8-9 days - adviced needed on itinerary

pinkchoobaby

Hello all,

As part of our honeymoon in April 2009 we will have ~8 days to spend in India, flying in and out of Mumbai. I would like to visit Rajastan and Kerala if possible. Thoughts on itinerary below?

* Fri 10 Apr: Land Mumbai 6pm
Depart Mumbai 8.25pm, land Delhi
* Sat 11 Apr: Early start and private car to Agra (4hrs), visit Taj Mahal in afternoon
* Sun 12 Apr: Leave Agra and private car to Jaipur (5.5hrs), Fatehpur Sikri along the way
* Mon 13 Apr: Jaipur - Amber Fort & Elephant ride with half day Jaipur tour
* Tues 14 Apr: Morning flight Jaipur to Delhi and spend afternoon in Delhi
* Wed 15 Apr: Fly Delhi to Mumbai to Kochi
* Thurs 16 Apr: Kerala - what to do? Backwaters?
* Fri 17 Apr: Kerala - what to do? ???
* Sat 18 Apr: Kerala - what to do? Tea Plantation
* Sun 19 Apr: Fly from Kochi to Mumbai, stay Mumbain overnight
* Mon 20 APr: Fly Mumbai to London

Many thanks

steven_ber

looks crowded.

Fly Mumbai-Jaipur

then Delhi - Kochi (should be direct flights)

Try www.ixigo.com for flights.

Can't you fly into India landing at Delhi, then out via Trivandrum or Chennai?

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How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions.



Train information.

SHAILESH

I would suggest you to go through backwater from ernakulam to kollam. you will love it. and then go to verkala, which is the next railway station of kollam. which is having one of the 10th best beaches of the world. You will love it.

If you want any further assistance, you can feel free to ask.
Shailesh

pinkchoobaby

Thanks Steven. We are booking our flights to/from India with frequent flyer points and we have already booked to Mumbai and we preferred to fly out of Mumbai too (although Chennai and Delhi are also options).

I have redone the itinerary with 2 options - I think the first one is better:
Option 1:
* Fri 10 Apr: Land Mumbai 6pm, overnight at Mumbai
* Sat 11 Apr: Depart Mumbai 5.40am fly to Jaipur landing 7.15am
Jaipur - Amber Fort & Elephant ride with half day Jaipur tour (private guide/car)
* Sun 12 Apr: Leave Jaipur by private car to Agra (5.5hrs), Fatehpur Sikri along the way. Possibly Taj Mahal in evening
* Mon 13 Apr: Possibly Taj Mahal in morning (if not the night before). Leave Agra via private car to Delhi (4hrs)
* Tues 14 Apr: Day tour of Delhi via private car
* Wed 15 Apr: Fly Delhi (last flight out at ~10am) to Kochi
* Thurs 16 Apr: Kerala - Backwaters
* Fri 17 Apr: Kerala - Backwaters (1 or 2 nights?)
* Sat 18 Apr: Kerala - what to do? Tea Plantation?
* Sun 19 Apr: Fly from Kochi to Mumbai, stay Mumbai overnight
* Mon 20 Apr: Fly Mumbai to London

Option 2:
* Fri 10 Apr: Land Mumbai 6pm, overnight at Mumbai
* Sat 11 Apr: Depart Mumbai 5.40am/10am, land Kochi 7.40/11.45 am
* Sun 12 Apr: Kerala - Backwaters
* Mon 13 Apr: Kerala - Backwaters (1 or 2 nights?)
* Tues 14 Apr: Kerala - what to do? Tea Plantation?
* Wed 15 Apr: Fly Kochi 11.45am to Delhi 1.15pm, afternoon tour of Delhi via private car
* Thurs 16 Apr: Leave Delhi and drive to Agra (4hrs) via private car, Taj Mahal in evening
* Fri 17 Apr: Leave Agra via private car to Jaipur (5.5hrs), Fatepur Sikri along the way
* Sat 18 Apr: Jaipur - Amber Fort & Elephant ride with half day Jaipur tour (private guide/car)
* Sun 19 Apr: Leave Jaipur and drive (6?hrs) or fly to Delhi (afternoon in Delhi if fly)
* Mon 20 Apr: Fly Delhi to London

pinkchoobaby

Thanks Shailesh. How long would your suggested trip take? If we landed at Kochi around 12 noon, how long would it take to get to ernakulam?

And how long would the trip from ernakulam to kollam through the backwaters take (on a boat I assume)?

SitaParityaga

It takes about 50 min. to drive to Ernakulam from the airport.

Agree with Shalesh, the trip from Alleppy down to Kollam is the nicest because you spend allot of time on the small canals, which gives you a better close up view of all the rural life. I did two nights, though not all the way to Kollam. I loved hanging out all day, reading, watching the world go by..... but if you're the ansy type, by the second day, you'll be done.

vandy

Hi there,

Is it really worth the time & money going all the
way down to Kerala for just a few days.I am a very
big fan of Kerala but cannot Reccomend going for
just a few days unless you were visiting a nearby
state as part of your Travels.If this is your first visit to India, it is another reason to limit
your travel,eventhough you intend flying,getting
to the Airport & Checking in can sometimes be an
Experience in itself.

If its the Houseboat attraction, Have you considered popping up to Kashmir whilst you are in
Delhi area.I have read some recent posts where Travellers have had a Wonderfull stay in Kashmir of
Late, the Houseboat Experience and surrounding areas are Excellent.Kashmir is also well known for
Honeymooners,2-3 nights on one of the Houseboats
will be just the shot after the road travel you intend doing around Agra & Jaipur,etc.

Or you may want to consider Goa for a few days on the beach and then back Mumbai for your journey home.

If you still want to go for kerala, I suggest a short Backwater tour out of Cochin(Ernakulam)see
www.indoworldtours.com whilst spending a couple of days in Fort Cochin area with possibly a day trip across Cochin Harbour to Cherai Beach by ferry.Houseboat from Ernakulam to Kollam is very
far and would be very Costly even if you could find one to take you.

I still believe Kashmir would be your best bet,
Also the weather will be starting to warm up considerably with High Humidity at the time you
intend visiting Kerala.

Rgds - vandy

snonymous

If you are short on time, you can do half day and full day backwater tours ex Cochin, they are cheap and run by the state run KTDC and other private operators. Check details at keralatourism.org and ktdc.com

SHAILESH

Hi,
if you are opting for option no-2 then I would advice you to spent time on 14 and you should visit a place called varkala. this is nice place to visit. It is having one the 10 beaches of world.
If there is anything, you can ask me. I am based in mumbai.
Shailesh

pinkchoobaby

Thanks for your suggestions Shailesh

pinkchoobaby

Thanks for your suggestions Vandy. I don't think we'll be going to Kashmir or on the houseboats there - from the limited research I've done, I've read about more not-so-good experiences than good experiences.

The attraction to Kerala was a) friend went there and raved about the boat trip they did b) tea plantations c) read some really good things about it. We'd only do a 1 or 2 night boat as I think fiance would get a bit bored.

If not Kerala, would you recommend taking it a bit slower and spending 5 days in Rajasathan and leaving it at that for a first India trip?

If we were only to spend 5 days travelling around Rajasthan do you think it is worth going to Delhi? Would it be better to fly from Mumbai to Jaipur and explore Jaipur, Agra and somewhere else before flying back to Mumbai from Jaipur?

Where else can you see Tea Plantations?

rebeccam

"Where else can you see Tea Plantations?"

Darjeeling