itinerary advice? (3 wks, TN, HP, uttaranchal)

tacita

i know, it's rather rude of me to start seeking itinerary advice for my next trip when i still have not posted a trip report for the last one--in february! shameless! (but i did post some photos. does that help mitigate my egregious conduct?)

i tentatively plan to spend three weeks in india in mid-to-late january, traveling alone. i'd like to divide my time between the south (TN) and the north (musoorie and dharamsala), where i will visit, respectively, an acquaintance, and an orphaned tibetan refugee girl i befriended in darjeeling who is finishing her secondary schooling in dharamsala at the tibetan children's village school there. traveling in february is also possible if that would be advantageous in some way, but i fear the weather may just be worse. do i have any hope of clear days/views in the north?

i'd be flying in from NYC and would prefer a direct flight, which means mumbai or delhi. i can fly between delhi/mumbai and TN, but will take the train from delhi to dehra dun, bus or car to musoorie, same for dharamsala. i don't need to split my time equally between north and south.

i'd like to hear suggestions for assembling an itinerary and tackling the logistics, as well as members' "must sees" in TN, HP and uttaranchal, near musoorie. it may be too much--all the more so because i harbor the additional, irrational, fantasy of maybe seeing the taj this trip. it's possible i will also be hosted for a day or so in delhi, though i prefer to avoid large cities if possible--can't breathe!

thanks in advance. nice to "see" everyone again.

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capt_mahajan

3 weeks is too short, but, first off comments/advice:

I would recommend flying in and out of Delhi. Mumbai will take away time from an already hectic trip, unless you can fly into Mumbai, leave immediately for Chennai, and then, finally, fly out of Delhi.


Tamilnadu.. which are the must visit places? (Like Mussorie and Dharamshala seem to be in the North).

My suspicion is that you will be hard pressed for time, though you may be able to squeeze a trip to Agra if you hurry, and within your 2 days or so in Delhi.

Jan/Feb is not really the best time in the hills, or even travelling to Agra. Fog around Delhi throws off many plans, delays flights and trains, specially early morning and late evening.


Generally I would look at flying in and out of Delhi, leaving immediately for TN or Mussorie/Dharmsala. The two days in Delhi,whenever that is, can be used for the Agra trip. Don't miss Fatehpur Sikri there.

Pity. Delhi, though a big city which you want to avoid, is the one big city which has the most to offer a tourist. You don't have time for that.

PS: Is TN a must do this trip? Else suggest drop that and do a week in Rajasthan and/or a few days in Delhi.

Else, roughly, how does this sound

4 days in Mussorie, surroundings
4 days in Dharamsals, surroundings
3 days for Delhi/Agra
3 days travel, connections, arrivals and departures
7 days in TN.

machadinha

Too short, my first thought, yes.

Will be back with further thoughts Janice, need to go over it some more. Your 2/3 weeks in Sikkim/WB will have given you some idea of time needed right?

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fsg

Have you checked out Emirates airline, one of the best imho, NYC to Dubai hub and then on to Bangalore or Madras, do you TN bit when it is not too warm then go up north, by air, [awful] or by Rajhdani[nice]. You see a bit of the country that way, but given you time restraints perhaps not practicable.

Fly ex Delhi .

BTW I thought you were doing to give up the day job........ then you would have more time, less money.

tacita

thanks for your replies. special thanks to the cap'n for a proposed itinerary break-down. actually, my primary interest, at least for this trip, is getting to dharamsala to visit this tibetan girl before she leaves in march to return to darjeeling. i promised her that i would see her in dharamsala and i want to honor that promise.

my only other trip to india was spent mostly in sikkim, which i assume is more similar to, than different from, the dharamsala environs. by going to the south, i had hoped to experience more of india's diversity. also, the temperature would be bearable in TN that time of year. (and i wanted to meet nick!)

i actually don't need 4 days in musoorie, but i do want to visit someone there and someone else in selakui. maybe if delhi's air is not as bad as kolkata's i could bear it. so maybe i need to face reality and skip the south this trip and come up with an alternate itinerary entirely. seems a shame, though, to miss the views that make the north so spectacular.

good idea to check out emirates, fsg--thanks!

as to giving up my day job (wow, how did you remember this?) i just couldn't bear to sell my apartment. and i'm having another cochlear implant surgury next month, insurance permitting, so it doesn't seem the right time to be uprooting to undertake "MY BIG ADVENTURE" just now. and coincidence of coincidences, i just got some really interesting work in my otherwise tiresome job. i'm hoping i can sublet my apartment for a year at some point and still follow through on a scaled back version of my grand dream.

thanks again for your input.

incitatus

Fsg's advice about an open-jaw ticket is good.Best airlines from east coast USA are Emirates and British Airways.BA flies to Delhi,Mumbai,Kolkatta,Bangalor e, and Chennai.


Flying Jfk-LHR-Delhi then back from Chennai to JFK via LHR out mid Jan back mid Feb costs $1416.98 in economy.(I used out 23 jan return 17 Feb.at random)Weekends slightly more expensive.Obviously you can explore options on the BA and Emirates websites.
If you fly into Delhi remember you can easily see the Taj Mahal on a Daytrip to Agra.


