Hello! Advice needed regarding travelling in Goa in mid-July

Monique

Hi All,

My husband and I are going to India for our honeymoon from June 27 to July 21 (27 days). We both have connections to India. My ancestors left India in 1845 to work in the sugarcane plantations of Trinidad and my husband’s ancestors live in India during the 1800s. Anyway, we are both very excited about our trip! A question for you expert travellers around India, would you go to Goa during Mid-July?

Thanks!
Monique

machadinha

Should be an interesting trip.

Welcome to the board!

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goangoangone

Bring an umbrella and enjoy the rain.

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GoanGoan......here

capt_mahajan

.. and dont go in the water, can be dangerous during monsoons.

Monique

Thanks very much for the advice. We really wanted to spend some time by the beach but we have decided (based on our research and your input) to remove Goa from our itinerary. Not sure if this is the correct section to ask itinerary advice so let me know if I should ask them somewhere else on the site.

Here is our itinerary (subject to your suggestions):
Arrive in Delhi on June 27 (noon)
1) Take overnight train to Dharamshala and surrounding area (6 days)
2) Find a cheap flight to Delhi take a connecting flight to Lucknow take the train to Varanasi on the following day, find a flight to Khajuraho, bus to Orchha (8 days)
3) Orchha to Agra (1 or 2 days), Jaipur (2 days), Jodhpur (3 days), Delhi (5 days)

If we could, we would like to spend less time in Delhi so if you have any suggestions about places we could add to or remove from our itinerary we would really appreciate it.

Would it be a better idea to spend more time up north rather than Varanasi/Khajuraho/Orchha quadrant of India?

cyberhippie

Depends on how you deal with extreme heat, June will still be very hot around 40C+ (104F) and July though slightly cooler, will be pretty humid!!

machadinha

The heat aside, a bit of time in Delhi at the end of your trip isn't bad. Some laidback souvenir hunting, and there's plenty to see and do once you've gotten to grips with India a little.

You might look into some of the usual suspects like Bundi or Chittaurgarh but I'm not sure how feasible it would be. How's about Jhansi or Gwalior, Cyber you've been there right? Or look at this recent list of tips by Cyber: Travel Plans - Advice sought .

Weather-wise, maybe a more northernly (semi-) mountaineous loop would be preferable (unsure of monsoon conditions though). Can't help you there. The itinerary as it is I suppose will all be hot so why not throw in your quadrant too.

See also India climate chart for some general overviews.

machadinha

Just checking, and disregarding the climate:

http://www.indiagroove.com/ Is a beta version, you should double-check routes with e.g. http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/ or http://www.trainenquiry.com/ . It's handy for routes involving stopovers though. Using a 3-hour layover on Indagroove (might need to increase this, I'm not sure what a safe rule of thumb is, these stretches aren't that long though), it would appear you get:

Jodhpur-Chittaurgarh: 14-17 hrs. These arrive at night, so you'd need to stay over. Slower trains get you there in the early afternoon, which would be enough to rent a cycle, tour (extensive) Chittoor Fort and be on your way at night, there's little else to do.

Chittaurgarh-Bundi: 2-3.5 hrs. direct, all week. Departs early afternoon. (So you could arrive Chittoor at night, stay & see fort in the morning, then move on.)
(Much) slower night trains with stopover would allow you to leave in the evening or at night and get there early morning. Bundi's nice enough for a couple of days, some excellent sights and quite laidback.

Bundi-Delhi: 12 hrs. direct, all week. Departs late afternoon, gets you there early morning. Plenty of longer trains with stopovers it seems.

Again, check this on those other train sites, but I guess one or both would be feasible if you sacrifice some Delhi time.

(For Bundi only, Jodhpur-Bundi would appear to be 18-24 hrs., or much longer. You could try Kota at 12-15 hrs., then grab a bus from there, it's close by).

Monique

Hi! Bundi and Chittorgarh look very interesting. We will definitely look into going there or if time does not permit Udaipur or Jaisalmer. Someone mentioned that the locations that we have listed are pretty hot. Do you have any alternatives that may be a bit cooler? (Did I mention that I have a sun allergy?

