Need help planning! (clueless)

chrisd11

Hello all!
My name is Chris and I am traveling alone to India for the very first time and am completely overwhelmed trying to plan my itinerary. There is sooooo much to see and It's such a huge country with so much to offer. I'll list the dates that I'm going as well as some things that I'd like to see/do and was hoping that the members of this forum could help me out with where to go, how long to stay, and how to get there. Any help with this is greatly appreciated!

When: Arriving in Mumbai January 13th, 2010
Leaving Mumbai February 2nd, 2010.

What I'd like to see/do: See wild tigers.
Ride an elephant.
Ride a camel.
See the countryside via train.
See a big sporting event.
See a snake charmer.

Budget: I'd like to stay in the ballpark of $50 US per day.

I've already decided I'd like to go to Bandhavgarh National Park for my elephant ride/tiger seeing, and Id probably take the train to get there. Other than that, I'm clueless.

I understand that I may not be able to get to do all of this given the time of year but, that being said, all I really hope to get from this trip is an authentic India experience and would like to experience as much as possible in the time I have.


Thanks in advance!
Chris.

freenote

Thats not a lot of time to see anything !Best bet,buy a guide book for the area ,a lonely planet will do ,spend a day or two in Mumbia to see the sights , then catch a train down to Goa , find yourself a nice Little beach with a nice Little shack on it .settle down in a hammock with a beer and read the guide book.it should help you to find a place or two in the vicinity worthwile of a visit ,train back to Mumbia for flight home .It will end up as a couple of weeks well spent

PS have re read your list .
1 .. seeing wild tigers not a lot of hope but all is possible .
2 .. Riding an elephant ,yes possible in Goa .
3 .. riding a camel ,yes once again possible in Goa .
4 .. The ride down the Konkan coast from Mumbia should well satisfy that one .
5 .. Whilst lying in your hammock read the local papers on forthcoming sporting events .
6 ..I have seen a snake charmer by the gateway to India in Mumbia ,if that doesn't work it is possible to see one in Goa .

Enjoy

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goingback

Yep good advice freenote - but your first sentence is not encouraging!

Chris, read some good guide books and give it a go. If it doesn't go the way you plan - so what, you will have experienced some of India and hopefully enjoyed it too.

wonderwomanusa

Chris, you live near some of the best beaches in the world; no need to go to Goa for sun, sand and water. Better to concentrate on the things that make India DIFFERENT.

Sports: you are most likely to be there when there's some big cricket match. Try to find someone to explain it all to you, because it sure isn't like baseball!

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Amalfi

The authentic "India" experience that you are looking for and your idea of it , all screams RAJASTHAN. You will get to see Forts , Palaces , Lakes , Desert , Camels , Elephants , Tigers etc. Also , it is the most colorful state in India , with even the poor village folks always dressed in vibrant and colorful Turbans ,sarees , Long skirts (Ghagras / Lehenga ), Blouses with mirrorwork and the everpresent Odhnis. Reigning colors Pink , Orange , Green , yellow . Maroon etc. Also, with smart planning , you can stay at small heritage hotels which are mostly restored palaces, forts , havelies and mansions within your 50 dollar target budget. Also, your quintessential India experience is incomplete without TAJ MAHAL.

First suggestion. If you haven't booked your tickets or can reschedule, try to enter and exit from Delhi, which is part of the Golden Triangle and gateway to Rajasthan.

I think it's an excellent idea to visit Bandhavgarh for Tiger spotting on elephants. It's the best place in India for doing so. Pair it up with the spectacular temples of Khajuraho.

Also, I believe a visit to the Himalayas is essential for the "India" experience. Rishikesh/ Haridwar besides being at the foothills of the Himalayas and a short journey from Delhi , is also the Yoga capital of the world as also one of India's holiest religious spots. You can do a bit of white water rafting there as well.

Since you haven't planned on anything else nor read a guide book nor gone thru this site, here are my suggestions :

Golden Triangle
---------------
Delhi - 2 days
Agra - 1 day
Jaipur - 2 Days

Rest of Rajasthan
-----------------
Udaipur - 3 Days - For lakes, Hills , Palaces and Forts
Jaisalmer - 3 days - For Camel Safari
Jodhpur - 1 Day- India's best Fort

Khajuraho/Bandhavgarh - 1+2 days
----------------------
Rishikesh/Haridwar - 3 days
------------------
You can save on hotel bills and travel time by taking overnight trains . Book train tickets in advance at www.irctc.co.in after checking train options at www.erail.in . Decide on an itinerary first after researching the places suggested and ask for travel advice , if required.

Also, Snake charmers usually can be found near a lot of sight seeing spots for "Tourist " consumption. You will be dissapointed if you go around looking for them randomly on the streets, altho camel carts and the odd elephant are a common sight on the roads in rajathan towns.

chrisd11

Amalfi, thank you so much for your thorough response! That is exactly the kind of response I was looking for so, hopefully I can get a few more like it before I set this itinerary in stone, so to speak.

