North and South in 3 months September to December

Wayno

Hi

We are an Australian couple in our late 20s, have approximately three months in India and would like to see a mixture of the popular sites and off the beaten track. (don't we all)

We fly into Delhi in the beginning of September, and were thinking of rushing up to Leh for the festival and to do a trek (not sure which one). As the roads will be blocked, try to get a flight to Agra, and from there, head across the north towards Calcutta and maybe up into Sikkim (do the roads heading up into Sikkim have the same problem with being closed off in the winter?)

At about this point we will have to go to Kathmandu to get another visa (Italians will only give us a three month visa, starting the day we accept our passports back) either via road or plane from Calcutta. Is it true you can get a visa for Nepal at one of the border crossings?

From here we will head down to Mumbai. So far we should be about two months into the trip.

I will say goodbye to my girlfriend in Mumbai, and travel the south for one month solo (or find a travel partner), starting and finishing in Mumbai as my flight is out of here as well. Everyone talks about Goa, but Kerala has also grabbed my attention.

I am not so much after a detailed itinerary, rather some cool places to see along the general path I have outlined.

We are both up for adventurous travel, and have found that the best cultural experiences are always off the beaten track. We want to incorporate the mountains, the desert, the jungle and the beaches. I hope we aren't trying to do to much.

I guess we have a medium budget.

Thanks

Wayne

piran_e

In Ladakh you can go for the Numbra valley trek which is nice and short, though it would be quite cold during that time especiall in the nights. from Leh you will have to fly back to Delhi and from there go to Agra. On your way from Delhi to Calcutta you can visit some of these place depending on your iterest and time: Gwalior, Varansi, Bodhgaya, Nalanda.

Spend a couple of days in Calcutta and then you can take a train or flight to a place called silliguri to go to sikkim. From Silliguri you will get many jeeps going to Sikkim. If you are interested in culture then the vilages of Kewzing and Sumbuk have much to offer, giving you a good taste of local customs and culture. North Sikkim is naturally very well endowed and definitely worth visiting, though foreigners have some restriction on the places they can visit over there. There is still lots to see and do around Lachen; can give you more detailed info about this place if you guys interested.

After seeing sikkim you will have to come back to silliguri from where you can take a bus to Kakarbita which is the Nepal border. Yes, you will get a visa on border crossing. From Calcutta you can take a train to Mumbai.

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Walking a Dream

Wayno

Thanks Piran e

Any advice you have to offer will be appreciated. Sikkim does sound like an excellent place, so it might be worthwhile investing a couple of weeks there. Would you say that Ladakh or Sikkim would be the better place for a 4 or 5 day trek?

Where are Lachen and Kakarbita?

piran_e

Ladakh holds a special charm for me and is my favourite place so I would say that it would be better to do the trek in Ladakh. Lachen is a very big valley which falls in the North district of Sikkim, a very beautiful place with thick forests and plenty of biodiversity. I spent one and a half monnt working with the locals over there so know the place pretty well.

For more information on Kakarbitta check out this post on IM India to Nepal by Road : Experiences from crossing at Kakarbhitta