Mumbai-Agra-Delhi-Goa 1 month trip. July/August: Other itineraries?

debs

Hiya I am a 25 year old female and I have just booked flights to Mumbai and will be travelling around India for a month in July and August. My plan is to travel North from Mumbai to Agra and do the Taj Mahal and then make my way down to Dehli and then onto Goa for some time to relax on the beach. I plan to do all of my travelling by train as I have heard this is the best way to see the 'real India'. I would very much appreciate any advice anyone can offer to a young girl travelling alone for the first time in India, and if anyone has any do-able recommendations for any places on route I am open to suggestions! Thank you very much for your time and any advice will be gratefully recieved.

machadinha

First, try How to get the most out of the Itinerary section.

On women traveling, there are many threads, so search around. Currently a hot one with more than you might ever have wanted is http://www.indiamike.com/india/india...ty-etc-t46858/, but again, there are many others.

Oh, and welcome to IndiaMike

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debs

Firstly, thank you Machadinha for your reply to my original post. I'll be a little more specific and maybe that will give you all a better idea of my plans and then you can offer any advice you might have. I've travelled around Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia before, alone and with a friend, but I'm really excited about my forthcoming trip to India this summer. I am 25 and I will be travelling alone for a month in July and August. I plan to do it all by train as I have heard that this is the best way to see the 'real India' and I am on a fairly strict budget. My general plan is to land in Mumbai, travel North to Agra, then onto Dehli and then down to Goa to have some quality time on the beach, and then back upto Mumbai to get my flight home. Has anyone got any suggestions of any do-able places on route that I should see? Has anyone got any recommendations for hostels on route, or any general advice for a woman travelling alone? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

wonderwomanusa

Please see the many threads about women travelling alone, so we don't have to repeat ourselves!

One thing I'd like to mention, as you may not have thought of this, is that in July and August, Goa will be under monsoon, which means there will be fewer visitors and not much beach life, as the sea will be extremely rough and dirty. You might want to take a look at these charts that show hours of sunshine and quantity of rain...

debs

Hey everyone I've booked to go to India for a month alone on the 23rd July. I'm aware it's the monsoon season but this is the only time I could get off. I intend to do it on a budget and get around by train. I want to fit in the Taj mahal and I land in Mumbai. Where do you recommend where I won't get the brunt of the monsoon? I was planning to go to Goa but jhave heard it will be dead there at this time of year. Any advice I appreciate, thanks.

edwardseco

The weather is unpredictable. You have to play it by ear when you get there. 2 trips to Goa in August great, 1 lousy. In most places it will be hot as much as rained in. I recommend Ladakh at this time but one year it flooded. Go and see..

debs

Thanks for that- so you've been at this time of year then? that helps a lot. Where is Ladakh? Does it have a beach? I've heard that Kerala has had it's monsoon in late july and August- have you visited Kerala at this time?

htid

From what I've read Kerala gets monsoon roughly 1st June. Last year I think it was 28th May.

machadinha

Ladakh is about as high up in the mountains as you're gonna get in India. Recommended by many though, if that's your kind of thing. No beach anywhere near it, no. (I suppose there are lakes. If so, mighty chilly I reckon.)

http://www.indiamike.com/india/ladakh-and-zanskar-f31/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladakh
http://www.jktourism.org/

Check this (whole) thread for some general pointers and further links on climate, monsoon, etc.: India climate chart

btw For beach life, be aware that once the monsoon hits, swimming reportedly becomes far too dangerous, and the typical beach kind of tourist trade will largely pack up for the season, although a few places will no doubt remain open. Of course one can still visit coastal towns and villages and so on, just don't expect too much beach activities going on. As you already heard about Goa, apparently.

Also, Mumbai-Agra (Taj)-Kerala for instance which you seem to be thinking about would be quite some grounds to cover in a month, certainly if you want to budget it just by train (and budgeting will mean no airconditioned trains -- hot!! Well, you get a fan, provided it's working.) With a flight or two, sure, would be doable. If not, I'd suggest concentrating on one area. Preferably focused on Mumbai then, since that's where you're landing. (E.g., a choice of Maharashtra/Karnataka/Goa/Kerala would seem to make geographically the most sense.) If that is your best choice weather-wise I don't know. Inland from there will be hot no doubt, and possibly wet and humid then. Ladakh from there would require a flight anyway I think, with your time and at that time of year I wouldn't suggest overlanding it from Mumbai.

Like I usually say, for a sense of geographical dimensions, try to look up India on a map that shows it on the same scale as your home country, and bear in mind the infrastructure and speed of transport may not be what you're used to.