Delhi, Rajasthan, Varanasi & Agra in 21 Days???? Please advise.

ethladytravel

Hi,

I’m new to IndiaMike.com but I’ve been viewing it as an outsider for some time now. The advice in all areas has been great and has gotten me this far but I would really appreciate any knowledgeable advice on the itinerary that I have spent hours creating.

Here’s a bit of background: I am a single twenty-something year-old female, traveling solo. I have done a bit of travel (with a friend) in eastern Africa; however, I have never been to India before so I'm sticking to the beaten path and working with a mid-range ($20-50/day) budget. I’ve been studying the rail guides provided on this site but the idea of train travel (booking, reservations, etc) is still a bit daunting to me but that is my preferred travel mode. However, in some cases (please see itinerary) I have opted for a bus or plane. In the hopes of saving time, I have chosen overnight travel for long distance train trips. I hope that this mode is safe . I’ve read up on the train classes, and I prefer non-AC but for security I’ll try to travel in AC2 or AC3. I am flexible to changing my itinerary if it means saving time or money. I enjoy meeting and talking with locals and other travelers.

Without further ado, here’s what I have so far:

Nov. 29 – Arrive in Delhi, 9 a.m.; spend day exploring
Nov. 30 – spend day in Delhi before taking Train #4059 +DLI JSM EXPRESS DELHI 17:40 to JAISALMER 11:00
Dec. 1 – Arrive in Jaisalmer 11:00am; spend day exploring Jaisalmer
Dec. 2 – Camel tour, including one night in the desert
Dec. 3 – Midday return from camel tour, spend day exploring before taking Train #4809 +JSM JU EXPRESS JAISALMER 23:15 to JODHPUR JN 05:20;
Dec. 4 – Arrive Jodhpur 05:20, spend day exploring
Dec. 5 – Another day in Jodhpur, including an arranged village safari
Dec. 6 – Early morning travel from JODHPUR to UDAIPUR via bus (although I heard that the 9hr ride is not comfortable) or plane (which is a bit expensive...) please advise; either way, intended arrival in Udaipur is between 3pm – 6pm
Dec. 7 – Day of exploring Udaipur
Dec. 8 – Train # 2966 UDZ GWL SUP EXP UDAIPUR CITY 22:20 JAIPUR 06:00
Dec. 9 – Arrive Jaipur 06:00, spend day exploring Jaipur
Dec. 10 – Morning explorations before taking Train #4854 +MARUDHAR EXPRES *JAIPUR 15:50 to VARANASI JN 09:30
Dec. 11 – Arrive Varanasi 09:30; spend the day exploring Varanasi
Dec. 12 – Another day exploring Varanasi
Dec. 13 – Fly from VARANASI to KHAJURAHO (arriving at midday); spend day exploring Khajuraho
Dec. 14 – Another day exploring Khajuraho
Dec. 15 – Travel from KHAJURAHO to ORCCHA via bus (arriving at midday); spend day exploring Orccha
Dec. 16 – Another day exploring Orccha
Dec. 17 – Transfer to JHANSI; Train #8507 +VSKP ASR HKG EX *JHANSI JN 08:30 AGRA CANTT 11:25; afternoon visit to Fatehpur Sikri
Dec. 18 – Day touring the Taj and area before taking Train # 1077 +JHELUM EXPRESS *AGRA CANTT 17:10 NEW DELHI 20:30
Dec. 19 – Depart Delhi, evening flight

I have tried to plan my itinerary on daily trains as much as possible. I have tried to plan my itinerary so that I wouldn’t stay in one place for too long to be bored nor too short so that I feel like I’m rushing through. Please advise on any better travel routes, modes that I may take between destinations. Also, please advise on any areas that you may suggest me spending more or less time.

Any suggestions, ways to improve this itinerary is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

mridula

Looks fine to me. So all your train tickets are prebooked?

And welcome to Indiamike.

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Mridula

Travel Tales from India

ethladytravel

Hi mridula, and thanks for replying.
No, I haven't pre-booked my train tickets yet. I'm hoping to do that this week but I'm still trying to figure out how to purchase them from abroad. Still a bit confused about the Foreign Tourist Quota, which I know can't be purchased online...

Also, any advice on the best bus from Jodhpur to Udaipur? i.e. fast, safe and comfortable ride

p.s. Nice blog. Happy Diwali!

vonkla

Your trip looks fine to me too.
About trains, if the general quota tickets are available you can just book these on line, the tourist quota is extra.
For the booking process have a look at this thread How to book train tickets online - consolidated advice

We do not like bus traveling but we had no problem with the Jodhpur Udaipur busses.

