Hi,
I know that I haven't posted often on this site. But it has been a tremendous resource to me in my travels! I was seeking advice on India.

Is this realistic and likely for me to plan a first time trip to India for March of this year, which leaves me about 2 months to do so. . .

Any advice is greatly appreciated. If this seems insane, I will also take any suggestions for other travel destinations in March. I am in Hawaii, and always looking to explore the unknown.

Aloha.

March is kind of at the back end of the November - February tourist season - at least it is for the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Taj Mahal, Rajasthan) - the weather is hot but not REAL hot. If you want to go high end, availability for luxury hotels could be difficult this late in the game. Why don't you contact a local agent such as Compass Tours or another agent recommended on this board and inquire about availability?

Thanks Craig. I have been reading a lot of the posts on the site, and I'll probably make a list of + and - and see where I'm at.

Aloha.

Lahi,

Everyone has there favorite agent probably because there are so many good ones. And, I highly recommend the small company I used (got back Dec.28th)
He was the best and I have been to India 2 other times. He was very efficent, helpful and charged much lower than most. His name is Ablisash and to see more of what I have posted about him do a search of my past posting.
Either way you will be enchanted with India and will leave wanting more.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...ked&fid=27

here is a link

i started planning my mid november trip about 14 months in advance...i found the hotel situation presented a total frustration that far in advance...6 months is better...but everything else is worth an early effort

I would like to be quite positive. March is a festival season in Rajasthan, when the whole state takes on a colourful ambience...Elephant festival in Jaipur, Holika Dahan in Udaipur, Kaila Devi fair in Karauli etc.It is neither very hot nor wet. The mornings & evenings are indeed very pleasant with sun shining bright at noon. There are a number of properties to choose from as the internal tourism is at low key on account of exams in most schools & colleges. March is also a great time to visit the National Parks as it is the mating season for the big cats & their caterwauling can be heard from a distance!
Very best for your plans!!

Hi,
March is warm, without being too hot, in the North. Check out one of the weather sites. Dont try to do too much, as distances are greater than they look on the map.
Choose one part, rather than doing north and south,- a bit like doing Ottawa and Miami in one tour.
Book as early as you can, as hotels would still be fairly busy. Good luck.

Author: impacked
Date: 09/15/2006, 09:50 pm
I have scheduled a 3 week trip with Abliash. I found him through a referral from another message board. At that time I was emailing several other companies. I felt he was the most efficient not to mention a little less in price!

Unfortunately, my mother had a heart attack the day before we were scheduled to depart. We had given him a large deposit and were so relived when he returned my emails offering me kind words. He said he arranged with the hotels and the airlines (the internal flights) to keep everything on hold without a penalty.

That's huge in my book!
Right now my main concern is my Mom but it's good to now when she is better I get a bonus and get to do my India trip.

http://www.indiasinvitation.com/

thank you everyone. you are awesome. i leaning towards taking a tour with Imaginative Traveller . . . but I will definitely look into Ablisash . . .

Thank you everyone. I definitely want to make this trip happen!

i would definitely work on making this trip. FWIW, i went to india in mid-november. our hotels were booked and confirmed in September. so, we had less than 2 months lead-time at the beginning of high season and all worked out well (and we got all hotels we were looking for). booked internal flights about 3 weeks prior to leaving - no problems with flight availability.