I am currently planning a tri to India in December. I was thinking of spending 2 nights in Delhi (Oberoi ?), 2 nights in Agra (Sheraton ?) and 5 nights in Jaipur (Rajvilas). Does this itinerary make sense ? Any suggestions re. hotels ? Should we travel between cities by car / train / plane ? <BR> <BR>Also - we would like to visit a wildlife park (ideally to see tigers). What is the best one along our route - and should we overnight there or do it as a day trip ? <BR> <BR>Many thanks in advance ! <BR> <BR>Anna

Anna, <BR> <BR>I did Agra for one night and a day tour of Dehli the next day on the way back from Nepal in Nov. I think your Dehli/Agra trip makes sense. I stayed at the Sheraton in Agra...very nice. <BR> <BR>We had a private driver between Delhi and Agra...the scariest part of any trip I've been on! Too many modes of different transportation at different speeds makes for a stressful trip. I heard the train may be better if you have time.

Anna - if you start early enough the Taj,Fateh Sikri etc can be done in a day . There are plenty of decent hotels between Agra and Jaipur. Agra itself is filthy and worth avoiding. You may want to even go back to Delhi that night and then go to Jaipur/Ranthambore from Delhi. For tiger insist on going to Ranthambore. Ranthambore is between Agra and Jaipur. Some tour agents will try to talk you out of it and tell you to go to others(I think they try to talk you into places that they make more money off) - don't listen to them Ranthambore is the best one to go to. Its an overnight trip but try to do an evening safari on the day you arrive there. You can save yourself staying there the following night and leave after an early morning safari the following day. The more safaris you go on the more likely you are to catch a tiger. The safaris are cheap - a few US $ but the accomodations are expensive($250/night.) Hire a driver to take you around . Insist on a/c and try to go with the largest vehicle(the 4 door SUVS are good) you can afford because their vehicles are small. Planes aren't worth it. The drives between the place you are going to are 7 hours at most. Try to go shopping on your own - wherever your driver takes you to is going to be expensive and he will be getting a tip from any purchases you make. Try to go to the market areas where the locals shop. You will save lots of money. And unlike what you may think you can get great deals at the little stalls at all the monuments instead of going to tourist conglomerate shops in the towns. Do not shop at the store near the major palace/fort in Jaipur- its a major ripoff. 5 nights in Jaipur is probably too much - you may want to go to Udaipur(stay at the Lake Palace Hotel($$$)) and stay a night there but thats another 6 hour drive which will mean you will need a full day to travel back to Delhi. Delhi is actually worth only a day for sight seeing. Oberoi has a good rep. The Radisson looked good . We stayed at Hans Plaza which was okay - clean and western but the staff has an attitude problem. Make sure you stay in 5 star hotels if you want western facilities. The Indian rating system is nothing like a western rating system so do not expect a 5 star facility - a five star Indian hotel could very well be equivalent to a moderate western hotel. Check your days for major holidays in India - it will disrupt your vacation big time because you will lose the whole day if its a national holiday. Do not go to the Taj on a Friday - its free admission day and therefore very busy with natives and you are only saving yourself $10.

Many thanks for your very helpful replies !

I took a similar trip about 2 years ago. 2 days in Delhi will be packed if you try to see all the sights. I would suggest hiring a guide to show you around (they'll have a car). Delhi is hard to navigate on foot. <BR> <BR>2 nights in Agra might be too much unless you are planning a side trip to Fatipur Sikri (a well preserved city that was abondoned. Agra is a tough stay for nightlight. They have power outages - our power went out at least 3 times during dinner. It was so dark I could not see my husband across the table. <BR> <BR>Jaipur was my favorite city. Lot's of shopping. I found linens, jewlery and had a few custom outfits made there. As for the sites in Jaipur, we spent 2 days there and got in most of the major sites. The Jain Garden was a very peaceful, out of the way place. <BR> <BR>There is a wildlife park on the foad back from Jaipur, but you would need to schedule an overnight. While on the map the cities look like they are a short distance from each other (40-60 miles) the roads are terrible, the cars don't drive much above 40 MPH (that's top speed) and shipping trucks dominate the road (they run you off the road regularly). <BR> <BR>The trip you are planning you could not do by flying alone, you would still need to drive to most destinations. Trains are not the luxury they once were in India (I'll leave it at that). But driving seems to work since you typically get a guide that drives the whole trip for you, shows you the sites, drops you at shopping places, recommends places to eat, and even hotels along the way. We used a wonderful guy that I would recommend: Sushil Sharma at INDIAN TRAVEL CENTRE. His e-mail: [email protected] <BR>

Anna - Agra/ Delhi are each one day outings...the tourist circuit is pretty well defined in these places.....just keep away from the fly-by-night operators and go with the known ones....ITC Travel/ Sita/ Indtravels etc. <BR> <BR>Rajasthan as a whole is the best place to spend time - forts/ bazaars/ dances/ food....all set in an bygone era....if you have the time and money do a week long trip on the Palace on Wheels - you cover all the highpoints of Rajasthan and travel like a Maharajah. Check out <BR>http://www.palaceonwheels.net/