Itinerary suggestions for India in Jan 05?
Apr 10th, 2004, 10:26 AM
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Itinerary suggestions for India in Jan 05?
We are just in the very beginning process of planning out trip to India for Jan/Feb 05 and would really appreciate any suggestions. Here is what we were thinking so far...
Delhi (1 night possible at the Manor, if you want to stay at Aman-i-khas in Ranthambhore the package included 1 night at the manor from what I have read)
Ranthambhore (3 nights, either Aman-i-Khas or Vanyavilas)
Jaipur (3 nights, Rajvilas)
Agra (2 nights, Amarvilas)
Udapur (2 nights, either Lake Palace or Udavilas)
Maldive Islands (5 nights, not sure what hotel)
Any recommendations..is it better to fly between the different cities or take the train..? Is there a preferable order in which to do the trip? Any other cities or places that we should include or remove from the trip? Any suggestions on tour companies?
Our itinerary is VERY flexible. I need all the help I can get. Thanks
Delhi (1 night possible at the Manor, if you want to stay at Aman-i-khas in Ranthambhore the package included 1 night at the manor from what I have read)
Ranthambhore (3 nights, either Aman-i-Khas or Vanyavilas)
Jaipur (3 nights, Rajvilas)
Agra (2 nights, Amarvilas)
Udapur (2 nights, either Lake Palace or Udavilas)
Maldive Islands (5 nights, not sure what hotel)
Any recommendations..is it better to fly between the different cities or take the train..? Is there a preferable order in which to do the trip? Any other cities or places that we should include or remove from the trip? Any suggestions on tour companies?
Our itinerary is VERY flexible. I need all the help I can get. Thanks
Apr 11th, 2004, 07:08 AM
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Do a search on this board under "Rocco" and you will see lots of advice from people regarding a similar trip which Rocco is taking next January. It will answer a lot of your questions.
Of this were my trip, I would do it as follows:
Delhi
Train to Ranthambore (6 hours)
Drive to Jaipur (3-4 hours)
Fly to Udaipur (2 hours)
Fly to Agra (4 hours, need to connect through Delhi)
Drive or train from Agra to Delhi
If your flight to the Maldives is via an international flight from Mumbai, you may be better off flying from Agra to Mumbai. The train between Delhi and Ranthambore will give you some interesting scenery. First class fare is about US$30 per person. Website for Indian Railways is www.indianrail.gov.in.
You could also do the reverse, i.e., Delhi/Agra/Jaipur/Udaipur/Ranthambore/Delhi or various other combinations, but the above should save you the least backtracking IMO. I would keep flying to a minimum in January as there tends to be fog in the mornings esp. in Delhi which leads to delays. Distances between all the points you have on your itinerary are not great, except for Udaipur which is really best reach by air because of its relative isolation.
I would do two nights in Delhi as there is actually a lot to see and do and you can adjust a little bit to jet lag and to India. You don't necessarily need 3 nights at Ranthambore, as long as you time your arrival and departure to get in at least 4 wildlife rides (there are only 2 a day, one at sunrise and one at about 3 pm, they last for 3 hours). For Ranthanmbore, bring gloves, hats and a warm jacket as the sunrise rides are cold in the winter months. If you have the time and inclination, you might want to add Varanasi to your itinerary, your best way is to fly there from Delhi. (Delhi is an air hub and you may end up connectiong through there on various flights.)
I believe that the Taj Majal is closed on Fridays, so work this into your schedule. Also include a trip to Fatephur Sikri, the preserved ancient capital about an hour outside of Agra, an extremely interesting place.
January 26 is Republic Day in India (their independence day), and there is generally a huge military parade on Rajpath in New Delhi. Could be an interesting time to be there, or you might want to avoid it if this doesn?t interest you (and some shops and museums may be closed on that day).
For the inter-India flights, I prefer Jet Airways. There is a daily flight on Jet Airways at 7:15 am from Jaipur to Udaipur. Only Indian Air flies between Udaipur and Agra, and you have to change in Delhi. Website for Jet Airways is jetwairways.com. Website for Indian Airlines is http://indian-airlines.nic.in/ (Not to be confused with Air India, which is international flights only.)
With a little planning and work, you can do this easily by yourselves without a tour or a travel agent. I never use travel agents, so don't have a recommendation.
With regard to the Maldives, if you are flying back to the US, please note that is usually a VERY long flight of between 25-30 hours and requiring several connections. You may find yourself exhausted when you get back to the US, as this will be coming on top of a trip to India. (I think flights between India and the Maldives themselves take like 10 hours, not a short hop, IMO.) Look into the flight schedules carefully. You might be better off going to someplace like Phuket in Thailand which would be a bit better in terms of return flight time to the US, and is perfect in January or February. You could also consider staying in the area and going to Goa, Kerala or Sri Lanka for great beaches. (I will admit not as perfect white sand and turquoise water as the Maldives, but still pretty.)
