Tere

Hello

I am thinking of travelling to North India at the end of the year for the 1st time. I will travel solo and don't know which itinerary to choose.

Itinerary A - Flight - 1 night. Delhi - 1 night. Agra - 2 nights. Jaipur
- 2 nights. Kuchaman Fort - 2 nights. Delhi - 1 night.

Itinerary B - Flight - 1 night. Delhi - 1 night. Agra - 2 nights. Ranthambore - 2 nights. Jaipur - 2 nights. Delhi - 1 night.

I will be travelling from London. I have been to Goa and Kerala already but I don't have much time to do a bigger trip now. Which itinerary is more interesting? The one with Ranthambore or the one with Kuchaman?

Thanks in advance for your help

Teresa

DelhiBelly

hi this one is very interesting
Itinerary B - Flight - 1 night. Delhi - 1 night. Agra - 2 nights. Ranthambore - 2 nights. Jaipur - 2 nights. Delhi - 1 night.

rhkkmk

you have not allowed any time, within india, for travel....from delhi to agra takes most of a day by car and the same for agra to jaipur... one nite and 2 1/2 days is plenty for agra, imo... jaipur offers lots of places to visit....add at least one more day...

i don't now kuchaman fort?? can it be skipped

i like plan 1

dogster

I particularly like thse reviews of Kuchaman Fort from Tripadvisor.

<i>'...remotely scattered rooms, no room service, no intercoms, children crying for milk / adults for bed tea, not hot water / sometimes even cold, food finished before you reach dining area, no butter for bread - butter comes only when breads are chilled in cold, fights during new year bash, parking one KM below fort - to make sure you can not run from this place, unduely expensive, worst possible services, zero menu sense - had paneer with patta gobhi, full of oil food, only junk food in breakfast, no one to listen, calling head office in delhi / gurgaon cuts no ice, three hour wait for tea, 2.5 hours for hot water bucket.

BEING IN TRAVELL INDUSTRY I HAVE SEEN THINGS GO WRONG QUITE OFTEN, BUT THESE GUYS WERE ABLE TO MANAGE ALL POSSIBLE THIS GO WRONG AT ONCE.</i>'


<i>'Most rooms are basic and clean. Each has an en-suite, but unfortunately the plumbing is unreliable. No hot water when needed or water so hot it would peel your skin. Our toilet didn't work, but there was a showerhead next to it which was handy for flushing. Our views were spectacular from the terrace but some people were facing walls or didn't even have a window except in the bathroom. The food was poor, service unpredictable and drink very expensive. The swimming pool is in a cavernous, dungeonlike room, but enter those murky waters at your own peril.

This hotel promised so much and how disappointing! Debit or credit cards are not accepted so all transactions have to be in cash. People with disabilities should not visit. There are many steep hills and stairs are deep and precipitious.
The views are spectacular though, but holidays are made up of so much more. May I respectfully suggest the owners employ a management that knows how to run a hotel and not expect tourists to pay out silly prices for inferior service and food.</i>


Who on earth is advising you? lol. Some of the other reviews are fine. Go look.

lcuy

Plan B.

Tere

Thanks for your replies. Dogster, no one is advising me, these are 2 tours from a good UK travel agency, Voyages Jules Verne, which belongs to Kuoni.

I would like to build the tour myself but if I am travelling solo, I prefer to go on a tour. If you can suggest me other travel agencies with good tours , I would appreciate it.

thursdaysd

I thought those read like tours! You really can travel solo successfully in India, I've done it, and so have many others. When you say you want a tour, do you mean a group tour, or just that you want someone else to handle your transport and hotel bookings, and provide a car and driver? If you want the second, it will be cheaper to book with an Indian agency or driver, and people here can make recommendations.

dogster

Ahhh, Les Voyages... I know them well. Ok. Gotcha. I'm a solo traveler too and well understand your feeling that you need a tour. Of course, you don't - but right now, I guess that's what you want.

Just to see where I'm coming from, go here:
http://thedogster.wordpress.com

There are about 85 million tour companies who do this standard Golden Triangle shlep. It's bog-ordinary, you'll be treated like every tourist in the world, see the same things, take the same pictures, be forced into grotesque tipping and lousy food. The thing that tipped me into red alert was the mention of Kuchaman Fort. NO travel company should be offering reccos on a place like that [although, I found it rather intriguing. lol.]

Is this the tour?
http://www.vjv.co.uk/destinations/in...ger/index.html

I couldn't find the other one.

dogster

I see its a max group of 25. Well, that's your preference, I guess. I think I'd have to kill myself after about one day. But you are you, and I am me. So you may as well stay with VYV so your fellow guests think as you do. If you want to get up at dawn and see animals, do Ranthambore. If you want to see a bit of rural India, do the other one.

Tere

Thanks for your answers.

Yes dogster , I guess I'm one of those persons with many doubts and questions on travelling on my own and on what to do with my trip to North India, just like you were, from this post here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...great-trip.cfm

Adding to the fact that I am a woman, so I am a bit nervous about the trip to India alone.... I also thought about booking the luxury trains, but I thought I would see nothing if I went on one of those tours... never asked it here though...

