dgunbug

We have been reviewing and tweaking our itinerary and are considering the final draft before beginning to book our hotels. I still have a few questions though.

1. Do we have too much time in Jaisalmer?
2. We have heard many negative comments about Jaipur. Should we limit our time to the first day there? It would be a very short stay.
If we cut off a day from either Jaisalmer or Jaipur, I would probably add it to Orchha.
Are there any other changes you would suggest?
3. How far in advance should we book hotels, trains and planes?

Sept 14 – Lv Fort Lauderdale 2:05 p.m.
Sept 15 (thursday) —arrive Delhi 10:35 p.m – night in airport hotel
16- (friday) fly to Udiapur on 11:40 AM flight (Kingfisher) - afternoon/night in Udiapur
17 –(saturday) Udiapur – day/night in udiapur
18 – (sunday) Udiapur – day/night in udiapur

19 -(monday) – Early departure from Udiapur - drive to Jodhpur –night in Jodphur
(Stop along the way at Kumbalgarh Fort & Ranakpur)
20 – (tuesday) Jodhpur – day/night in Jodhpur
21 (wednesday) Jodhpur – day/night in jodhpur

22 – (thursday) to Jaisalmer – Train departs 6:10 AM – Arrives 11:45 (5:35 hrs) – 1st class A/C
23 – (friday) Jaisalmer – day/night in Jaisalmer
24 – (saturday) Jaisalmer – day/night in Jaisalmer
25– (sunday) Jaisalmer to Jaipur – (sleeper lv 16:20 – arr 4:50)

26 – (monday) Jaipur (arrive 4:50)
27 – (tuesday) Jaipur

28 – (wednesday) to Agra – [235 km] HIRE CAR TO REMAIN WITH THROUGH FLIGHT TO VARANASI - Early departure from Jaipur by car – tour Fatehpur Sikri along way. ½ day in Agra, evening sunset from across river & red fort
29 (thursday) Agra - Taj at sunrise --CAR To Gwalior

30 – (friday) Gwalior (after lunch) to Orchha (stopping at Datia and Sonagiri on way)
1- ( Saturday) Orchha.
Note: views of the chattries at sunset from the other side of the river Betwa is a must

2 – (sunday) – To Khajuraho
3 – (Monday) Khajuraho – fly out 13:25 - Arrives 14:15 to Varanasi

4 - (tues) – Varanasi
5 – (weds)– Varanasi
6 – (Thurs) Varanasi –train to delhi (19:15 – 7:40) or Fly at 11:50 AM
7 – (Fri) Delhi

8 – (Sat) Delhi
9 – (Sunday) Delhi – tour until 6 p.m. – go to airport
10 – Lv Delhi 12:50 a.m. – arrive FL 10:08 p.m.

Craig

I don't think you need to cut any more time from Jaipur. The Amber Fort (takes 1/2 day) is well worth visiting but the City Palace pales to the one you will have already seen in Udaipur.

I have not been to Jaisalmer so I can't comment on that.

Otherwise your pace seems to be about right.

Have a great trip and post a report, please...

If it were me, I'd book it all now - transportation prices won't change much. September is not high season, so hotels probably don't have to be booked unless you have something extremely specific or special. That said, I'd be lining them all up too, just so I don't have to worry about it.

CFW

Itinerary looks look except I think you are cutting your time in Agra too short. You basically have an evening & a morning with two long drives getting there & leaving there for your next stop. I think you will be exhausted & won't have time to savor either the Taj or the other very nice sites in Agra -the baby Taj and the Agra Fort. We sent to the Taj at sunrise and then again around 4 in the afternoon, and thought it was well worth seeing it twice, as it is just that magnificent. Sunrise was nice because there were very few people, but it was misty, and if we could only go once, I would choose late afternoon in full sun. I haven't been to Jaisalmer, but since you are wondering about your time there, maybe you could cut a day & have a full day in Agra.

thursdaysd

I loved the buildings in Jaisalmer - gorgeously carved golden sandstone - but given the time you arrive and the time you leave, provided you don't want to do a trip into the desert you should be OK cutting a day. Don't know what bad things you've heard about Jaipur. Since you're seeing the Taj at sunset and sunrise I think your time in Agra is OK.

520

I really like this itinerary--we took the more usual route of starting in Delhi. When we got to Udaipur, however, a Swiss couple that we had met a few times on our route, commented that the next time they would start in Udaipur as it was a much easier entry to India. Some of your plan does seem a bit crammed--and I think others may comment on that; it is so individual, though. You may not be allowing yourself enough time in Jaipur--just in terms of trying to see everything in what looks like a day and a half. Arriving at Jaipur at 4:50 a.m. seems as though you may be pushing yourself as far as getting a lot done that day.

We didn't go to Jaisalmir, so I can't comment on whether it's too much time there or not. We had 18 days "on the ground" and decided to limit the number of places we went. You have a full 24, which allows quite a bit more time to see places. The more experienced India hands know better as to whether train schedules are reliable. We certainly found that traffic and terrible road conditions could made dents in schedules.

It's not clear to me if you're on your own for the first part of your trip until you get to Agra (where we only stayed overnight--and felt that was fine). If you are on your own, getting oriented in each city could also eat up some time.

But once again, the "arc" of your trip looks very appealing.

dgunbug

We would like to go into the desert, but not for an overnight. Likely we will hire a jeep out to the desert with a couple of hours for the camel ride, followed by sunset, dinner and return late to the hotel. Do you think we should still cut a day from Jaisalmer or not?

As for Agra, we figured since we will have a driver, we can stay mid day or leave as soon as we are ready on the second day. If we miss things on the first day, we will cover them before the drive to Gwalior.

