4 weeks in India - North & South - we would love your advice!

Del

Hi everyone, my boyfriend and I are travelling to India for our first time in January. We are very excited and have done a lot of research, especially on this forum, so thought it was time to seek your advice!

We are both experienced travellers having backpacked through most of SE Asia, northern africa, eastern europe, etc. For this trip we will be backpacking but looking to stay mostly in mid-range accom (or good quality budget). We like to stay in guest houses and travel by local transport but we know that with only 4 weeks we will need to catch a few planes to save time. We would like to catch overnight trains where possible to maximise time in each city.

We have put together the below itinerary. We know we are squeezing in a lot of places but we have already crossed so many off the list and these are all "must-see's" for us. We don't know when we will be able to get back to India so want to fit in as much as possible.

We would love your advice on whether this is the best way to tackle this itinerary. Is there an easier way to travel around that will save us time? Should we cut time somewhere to make more time for another place? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

NORTH
Jan 1st - fly into Varanasi in afternoon from Kathmandu
2nd - varanasi
3rd - varanasi - overnight train to Agra
4th - Agra
5th - Sunrise @ Taj then on to Bundi
6th - Bundi
7th - Bundi to Udaipur (is overnight bus or train possible?)
8th - Udaipur
9th - Udaipur to Jodhpur (is there an overnight train or bus?)
10th - Jodhpur
11th - Jodhpur to Pushkar
12th - Pushkar
13th - Pushkar to Jaipur
14th - FLY Jaipur to Goa (10.40am Kingfisher - is this the best?)

*We arrive at 1pm and really want to go to the markets at Anjuna. Will this be enough time for us to check-in, drop our bags and head straight to the markets? What time do they finish? Is it better to go in morning? If so, we need to arrive into Goa on the 13th instead and cut a day out of the above...I know it is already rushed but any advice here of how we could save a day? We are not really that interested in Jaipur after reading other peoples comments here...

We dont want to spend much time in Goa - just enough to check out the Anjuna flea market, Old Goa and maybe an afternoon at one of the beaches.

South
15th - Goa (Panjim - Old Goa)
16th - Goa to Hampi (train)
17th - Hampi
18th -
19th -
20th -
21st -
22nd -
23rd -
24th -
25th -
26th -
27th - FLY Trivandrum to Mumbai at 3pm
28th - All day Mumbai - FLY to BKK at midnight

We are a bit lost on the best way to do the South. We definitely want to fit in the following - Hampi, Mysore (happy to do quickly), Ooty (toy train), Cochin (Fort Cochi), Backwaters tour (thinking overnight at this stage), Periyar (1-2 days), Varkala 2 days to relax before we fly out. What is the best way to fit this into our remaining days? Anywhere else along the way we should not miss?

Thanks, I know there are a lot of questions but we really need advice from experts who know how to get from A to B as quickly as possible and where to linger at one place and rush another.

I really look forward to hearing what everyone has to offer. Thanks in advance!!

pmvelu

Welcome to IndiaMike Del.. I have provided my comments inline and also in the end of this post !

South
15th - Goa (Panjim - Old Goa)
16th - Goa to Hampi (train)
17th - Hampi
18th - From Hampi,Board Train#6591 from Hospet Jn@19:50 Hrs which will reach Bangalore JN @06:10 Hrs the next Day
19th - From Bangalore , Catch Train Or Volvo A/C bus to Mysore [ 2.5 Hours journey in Excellent Road] Followed by Exploring Mysore
20th - Mysore
21st - Take a Cab to ooty From mysore OR you could take Bus too [Around 5 Hours journey but cab is better], Followed by exploring ooty
22nd - Explore ooty
23rd - Board Toy train @ 09:15 Hrs to Mettupalaiyam followed by Cab / bus to Coimbatore [40 kms].Take Overnight train to Ernakulam [For Exploring Cochin Or Allepey / Kollam for House boat stays
24th -Houseboat
25th -Cab to Varkala, Varkala for remaining part of the day
26th - Varkala
27th - Morning Start in Cab from Varkala to Trivandrum Airport ! FLY Trivandrum to Mumbai at 3pm
28th - All day Mumbai - FLY to BKK at midnight


General :-
1. In this plan, Periyar is left out .. If you would like to Explore periyar , Not sure, May be you need to leave out ooty and use those days in Thekkady. For this, From Coimbatore JN , you could board train to Kottayam[ and Thekkady is around 3 Hours from Kottayam] Or Ernakulam JN [Thekkady is around 5 Hours from Ernakulam] and hire a Cab to explore ! FYI, Munnar[Excellent scenic place] is also around 4 hours from Ernakulam by Cab.