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See our travel journals Mumbai-Dehli in three months; From Kochi to Delhi

ethladytravel

Thanks for taking time out to review my itinerary, vonkla. And, more thanks for the train info, including the thread that you recommended. Much appreciated. Quick question: I realize that I'll be traveling at a busy time but it is advisable to purchase all of my rail tickets in advance? Or, is it okay to just purchase the ones with journeys starting and/or ending in Delhi?

p.s. Great travel journeys! Gave me a few ideas of what to do in Jaipur and Udaipur.

OceanTragic

One major problem (I think): on Dec 18th you plan to visit the Taj Mahal...but it's a Friday....isn't the Taj Mahal closed on Fridays?

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vonkla

I don't know if you are familiar with this railway site http://erail.in/
Here it is easy to find out how many seats are available on the trains/dates that you want to travel.
If there a just few seats left it is advisable to book as soon as possible. You cannot book on erail.

Glad the journal as helpful

ethladytravel

OceanTragic, many thanks for taking time out to review my itinerary and spotting a major oversight on my part. I've been so busy trying to plan everything perfectly that I totally forgot about the tiny detail that the Taj is closed on Fridays. Much much appreciated.
I plan on arriving in Agra in the afternoon but it seems that Taj tours occur in the morning. Are there afternoon Taj tours?

Thanks.

ethladytravel

Thanks for the link to erail.in. I plan on booking the Delhi legs of my journey tomorrow. I read many threads about the different berths available; however, how likely is it that you get the berth you actually select?

ethladytravel

OceanTragic, many thanks for taking time out to review my itinerary and spotting a major oversight on my part. I've been so busy trying to plan everything perfectly that I totally forgot about the tiny detail that the Taj is closed on Fridays. Much much appreciated.
I plan on arriving in Agra in the afternoon but it seems that Taj tours occur in the morning. Are there afternoon Taj tours?

Thanks.

dilbharatmain

Hey there Ethlady - for someone who has never been to India before, think your itinerary looks great - although perhaps a wee bit "big city" based - but good pace with time to take in all the highlights of the places you are visiting.

Re Taj - you dont need any "tour" as such for the Taj - just wander in at your leisure and take it all in... but the best time (in my opinion) to visit Taj is early morning - opens at 6am and you can quite literally have the place entirely to yourself - that was the case for me last time I was there (ok, it is a year ago) - but not another single person there for about the 1st half hour when I got there at opening time - was magic... sunsets at Taj are pretty crowded and a bit hectic. But if your only option is to visit on Thurs afternoon then you will have to go with that. The other thing to consider is that the Taj ticket is also valid for entry to 5 other historic sites around Agra, so it is better if you get that ticket early morning and then have a bit of a hectic day seeing some incredible architectural history. So in this regard you may be better to travel from Jaipur to Agra (about a 6 hour express bus ride) then you can overnight train Agra to Varanasi, do your planned trip through Khaj/Orchha and get a day or o/night train from Jhansi back to Delhi at the end of the trip... just a thought to put a twist in your plan.

If you are fairly certain of your travel dates then my advice would be to book all your rail tickets at the start, saves any hassle then along the way. Enjoy. Dil.

ethladytravel

Hi dilbharatmain,

Thanks for your replying and offering your insight re: best time to see the Taj. Many other knowledgeable people (like yourself ) are of the opinion that it's best viewed in the early morning. I'll trust these opinions. Plus, I didn't know that about the entry being valid for other sites around Agra. Another bonus to being early. Thanks for advising.
I also thought of heading to Agra from Jaipur before doing the western leg but I run into the same Friday (Dec. 11) Taj being closed problem . It would be a shame to visit India and miss the morning Taj . My dates aren't fixed so I guess the other option is to start my travels one day earlier or later. On that note, back to the itinerary drawing board...

hoangquan1900

Hi all.

http://www.cleartrip.com/trains

I found this website to book train ticket online easily.

Anyone have experiences with it?

Any comments?

Thanks a lot.

ethladytravel

I haven't used http://www.cleartrip.com/trains. I'm pretty new to this too but with regards to booking, please see the following thread: How to book train tickets online - consolidated advice
It was advised to me and it helped a lot. Hope that helps.