Golden traingle iternary + Ranthambore Nat'l Park
 

I would like some suggestions on a tour I am planning in Feb 2005. We (me, my husband and our 1 year & 3 year old boys) wanted to visit the Golden traingle + Ranthambore Nat'l Park if possible. Would 5 days be enough for the Golden traingle ?? I am also worried about travelling with the boys. We are planning to stay at Taj hotels in all places. Any suggestins are welcome. Thanks !!!!!!!

Better get moving - things are selling out quickly, especially the better hotels. If by the golden triangle you mean Delhi - Agra - Jaipur, then 5 days is probably not enough time. Assuming you start in Delhi then head to Agra continuing to Jaipur via Fatephur Sikri, then on to Ranthambore and return to Delhi, you will use up 2-1/2 days in travel time alone. Personally, I would not do this trip with your young ones. Traveling with 1 and a 3-year olds is challeging even in developed countries. I couldn't imagine doing it in India.

I have to agree..I could not imagine travelling to India with young ones..We barely managed ourselves at times..Although, we were not in 4 star hotels..I think it would be a bit much for a 1 and 3 year old. Perhaps if they were a little older..

5 days is tight for the Golden Triangle but doable. Would suggest 2 days in Delhi, 1 in Agra and 2 in Jaipur. The Taj hotels in Delhi and Jaipur (choice of many, actually so do not know which one you are planing - the most upmarket is the Rambagh)are great. Ranthambore IMO the best safri experience is Sher Bagh www.sherbagh.com but with 2 youngsters you may be better off in a hotel room! The Taj Sawi Madhopur lodge is nice. Please book your jeep safaris immediately as they are given out 60 days in advance and you will otherwise have to see the wildlife park in the larger canter bus which is not as good as the jeep.

I am a huge fan of India and a frequent poster on India on this board, but I have to concur with the others that it is not the ideal place for a vacation with very young children. In the first place, they are so young they will not remember it. In the second, there is little that would interest young children in terms of zoos, water parks or other activities for young children. (I believe you may not be able to take children that young on jeep safari rides in Ranthambore, as the jeeps are totally open, there are no seatbelts or children?s seats and the rides are quite bumpy over dirt roads and require you to hang on at some points.) Third, India is not the easiest travelling in the world and navigating Indian traffic, its transport system and the general tourist infrastructure will be more difficult with young children (there is no stroller access at most sights and many require climbing stairs, and there is an actual lack of sidewalks in many places.) While I have had very few health problems in India, stomach upsets are very common and of course of more concern in young children because of the risks of dehydration etc. Outside of large cites like Delhi and Mumbai, the health care system is extremely basic, and of course sanitation and air pollution are a concern as well as children have more intense reactions to these things. Finally, having travelled in India with older children, assuming your children are not Indian they will be an enormous source of curiosity to Indians, and your children may find this frightening and upsetting. The infant will particularly be a source of constant questioning and peopling stopping you on the street and at sights to ask questions and look at the baby. All of this will be done in the most polite and well-intentioned manner, but I have found that even older children get annoyed after a while at being a constant source of attention. Young children who are not used to strangers approaching them may not like it at all.

As noted above, 5 days in extremely short for the Golden Triangle area even for adults, unless you focus on two places at most. You would want at least 2 full days at Ranthambore for example, and getting there and back will take time. The drive from Jaipur is 3 hours, the train from Delhi is about 6 hours, so you can begin to see why 5 days in this area is not enough. Also, I see from you other posts that you would be coming from Chicago. The jet lag will be very severe for the children and it will take up to a week for them to adjust. They will want to sleep all day and will be up at night. This will slow you down in terms of how much you can do. I can?t understand from your post if your whole trip is only 5 days or if you will be in other areas of India for a longer time. IMO coming to India for less than 2 weeks from the US is not worth the flight time and cost.

There are many places in Asia that would be better for young children. Thailand would be a very good place, as would Singapore and Hong Kong. All have excellent weather in February and offer many more activities for young children.