IMO best hotels are Four Seasons or the Soneva Fushi, but I have only been there twice and don't know all the hotels, as the archipelago is quite spread out. I hear that the Soneva Gilli is also quite nice.
Of this were my trip, I would do it as follows:
Delhi
Train to Ranthambore (6 hours)
Drive to Jaipur (3-4 hours)
Fly to Udaipur (2 hours)
Fly to Agra (4 hours, need to connect through Delhi)
Drive or train from Agra to Delhi
If your flight to the Maldives is via an international flight from Mumbai, you may be better off flying from Agra to Mumbai. The train between Delhi and Ranthambore will give you some interesting scenery. First class fare is about US$30 per person. Website for Indian Railways is www.indianrail.gov.in.
You could also do the reverse, i.e., Delhi/Agra/Jaipur/Udaipur/Ranthambore/Delhi or various other combinations, but the above should save you the least backtracking IMO. I would keep flying to a minimum in January as there tends to be fog in the mornings esp. in Delhi which leads to delays. Distances between all the points you have on your itinerary are not great, except for Udaipur which is really best reach by air because of its relative isolation.
I would do two nights in Delhi as there is actually a lot to see and do and you can adjust a little bit to jet lag and to India. You don't necessarily need 3 nights at Ranthambore, as long as you time your arrival and departure to get in at least 4 wildlife rides (there are only 2 a day, one at sunrise and one at about 3 pm, they last for 3 hours). For Ranthanmbore, bring gloves, hats and a warm jacket as the sunrise rides are cold in the winter months. If you have the time and inclination, you might want to add Varanasi to your itinerary, your best way is to fly there from Delhi. (Delhi is an air hub and you may end up connectiong through there on various flights.)
I believe that the Taj Majal is closed on Fridays, so work this into your schedule. Also include a trip to Fatephur Sikri, the preserved ancient capital about an hour outside of Agra, an extremely interesting place.
January 26 is Republic Day in India (their independence day), and there is generally a huge military parade on Rajpath in New Delhi. Could be an interesting time to be there, or you might want to avoid it if this doesn?t interest you (and some shops and museums may be closed on that day).
For the inter-India flights, I prefer Jet Airways. There is a daily flight on Jet Airways at 7:15 am from Jaipur to Udaipur. Only Indian Air flies between Udaipur and Agra, and you have to change in Delhi. Website for Jet Airways is jetwairways.com. Website for Indian Airlines is http://indian-airlines.nic.in/ (Not to be confused with Air India, which is international flights only.)
With a little planning and work, you can do this easily by yourselves without a tour or a travel agent. I never use travel agents, so don't have a recommendation.
With regard to the Maldives, if you are flying back to the US, please note that is usually a VERY long flight of between 25-30 hours and requiring several connections. You may find yourself exhausted when you get back to the US, as this will be coming on top of a trip to India. (I think flights between India and the Maldives themselves take like 10 hours, not a short hop, IMO.) Look into the flight schedules carefully. You might be better off going to someplace like Phuket in Thailand which would be a bit better in terms of return flight time to the US, and is perfect in January or February. You could also consider staying in the area and going to Goa, Kerala or Sri Lanka for great beaches. (I will admit not as perfect white sand and turquoise water as the Maldives, but still pretty.)
IMO best hotels are Four Seasons or the Soneva Fushi, but I have only been there twice and don't know all the hotels, as the archipelago is quite spread out. I hear that the Soneva Gilli is also quite nice.
Apr 11th, 2004, 01:01 PM
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Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. The idea of going to Phuket instead of Maldives is great, but we were already there last year. If you had to choose between either going to Udapur or Varanasi, which would you choose?
Also, I am aware of the very long flight home from the Maldives to the US (I think we can handle it, our flight from Thailand was 30 hours including layovers) Also, do you know anything about Air Seychelles? I know they have a direct flight from Mumbai to Maldives.
Also, I am aware of the very long flight home from the Maldives to the US (I think we can handle it, our flight from Thailand was 30 hours including layovers) Also, do you know anything about Air Seychelles? I know they have a direct flight from Mumbai to Maldives.
Apr 11th, 2004, 06:43 PM
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Lisa,
We are doing the exact same trip that you are doing in February 2005 and staying at exactly the same hotels! Only difference is that we are adding Kumarakom in the Kerala (South India) to do the houseboat/Coconut Lagoon experience then fly from Trivandrum to Maldives on Air India or Sri Lanka Air. We have not decided just yet on where to stay in the Maldives but are debating between Soneva Gili and the Four Seasons. I have been working with Durjay at Compass Tours and Travel ([email protected] i think) on this trip and have gotten what I think is quite a reasonable package with him. Please let me know how your planning goes as we are doing the exact same trip! I may be a little ahead of you though in terms of planning as I have looked at this trip almost every day for the past 2 months now! Good Luck!