Also, thanks for the info regarding the cancellation of flights from Dharamshala to Delhi! The train from Pathankot to Varanasi is sounding more and more like a good idea. We are having a difficult time deciding if we should book train tickets now as we would like to have the flexibility of staying longer in some places and cutting our time in other places. In your opinion, is it better to book tickets now rather than when we get to India?

machadinha

Both will be much further afield, that's why I didn't mention them.* The other two would also be somewhat more off the track (although you may well have the whole place to yourself that time of year).

How's about postponing your honeymoon till late autumn/winter?

I've no tips on the mountains no, esp. not on transport conditions with the rains. Anywhere in the plains will just basically be hot I think. Friends of mine survived it though. I should add they don't mind the heat much, and learned to live by night. They thought India in the monsoon was quite something else really, and as noted very quiet tourist-wise.

On pre-booking trains, I assume it won't exactly be peak time. But others may be able to give you the lowdown on current conditions. Word here has it getting a train isn't getting easier -- I don't know if that reflects on the board, or on actual conditions though. Getting out of Delhi straightaway you might want to have that first ride booked anyway.

* I guess Udaipur could be done, 19-26 hrs. to there from Jodhpur, then 12-17 hrs. to Delhi. Well, even Jaisalmer-Delhi looks to be just 20 hrs. and upwards (up to 30) and it's not all that far from Jodhpur, maybe it's improved, or my bad.

machadinha

btw Forgot to say re: train booking: I'm not sure about today but I have the impression buses are still a lot easier to catch on the spot. It doesn't hurt of course to enquire with the state bus company or some travel agents as soon as you know when you'll want to move out of town again. As a bonus, private buses (slightly more expensive than the state buses, still peanuts though) will often have their offices right next door in the tourist districts, saving you from trundling over to the bus or train station to enquire.

Buses in general are often quite frequent. Another bonus is they're an excellent way of getting around esp. in Rajasthan, where trains often take a slower and more roundabout route, over possibly minor tracks, although the latter seems to be improving. They may also allow you a wider choice in what time of day you want to travel.

(Now will someone finally correct me & say that bus travel too has gotten difficult, please.)

cyberhippie

Cooler spots

Kumbhalgarh
Morni Hill
Paschmari
Mt Abu

cyberhippie

Buses versus trains.

Well buses ARE more flexible simply because there's more of them and they touch more destinations and in most cases pre booking isn't needed a big plus point for travelers! However crazy drivers, dodgy buses and limited toilet/food stops sometimes conspire to make life really unpleasant on the buses.

Trains are more comfortable but these days if your on a limited time itinerary you really need to get your bookings sorted out a long way up front. The only way to avoid this is to be a little less ambitious with your travel plans and split your trip in to manageable chunks with only 5-6 hours max between destinations. Easy to do with a little planning. This will avoid having to make reservations for the train. Simply purchase a general class ticket and jump aboard!
The train is BY FAR the more comfortable option though and I will gladly do an extra couple of hours to use the train instead of the bus. Food, toilets, a place for a nap and an ongoing circus of sellers and entertainers, all make this style of travel easier on the soul!!

machadinha

Thanks for that, have been looking for the lowdown on current bus travel for a long time.

Re: buses vs. trains, I guess I'd mostly just grab whatever came my way & turned out the most convenient, just like most anywhere else. Requires some youthful flexibility perhaps (Not being on a fixed schedule time- or itinerary-wise arguably helps.) I thought the buses were quite alright even longer-distance. Can drive you nuts esp. if you're in a hurry or tired or accidentally got on a local slow bus or whatever, again, like anywhere else. (A funny thing I found is in India I'd easily resign to a lenghty bus ride simply because there'd be no other option, whereas at home even though it's economical I'll avoid it at all costs if I can.)

(It was recently suggested to me I get over there and write Buses at a Glance btw. What say? )

cyberhippie

Graag Gedaan!