2. If you wanted to visit Periyar for just Animal Sightings, You could try out Bandipur Forest Safari when you do Mysore to Ooty Trip by cab [ Bandipur Forest is just on Mysore - Ooty road]


Hope this helps.. And If you need more info , Please post !

Happy Planning !

Del

Hi Pmvelu. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to us. This is great advice. We were keen to spend time at Periyar after reading a lot about it. This would be our only chance to visit a wildlife sanctuary during our trip.

However, I would love to hear from yourself and others whether you think it is worth it. What appealed to us was a bamboo rafting trip for one day and perhaps a morning safari. We are expecting great things though and if you think this other wildlife park would be just as good, then we are happy to take a look into that. If Periyar is too touristy and tacky, then we would definitely want to give it a miss.

I love elephants so would love to see some and that would be the biggest priority...and of course a tiger but I hear that they are near impossible to see anyway!

If you had to take time out of Ooty or Mysore, which would it be? And, do you think we need more time around the backwaters? Is there anywhere in the north part of our trip that you would cut out to make more time in the south?

Thanks again!

Aishah

Del - there is a sleeper bus for Jodhpur taking 6 hours. I don't know timing for it however, but I think you could book it when you are in Udaipur. Another option is to take a car (around 2,500 rupees) and make a day trip to Jodhpur, taking in Kumbalgarh and Ranakpur on the way. Ranakpur has amazing temples, but open for non-Jains at noon, so time your trip for this.

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pmvelu

Del ,

Periyar [ Locally called as "Thekkady" is Definitely a worth ] and if you are ok for leaving out Mysore and ooty , those 5 days could be utilized in "Thekkady" and "Munnar" comfortably and both these places are really worthy !! .. In Thekkady you will for sure can sight Elephants atleast on the Boating Trip in the Mornings and Munnar is exceptional beauty with Tea Plantations , Nice Climate and Much View Points . These 2 places will compensate Ooty for sure Ofcourse except that toy train !.. And the Drive between these 2 places [Munnar and Thekkady] is a nice Experience in itself and it's around 3 to 4 Hours travel in cab.

If you plan this way, You Try to board "Kanyakumari Express" [Train #6526] from Bangalore and get down at Ernakulam Jn for these 2 Places !..

For Backwaters , Strictly speaking one day is enough and yes if time permits you could extend for one more day !

And I have no knowledge on the "North Part" of your trip and I'm sorry about that.

Suggestion:-

1. You Could read the Journal by "snonymous" in our site which talks in detail about Munnar with photos , Description etc to get complete idea on this place

Have a Fantastic Trip and If you are looking for more info , Please post !

Regards
Velu

Del

Hi Aishah, thanks so much. Taking a car is a great idea so we can do a few things along the way. Is it easy to arrange a car in Udaipur? Would i just ask the person at the guest house to help arrange? is there somewhere particular you would recommend to stay in Jodhpur?
Thanks

Del

Hi Velu, thanks again. I do have even more questions if that's ok!

Seeing the distance between Hampi and ernakulam is so far, do you think we could stop at Ooty along the way and do the toy train, stay overnight and then keep going? I have no idea whether this is possible to do or if it will take too long/is out of the way. If we can, what is the best way to do this?

If we are to travel non-stop from hampi-bangalore-ernakulam, how long would this take? I think we would want to overnight it somewhere along the way so Mysore or Ooty would be preferred. If these are out of the way, is there anywhere else you would recommend?

The more we read about Munnar, the more we want to visit. The scenery sounds amazing but the town does not sound so great. Where would you recommend to stay? I have read about a few places within kms from town that sound good but would love your recommendation. Also, we are not that into trekking. A couple of hours is ok but not really into full-on all day trekking. Is it worth us going to Munnar if we do not want to trek? Will we miss out on the real experience?

In regards to Periyar I think we will do the full day bamboo tour. Do we need to book this in advance of our arrival? I imagine it will be quite busy at this time. If so, how do we book it? Would you recommend staying within the sanctuary? We are happy to pay a bit more for a good experience but not if people think it is overpriced. I think we will also do the 7am tour and then maybe head on to Munnar.

