3 wks. first trip. all in Kerala or go north too?

twink

Going to Kerala in Dec/Jan for three weeks. It's my first trip.
I'm thinking of spending the entire time in Kerala. Flying in and out of Cochin and moving at a relaxed pace through Cochin, the backwaters, munnar, etc.
But I'm also toying with the idea of going north, flying into Cochin and out of Delhi, so I can see Delhi, maybe spend a day in Agra and possibly hit one other city.
I need to at least decide whether to spend my entire time in Kerala or to end my trip in Delhi so I can book airfare.

I'm a solo traveler, 29, first time in Asia, and I'm on a medium budget but I can splurge where needed to make the most of my time/trip.
Suggestions welcome. Thanks.

wonderwomanusa

Why not spend three weeks in South India? See Kerala, a bit of Karnatika, and Tamil Nadu. Then you can make your NEXT TRIP a visit to North India.

twink

thanks. I am leaning that way. I do worry that it has taken me so long to manage this first trip, that i will never get back to see the north. but i don't want to race around.

Lord Average

Three weeks is barely enough time to scratch the surface of South India. So personally I would definately advise against trying to fit both Kerala and Delhi in. That is definately something for two separate trips - unless you have a lot more time.

Three weeks would is a good introduction for the delights of Kerala, with maybe a detour to Madurai in nearby Tamil.

If you are open to suggestions then how about:
Cochin, Backwaters, Kumily, Madurai, Kovalam and back to Cochin. Even that is going to be a busy schedule, but would be a fantastic and varied tour.

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vandy

As you are concerned as to when you can Return, I would take
this Opportunity to Finish off with Delhi with a Day Visit to
see the Taj Mahal.

You can get a good taste of Kerala with the following suggested
Itinery, Cochin,Munnar,Kumily,Backwater s,Cochin, Fly to Delhi.

2 to 2 & half weeks in Kerala will allow you to spend 2-3 nghts
in Each Place and have a good look around. Hire a car & driver in Kerala,Best way to go.

I will be doing the above Suggested Itinery(Kerala) in Oct.

vandy

twink

lord average, i'm not sure i'm interested in kovalam, but madurai sounds wonderful. I hadn't thought of going that far east. if I went, what is the best way? a bus (or car?) from kumily?
what if I skipped kumily in favor of munnar - is there still a good way to madurai if cochin, backwaters and munnar were the other main stops on my itinerary?


vandy, if I follow your suggestion instead, can i hire the driver once i get to cochin?

Thanks to you both.

singsub

dont forget varkala

vandy

vandy, if I follow your suggestion instead, can i hire the driver once i get to cochin?

Yes, most Definetly.Will not be a problem.

If you are keen on Madurai, you could still do it Last after
Kumily, Maybe you could also Finish in Madurai and Possibly Fly
from Madurai to Delhi, rather than go all the way Back to Cochin.

If there is no direct flight from Madurai to Delhi,you could
catch train Madurai to Chennai and then Fly to Delhi from Chennai.

I have never been to Madurai, so I can't really comment if it's
worth visiting.

vandy

snonymous

[quote=twink;512186]i'm not sure i'm interested in kovalam, but madurai sounds wonderful. I hadn't thought of going that far east. if I went, what is the best way? a bus (or car?) from kumily?
what if I skipped kumily in favor of munnar - is there still a good way to madurai if cochin, backwaters and munnar were the other main stops on my itinerary?

Skip Kovalam altogether, its just a highly commercialised, not so clean beach. If you skip Kumily / Thekkady, you will not see the Periyar Tiger Reserve, if this is not on your agenda, then skip Kumily. There is a direct road to Madurai from Kumily, you will not require more than a day at Madurai to see the famous Meenakshiamman temple. There are a few other temples but it depends on how interested you are. Madurai isnt that 'wonderful' from a tourism view, except for the temples and its proximity to Kodaikanal. It has wonderful people though.

From Thekkady, you could go to Madurai for a day, then from Madurai go to Munnar via Bodi, and from there to Cochin airport. Or you can even go from Kumily/Thekkady to Munnar and then to Madurai.

Personally, from Madurai I would rather visit Kodaikanal than go all the way to Munnar, although the areas around Munnar such as Marayoor and Chinnar are unique in their own right.

From Cochin city [Ernakulam] via the backwaters you have to pass Kumily to go to Madurai.

Car hire in Kerala is very competitive. No worry on that score.

If all this is getting confusing [and I certainly may have added to the confusion], have a look at keralatourism.org and tamilnadutourism.org for more info, also mapmyindia.com to get a general idea of routes - except that some of the road routes shown there are not accurate!

ananda2193

My suggestion would be a little of all in the south. I would do a circle. Cochin-backwater-Varkala-Kumily or Munnar-Madurai-Ooty-Mysore-Cochin. Or Cochin-backwater-Varkala-Munnar-Madurai-Rameswaram-Cochin. Or something similar. You don't have to be stuck in Kerala only. And I would highly recommend Madurai. Don't miss it IMHO. It's one of my favorite cities in India. For me it's quintessential India. Do go!

Lord Average

I think people have different experiences and opinions of Madurai. Personally I love it, because of its intensity, the incredible spectacle of the temple and all the pilgrims, the markets, plus the wonderful nearby area of Thirupparankundram.

IMHO it would make a great contrast to the peace and quiet of the backwaters / beaches / thekkady. Allowing you to see more sides to India.

It is easily reachable from Kumily by car or bus - about half a days journey.

Likewise, I am also fonder of Kovalam than many. But I agree that Varkala is better, but may not be so easy to fit into the schedule.

kalbarri

this state is a gentle, first timer way to see india but it would definitelt be interesting for you to have an "out of kerala" experience. any of the cities would be good but myself, i like mumbai.

twink

thank you all.

i have been away from the computer for a few days, but all of your suggestions are very helpful.

i've decided to stay in the south on this trip and will just hope that it won't be my only time to india. looking at airfare either in and out of cochin or into cochin out of bangalore.

will book some rooms and probably try to budget for a car part of the time.

I'll have about 19/20 days in country. I'm considering something like:

Cochin
Backwaters
Thekkady
Madurai
Munnar
Mysore
depart Cochin or Bangalore

But I might cut one of these places to reduce travel time and allow me to hit an off-the-beaten path spot. I want to be able to explore places a bit and not just snap a photo to prove I've been there...

kalbarri

i must suggest this beautiful place. it is only 30ks from munnar and there is a lot to see around there, check it out on wikipedia.

twink

bought my plane tickets and have scratched out a rought itinerary, but i'm open to suggestions:

Monday: arrive Cochin early a.m.
Cochin
Cochin
Cochin
Backwaters, maybe Kollam
Backwaters
Sunday: to cooking school near Muvattupuzha
Cooking school
Cooking
Cooking/depart to Munnar
Munnar
Munnar
Munnar/depart to Madurai
Sunday: Madurai
Madurai
travel to Mysore
Mysore
to Bangalore
Depart Bangalore

Cut out Thekkadi, not for lack of interest but becuase since it's late Dec/early Jan I thought it would be very crowded. Plus, I just can't do it all.

The cooking class is a set number of days and must begin on a Sunday, so it's difficult to work around. I could scrap it entirely, and it would open up the itinerary a bit. But would really like to take some sort of cooking lessons somewhere.

Any and all suggestions welcome, re: places, modes of travel, times in one place or another, etc. any festivals i should be aware of? i'll be traveling over christmas, new years.

Thanks again.