Thank you all for your replies. Anyone else want to chime in?

dgunbug

If we leave Jaipur early in the morning (7-8:00) and stop on the way to see Fatehpur Sikri, what time should we expect to arrive in Agra? How much time is recommended to see the Fort and should we see the Taj that evening from across the river or actually go onto the grounds?

lcuy

According to my old notes, we left Agra about 9:45am, stopped at Fatehpur Sikri for maybe 45 minutes to an hour, then got into Jaipur at 5:30 Pm

CaliNurse

Dgunbug,

I can answer only part of your question. We LOVED the Agra Fort-- much of that had to do with having an articulate guide w made it "come alive" for us--we could imagine the people in the "shower" or the women hiding their jewels in the hidden nooks, the busy marketplace in the fort, etc etc.d

It was a VERY (110 plus) hot afternoon, so I think we spent about 1.5 hours there at a comfortable pace . We didnt want to rush around in that heat!

Our first good view of Taj Mahal was from the "Moonlight" Bagh across the river. There, you can see the remnants of Shah Jehan's garden, at the river's edge. This was near sunset and it was lovely. We didnt actually enter the grounds of TM until early the next morning.

I'm not sure if you'd have to pay twice to enter in both the eveing of one day, and the morning of the next.

indianapearl

I have not been to Jaisalmer, but hear it's a lovely city. It's only drawback is that it so far away from the other cities you will visit in Rajasthan. I'd cut off one day from Jaisalmer to it add to Jaipur which has much of interest to see: the Amber Fort and the observatory (unique from all the other monuments you will see).

I'm so glad you're going to Gwalior! I loved the fort and am only sorry we didn't have more time there as there are a number of other temples and palaces to see. We left Agra after breakfast and got to G. in time for a late lunch. We stayed at the Usha Kiran Palace, a lovely spot, hard to find.

The drive between Gwalior and Orchha is a tooth-jangling experience. I would spend only one night in Orchha as you can see sunset on the Betwa on the evening when you arrive, then see the monuments the next morning while it is cool.

Remember that you can't get into the main terminal at IGIA until three hours prior to your departure. I don't know what the arrangements are now with the new airport, but I spent a couple of hours stooging around in a holding area until it was time to go into the main terminal.

dgunbug

Indianapearl - do you recall how long the drive was between Gwalior and Orchha? Did you stop in Datia along the way?

Thanks for the info on the airport. Hate to get to an airport early and not be allowed entry.

Regarding the Taj - is it better to pay the entrance fee twice (at night and at sunrise) to see the Taj by different lighting, or is it best to see the Taj at night from across the river? I don't mind paying extra if it is worth spending the time in the Taj.

dgunbug

520 - missed your response earlier. In response to your question, we intend to travel independently during the early portion of our trip. When we leave Jaipur, we will hire a driver and have that driver remain with us until we leave for Varanasi.

We will have 2 full days in Jaipur. Having slept on overnight trains before, I am not worried about being too tired. We'll likely drop off our bags, grab a bite to eat and begin our day early. We figured it would take one day to see the main sites and a day for wandering. Do you think we need more time?

indianapearl

As I recall, it was several bumpy hours -- the road is really bad and our driver, Ramesh Meena, had to stop a couple of times to make sure the axle wasn't broken. We didn't stop anywhere along the way.

We only saw the Taj from within in the morning, saw it in the evening from the other side of the Yamuna. The madhouse of getting in was something we could only tolerate once.

520

We were in Jaipur three nights and two full days--which was enough for us. There is a lot to see, and having the extra evening so we weren't rushed was lovely, but if you're good to go on the day of your all nighter in the train shouldn't be a problem. (We've done that in the past, but did everything by car this trip--and at a somewhat more leisurely pace.)

RE: The Taj--we didn't encounter lines to get in either in the a.m. or p.m.--we loved seeing it at dawn when there were very few people and seeing the change in light. That said, I don't think it will make or break your trip if you see it only at one or the other.

live42day

we saw the Taj from across the river at sunset (for free) and paid the entrance fee first thing the next morning at sunrise which was great, and not crowded

CaliNurse

Dgun, ditto to what live42day said; see my response above written on apr 11.
We were there JUST as the gates opened in the morning. VWRY few otehr people in Taj grounds for the first 30 mins. Gthe real crowds come after the train from New Del arrrives. So DO be there first thing, for more quiet and fewer people.
Note that It was too hazy to see a real sunrise (or sunset) so if you are imagining something like you'd see in Hawaii , forget it. IF it happens, great....but don't count on it. Howeverr, Haze, (dust!!) fog, overcast weather, all contribute to seeing a subtle change of color on the marble of the buildings.

dgunbug

Thanks for all the comments. We definitely intend to be the first ones at the Taj in the AM and will likely see it from across the river the evening before.

dgunbug

Train or Plane???

I think I'm fairly content with our schedule, but have one additional question before I start looking into hotels.

If we arrive in Varanasi at 14:15 on the 3rd (Monday), will we have enough time to enjoy it sufficiently to fly out at 11:50 AM on Thurs or should we take the overnight train back to Delhi, giving us more time in Varanasi? (Leaves at 19:15)

4 - (tues) – Varanasi
5 – (weds)– Varanasi
6 – (Thurs) Varanasi –train to delhi (19:15 – 7:40) or Fly at 11:50 AM???

rhkkmk

a little more time in jaipur would be my suggestion

520

We loved Varanasi, especially wandering in the old city, having time to walk along the Ganges in the evening and at dawn. We arrived in mid day our first day and left mid-day of our 4th day, so we were there three nights and kind of three days--so I would opt for the train if I were making the schedule. But there are those who don't love Varanasi; one very well-traveled friend had said 1/2 day was enough!!