Aug/Sept - 2 months in North West India Itinerary advice please

Hey Macha,

Thanks for the follow up. Lucknow may be worth a visit it appears!

Yes Mandi's definitely worth a stopover IMHO & a stroll along the river to see the many old Temples (There are over 100 in Mandi)I Like to stay at the Olde Worlde Raj Mahal run by & previously the Palace/home of the royal family of Mandi; http://www.rajmahalpalace.com/index.html

An even better option would be to get to Mandi Then take a bus straight to Rewalsar Lake (1hour) spend 1nt & 1.5 days in Rewalsar & make sure you do the 8Rs bus ride up the hill (30-45mins) to see Padmasambhava's caves then head back to Mandi the following afternoon & have half a day looking around the Temples river etc then spend the night at Raj Mahal ready for the early bus to Shimla next morn. Here's my photo's of Rewalsar, the ones with all the prayer flags on the trees & rock's are taken at Padmasambhava's cave where you will find some wonderful views of Himalayan peaks. http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/kulluk...ey=1uCtozrD8Ok

What's wrong with Manali? It depends what you are looking for, but personally i would disagree with your friends & say have a couple of days there since you will be on the doorstep so to speak.
KK

I know the nice Kurtas come from Lucknow with the lovely white embroidery but we didn't go there...

Oh, you've just convinced me Kullukid, I think a couple of days in Mandi/Rewalsar Lake will do me just fine. I've added them to the schedule.

As for Manali, I think the rationale of my friends is that they worry I'll spend too much time in the hill stations, and that once you've done Shimla and McLeod Ganj, Manali is sort of same old same old...I'm not really an outdoor adventure mountain gal either, so the adventure sports hold little interest for me.

As for Lucknow, I'm still sitting on the fence. I'll monitor the train bookings and make a decision when I have to!

Thanks again everyone!

Glad to be of service Kat. Have a great time!By the way IMHO there's no comparison between D'sala, Shimla & Manali they are 3 verreee different places, however if you are limited for time/days then don't try to squeeze too much in, save some time to chill & get the feel of these wonderful places. KK