3 weeks, first time in India

erinandtroy · Mar 2nd, 2008, 08:15

Hi,
We are leaving in less then a month for our first time trip to India. (We will be there from the end of March to the middle of April.) We are hoping to make our trip somewhat budget and after travelling in India are headed for another 5 weeks of travelling in South East Asia.

Here is our planned itenerary:
Day 1 - arrive Kochi, travel to Kumarakom
Day 2 - day in Kumarakom (get over Jet Lag!!)
Day 3 - Rent House boat in Kerela backwaters
Day 4 - Day and night houseboat
Day 5 - travel to Kochi and fly to Delhi
Day 6 - fly from Delhi to Varanasi
Day 7 - Day and night Varanasi
day 8 - fly to Khajuraho
Day 9 - day and night in Khajuraho
Day 10 - travel to Bandhavgarh
Day 11 - Day and night Bandhavgarh
Day 12 - travel to Agra (overnight train)
Day 13 - Day and night Agra
Day 14 - Day in Agra, train to Jaipur in evening
Day 15 - Day and night Jaipur
Day 16 - Day in Jaipur, train to Udaipur (overnight train)
Day 17 - Day and night Udaipur
Day 18 - Day in Udaipur, overnight train to Delhi
Day 19 - arrive delhi, fly to Bangkok

We would appreciate any advice on our itenerary. We have purposely planned the first few days a bit relaxing (Kumarakom and houseboat), hoping this gives us time to get over the jet lag and culture shock. Do you think this in general, our plans are too ambitious/exausting, with too much travelling? Or do you think we could try to fit even more in? We understand that we obviously can't see alot of India in just 19 days, but of course want to get a taste for as much as we possibly can.

We booked our first 2 nights in a hotel and the plane tickets from southern India to Delhi, but are hoping we can figure the rest out as we go. Is this an ok idea or should we have everything planned and booked prior to leaving (eg. trains and hotels).

Thanks for the help!!

jyotirmoy · Mar 2nd, 2008, 08:38

Hectic but doable. Do not try to fit in more.

Scandojazzbuff · Mar 2nd, 2008, 08:55

India is a place like no other and is so different from where you are coming from. It can be an overwhelming experience, both positive and negative, especially from a western point of view. I think it is good that you are starting your trip in the south as it is an easier transition than in the north. But, you can easily spend your 3 weeks in Kerala alone, or dividing it between Kerala and Tamil Nadu and fly out of Chennai to Bangkok. If you focus on the south, you will get more of a feeling for the culture and its roots, see fantastic beauty in the land in Kerala, and, have one of the most memorable cultural journeys through Tamil Nadu visiting temples that are truly magnificent. You can do all of this by land which will give you a much more intimate contact with people and a sense of village life which is the heart of India. OTOH, your itinerary sounds like it is made for the middle class tourist who books through a travel agent and who has a limited amount of time and wants to see as much as possible. Quantity is NOT quality.

Mar 2nd, 2008, 08:15	#1
erinandtroy Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 2	3 weeks, first time in India Hi, We are leaving in less then a month for our first time trip to India. (We will be there from the end of March to the middle of April.) We are hoping to make our trip somewhat budget and after travelling in India are headed for another 5 weeks of travelling in South East Asia. Here is our planned itenerary: Day 1 - arrive Kochi, travel to Kumarakom Day 2 - day in Kumarakom (get over Jet Lag!!) Day 3 - Rent House boat in Kerela backwaters Day 4 - Day and night houseboat Day 5 - travel to Kochi and fly to Delhi Day 6 - fly from Delhi to Varanasi Day 7 - Day and night Varanasi day 8 - fly to Khajuraho Day 9 - day and night in Khajuraho Day 10 - travel to Bandhavgarh Day 11 - Day and night Bandhavgarh Day 12 - travel to Agra (overnight train) Day 13 - Day and night Agra Day 14 - Day in Agra, train to Jaipur in evening Day 15 - Day and night Jaipur Day 16 - Day in Jaipur, train to Udaipur (overnight train) Day 17 - Day and night Udaipur Day 18 - Day in Udaipur, overnight train to Delhi Day 19 - arrive delhi, fly to Bangkok We would appreciate any advice on our itenerary. We have purposely planned the first few days a bit relaxing (Kumarakom and houseboat), hoping this gives us time to get over the jet lag and culture shock. Do you think this in general, our plans are too ambitious/exausting, with too much travelling? Or do you think we could try to fit even more in? We understand that we obviously can't see alot of India in just 19 days, but of course want to get a taste for as much as we possibly can. We booked our first 2 nights in a hotel and the plane tickets from southern India to Delhi, but are hoping we can figure the rest out as we go. Is this an ok idea or should we have everything planned and booked prior to leaving (eg. trains and hotels). Thanks for the help!!

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Mar 2nd, 2008, 08:38	#2
jyotirmoy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 4,608	Hectic but doable. Do not try to fit in more.

Mar 2nd, 2008, 08:55	#3
Scandojazzbuff Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangkok Posts: 405	India is a place like no other and is so different from where you are coming from. It can be an overwhelming experience, both positive and negative, especially from a western point of view. I think it is good that you are starting your trip in the south as it is an easier transition than in the north. But, you can easily spend your 3 weeks in Kerala alone, or dividing it between Kerala and Tamil Nadu and fly out of Chennai to Bangkok. If you focus on the south, you will get more of a feeling for the culture and its roots, see fantastic beauty in the land in Kerala, and, have one of the most memorable cultural journeys through Tamil Nadu visiting temples that are truly magnificent. You can do all of this by land which will give you a much more intimate contact with people and a sense of village life which is the heart of India. OTOH, your itinerary sounds like it is made for the middle class tourist who books through a travel agent and who has a limited amount of time and wants to see as much as possible. Quantity is NOT quality.

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