Need Itinerary Advice for June to Nov

chaia

Hi everyone,

i will arrive in Delhi on June 11th and planning to stay in India (and Nepal) for 5 month.
Has the monson already reached Delhi at this time?
What would be a good itinerary, preferably in the north. I understand that Ladak is a good place to go to and am planning to go there but not for the whole time.
I wanted to start my trip by going to Rishikesh first, what do you think? Is this a good idea or will it be raining all the time already?

Could someone please help me!?

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One Chai please

steven_ber

For basic advice a guidebook is king, a website like indiamike takes over when more personalised info is needed, we have the ability to tell you things a guidebook can't, to give advise that tailors to your individual needs.

However, as you can see, you've give us little to go on, we really do need a whole lot more info to be able to advise you of what may be best for you.

Have a look at the thread below to see the kind of info that may be needed.

We've not had members from cloud7 before, but if your trip is planned well, and you go through India with the right attitude, you may end in cloud9.

Welcome to indiamike.com

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



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snonymous

Hello Chaia
The monsoons do not set in in that region until around mid July. Regarding your itinerary to Ladakh, Rishikesh etc, I will leave it to others to answer as I havent been there. If you do a search on this site, you may find some useful info, I remember seeing posts about these places.

chaia

Thank you steven_ber and snonymous for your replys.

Well, i'm on a budget of 1000 INR a day and traveling solo.
I've been to India before but mainly in the south.
I do have the LP but in my opinion the advice from fellow travelers is much more valuable in many cases. Thanks to IndiaMike.

steven_ber do you have any idea how high up i have to go to reach and is it more likely to get there from Ladak or someplace else?

Thanks snonymous thats good news. One thing i don't want is sitting in the mountains and cloud 8 is pouring down on me all day

On a more serious note: What place in the mountains would you guys recommend to stay for lets say 1-2 months, have some walks around, study a bit of hindi (i'm a beginner, don't know a word apart from namaste jet) and simply enjoy live and the company of fellow travellers?
Any input would be much apreciated.

Amitava343

Hello Chaia
In June it does not rain in Rishikesh, but the weather in the mountains is very unpredictable. For Walks good view etc I would suggest Gangotri, in the Gherwal Himalayas, A days journey from Rishikesh
In the afternoons it always gets cloudy and it can rain specially the time you are going however, there are good walks from Gangotri.
1. Gomukh the source of the holy river Ganga. About two days if you are adventurous you can further proceed to Tapova.

2. Kedartal 2 to 3 days journey a very big Lake with all the high mountains a stone throw away.

Gangotri is a sacred place for the Hindus, There are Govt and private hotels and Lodges there. The food is strictly vegeterian. If you are planning to stay for 5 month better to avoid the rainy month of July to mid Sept. For Kedar tal a guide is must Name I would suggest is JAI SINGH can speak English haltingly, also required if plan to go tp Tapovan not required for Gomuk. Lodging and food available till Gomuk.
Amitava343

chaia

Thanks Amitava343,
so i can stick to my original plan and start off in Rishikesh with a few days up to Gangotri and Gomukh.

OK, so the rains probably arrive in mid july, that means i can stay in and arround Rishikesh for about 4 weeks.

Where should i go next? To the east to Darsheling and Sikkim or to the north west up to Manali and further on to Leh?
Where is it likely to be less rainy, in Manali or in Darsheling in the second half of July?

Amitava343

Don't even think of it. Darjeeling and Sikkim is very dicy in the rainy season. In Darjeeling it is always cloudy without tea would not be there.
There is fear of raad blodage due to lanslides during the rainy season. If you have to stay then I would suggest Ladakh or Leh there is less rains there. From Dehradun there are connections to Shimla and from there to MAnali. Take the bus to Leh from Manali it has to cross two high altitude passes of Baralacha Pass at a height of over 15000 feet and another one before reaching Leh. I hope you are not prone to height sickness.
Remember to rest for at least one day in Leh it is at an average height of 14000 ft.
At Leh do not miss the Pangon lakeand the So Murari Lake theese are heigh altitude lake. Pangon is at the border with China part of it belonging to China. You have to obtain Inner line permit before going there. The travel acency at Leh takes care of these.
Good Luck and Happy viewing.
Amitava343

chaia

Thanks again Amitava343,
so it seems the only option is going to Leh or enjoying the monsoon rains.