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Itinerary advice for 2month trip in Sept 2013

Itinerary advice for 2month trip in Sept 2013

Old May 4th, 2013, 06:06 PM
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Itinerary advice for 2month trip in Sept 2013

My partner and I will be travelling to India for the first time for 2 months from the beginning of September 2013. We will be on a tight budget, travelling by train/bus when possible. We are mainly interested in nature but wish to experience some cities and see some temples.
We will start in UTTARAKHAND as want to do the Valley of flowers trek while there are flowers.
So far this is our itinerary:
Delhi- Rishikesh by bus (3days)
Rishikesh-Joshimath (we are thinking of staying in Joshimath Govindghat area for about a week or more for trekking )
From there we will either be travelling to Agra (Taj Mahal) and on to Rajasthan or
Possibly continuing to HIMACHEL PRADESH our end destination being Spiti and on to Rajastan .
In Rajastan we wish to visit Jaisalmer, Jodpur, (maybe Pushkar) and Udaipur
From Rajasthan we want to fly to Thiruvananthapuram, KERELA. After travelling North we wish to fly
From either Kochi or Kozhikode to Delhi and if we still haven’t been to Agra do a day trip to Taj Mahal and then fly home.

We are leaving our itinerary open as wish to decide on the spot how long to stay in each place.
We would rather see fewer places than have a hectic schedule.
I would really be grateful for advice on the best route to take from place to place. As well as suggestions of places to visit.
Is it OK to leave our itinerary open or do we need to make bookings for travel (busses, trains, flight) and accommodation before hand.
Uttarakhand and Kerela are the two states I really wish to visit. The Ellora and Ajanta caves sound amazing but can’t see how to fit them into this itinerary.
Will it be too much to include Uttar Pradesh in this trip?
Your advice will truly be appreciated.
rutb393 is offline  
Old May 5th, 2013, 10:44 PM
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Book train in advance.its get full often.
Must have one night in Agra to see taj at sunrise time.the best time.
Uttarakhand is awesome.
I was there last September.
Jaipur need to to added
kaimurholidays is offline  
Old May 14th, 2013, 12:16 AM
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Hi Rutb393

Welcome to India a land of diversity. Right from snow pick mountain, desert, pleasant sea beach as well as wild life a rare combination in the world. I am trying to help for your comfortable stay in India

1 Delhi to Hardwar.
2 Hardwar to Vally of flowers( as u r interested for temples, then why not Kedar & Badri, Nearer to this)
3 Back to Haridwar
4. Hardwar to Shimla ( 6hrs journey)
5.Shimla to Spiti on the way you should break 2/3 spots.
6.If weather permits reach Manali through Rotang pass or back to Shimla.( From Manali to Amritsar and then to Chandigarh)
7 Shima to Chandigarh or you can go directly to Jaisalmir, But it will be a hectic journey.
8 Jaisalmir to Jodhpur
9. Jodhpur to Udaipur
10. Udaipur to Jaipur via Puskar & Ajmer sharif
11. Jaipur to Agra
12. Agra to Delhi.
13. Delhi to Aurangabad for Ajantha & Ellora
14 Aurangabad to Pune for Goa.
15 Goa to Mumabi & rtn to your sweet home

I don't know why you are interested for Kerala? The places you have already covered I feel after this no need to go to Kerala. Even then you are interested , I shall help. Better to think for Kashmir Vally. If you Include them route will be little different.
Thanks & regards
knightriders1950 is offline  
Old May 15th, 2013, 10:00 PM
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At first glance your itinerary seems ok. Instead of Haridwar stay at Rishikesh. The Parmarth Ashram offers basic rooms at low price. Don't miss the Beatles dwelling place at the end of the ghats, turn left 50 yrds,bang the iron gate, place Rs. 20 on the palm of the chowkidar and he will allow you in.
Your next stop should be Joshimath, where you have cheap hotels and some great views of the Greater Himalayas. From Joshimath go to Govind Dham and trek to Govind Ghat, about 10miles of energy sapping hike, you do have ponies but quite expensive. There is a KMVN hotel in Govind Ghat. The trek to valley of flowers begins from here.
From Shimla, you can take the upper road through Sangla, Tabo, Kalpa, crossing the Kunzum pass on way to Manali. But be careful, I won't trust the weather god post mid September...there could be deep trouble if it snows early!
From Gramphoo make your way to Manali and further on to Dharamsala and eventually into the plains.
In the Himalayas the gen is to start early.
Happy & safe travels!
vp_singh is offline  
Old May 16th, 2013, 12:03 AM
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Hi, September is a good time to visit Rajasthan and South India as it will be cooler. Your possible itinerary could be:

Delhi - Haridwar - Rishikesh - Joshimath - Spiti - Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Ajmer/Pushkar - Jodhpur - Jaiselmer - Udaipur - Mumbai - Aurangabad (Ajanta & Ellora) - Kerala. If you havent booked your return tickets, you can consider flying out from Kerela instead of going to Delhi to take the flight.

You are already visiting Agra in Uttar Pradesh; I wouldnt suggest addition of any other city in Uttar Pradesh.

Most of these places are connected by trains and since you have time at hand, you can easily take the train. Train bookings should be made much in advance as the tickets book quite early. You can book the train tickets on https://www.irctc.co.in . Similarly, if you wish to fly between some cities, its better to book the tickets in advance. You can book the tickets on makemytrip.com or cleartrip.com. Bus tickets are generally available.

Have a good trip!
Prianka_05 is offline  
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