Need help with North India itinerary - mid March to mid April

skybadger

Hi Guys

I am starting a 9 week solo trip around India next Monday and I have a rough idea of places I would like to visit. The first half of the trip in the South is pretty much worked out -
Enter Mumbai, train to Goa - 5 days, Karnataka 1-2 weeks, Kerela 1-2 weeks, then South to Kanyakumari.

I then want to explore the North for 4-5 weeks and fly home from Mumbai but can't decide on the best route. I would like to visit the following places: Jodpur, Jaipur, Agra, Pushkar, Rishikesh, Varanasi and darjeeling.

Could anyone recommend some good long distance journeys from South to North that would be the most scenic, possibly using 'break of journey' at a couple of places on way?

Would it be best to end my trip in Darjeeling and then fly back to Mumbai so I can be there at the beginning of April and avoid the cold?

I would be very greatful for any advice any of you experienced travellers can give me.

Thanks in advance.

T

alanrishikesh

So looks like you're going to have a great trip...if you're making your way up north you can train it up north, or fly to Delhi...

I personally think the best way to see Rajasthan is by car- we were super cheap but it just made more sense to put a little more money into it to see more. Rajasthan has awesome cities and all are worth a look, and if you are on a limited time frame a rented car might work best. For example, we rented the car (and the driver) for a week and it ended up costing total 7500 rupees, or 3750 each. In less than a week we saw Mt Abu (must see with awesome Jain temples), Jaisalmer (also a must see), Pokaran, Jodhpur and Udaipur, and some other town near there with ridiculously awesome Jain temples. Hard to see all this stuff if you are using public transport. We rented it from Ahmedabad for 4 rupees/km. He dropped us off in Udaipur and he drove back to Ahmedabad. Plus the good thing is when you want to stop (ie a large market in the middle of nowhere on the highway with a camel market) you can!

From there you can overnight bus to Agra or Delhi.

Rishikesh would be the logical next step from Delhi, there are a few ways to get there. You can bus it, or take a train to Haridwar which is 4-5 hours north, then take either an hour bus (eh) or even better take a share vikram for 20 rupees which run all day. It's like an hour trip. Tell them "Rishikesh" and "Ram Jhula". This way the vikram might even take you to the Rishikesh you actually want to go to (ie ashrams) rather than just the downtown, from where you'll still need to take a vikram for 4-5 rupees (this is where you'd be if you took a bus from Haridwar).

Chill there for as long as you want, but be forewarned, people come for a few days and stay for weeks or months!

While you're in Haridwar you might as well see it, take an hour to walk around town and see Har Ki Pairi, where everyone is bathing and where they have a famous night aarti that shouldn't be missed. It's been the same for 100's of years if not thousands. If you have more time you can see the temples, take cable cars, etc. But if you're pressed for time the ghat areas are easy to access.

From Rishikesh you'll need to go back to Delhi, then take a train (12 hours around, I think? Maybe I'm wrong) to Varanasi. Varanasi is awesome and worth a few days at least if not more. There are tons of guest houses for supercheap. The cheap ones are all near the "cremation" Ghat- forget the name.

From Varanasi you'd find a way to Darjeeling...I think. It is the closest one from all of your other cities to it. Not sure how far.

Good luck!
And remember: whatever you do, DO NOT travel during Holi! Be settled in a city and have your pack and stuff in your hotel. You will get smothered in dyes and it will suck if you are in transit .