Itinerary help

majooli

I think my planning is coming together for my trip at the end of november, but would like some advice on routes and transport times etc.
So far I'm thinking:

Train from Dehli to Kalka then on to Shimla via Narrow Gauge
Shimla to Dharamsala by bus and onto McLeod Ganj
Bus to Kanga then train to Pathankot onto Amristar
Then train back to Dehli
Dehli to Varanasi by night train
Varanasi to Agra
Agra -train to Fatehpur Sikri then on to Jaipur
Jaipur train to Sawai Madhopur (Rathambhore Park) then to Kota
Kota - Bundi - Chittorgarh - Udaipur - Pushkar and Amjer all trains?
Shekhawati region by car? then to bikaner or Mandawa
Bus to Jaisalmer
Train to Jodhpur
Hire a car Kumbhalgar - Ranakpur - Mt Abu
Train to Ahmedabad and onto Mumbai

Any ideas on this itinerary would be greatly appreciated or even better someone who can work out the transport timetable options for me!! Thanks so much

SHIMLA

Hello majooli and welcome to the forum !

You haven't mentioned the no. of days at your disposal, hence its difficult to comment on your itinerary.

Just one suggestion for the Delhi-Shimla part : take the overnight Kalka Mail from Delhi Jn. station and the connecting narow gauge Shivalik Deluxe Express from Kalka to Shimla. This way you can avoid an additional night halt at Delhi and reach Shimla by 10=00 a.m.

If you take the morning train from Delhi, the entire day is wasted in transit.

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thirdreel

I did the daytime train from Delhi to Kalka to Shimla and I don't regret it at all. It was good to be on the narrow-gauge in daylight, because of all the breathtaking views, waves from villagers and schoolchildren, and lunch at Barog station. You'd get some of that if you took an early-morning train, but I don't know if it's worth it.

Then again, I wasn't as pleased with overnight trains as I thought I might be. It seemed like so many of them required me to be waiting in a train station for departure late at night, and arriving in a train station very early in the morning. To me, it wasn't always worth it to get five hours of sleep on a train between a midnight departure and a 6 AM arrival... and then go from there to find a hotel room in a strange place.

majooli

Sorry Shimla, I've got from 27th November to being in Mumbai on Christmas Eve I hope. It will be a tight squeeze to fit it in, but can plan it and cut things out when I'm away if need be. Thanks for your reply

aadil

Sounds like an interesting itinerary and I am sure you will enjoy it all, after all it is the beginning of winter in the northern parts of India so it will be comfortable journey even if you are on the road or by train but when you come to Mumbai it will be pretty warm on Christmas eve!!! HAHAHA!!! Sometimes it is good to be on the train if it leaves at night and you reach in the morning but not too early for finding a hotel in a new place unless you have one booked earlier on. Hope this helps. Don't miss out on Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary if you are interested in birds, but if you are going to Ranthambore then you will see many of them anyway even if you miss out on the tigers!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

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SHIMLA

It means you are trying to accomodate the entire itinerary in less than a month's time ! You'd do well to cut out a few places; but which places to drop will depend entirely on you and your interests.

steven_ber

I suggest you take some headache tablets before reading the following.

I agree with SHIMLA, go overnight to Kalka, most of the route to Shimla will be in daylight hours.


There are direct trains from Amritsar to Varanasi.


By overnight train.


(I’m not suggesting it, but there is a train that departs Fatehpur Sikri daily at 06:01 and gets to Sawai Madhoppur (for Ranthambhore) at 09:25

Suggest Jaipur, then car tour of Shekhawati region, returning to Jaipur (as you'll have to pay for the driver to return to Jaipur) then overnight train to Jaisalmer. (suggest missing out Bikaner).

Then daytime or overnight train to Jodhpur.

Then daytime train from Jodhpur to Ajmer (for Pushkar)

Then overnight train to Abu Rd (for Mt. Abu), then Taxi/bus to Udaipur.

Then car tour of Kumbhalgar - Ranakpur from Udaipur.

Then Chittaurgarh, Bundi and Ranthambhore, then an overnight train to Mumbai.

You can also get an overnight train from Jodhpur to Falna, missing out both Pushkar and Mt. Abu if time seems short. ((Falna is 40 Kms from Ranakpur, you could get taxi's from Falna to Ranakpur, Kumbhalgar and Udaipur, they will work out much cheaper than a car tour)


There are so many options, I'm sure they will all give you a headache.

