Itenerary Help
 

So after posting a few times I have decided I must see south India. I get into mumbai on march 1st. I figure I will spend a few days here. Do the dhavari slum tour and see all mumbai has to offer. Then I want to head south to Kochin via a few other cities to break up the train ride. Any suggestions. I am thinking Mumbai-Pune for a day. I am not a huge beach person but if somone knows an easily accessible small town in Goa please let me know so i can spend 1-2 days here. I have done the ibiza and phuket thing and its not for me anymore. Then I figure I will head to mangalore (is it worth it or should i just take the long train???). Then to kochin for 5 days. Is 5 days to long in kochin??? I am then thinking of heading over to Ooty, Bangalore, hyderbad then a train to Khana to hopefully see a tiger. How long do you think I need in these cities??? After Khana I plan on heading to Darjelling and spending some time relaxing and hiking. I then want to go to varanasi and off to do the whole japiur, jodhpur, udaipr, jaisalamer. Any suggestions on routes doing this from Varanasi. I know its going to be a lot but I really want to get these in. Finally I want to end the trip in Amritsar, Dharmasala and Manali. Is this itenarary to ambitious for 2.5 months???

I've been to Cochin three times. It's a great place to chill since there isn't much in the way of vehicle traffic in the fort area. 5 days would be too much for many people but I could probably do it.

If your in the area you really do need to check out the backwaters. Allepey is the ideal spot to depart on an overnight houseboat.

Bangalore & Hyderabad are big cities. Do you like big Indian cities? Bangalore is a great place to shop and check out modern hipster life in India, but the traffic can be really annoying. There are plenty of other sites to see in Karnataka. Sravanabelagola, Belur, Hampi, Halebidu, Mysore, to name a few.

Heading from Varanasi by train you could connect to Rajasthan via Delhi or Agra (Taj Mahal). Try some searches on my website www.indiagroove.com. Considering you want to visit Amritsar, Dharmsala I'd probably do Varanasi > Agra > Rajasthan. Then head to Amritsar via Delhi or Jaipur.

Are you planning to travel exclusively by train? Any flying?

I want to do mostly train travel. Is this ok? I have never been to india. I would prefer small towns to big cities to get a taste of real indian life. However, as with most places a lot of cultural life now takes place in cities. Any suggestions for small towns instead of big cities is appreciated. I was going to for sure do a backwaters tour. Any feelings on the sunderbans??? I think that would be amazing, not sure if I can fit it into my itenerary. I am open to suggetsions. I fly out fo delhi so i want to avoid that unless it is necessary for a connection.

The trains will get you just about anywhere in India. Though your schedule is pretty ambitious considering you'll pretty much be doing a circumnavigation of the entire subcontinent (or at lease it will feel like it).

Not something to worry too much about as long as you're flexible to change your schedule once you get there.

By all means, go so some small towns if you can. Small rural villages are totally different, cleaner, quieter, calming.

After stopping in Mumbai, Pune & Bangalore you might be tempted to skip Hyderabad unless it's on to another destination. If you do make it to Bangalore check out http://www.nrityagram.org/ this dance academy is on the outskirts of bangalore. The dancers are world class and worth visiting even if they're just rehearsing.

Have never been to the Sunderbans so can't help you there.

One common misunderstanding for India newbies is just how long it takes to get from point A to B. . The shortest train from Mumbai to Cochin is 25 hours. Hyderabad > Varanasi is over 30 hours. The most efficient way to travel by train is overnight journeys. Sleeper cars are basic but pretty comfortable in my opinion. They'll save you the price of a hotel room and no daylight hours are burned. It's the 24hr marathon trains that you'll want to keep to a minimum.

Goa is worth a couple of days for sure but can't really recommend a city for you. We'll be moving there in a few months so I'll have better information then ;)

Do a little research on Hampi, You might want to include this world heritage site in your schedule.

I'm not sure what your budget is but the overnight houseboats run anywhere from $75 - $150 per night. If you're looking to save money, AND find a quieter area to stay it wouldn't be a bad idea to plan a couple of days in Allepey. Take a backwater day trip in the backwaters for a fraction of the price. The boats used are much smaller motorless canoe types that can go into less traveled areas.

Varanasi is different than most cities in India. It's big but the old city is small and wonderful on foot, not to be missed. I'd recommend at least five days there.

Indian trains are fine in the AC classes. Take a look at seat61.com for lots of info on Indian trains, including photos and links to the time tables and ticket agencies.

I did a 10 week trip around India mostly by train, you can read my trip reports at www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001. On your way south I would recommend stopping in Mysore. For Goa, take a look at Panaji, you can visit Old Goa from there, and arrange visits to spice plantations, temples and a waterfall.

On your way up to Darjeeling consider stopping in Kurseong, and then taking the "toy" train the rest of the way.

wow what a wonderful site and great trips thursdaysd! I am soooo jealous =)

Not sure if you already went to India. AC trains are one of the best way to travel and see the country. I would recommend that if you are travelling from Mumbai to Kochin, and you don't have a list of specific cities to visit, then pick a train (Rajdhani or something) and visit the major cities along its way.

Mumbai, Belgaum, Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Kochin are a few cities along the western coast of India. Instead of spending a whole week in Kochin, I would spend a few days in the backwaters fo Kerela, that will be time and money worth spent. Also, Kerela has coffee and rubber plantations that are worth driving past.