3 weeks in Jul/Aug. Head north or go south?

of1675 · Oct 23rd, 2009, 00:09

My wife and I are planning to arrive in India late July staying approx 3 weeks, although this could be extended by a few days, depending on flight times etc.

We have not yet decided where to fly into/out of.

Just wondering what the general concensus is regarding where 3 weeks will be best spent? North or south?

Having done some research i'd say we are leaning towards heading south. Perhaps fly into Mumbai, and out of Bangalore or Chennai and going via Goa, as well as several other place that I'm hoping you guys could reccommend!

We've never been to India, but have travelled before. I guess Thailand is the place most similar to India that we have experienced.

We would be on a 'medium' budget (~£20-25 each per day) and like the sound of homestays and guesthouses.

We would travel by whatever means necessary but prefer to avoid internal flights. Overnight tavel betweens places would be ideal as we have limited time and want to get the very most out of our time there. We used sleeper trains in Thailand and loved them!

Any advice and suggestions would be grately appreciated.

smapf18 · Oct 23rd, 2009, 01:33

When traveling in July/August you should be aware of temperatures of as high as 45-50 degrees Celsius. At least in Rajasthan and the Ganges area. I do not know about the mountain areas.
The weather in the south can be rainy and humid but to me seemed to be more pleasant than in the north.
However - best time to travel India (North or South) is from October to March.

of1675 · Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:34

Unfortunately we have no choice as she is a teacher and the long school holiday runs from end of July to end of August!

Matthew Morris · Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:55

North to Leh or around valley of flowers area. Absolutely stunning and the best time to go.

Mike Cork · Oct 23rd, 2009, 04:59

Go North as Matthew Morris is suggesting. I travelled north in July. When we got into the mountains the weather was great, much cooler.

manishok · Oct 23rd, 2009, 05:03

My wife and i faced with a similar dilemma last year. Being a teacher I can appreciate your quandry. In the end our itinerary was as follows.
Days 1-4 New Delhi (including a day trip to Taj on the Shatabdi Express)
Day 5-7 Jaipur (by coach)
Days 8-10 Udaipur (overnight train)
Day 11-18 Kerela (flight to Cochin)
Days 19-22 Mumbai

At face value it may appear to be rushed but we didn't feel that all especially when we were in the South. By the time we got to Kerala the worst of the monsoon rains had cleared and it tended to rain a couple of hours at most usually in the evening.
Hope it helps

of1675 · Oct 29th, 2009, 16:59

Thanks for the above advice.

Any other opinions?

Oct 23rd, 2009, 00:09	#1
of1675 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Posts: 3	3 weeks in Jul/Aug. Head north or go south? My wife and I are planning to arrive in India late July staying approx 3 weeks, although this could be extended by a few days, depending on flight times etc. We have not yet decided where to fly into/out of. Just wondering what the general concensus is regarding where 3 weeks will be best spent? North or south? Having done some research i'd say we are leaning towards heading south. Perhaps fly into Mumbai, and out of Bangalore or Chennai and going via Goa, as well as several other place that I'm hoping you guys could reccommend! We've never been to India, but have travelled before. I guess Thailand is the place most similar to India that we have experienced. We would be on a 'medium' budget (~£20-25 each per day) and like the sound of homestays and guesthouses. We would travel by whatever means necessary but prefer to avoid internal flights. Overnight tavel betweens places would be ideal as we have limited time and want to get the very most out of our time there. We used sleeper trains in Thailand and loved them! Any advice and suggestions would be grately appreciated.

Oct 23rd, 2009, 01:33	#2
smapf18 smapf Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 1	Rather south, too much heat in the north When traveling in July/August you should be aware of temperatures of as high as 45-50 degrees Celsius. At least in Rajasthan and the Ganges area. I do not know about the mountain areas. The weather in the south can be rainy and humid but to me seemed to be more pleasant than in the north. However - best time to travel India (North or South) is from October to March.

Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:55	#4
Matthew Morris Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Netherlands Posts: 144	North to Leh or around valley of flowers area. Absolutely stunning and the best time to go. __________________ I have the wisdom of Buddha combined with the body of Peter Andre - oh...no..it's the other way round..

Oct 23rd, 2009, 04:59	#5
Mike Cork Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Wales UK Posts: 406	Go North as Matthew Morris is suggesting. I travelled north in July. When we got into the mountains the weather was great, much cooler. __________________ Only you can make it a good day...

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:34	#3
of1675 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Posts: 3	Unfortunately we have no choice as she is a teacher and the long school holiday runs from end of July to end of August!

Oct 23rd, 2009, 05:03	#6
manishok Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brum, UK Posts: 13	My wife and i faced with a similar dilemma last year. Being a teacher I can appreciate your quandry. In the end our itinerary was as follows. Days 1-4 New Delhi (including a day trip to Taj on the Shatabdi Express) Day 5-7 Jaipur (by coach) Days 8-10 Udaipur (overnight train) Day 11-18 Kerela (flight to Cochin) Days 19-22 Mumbai At face value it may appear to be rushed but we didn't feel that all especially when we were in the South. By the time we got to Kerala the worst of the monsoon rains had cleared and it tended to rain a couple of hours at most usually in the evening. Hope it helps

Oct 29th, 2009, 16:59	#7
of1675 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Posts: 3	Thanks for the above advice. Any other opinions?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
3 weeks Mumbai to Bangalore - - North and South, or South Only ?	Cranjekka	India Travel Itinerary Advice	10	Dec 8th, 2008 08:21
5 weeks North to South	Tyouwanto	India Travel Itinerary Advice	2	Oct 3rd, 2008 21:01
8 Weeks Between South and North	the opoponax	India Travel Itinerary Advice	10	Nov 25th, 2007 02:49
6 weeks to see North and South - can it be done?!	Bollywood Barbie	India Travel Itinerary Advice	3	Nov 24th, 2007 18:18
HELP--3 weeks in India, North and South	JES13	India Travel Itinerary Advice	4	Nov 11th, 2007 00:25