My husband and I are planning a 3 week trip to India in November 2009. Our interests are in the Golden Triangle, Tigers and some birding. We have not been to India before.
I have been perusing the forum and am daunted by the driving times in Rajasthan.
I have come up with the following itinerary but have no idea how to include Varanasi and a tiger preserve without flying to Delhi more than once.

Arrive Delhi- 3 nights to acclimate
(Imperial Hotel)

Fly to Varanasi-1 night (Ganga View Guesthouse or Ganges View, I prefer not to stay right in the middle of the action)

Fly back to Delhi and then fly,drive
or train?? to Agra- 2 nights
(Amarvilas) include day trip to Keoladeo for birding.

Drive to Jaipur and spend 2-3 nights outside of Jaipur (Savista Retreat)

Drive to Udaipur via Bundi, Kumbhalgarth Fort and Ranakpur temples. Stay the night in Bundi (Haveli Braj Bushanjee)then
2 nights Udaipur.

Now- how do I fit in the Tigers? After reading reviews on Fodor's Africa boards it seems that Bankhavgarh and Kanha are more ecologically sound than Ranthambhore. It looks like we would need to fly to Delhi and then to Jabalpur and then drive 4-6 hours to one of the parks. We would like to spend 2-3 nights in the park.

Is it possible to fly to Jabalpur from Udaipur?
Should we skip Vananasi and do the park before Agra?

I would appreciate any helpful hints!
Thanks

Here's what we did to include many of the same places that you want:

From Delhi fly to Varanasi; from Varansi fly to Khajuraho; from Khajuraho go to Bandhavgarh by car (5 hours); from Bandhavgarh go by train to Agra by way of Khajuraho and Orcha; from Agra drive to Jaipur. From Jaipur it's easy to drive to Udaipur. Here's details on our itinerary:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35111329

Have a great trip!

a. Three weeks is long enough to visit all these places, you mention in your post & to develop an excellant itinerary.
b. Driving from Jaipur to Bundi via Ranakpur Temples / Kumbhalgarh works out to be almost 480 miles! A proper itinerary must be developed to visit these destinations...you have a lot of choices in the way of hotels, in this region.
c. Yes, Bandhavgarh has better bio-diversity as compared to Ranthambhore. But would you be keen on the 'circus' of watching a tiger from the elephant back, once it is spotted, after a stampede, for getting on to the animals? At Ranthambhore, you get a natural view, however fleeting it may be. The chances are fairly good on account of the deciduous nature of the forests. So you see both parks have their plus or minus, one promises a somewhat assured sighting & the other a regal but fleeting experience!
d. I would have recommended Rishikesh & Corbett but November is not the right time to be in Corbett, unfortunately. It reopens 15 November but the visibility is restricted due to dense foliage.
e. For watching birds, it has to be Keoladeo at Bharatpur. The good news is that it is full of water after a gap of about 8 years. Bharatpur, like Bandhavgarh / Ranthambhore has nice properties to stay in, although a day trip from Agra is fine.
f. Do your research & give your ideas to a competant operator to work on, you have a superb holiday November 2009!!
Very best for your plans!

I am rather intrigued by your screen name...I mean no offence, though!
Does the 'o' stand for commendation or denigration. I loved Paris when I was there, a couple of years back!!

You're a smooth operator, Mr. Singh. Do you sniff a client? One click on the poster's name has, doubtless, already revealed their opinion on Paris -and a lot more besides.

Bless you. You often give very good and accurate advice - but consistently fail to reveal your own self-interest. Except, of course, for this little free advertisement atop each of your posts: [email protected]

So let me help you... shall we cut to the chase?

www.legendsandpalaces.com

" My wife and I, both so-called senior citizens, used VP Singh of Legends and Palaces for a 17 day private tour of India. He was just fantastic - he introduced us to India, not just the usual tourist sites... I recommend him without reservation "
Jerry S
United States of America

'We can not speak too highly of the service offered by Mr VP Singh. Our 16 days private tour, with our friends from Grantham, must rank as one of the best holidays we have ever had... We have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending him to future tourists"

David & Liz Phillips
Nottingham, England

Etc.Etc.Etc.

Yes, I know you'll bluff and bluster, flutter those innocent Indian eye-lids and plead your case very eloquently... but really, why not just begin your posts with the words: 'I'm a travel agent touting for business... ?

Then we ALL know where you're coming from.

Thanks a million, Mr. Dogster!
When I have friends like you on the board, I do not need to rummage around!!
Btw, I don't bluff or bluster or flutter my eyes...these are the ruses of people who are shallow in themselves...our interests converge when we write on an international forum!!!
Happy sniping!