christo

Hi folks,

I am into the planning of a trip to India and Sri Lanka next Jan/Feb, expect about 5 weeks total. I would really appreciate comments on what I have at this point.

I see the trip as 3-4 separate modules but just not sure the best way to integrate:
1. the highlights of the Golden Triangle and Varanasi, Udaipur.
2. a game reserve safari - prefer Bandavgarh and Kanha
3. Kerala
4. Sri Lanka

So far I have received an itinerary from Tribes Travel that combines the tiger Safari with Kerala:

Day 1.Delhi,Indian homestay for the night. Saubagh B&B
Day 2 flight to Jabalpur, departing at 6:10AM arrive Jabalpur at 8:20AM, drive to Bandhavgarh, Nature Heritage Resort
Day 3 Bandhavgarh, Nature Heritage Resort
Day 4 Bandhavgarh, Nature Heritage Resort
Day 5 Morning game safari, drive to lodge at Kanha, Kanha Earth Lodge
Day 6 Kanha, Kanha Earth Lodge
Day 7 Kanha, Kanha Earth Lodge
Day 8 drive to Nagpur, depart Nagpur at 1:40PM for flight to Cochin, drive to Tea Bungalow Hotel
Day 9 tour Cochin, Tea Bungalow Hotel, a traditional Kathakali performance,
Day 10 drive to Alleppey, board Kerala houseboat for overnight though backwaters.
Day 11 disembark houseboat at Mararikulam and drive to your beach resort Marari Beach Resort
Day 12 Marari Beach
Day 13 Marari Beach
Day 14 Marari Beach
Day 15 drive from Mararikulam to Cochin, then fly out (probably to Sri Lanka

Would I be better to spend a few days inland in Kerala instead of the beach days?

Tribes is suggesting that going to Udaipur would be awkward re flights and combining it with the above and the Golden Triangle so I should consider dropping it. Any thoughts here ?

We prefer using a tour company to put together a package and are considering doing the north as a separate module, off the shelf tour with one of the large tour companies such as Pacific Delight or Goway.
For Sri Lanka I have not made much progress yet, don,t have a tour company yet, and would like to know if it is a good place to spend some beach time ?

Any comments would be appreciated, thanks,
Christo

rhkkmk

you might also contact castle and king and see what arvind would put together for you... i really liked him

MarthaC_11

You have five weeks to travel, you can cover India in (3 weeks) and Sri Lanka in (2 weeks). And since you are traveling to Sri Lanka it would be best to do the beach holiday at the last of the trip in Sri Lanka instead of Marari.

We have done more or less similar kind of trip to India in Jan/Feb 2010 for 3 weeks covering most of the destinations you have mentioned above though we did not spend 5 days at Beach. We visited Golden triangle, Varanasi, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Cochin, Periyar, Back water resort and House boat (we spent two nights at cultural destinations), which I thought was enough for us to cover most of the monuments & palaces. You can consult your travel agent to customize an itinerary for you accordingly or may be put an enquiry to two or three different travel agents to have a different plans and decide the final plan accordingly.

If this your first trip to India (which I am not sure), you should not miss the golden triangle.

christo

Thank you.

Yes it is our first trip to India.

I just did contact Castle and King and quickly received a lengthy proposal which I am now trying to digest. I am wondering about prices though because they do not show them. Is there a general guideline for the cost of private tours ie is it hotel cost plus a certain per diem for car and driver ?

MarthaC, were you able to compare the beach areas of Kerala with Sri Lanka ? Also, we do plan to visit the Golden Triangle and this being a popular area would we do better taking an off the shelf type group tour ?

As for train travel in India most itineraries have some and here I am wondering what they are like - are the overnight sleepers private, can they be reserved ?

lcuy

If you book an overnight in 1AC, you'll be in a cabin for two or four people. You will normally be in one that holds four, so if there are two of you, plan to share. You will not know what type you have until about 10 minutes before the train arrives, when they post the reservation charts at the platform. The trains are fairly inexpensive, so I guess you could pay for 4 seats.

thursdaysd

Lots of info on train travel in India, with pix, here: http://seat61.com/India.htm

I'm not convinced that buying all four berths in 1AC would work, if it's even possible. The conductor might decide to move people into the empty berths, always assuming the computer/person doing the allocation didn't split them between compartments. Some routes don't carry 1AC, you'd be in 2AC, which I actually prefer - the travelers are friendlier.

vp_singh

You could do Kanha for it has a better biodiversity as compared to Bandhavgarh. There are some nice properties like the Flame of the Forest or the more expensive Taj Banjar Tola. That will save you time for other destinations.
Very best for your plans!

BlackKite

vp_singh, I think Taj Banjar Tola is located on the Mukki gate of Kanha National Park and doing a game drive from there to Kanha Kisli side is not advisable.

christo

Perhaps of interest to readers, I just received (very promptly) a proposal from Castle and King which is very nearly half the cost of an earlier one !

Now I am trying to decide on the lodges for Kanha and Bandhavgarh and as well a tour of the north where I am seriously considering one of the luxury trains.

Thanks again,
Christo

rhkkmk

christo.... the same thing happened to me... i thought it meant a poor result probably... i labored hard to finds holes in C&K's suggestions and i was unable to find any in comparing their proposal with two others... i went with them and was 110+% pleased

dogster

christo - I've been on the Golden Chariot. It was very early on in my India experience but I loved it. All the trains are good BUT NOT, reputedly, the Palace on Wheels. Go look in tripadvisor. So be aware... the rest are great.

Lordy, they are expen$$ive tho' - but an extremely efficient way to do it... very nice indeed.

vp_singh

Quite right. But the Taj Banjaar Tola has its own charm & exclusivity!

christo

Thanks.
vp_singh, I checked out Banjaar Tola and it looks nice but I will need more money to stay there !

CaliNurse

Christo, can you tell us which agency was almost twice as high as the C and K quote? Was it for same itin and level of accommodation? Congratualtions on getting a great price and itinerary!

BlackKite

Hi christo,

I hope your travel agency has told that the central indian parks will remain close for the evening game drive on every Wednesday.

christo

Hi Again,
Sorry for the delay CaliNurse,re your question on the price I am a little hesitant to broadcast too much but if you look above you can find the answer. Yes it was for a very similar level of service but actually fewer days !

BlackKite, yes I am aware of the Wednesday PM closures but don't know what is offered instead.

I have a question that hopefully members may assist on - that is for the internal flights am I better to book these myself or ask the agency (Castle and King) to do ?