How strenuous is India?
May 10th, 2005, 07:41 AM
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How strenuous is India?
My husband & I have signed up for a tour of India with Grand Circle Tours. He had a knee injury last June and now walks unassisted most of the time. At times he uses a cane. The tour is mainly in Rajasthan plus Bombay. Will there be a lot of rough terrain and hills and steps to navigate on a tour such as this? The man with GCT assured me that my husband will be O.K. on this tour. Any opinions? My husband does not want to do much walking now.
May 10th, 2005, 08:04 AM
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Touring in India can be "strenuous" if you:
1) try to cover too much ground in too little time
2) visit during the hot or monsoon seasons between April and October
The most strenuous thing we did on our private tour last February was climbing a minaret at the Jami Masjid Mosque in Delhi. Although it provided us with a great view of the city, it is something your husband could skip if he were not up to it. Other than that, I really don't recall a lot of hills and steps. We did not go to Bombay.
1) try to cover too much ground in too little time
2) visit during the hot or monsoon seasons between April and October
The most strenuous thing we did on our private tour last February was climbing a minaret at the Jami Masjid Mosque in Delhi. Although it provided us with a great view of the city, it is something your husband could skip if he were not up to it. Other than that, I really don't recall a lot of hills and steps. We did not go to Bombay.
May 10th, 2005, 08:29 AM
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Thank you for responding, Craig. I was hoping to hear from you. We are scheduled to tour in November. It is our thinking that my husband can just decline parts of the tour that he thinks would be too difficult. Your statements are encouraging!
May 10th, 2005, 08:50 PM
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I am a little incapacitated by two bung knees, a crook neck and back and I managed around OK. Travel light! The stairs to the station platforms can be a trouble but I just do what I can and if I am unable to do certain things I just hit the shops! India is unmissable, remarkable & unforgettable. Have a magic trip!
May 11th, 2005, 03:07 AM
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I agree that he should not have an issue. He can easily decline any climbing which may be necessary, as this is mostly to get views rather than actual access to a site. The only exception I can think of off the top of my head is that in Delhi, the Friday Mosque requires that you climb a large flight of steps to gain access. I assume you will be taking the elephant ride up to the Amber Fort in Jaipur, so that hill should not be an issue.
The only other thing he might find is that the size of some sites may be daunting, like the Red Fort in Delhi, the City Palace in Jaipur or Fatephur Sikri outside Agra. The Red Fort has virtually no stairs, but is quite spread out and it is a longish walk into the fort area from the parking lot. At any of these, he would be able to rest from time to time, so this should not be an issue, but is something to bear in mind in terms of overall fatigue from a day of sightseeing, and/or planning what in particular you want to see at a site, e.g. the City Palace which has seemingly endless exhibition rooms. I would get a good guidebook as this may help you rule out what you don’t want to bother with seeing at a large site. Insight Guides are generally good, and may have maps of sites.
The only other thing he might find is that the size of some sites may be daunting, like the Red Fort in Delhi, the City Palace in Jaipur or Fatephur Sikri outside Agra. The Red Fort has virtually no stairs, but is quite spread out and it is a longish walk into the fort area from the parking lot. At any of these, he would be able to rest from time to time, so this should not be an issue, but is something to bear in mind in terms of overall fatigue from a day of sightseeing, and/or planning what in particular you want to see at a site, e.g. the City Palace which has seemingly endless exhibition rooms. I would get a good guidebook as this may help you rule out what you don’t want to bother with seeing at a large site. Insight Guides are generally good, and may have maps of sites.