As for Tamil Nadu ,if you have at least a week you can see quite a bit.
Don't bother with Chennai itself-there's nothing worth seeing.
Depending on the amount of time-take an overnight train to the farthest point you've time to visit say...Madurai.
Arriving in the morning book into hotel (24 hr check-out) see the temple and walk around.
Next day to Trichy-spend the afternoon at Srirangam.
Take bus to Pondicherry -stay 2 nights visit ashram,eat baguettes.
Bus to Mamallapuram.Explore Shore Temple ,wind down during remaining time.
Take taxi directly to airport to fly home. (Rs1200 last time I used it by prices can,and do, go up!!)

Radjesh

Try to fit in Kanyakumari, its a nice place

machadinha

I agree given your focus on Dharamsala and some other places up there and considering your appointments, and the likelihood of your returning a next time (and a next, and... ), if you can skip TN for now and focus on that, you could have a nice 3 weeks there seeing and doing what you want, including Agra etc. Then giving TN 3 weeks a next time (with perhaps some of Kerala, etc.) would do more credit to both areas, and to yourself, not having to rush through it all. I also suspect North India will already be quite different from where you've been before. Throwing in a bit of Rajasthan would be nice yes, just don't overdo it on the must-sees, would be well possible though I think.

Weather I can't really comment on. I haven't been to the hills there, but was in the plains and Rajasthan in winter twice, didn't have much trouble. Sometimes rather chilly and foggy yes; can also be rather balmy and blissfully not all that maddeningly hot. I think you were in Sikkim in Jan./Feb.?, so you'll know about the cold. No chance of going say autumn'ish I guess?

Anyway, happy planning

robotvoice

sorry nick, apparently not everyone agrees that you are worth seeing

Janice,
I must agree with the general trend though, (apologies, nick) that you should not try to spread yourself too thin. There is always that next trip so I think you should give yourself time to explore the areas you mentioned in the north.
Honestly if you are from NY then you should not find the weather unbearable, just a little chilly in the evenings in the mountains. But in the daytime it will likely be very beautiful and for instance in the Mussoorie area there are many pleasant walks.

Have a great trip! I was just wondering where you have been lately.

fsg

I just happen to have an Emirates timetable, a little out of date, but the schedules dont change much.
Check out EK204/520 and EK202/522 JFK to TRV, then you can get a car to Kanyakumari and up TN.

That way you dont do any doubling back on yourself

BTW does Nicks wife know of this assignation!!!!!!!!!

tacita

many thanks to you all for your thoughtful replies and suggestions. i think i will go with the common wisdom (i actually knew my agenda was unrealistic), and save the south for another trip, as there surely will be one. i'll focus on the north this time and use the extra time to visit agra and some delhi sites--if i can handle the air. alternatively, i could even cut the trip to two weeks and still both see the taj and get up to dharamsala, and save that extra week for the next trip. (but peru and mt. kili are on the wish-list as well!)

as for things to see in chennai, well, i was hoping to meet nick. i even harbored the truly unrealistic notion that i might catch up with the cap'n in hyderabad. (who was extraordinarily generous, helpful and kind to me when i was last in india, particulalry so when i had very bad experience in the mountains that threatened to derail my trip entirely. NB: apparently, it's not always best idea to go to the police!)

no, mach, traveling in the fall isn't possible, as i've exhausted my leave time from work and expect (hoping, hoping, hoping!) to have my second cochlear implant surgery next month--i have to wait for my hair to grow back!

fsg, i did look into emirates, but the flight departure and arrival times sound horrendous! however, if i adhere to a north-only plan, i can fly non-stop in and out of delhi. emirates is great (i even found that open-jaw trip for $1340!), but i'd have to kill 5-12 hours at the dubai airport in the wee hours and i can't afford their fabulous hotel there--yikes! if i were one of those people who could crash on the floor for a few winks, that'd be another story, but i'm too old for that now!

thanks again, all. i'll ponder my options (and my guidebooks) and redraft the plan, after which i'll be soliciting more kind replies.

machadinha

Hey, Nick will be there next year I trust (Which is not to say you shouldn't be rushing over there now, of course.) If I get it together maybe we can hit on him and the Capt. together

I'd been thinking in the meantime Rajasthan might really suit you, so stick to those 3 weeks at least in your daydreaming for now (I'd say). Not sure how big you'd be on forts and faded Rajput chivalry and stuff (I loved it), but the sheer colors and bazaars and the proud women (and men) and perhaps a short camel ride into the desert (literally a pain in the behind I hear on a longer trek, I never did it)... yes, I can picture you doing that.

Consider it, you've got some time to plan yet.

Cheers J.

tacita

excellent idea, mach. now that i'm, reorienting my thinking, that makes pefect sense. have to have the camel ride, natch.

(not that it could possibly compensate for my missed yak ride in sikkim, however.) hey, maybe in HP!

robotvoice

Very bad experience in the mountains... unhelpful police... Now I am extremely curious.

tacita

that's just it--i didn't go to the police. had i, i might still be there trying to sort things out...hey, wait! i could still be there instead of sitting here at my desk! let's just say it was good to have the captain only a phone call away. i'd say he was a kinight in shining armor, but that might embarrass him. oh, my. there i've gone and said it!

(i'll PM you about it, robotvoice--would rather not discuss the incident here. this thread could quickly turn into a 20-pager having nothing to do with my january itinerary!)