In regards to the backwaters. I am thinking of arriving in allepey in the afternoon and arranging an overnight boat tour for the next day. We will probably head off as soon as we return and head to Periyar.

Lastly, we were planning to visit Fort Cochin for a day/night. Would you recommend staying there when we arrive to Ernakulum or moving straight on to Allepey? I know everyone has different opinions so it would be good to see if people think Fort is worth it and why. Maybe other places we are visiting would be similar.

Thanks again and it would be great if I could get some feedback on my north trip if anyone else is reading!!

pmvelu

My comments inline in bold!..


I do have even more questions if that's ok!

No Problem Del !

Seeing the distance between Hampi and ernakulam is so far, do you think we could stop at Ooty along the way and do the toy train, stay overnight and then keep going? I have no idea whether this is possible to do or if it will take too long/is out of the way. If we can, what is the best way to do this?

If we are to travel non-stop from hampi-bangalore-ernakulam, how long would this take? I think we would want to overnight it somewhere along the way so Mysore or Ooty would be preferred. If these are out of the way, is there anywhere else you would recommend?



1 .From Hospet Jn [ Few kms from Hampi], you could board direct train to Bangalore. From Bangalore, you could board direct train to Ernakulam Jn --> This is Straight Forward !

2. If you want to include ooty , From Bangalore get a bus/ Train to Mysore ,and from Mysore you could get a Cab to ooty and on the Way you could do Bandipur forest Safari if you are interested and then continue your Journey to Ooty .. Stay for a Day or 2 and then board Toy train to "Mettupalaiyam" followed by a Cab Or Bus to Coimbatore Jn . From Coimbatore Jn, you could board any of the many trains to Ernakulam Jn

3. Just If you compare Travel time wise / Kms wise , Bangalore to Ernakulam Jn on a direct train will be 12 Hours ! [Train #6526] & If you travel Via ooty , If We consider only travel time ,it will be approximately Bangalore to Mysore [ 3 Hours] + Mysore to ooty [4 1/2 Hours] + ooty to Mettupalaiyam in Toy train [ 4 1/2 hours] + Mettupalaiyam to Coimbatore Jn [ 1 Hour i.e 40 kms] + Coimbatore Jn to Ernakulam Jn [4 1/2 Hours]

4. Mysore [ For Palaces / Chamundi Hills] And Ooty [ for Scenic beauty, Nice Climate & Toy Train ] is worth a visit and added Bonus will be a Visit to Bandipur Forests [Which is right on the way in Mysore to Ooty Road]

5.As you are planning to Visit Munnar or Thekkady, ooty might be left as well [Please take a call ]

The more we read about Munnar, the more we want to visit. The scenery sounds amazing but the town does not sound so great. Where would you recommend to stay? I have read about a few places within kms from town that sound good but would love your recommendation. Also, we are not that into trekking. A couple of hours is ok but not really into full-on all day trekking. Is it worth us going to Munnar if we do not want to trek? Will we miss out on the real experience?

Munnar is definitely Worth Even without any Trekking . The various places in Munnar [Which is mentioned in any munnar related websites] & a Tea Plantation Visit will be a Worth ! If you are on high-end, you could try out "Tea County" which is run by Kerala government .. After researching a lot , I once made booking there but not able to make it anyways !..

In regards to Periyar I think we will do the full day bamboo tour. Do we need to book this in advance of our arrival? I imagine it will be quite busy at this time. If so, how do we book it? Would you recommend staying within the sanctuary? We are happy to pay a bit more for a good experience but not if people think it is overpriced. I think we will also do the 7am tour and then maybe head on to Munnar.

In Periyar again, Three resorts [2 high end] and 1 budget resorts are operated by Kerala tourism [2 within the sanctuary] and 1 nearer to the entrance of the sanctuary .. You could any of the ones based on your budget and you could have a look on www.ktdc.com to get an idea ! .. Personally I experienced the "Boating" in thekkady waters and I liked it a lot with "elephants sighting".. I don't have personal experience with Bamboo tour !


Lastly, we were planning to visit Fort Cochin for a day/night. Would you recommend staying there when we arrive to Ernakulum or moving straight on to Allepey? I know everyone has different opinions so it would be good to see if people think Fort is worth it and why. Maybe other places we are visiting would be similar.

