3 week itinerary help

Hello! My husband and I are planning to visit India in December/January. We have 3 weeks there and I have planned our itinerary as follows. I'd like to know if this is doable or if we are trying to fit too much into our time there. We like to hop around when we visit places and not spend too much time in any one place as there is always more to see and do!

-Fly into Delhi (2 days)
-Train to Agra (1 day)
-Taxi to Jaipur to see Fatehpur Sikri & Chand Baoli Stepwell (1 travel day)
-Jaipur (2 days)
-Overnight train to Udaipur (3 days with one day trip to visit Ranakpur)
-Overnight train to Mumbai + a couple of hours in Mumbai
-Overnight train to Aurangabad to see Ellora & Ajanta caves (2 days)
-Overnight train to Jhansi (1 day to see Orchha & travel on to Khajuraho)
-Khajuraho (1 day)
-Overnight train to Varanasi (2 days)
-Overnight train to New Jalpaiguri & taxi to Darjeeling (3 days)
-Overnight train to Delhi (2 days)

We'd really like to see Delhi, Agra & another city in Rajasthan, Ellora & Ajanta caves, Khajuraho, & a hill station/the Himalayas.

Thanks so much for your help!

too many overnight trains.

there are many trains.you have a best plan for trip.Himachal Pradesh have beautiful hill stations.

good point, Romma. Avid, you could see Himalayas from McLeod Ganj/Dharamsala. Easy to reach if you go Delhi--Amritsar--the car/taxi from tehre. Amritsar is one of the best places to see in India, IMHO!!

Hi,
I guess your itninerary is ok. overnight trains is a good idea. And you are planning to see a lot in a few days
However, I dont see why you would want to travel all the way to Darjeeling just for 3 days
A good option for you will be "Uttarakhand"- Google Nainital and Mukteshwar, you may like it as an option for Darjeeling if you are pressed for time Or maybe Kanchenjunga is calling
say, are you not interested in seeing Tigers? You can add a trip to the Jim Corbett National Park with Nainital

I think you want to do too much in your three weeks. I agree with Musk about visiting Darjeeling. Divide those days over your other destiantions.

The Udaipur - Jhansi part is also a hectic part. You start at at half past nine AM in Udaipur (note this trains don't rum daily, see erail) and arrive aroun 4 PM in Mumbai.
Then you need transport to the station from where the Aurangabad train departs. This arrives at four in the morning in Aurangabad.
The train to Jhansi leaves at 13.40, so you have just 1.5 days to visit the caves. I get even tired as I write this down

I think you should stay here a day longer.
The last day hire a car, viosit then Ajanta and let you drop in Jalgaon. From there are more trains to Jhansi

As for Khajuraho, flying to Varanasi is another option.

avidtraveller

I would agree with other posters that you are trying to squeeze too much into your time. Parts of Northern India can suffer severe fogs in winter which might cause delays and cancellations to trains and flights. The Delhi-Agra-Varanasi area is particularly prone. You should consider this in your plan.

The main road from NJP up to Darjeeling was wiped out in a huge landslide in the 2010 monsoon. It still has not been repaired although dates have been announced and passed by. You can get up to Darjeeling by shared jeep but it is an uncomfortable and tiring journey and will probably take around 5 hours each way.

have you started looking into train bookings yet? You are travelling at quite a busy time and don't have the luxury of being able to wait around for a train with availability. There is info here. http://www.indiamike.com/india-artic...ts-from-abroad

I'm in agreement with most, that you can't fit all of that in. Something has to go. For the sake of simplicity, what has to go is either the trip east, or the trip south, given that most of your other destinations are kind-of central to each other. I've also dropped Udapuir, but you could squeeze it back in. So, at your pace, and I'd suggest hiring a car and driver:

Day 1: Arrive Delhi
Day 2 - Delhi Jama Masjid, Gandhi’s simple memorial Raj Ghat, the chaotic shopping street of Chandni Chowk, the lotus shaped modern Baha’i temple, and the towering observatory Qutb Minar.
Day 3 - Delhi to Jaipur Early morning departure for Jaipur, a 6 hour drive. Afternoon walk through some of the many bazaars of the old city, with a stop (or two) in search of the perfect lassi and kulfi
Day 4 -Jaipur
Day 5 - Jaipur to Dausa Morning drive 2 hours to Dausa.
Day 6 Dausa to Agra Morning drive 4 hours to Agra, with a visit to Fatehpur Sikri en route. Arrive Agra in time for lunch followed by an afternoon visit to Agra Fort.
Day 7 Agra to Orchha Early start for sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal. After breakfast, begin the drive to Orchha with a stop en route at Gwalior for lunch and a visit to Gwalior Fort.
Day 8 - Orchha to Khajuraho After morning sightseeing in Orchha, continue on to Khajuraho.
Day 9 - Khajuraho
Day 10 - Khajurah to Allahabad - possible stop at Panna National Park for a jeep safari
Day 11 - Allahabad to Varanasi - visit the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. Afterwards drive 3 hours to Varanasi. Later in the afternoon head out for a walk through the old city, attend the evening Aarti.
Day 12 - Varanasi - dawn boat ride, second guided walk, visit to Sarnath; overnight train to Delhi.

Option 1, go south:

Day 13 - Delhi - Aurangabad (by air)
Day 14 - Ellora
Day 15 - Ajanta
Day 16 - 18 to Mumbai, fly home from Mumbai


Option 2, go east:

Day 13 - Delhi - Bagdora to Darjeeling
Day 14 - 16 Darjeeling
Day 17 - 18 to Delhi and fly home.

You could add or subtract days in destinations as suits you. One day is possibly enough in some places (Agra for instance) and not enough in others; but it's your choice.

Thanks everyone! I had heard about the fog and wanted to avoid flights as much as possible because of the delays, but I didn't think about the fog affecting the trains! Good to think about. We don't mind overnight trains, as that saves us in travel time and a night's stay somewhere, but with so many trains we are taking more risks that something will be delayed.

We might skip Darjeeling this time around since it is so far from everything else.

I'm now thinking:

Delhi
Ajanta/Ellora via train to Jalgaon
Khajuraho via train from Jalgaon to Jhansi
Agra
Udaipur
Jaipur
Amritsar
McLeod Ganj via Pathankot
Overnight bus back to Delhi

That way we give Darjeeling, Varanasi, and that short stop over in Mumbai a miss. We weren't sure about Varanasi anyway (and I think that is a place that you really have to be ready to see it to appreciate everything).

Again, it's a lot of overnight trains. Ha, as I'm looking it over it doesn't seem to change things drastically. We might have to figure out a few more things to cut out.

I would suggest

Delhi - Khajuraho - Jhansi - Jalgaon - Falna - Udaipur - Jaipur - Agra - Amritsar - Mcleodganj - Delhi.

There is a direct train from Delhi to Khajuraho.

There is a train from Jalgaon to Jodhpur. You can get down at Abu Road (around 120 kms from Udaipur) and go to Udaipur. If Ranakpur is in your plan then get down at Falna. Ranakpur is around 30 kms from Falna.