We are doing the exact same trip that you are doing in February 2005 and staying at exactly the same hotels! Only difference is that we are adding Kumarakom in the Kerala (South India) to do the houseboat/Coconut Lagoon experience then fly from Trivandrum to Maldives on Air India or Sri Lanka Air. We have not decided just yet on where to stay in the Maldives but are debating between Soneva Gili and the Four Seasons. I have been working with Durjay at Compass Tours and Travel ([email protected] i think) on this trip and have gotten what I think is quite a reasonable package with him. Please let me know how your planning goes as we are doing the exact same trip! I may be a little ahead of you though in terms of planning as I have looked at this trip almost every day for the past 2 months now! Good Luck!
Apr 17th, 2004, 07:45 AM
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Hello, i just returned from a trip to delhi Agra and Rajasthan (Compass Tours-Durjay) and it was amazing. For the hotel in Udaipur i do recommed the Udaivilas instead of the Lake palace. Udaivilas is actually one of the nicest properties i have ever stayed at. If anyone has questions (or wants pictures) please email me or just ask here in the forum. [email protected]
Apr 20th, 2004, 05:42 AM
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i am giving you a simple rough plan of your tour
arrive india, pick up from airport and transfer to hotel
sightseeing in delhi
delhi to mandava and sight seeing in mandava
mandava to bikaner and sight seeing in bikaner
two night in jaisalmer and 13th night sleep in desert and camel ride in thar desert
Jodhpur sight seeing in jodhpur
go to Ranakpur and signt seeing there (jain temple and carving work is very beautiful there)
go to Udaipur and sight seeing there
udaipur
go to Pushkar and sight seeing there
Puskar to jaipur and sight seeing there
jaipur stay and elephant riding
Agra and before agara on the way visit Fathenpur sikri
signt seeing in agra and catch the evening train to Varanashi
morning reach varanashi transfer to hotel and after some rest sight seeing
visit to sarnath(musuam and some temples)
sight seeing at day time and evening train to delhi
morning reach to delhi and pickup and transfer to hotel
this is your rough tour plan
arrive india, pick up from airport and transfer to hotel
sightseeing in delhi
delhi to mandava and sight seeing in mandava
mandava to bikaner and sight seeing in bikaner
two night in jaisalmer and 13th night sleep in desert and camel ride in thar desert
Jodhpur sight seeing in jodhpur
go to Ranakpur and signt seeing there (jain temple and carving work is very beautiful there)
go to Udaipur and sight seeing there
udaipur
go to Pushkar and sight seeing there
Puskar to jaipur and sight seeing there
jaipur stay and elephant riding
Agra and before agara on the way visit Fathenpur sikri
signt seeing in agra and catch the evening train to Varanashi
morning reach varanashi transfer to hotel and after some rest sight seeing
visit to sarnath(musuam and some temples)
sight seeing at day time and evening train to delhi
morning reach to delhi and pickup and transfer to hotel
this is your rough tour plan
May 17th, 2004, 05:50 PM
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WOW Lisa, I just took a look at the Aman-i-Khas or Vanyavilas and I guess I had better post my ?'s on the Lonely Planet.
They are both beautiful but in less I looked wrong the Aman-i-Khas wa $2,000 and the Vanyavilas $475. i am sure that the first one came with all the bells & whistles but it is way above my pocket book.
Sounds, however, like you will have a wonderful time. Safe travels.
traveling with aloha
the coconut wireless
They are both beautiful but in less I looked wrong the Aman-i-Khas wa $2,000 and the Vanyavilas $475. i am sure that the first one came with all the bells & whistles but it is way above my pocket book.
Sounds, however, like you will have a wonderful time. Safe travels.
traveling with aloha
the coconut wireless
May 20th, 2004, 07:24 AM
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Rathern than deal with the Aman - i-khas set program and set check in and departure dates, I would do Delhi/Agra/Ranthambore, Jaipur, Udaipur, them fly to the Maldives via Bombay. Then use the Vanyavilas instead. That will involve less back tracking, offer more flexibility, and will be less expensive than the Amanikhas program.
I organize private customized tours for a living, and if you're interested in having me help you, you can contact me at [email protected]. However, you will obviously save money by making arrangements on your own, as we do charge a premium for our services. Either way, you'll love India!
I organize private customized tours for a living, and if you're interested in having me help you, you can contact me at [email protected]. However, you will obviously save money by making arrangements on your own, as we do charge a premium for our services. Either way, you'll love India!
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