India Itinerary Help
 

I am planning a trip for March 2012 to India. This is our first trip to India. I am traveling with my husband and 11 yr old son. They are very outdoor people and both really want to experience the Himalayan mountains as well as the Golden Triangle. Please supply opinions and advise. Any good drivers to recommend?

Day 1 Arrive Delhi evening
- Hotel Saubhag Bed & Breakfast
Day 2 Drive Delhi to Jaipur (drive 5hrs)
- Samode Haveli or Oberoi Rajvilas
Day 3 Jaipur
- Samode Haveli or Oberoi Rajvilas
Day 4 Jaipur to Agra (drive 5 hrs)
- Oberoi Amarvilas
Day 5 Agra to Delhi
- accomodation?
Day 6 Delhi
- accomodation?
Day 7 Fly Delhi to Darjeeling (1hr flight + 3+hrs drive)
- accomodation?
Day 8 Darjeeling
- accomodation?
Day 9 Darjeeling to Gangtok (3hr drive)
-Netuk House
Day 10 Gangtok
-Netuk House
Day 11 Gangtok - Delhi - Home
It may seem odd that we are not first seeing Delhi; however, if we do it at the beginning of the trip then we go from Agra to Darjeeling which is too much travel time for one day. I am hoping these drive times are at the high end.

Let me recommend that rather than Darjeeling, spend all of your Himalaya time in Sikkim. Take a look at my trip report from Nov/Dec. We found Darjeeling disappointing after the beauty (and cleanliness) of Sikkim. http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...p-to-india.cfm

You would fly into Bagdogra (just as oyu would for Darjeeling) then drive to Gangtok. The drive is more in the 4-5 hour range. Have your hotel arrange a driver for you. If you'd like, you could visit two locations in Sikkim, both Gangtok and Pelling. We highly recommend the Elgin Hotels in both places.

You've got 3 nights at Oberoi hotels if you chose to stay there in Jaipur. You might look into the Oberoi website specials, as they often have multi-night specials. these usually require at least one night in the Delhi hotel, but, and sometimes they'll throw in cooking, massage or Yoga classes.

Oddly, the one Oberoi I passed up was Rajvilas. I stayed at the Samode Haveli in Jaipur. I liked that it was a heritage hotel and inside the old section, wheras Rajvilas is outside the city. But I've loved all the rest. The only one that is not fabulous is the Deli one. It is a very nice hotel, but is just a boring business hotel. Most Oberois have an Alladin's Palace look to them.

I think I will be taking Kathie's advice and changing the trip and staying in Gangtok for 3 days and skipping Darjeeling. This will permit me to add an extra day in Jaipur possibly staying at the Samode Palace out side of Jaipur for a day... any additional thoughts on this?

Kathie.. THANK YOU! That's exactly the type of information I wanted.

Besides the Yak riding near the lake in Gangtok and the Chokhi Dhani I grabbed from your review, is there any other "off the beaten path" activities that an 11yr old boy might like?

i guess you have enough time in agra, but it looks tight to me.

ventoso, I think your son would like the zoo. And I would guess he'd enjoy just walking around in "downtown" Gangtok.

You've chosen one of the two heritage hotels in Gangtok. You might want to take a look at the Norkhill, the other heritage property, just to compare.

I'm glad to suggest Sikkim. I think you'll love it there! Take a look at the photos when you get a chance. It will be a good intro to visiting.

Kathie where is the link to your photos... I would love to see them. Also, if you ever plan a trip to a Turkey or Morocco, I can return the advice...

Here is the link: www.marlandc.com/Sikkim/index.htm

The photos are divided into sections so you can choose which ones to view. The little arrow in the center below the photos will turn on the slide show.

you may have look at Mayfair hotels in Gangtok and Darjeeling

Mayfair Spa & Resort, Gangtok
Mayfair Darjeeling

www.mayfairhotels.com

You can also have a look at: http://www.glenburnteaestate.com/location.html

This would be an ideal place for your husband and son, based out of here you can do so many activities: Fishing, Hiking, Raftingand may be cooking classes can be arranged for you

BlackKite, you obviously haven't read my trip report! lol.

I wanted heritage properties in Sikkim. Mayfair is a sort of faux heritage.

As your son & hubby are outdoors men,I would suggest that you take a look at the Leti 360 Retreat in the Uttarakhand...simply amazing experience. Nothing in the NE ever comes close to a place like this. The retreat situates on the saddle of a hill. You need to walk down & up through a deep gorge to reach, about 45 minutes from the nearest road head. Plenty of hiking country around with 300miles of Himalayan massif north of it. It is expensive!!
Happy travels!

Kathie your pictures are the best I have ever seen of that area. The documentation in images is fantastic. WOW! I have saved your link and plan to review your other trips for future ideas. Really, think about Turkey including Cappadocia - with your photo skills it would be amazing.

I am impressed with the "clean" of Gangtok. A few short walks and visits to some of the monistaries will be fantastic. I would love to take a Yak ride around Tsomgo Lake. It is supposed to be beautiful. Has anyone attempted that?

vp_singh - I looked at 360, wow to be able to afford vacations like that... not in my budget though.

Does anyone know if I should add a day in Agra or add a day for Somode Village?

ventoso, I'm glad you enjoyed our photos and report. It was a fabulous trip. We didn't go to Tsomgo Lake. It's a long-ish drive and at very high altitude - over 12,000 feet - so altitude sickness can be an issue.

Turkey is on my must-visit again list. I've been to Istanbul which I loved, but have the whole rest of the country to explore.

Your pictures really are wonderful. Cappadocia Turkey is awesome. An afternoon easy hike and balloon trip are a must. Stay in a cave hotel!!

I will check into the altitude sickness of Tsomgo Lake. It seemed like a yak ride would be a fun thing to do with my son; but sky sickness would nto be a good thing.