north india for 3 months from july

navaga

hey everyone..

i'm arriving to india in july, & would realy realy appriciate some advice..
i'm landing in mombey, & wish to clime up north (i know its stupid, but that's where i'll land..), & then get to shimla. from there, i was told i could go to spiti, kinoar, parvati, manali, leh, dahramsala, delhi & rajastan. i have a few questions pls..

1. is this route logical? because i have a feeling there's a more logical one..

2. what is the best way to get from mombey to shimla? (considering the fact that this is my first time in india, & i dont want to spend time in mombey\delhi at the beginning)..

thanks a lot!

anupmathur

Mumbai to Delhi: Take a flight.

July and August being the monsoon season in north India, you could consider going straight to Leh, Ladakh first. That is rain-shadow area.

Spend a month or so there, then do the Shimla to Kinnaur to Spiti circuit, finishing at Manali. Also worth doing is the Manali to Shimla road trip via Jalori Pass.

You could also include Kashmir; you have enough time at hand.

Delhi - Manali can be done by the night bus (Volvo).
Manali to Leh is one of the classic road trips of the world. Options are to do it by bus or shared taxi. The trip takes two days with an overnight halt at Keylong or Sarchu.

After Ladakh, if you return via Kashmir, you can also make the detour to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple and the Wagah Border evening ceremony.

From Amritsar you could proceed to Shimla and do the Kinnaur and Spiti areas. From Kaza, proceed to Manali and then the Manali to Shimla road trip via Jalori Pass.

Rajasthan would be best toward the fag end of your trip as the weather will be more bearable then! July and Aug are HOT there.

navaga

i appriciate the detailed route! i think i will realy do it- begin from ladakh, though i read that the dalhi lamah is supose to be there at the end of august.

about the route, i have 2 questions-
you left dahramsala out. i would realy like to go there (doing yoga & other stuff). is there a way i can include it in the route? at which point it will be best?

about kashmir- i'm a woman going solo.. isnt it a problem?

& again, thank you very very much for your hel p

ragz

u can go to Dharamsala from Delhi and from Dharamsala to Manali. I know there is a Delhi to dharamsala A/C volvo bus.
Kashmir has no additional travel challenges for a single woman that are not present elsewhere in india.

Indizen

I think Anup has charted out a good route plan for you.

harsha

You are in India for three months so there is lot of time to spend in each place. Here is a little modified plan from what Anup has given:

Mumbai to Delhi. Spend a day or two in Delhi to rest and get acquainted.

Delhi to Dharamshala by overnight Volvo bus (You can take the bus from Himachal Pradesh tourism office at Barakhamba road or from ISBT bus terminal near red fort)

Spend few weeks in Mcleodgunj. (There are lot of Israelis there so you will not be lost or in dearth of company of fellow travellers) (there is so much to do there so you will need it)

Mcleodgunj to Shimla by bus (do not spend too much time there - check out nearby places like Chail, Naldehera, Narkhanda, Kausani etc)

From Shimla you can go to Sarahan and Kalpa, Recong Peo and Kalpa.

Come back to Sarahan and from Sarahan take a bus to Manali via Mandi.

Spend few weeks in Manali (make day trips to Rohtang pass, Naggar village and Vashist)

Manali to Leh by bus or shared taxi via Keylong and Sarchu.

Spend few weeks in Leh. Visit Hemis monastry, Lamayuru monastry, Shey place, Pangong lake, Thiksey Monastery, Leh palace etc) You mentioned that his holiness Dalai Lama will be in Leh in last week of August so if you time your trip well you will be able to see him there.

From Leh go to Srinagar, Kashmir. Spend a week or so there with trips to Sonamarg and Gulmarg.

Srinagar to Delhi via Amritsar. (Golden temple)

From Delhi spend you last few weeks in Rajasthan.

From Delhi take the overnight train to Udaipur.

UdaipurJodhpurJaisalmerPush karJaipurAgraDelhi.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need any help with some of the places. I have not been to Leh, Sarahan and some places in Rajasthan but have been to other places so can help you with them.

Cheers
Harsha

anupmathur

Navaga, thanks; glad to help.

Dharamsala can be easily included in your plan. The best point to do that would be after the Spiti circuit when you reach Manali. Instead of doing Manali to Shimla via Jalori Pass, you could take a bus or taxi to Dharamsala. It is a one day drive, almost entirely in the mountains.

As for a lady travelling alone, well ... what can I say other than what has been mentioned by Ragz? Kashmir poses no special risk, though you'd be well advised to check whether any advisories are in effect at that time.
Ideally, if you could find a 'friend' to travel with for the Kashmir sector, it would reduce your tension. But then, that is true for travel anywhere in India!

navaga

you gave me a lot info to think about.. will probably return with more specific question

harsha

You are welcome. IM is a treasure trove when it comes to information.