeks, if you can get to Sri Lanka for part of the 2 weeks that is a nice trip as well, you can then get into the interior highlands and get a completely different flavor and see some wildlife, tea plantations, different climate, etc. I think the Maldives and Sri Lanka make a good combination.

Ericka

Yep - all very logical, Cicerone. Sri Lanka is definitely easier.

As for the Taj Mahal, I am familiar with the Oberoi. It sounds divine. But I don't think my husband would want to spend much time in Agra. Also, if we did the Taj Mahal as a day trip, we would have an Aman escort the entire time which we would appreciate.

Thanks everyone for your continued feedback on this.

welltraveledbrit

Erika,
Having spent some time in India recently I have to say I think Cicerone is giving you excellent advice. It sounds as if the hotel is really the destination, rather than India per se.

As you can see in various post on India alot of people find this a challenging destination and certainly it takes at least a couple of days to adjust.

When I saw this post initially I had a visceral response which was that I couldn't believe you felt four hours seemed like alot of time for a transfer in India. India is a place where you need to take your time, for me 4 days would not be enough to justify such a large detour.

With Sri Lanka you you have a more direct route, fewer connecting flights, which means less chance of delays and you could check off some more Aman's off your list

Ericka

Admittedly, the Maldives would really be the destination for this trip. And yes, we are trying to throw an Aman into the mix while we are "in the area".

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to get my husband to agree to a trip to India as a stand-alone destination. A part of me wonders if this will be our only chance to see the Taj Mahal, perhaps some tigers and experience the divine food.

We've got a lot to think about. Thanks very much for the assistance.