Most train options are covered in the 'Train information' link below.

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



Train information.

majooli

Hi Steven,
Thanks so much for the fantastic reply, the few changes you mentioned make a lot of sense.
- Think we'll know miss out the tiger park and go from Fatehpur Sikri to Jaipur, do you think its best to do a trip from Agra and return or as a stop off on the way to Jaipur?
- Also the direct train to Varanasi from Amristar takes about 22hours, if we stopped in Dehli to break it up so we had two night trains, can we leave our bags at the station?
- Got this reply from someone else "You can catch a fast bus from shimla to Mcleod gange (about 8-10hrs) but it is not the most scenic route the best route is tohead for Mandi stay there overnight then mandi to Mcleod along the kangra valley (wonderful scenery) once you are in the hills catching the local buses is very easy. " On your train info their isn't Mandi mentioned, do you know about this service?
- Shimla also recommended nicely to taek "the overnight Kalka Mailfrom Delhi Jn. station and the connecting narow gauge Shivalik Deluxe Expressfrom Kalka to Shimla." Looked up this train and could only get the reverse direction timetable from Shimla to Dehli which is overnight, it seems to depart Dehli at 7:30am??
- Another reply was "You can go to Agra and
back to Delhi by bus. In the wintger the trains are often fogged in nd go slow,
Varanassi is worth the trip but it is cold there in December. Rajasthan will be
warmer, Johdpur was very interesting hit the main places there and then go southbefore it gets too cold" I know nights will be cold, but will trains really be a problem I haven't heard this before?
- From Udaipur you suggest "Then Chittaurgarh, Bundi and Ranthambhore, then an overnight train to Mumbai." Is it now easy with the new line to get from Udaipur to Chittaurgarh and Bundi? Really only want to see Bundi I think, also will this train pass Ahmedabad is it worth seeing this city?
- I think it's all coming together and I'm getting so excited, Do you think I should book any of these trains? Was thinking maybe just the one to Mumbai as it will be busy this time of year and also the ones to Shimla up to McLeod Ganj (once I've figured out which ones!) Also will hed from Mumbai to Goa on the 28th or 29th of December and I assume that will need to be prebooked, but do you think from Mumbai will be early enough or do it from here.
Thank you for all you help, you really are fantastic

SHIMLA

The Howrah-Kalka Mail departs Delhi Jn. station at 22=50 and reaches Kalka the next morning at 05=00. The narrow gauge Shivalik deluxe departs Kalka at 05=20 and reaches Shimla at 10=05.

majooli

Thanks, what time will it get light, would like to do the part to shimla in light if possible, but it is that sounds perfect.

SHIMLA

You should get at least three hours of the journey in light - from 07=00 to 10=05. Had it been summer, there would have been sufficient light from 05=30 itself.

jyotirmoy

Majooli,
This itenirary may interest you.
Dep: Mumbai(Bandra) 4848 Jodhpur Exp. 12:50 (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun)
Arrv: Jodhpur 06:50. Whole day for sight seeing.
Dep: Jodhpur 4810 Jaisalmer Exp. 23:15
Arrv: Jaisalmer 05:15. Stay. Sun set at Sam desert.
Dep: Jaisalmer 4809 Jodhpur Exp. 23:15
Arrv: Jodhpur 05:15
Dep: Jodhpur 2466 Ranthambore Exp. 05:45
Arrv: Jaipur 10:35. Visit Amber fort, Lunch @ Niros.
Dep: Jaipur by bus
Arrv: Agra Stay. Take a side trip to Bharatpur.
Dep: Agra 2179 Taj Exp. 18:55
Arrv: New Delhi 22:05. Stay
Dep: Delhi 2311Exp. 22:50
Arrv: Kalka 5:00
Dep: Kalka 241 Shivalik Exp. 5:30
Arrv: Simla 9:20 Stay.
Dep: Simla 242 Shivalik Exp. 17:40
Arrv: Kalka 22:20
Dep: Kalka 2312 Howrah Mail 23:45
Arrv: Delhi 6:35
Dep: Delhi 2952 Rajdhani Exp. 16:00
Arrv: Mumbai 8:35