I'm glad my post made you laugh! And thankS!!!!

dogster

lol We-e-el, funnily enough, I was gonna suggest a luxury train trip.

The report I wrote way way back was badly written, but summed up the experience. Actually, I saw more on that lux train trip than on most of my other experiences. Now, many trips later, freed of my India fears [just like you] I just turn up and make things up as I go.

The Palace on Wheels gets lousy reviews. Crap touring and endless shopping 'opportunities' Don't do that one. All the rest are good. Expensive but good. I'd rethink. Those single suppliments are a killer but there's not much choice.

I'd go on the Golden Chariot and Deccan Odyssey again in a heartbeat. I really liked it. You will see MORE, not less. Lemme know if you're likely tpo rethink. I'll babble on more about the train if you want.

Thursday is right - if you can just move past the fear [and, I know, it's real] your options are expanded big time. Being a woman may be an issue - but, as I haven't been a woman for a while now, best you let others calm your fears.

I don't know anything about you - how much $$ you want to spend. Everything revolves around that. As in everything - you get what you pay for.

Having lived thru that first time India fear and come out the other side, I can tell you most assuredly that the only thing to fear is fear itself. So, if you are up to a rethink, you'll get lots of help here.

I'm trying to think of some cool options that give you the security you need, but don't totally stick you in a busload of others, shlepping round the sights. Let me know if you want some other suggestions.

go back to that luxury train site, just for fun -
http://theluxurytrains.com/en/india/

thursdaysd

Unlike dogster, I've been a woman from before I can remember... I traveled in India solo - 10 weeks almost all by rail - and in fact it was my first big solo expedition. So I would encourage you to at least consider going solo, even if you do it with a car and driver.

However, if you decide on a tour and you're willing to look more on the budget end, you could consider Intrepid Travel, with a max group size of 12 - see http://tinyurl.com/yzxhfgb for a TR. Peregrine, Adventures Abroad, Exodus etc. etc. all take smaller groups. No way would I want to swan around India with a group of 25.

indianapearl

India is a very safe place to travel. The crime rate is much lower than you might imagine. Anthony Bourdain said that he's been asked for money many times in India, but no one has ever taken it from him. Not so in many parts of the world, including Europe. Make your trip plans on the basis of whom you'd like to spend time with, not who'll protect you from whatever you might fear.

thursdaysd

Hmmm, new poster - five posts - one for a hotel and four for this "Kingdom of Dreams" - wouldn't be a travel agent, would you, ajay? KoD probably a place I'd run away from... meanwhile we'll see what the editors think.

vp_singh

I guess you would do well to leave out Kuchaman Fort. There are some positives about it, though: the dramatic approach to the fort, which can be done only in a 4wd! The views, no doubt, are great! The mirror palace within is breathtaking.The rooms are simply furnished & the food was'nt much to write about, when I last stayed here in 2007.
You shall be perfectly safe travelling alone in India...all you need to do is to exacerbate your British reserve!!
Ranthambhore shall be fine. For overnight I guess the Sherbagh luxury tents are truely wonderful...great meals, excellant service. Khem Villas too is very nice but you will have vegetarian fare here.
You should be doing more of Rajasthan from the point of view of the Raj connection & there are a whole lot of destinations / monuments described in the old classics of the nineteenth century.
Happy travels!

Tere

Thanks for your answers. I decided to book with a reputable TA in India and my itinerary will be as follows:

1 night Deli ( Hotel Amber)
1 night Mandawa ( Desert Resort)
1 night Bikaner (Gajner Palace Hotel)
2 nights Luni ( Fort Chanwa)
1 night Chhatar Sagar Tents
2 nights Jaipur ( Samode Haveli)
1 night Agra ( ITC Mughal)
1 night Delhi ( Hotel Amber)

I decided for Rajasthan and a friend is also joining me. I'm not interested in visiting Delhi.

vp_singh

The Bikaner fort is being redone & it may be worth it when it is complete. You could easily leave out Mandawa, as well, and take Samode Palace. The private audience hall has some delectable frescoes, 250 yrs vintage, one of the best in entire Rajasthan.
What about Udaipur???

Tere

Udaipur is very far and required more days on this trip, and I haven't got the time for more days.

I think Samode is closer to Jaipur so it would not be an option to change Mandawa for Samode after leaving Delhi. When putting up this itinerary I tried not to rush too much and I personally chose my accomodation.

dogster

Well, I'll be really interested in your trip report tere. There are a few places on your list I'd love to know more about. I like the itinerary. You're being super smart and staying in one small area [even tho' it isn't small at all] so if it seems like you're moving round a lot, I reckon they are easy transits.

I'm off to look up your choices. I'm glad everything is the way you want it.

Tere

Thanks for your comments Dogster. I'm glad you think my plan is good. That's exactly what I tried to do, staying in one smaller area, but trying to cover the best parts of it.

I would love to go to Udaipur but it would be too rushed.. I will leave it to another trip, along with Varanasi, which is also in my "must go" list.

I will surely post a trip report on my return!!

Thanks

Teresa