This portion , "Vandy" will be the best person to answer and recently I did a religious trip around those areas and I stayed in Kaladi Mutt for 200 rs /night and covered "Athirapally waterfalls ", "Chottanikara Temple " etc and My experience will not help much ! ..

Cheers
Velu

Aishah

Del - no problems in getting a car in Udaipur, and yes, your guesthouse people could help you!

Del

Velu - you have been an amazing help. After all your advice, I think we will definitely skip ooty and mysore and spend more time chilling out in hampi, munnar and varkala. The north part of our trip is such a rush and we did plan to take it easy for the last couple of weeks before heading home.

If anyone has any feedback on the north part of the trip I would really appreciate it!

Also, are there any beaches around goa or varkala that come close to resembling the clear beautiful waters of thailand? We are looking to spend a couple of days at a nice beautiful and quiet beach.

Lastly, of all the destinations we are visiting, does anyone know of any heritage hotels/raj influenced that are really beautiful and worth a night? we are thinking of splurging on one night in a fabulous hotel along the way but only want to do something very indian influenced with heritage. If there is anywhere gorgeous, please let me know. Especially if there is somewhere a little less known that is good value.

cheers.

mitzijanell

Fort Cochi or alleppey? I was in both last month.

Fort Cochi is quaint and walkable with several places to browse. If needing to spend a night in either place - choose Fort Cochi. Alleppey - go there only if planning to do houseboat.

vkochar

My Tips for the following places -

AGRA- Visit the Taj Early Morning so as to avoid Rush. FRIDAYS TAJ IS CLOSED. After the Taj go and visit the Agra Fort.

There are no other places worth while visiting in Agra.

Both the above places are do able in 6-7 hours.

I would not advise you to spend the night in Agra as it is worthless, rather carry on from there to your next destination - Bundi.

Udaipur & jodhpur are FANTASTIC places. Udaipur - Keep at least 3 days minimum here and I would recommend the MEWAR HAWELI hotel here. Stayed here a few months back. Cheap & Excellent.
TRY THE '' Baghore Ki Haweli '' 1 hour Cultural Stage show in Udaipur. Tickets are around a dollar per person. MUST SEE & DO IN UDAIPUR. If you do not then you really miss something !!

Jodhpur - Do visit the Mehrangarh Fort as it is the main destination. Try a Place called ' ON THE ROCKS ' It is a Disco cum Bar Cum Eating place. The most hip place in Jodhpur.

SOUTH INDIA - I am not familiar here. Cheers !!

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benkey2

hi
since you are interested in munnar and varkala, i would suggest you two plans
1.) skip Hampi,
reason: though a historic place with ruined palaces and a giant stone chariot, the time you spent to reach Hampi and to come to bangalore will be around 30 hrs (if i am not wrong).
second reason if in kerala one will cherish and enjoy each and every moment of its green, green everywhere.

Alternative plan in case if you skip Hampi: from goa u can take direct flight to cochin or via bangalore.
17, 18th cochin and kumarakom
stay in cochin for a day for sight seeing in and around the city and the second day for a boat house stay at kumarakom.

19th from kumarakom to trivandrum and stay there till 21st.
from boat house stay you can proceed to trivandrum (by bus or train)for two days sight seeing, varkala beach, ayurvedic massage etc,
22-25th
start your trip to thekkady, munnar for whole four days. many more places you can see and enjoy.

26th -ooty

27th-ooty to coimbatore and evening to mumbai

second plan i will post tomorrow. sorry for that.
its just a suggestion. if u have finalised certain things, like the trivandrum to mubai flight or other places train tickets, then better stick to your itinerary.

PS: pmvelu's suggestion is also good without changing your schedules.

@pmvelu - waiting for your comments.

pmvelu

You are Welcome Del and also nice to see responses from other IMers on your "north indian part" too !! Have a Fantastic & Safe Journey ahead !..

Cheers
Velu

pmvelu

Hi Benkey,

Welcome to Indiamike .

The best part of our forum is that , Whatever the budget /Whatever the theme / whatevert the interests OP[Original Poster] is looking for, IMers will share their actual experience and OP could take what is suited for him / her and he /she is the only person who could take a call on this and I personally feel every one of the posts from Knowledgable IMer counts on this front !....


I read all of your posts and I would Say, Continue with your good work and share with us your travel related experiences / knowledge !!

Cheers
Velu