Also, was wondering how far in advance I need to make hotel reservations and buy train tickets. When I've traveled in the past, I've always done this on the fly but I understand that this is not recommended for India. FYI, I'll be there the last 3 weeks of January.

Thanks in advance!
Chris.

biotech

Hi chrisd11 I am going to Mumbay 30.12-27.01.10 I am traveling alone and looking for travel parner acros the coast of India and your plan sound nice. If you will be in Mumbay or Goa area let me know. I just moved after 7 years from CA (SF-Sacramento) to Europe. How is Arnold,Have a good one

Amalfi

January is peak tourist season and it is advisable to book your train tickets in advance. You can do this 90 days ahead of date of journey. Just print out the tickets on your computer and carry it with you along with your ID proof on the journey.

Also, do a reasearch on accomodation available (this site also has a good selection ) and book ahead wherever possible otherwise be prepared to take whatever is available or is offered by touts.

chrisd11

Alright! Rhajastan it is! Now, where to go, what to see, etc? Suggestions? I guess, more importantly, what to avoid?

Thanks Guys!

chrisd11

Also, what's the best region specific guide book?

Amalfi

How about going through the relevant forums in Indiamike itself, to begin with ? You will get enough advice on Itinerary , travel options , train bookings , hotel accomodations etc. I have suggested to you a rough itinerary earlier in this thread. Research on those places and decide on where all you wish to visit and make your relevant train bookings on the net. With only 20 days in hand , there is only a limited no. of things you can do.

chrisd11

OK. I've done some research and think I have a pretty good itinerary planned. I need some feedback from the gurus on this forum regarding which portions of my trip I should book trains or buses. As usual, any help is greatly appreciated. Here it goes!

Jan 12- Depart San Diego, Ca.
Jan 13- Arrive in Mumbai. Late pm.
Jan 14- Mumbai.
Jan 15- Fly to Delhi. pm.
Jan 16- Delhi.
Jan 17- Travel from Delhi to Agra.
Jan 18- Agra.
Jan 19- Travel from Agra to Jaipur.
Jan 20- Jaipur.
Jan 21- Travel from Jaipur to Ranthambore.
Jan 22- Ranthambore.
Jan 23- Travel from Ranthambore to Udaipur.
Jan 24- Udaipur.
Jan 25- Travel from Udaipur to Jodhpur.
Jan 26- Jodhpur.
Jan 27- Travel from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer.
Jan 28- Jaisalmer.
Jan 29- Travel from Jaisalmer to Kahajuraho/Bandhavagarh.
Jan 30- Kahajuraho/Bandhavagarh.
Jan 31- Travel from Kahajuraho/Bandhavagarh to Delhi.
Feb 1- Fly from Delhi to Mumbai.
Feb 2- Fly home.

Again, which portions should be traveled by train and which by bus and also, where might it be wise to book overnight sleeper trains. Also, are all of my stops in efficient order or might it be wise to move some things around?

Thank you!

angangang

Chris,

I did virtually this same tour almost exactly one year ago. Here is how we did it: The first minute we were in Delhi, we went to the Foreigner's Ticket Office in New Delhi train station. We got our tickets there. We knew our basic itinerary, and we could not get on all trains that we wanted. I think we had to spend a day longer in Varanasi than we wanted, but otherwise we made it all work for us. We might have had an extra day in Jodhpur as well for which we were very grateful.

I did not manage to figure out how to buy the tickets ahead of time for the exact trains we wanted; but if it can be done, this forum is the place to get the info.

We used Lonely Planet India to help us plan this trip, but we balanced it with India Mike. The folks here never let us down.

Let me know if you want specific hotel recommendations. Our budget was very similar to yours.

chrisd11

Angangang-
Thanks for your response! 2 questions: 1) Did you take any busses for any part of your journey or, in retrospect, should you have? 2) How much did you end up spending on trains/busses/hotels?

Thanks!

steven_ber

You risk having a nightmare trip, 1 day in each place will sap your energy and strain your friendship, and won't allow you to see past the touts.

At a quick guess, I think I could get from Jaisalmer to Kahajuraho or Bandhavagarh in under 30 hours, but not a lot less.


Fly Mumbai-Udaipur,

then a car & driver to Jodhpur (via Ranakpur & Kumbhalgarh)

then train to Jaisalmer (overnight)

train to Jaipur (overnight)

then daytrain to Agra or car & driver to Agra visiting Fathepur Sikri on the way

then overnight train to Umaria (for Bandhavgarh),

then an overnight train from Katni (a 2 hour drive from Bandhavgarh) to Mumbai,

that would give a lot more time on solid ground.

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