Three Weeks in Aug/Sept. Any Advice? Skip Mumbai?

NBSF

My wife and are planning our first trip to India next year and, although I've spent a lot of time reading guide books and browsing this site I would love to get any input you all may have.

The first thing most will notice/probably have question about is we are trying to do both North and South in one trip, although only Rajasthan and Kerala. It will mean a couple of extra internal flights but it seems like Kerala is more different than what we'd see in another week in Rajasthan

The general plan was to do as much as possible of Rajasthan in 2 weeks, and then 1 week in Kerala, with at least a few days unwinding on a beach at the end (this is a key, so trying to find a good one that will be ok weatherwise in September)

Here is what I was thinking so far:

2 days - Delhi (one after arriving mid-night day before)
2 days - Agra / Fatephur Sikri
3 days - Jaipur, incl. Pushkar for day/overnight
4 days - Udaipur, incl. 1 day Ranakpur/Kumbalgarh,1 day Mt. Abu
1 day - Mumbai
1 day - Kochi
1 day - Backwaters out of Allapuzha
4 days - Beach
Fly back to Delhi from Kochi/Trivandrum for 1 nt. before return

I appreciate any feedback any might have about the iternary overall or some particular questions:

1. For 2 weeks in Rajasthan, and having ruled out Varanasi, will we be missing anything really great that we should consider adding in for a day or two?

2. Fly or train from Jaipur to Udaipur?

3. Does anyone have an opinion on the Airpass options available from Indian Airways and Jet Airways? It seems like there are lots of dicount carriers these days that might make this less necessary

4. Suggestions for a beach in Kerala during early September? We tend to favor a beautiful quiet beach rather than a crowded touristy one, so from what I've read Varkala sounds more our speed than Kovallam but I was worried it could be totally empty in September. Also there seem to be some good beaches much closer to Kochi, like Cherai and Marari - any opinions on one vs. the others?

I know there are a lot of questions here and I'll try to post also to the Kerala threads more specifically. Any help much appreciated!

vandy

Hi there NBSF, I usually advise first time travellers to India on a short Time Limit to keep
travel to a Minium. You will be doing a fair amount
of Road & or Train travel at the begining so I
suggest you reconsider going all the way to kerala
for a very hectic and short stay.If your interested in quiet beaches I reccomend going to Goa as it should be pretty quiet there in Sept.

There will be no problems getting reasonably priced accom and you should be able to fly Direct
from Delhi to Goa or Fly to Mumbai and take the
train down to Goa for something different,then fly
direct back to Delhi.If you enjoy your first taste
of India, you can allways return & explore the South.Doing it this way will give you ample time to
relax and explore Goa and maybe Mumbai.

Sorry if I have dampened your plans on Kerala,but
it is a long way to go and then head all the way back, don't get me wrong,Kerala is my favourite place in India, there is also the possibility the
monsoon may not be over in Kerala in Sept.

Rgds - vandy

Aishah

August and September is doable in Rajasthan but not ideal - it is still hot. If rain is around it will be cooler in areas. So you have hot and humid most of the time. Less rain in these months and by September not so much humidity but still hot. Ideal times here are November,December, Jan and Feb. it's a long haul to Kerala - also monsoon around still I think as Vandy has suggested.Doable with two months holiday - one month for Rajasthan and a month for Kerala - with this amount of time you should stay several days in areas so you don't feel like you are continually packing and unpacking.

__________________
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

NBSF

Thanks very much for the replies, Vandy and Aishah! It seems like one of the key problems we face with our trip is definitely the timing but unfortunately that's the one part we can't change


A couple of questions on what you told me -

- From everything I've read here and elsewhere Rajasthan is not to be missed on any trip, so even though it will still be hot in August we planned to make it the main focus. Any sense of whether it will be unpleasantly hot to the point where we wouldn't enjoy ourselves, or just hotter than a first timer would be used to?

- My biggest question relates to finding a beach in September. I appreciate the advice about Goa vs. Kerala and in fact that was my first plan, but it seemed that in early Sept. Goa would still be rainy and empty while Kerala might have a better chance of the monsoon being over. In either case we figured to fly from Mumbai (it's such a long trip over and we want to make the most of it so a couple more flights seem well worth it) in which case the extra distance to fly Mumbai to Kochi vs. Mumbai to Goa didn't seem prohibitive.

I guess I'd love to know - all things considered - what beach would be most recommended for early September, even if we needed to fly there - Goa, Kerala (up by Kochi or down by Varkala/Kovallum), or even Lackshadweep?

machadinha

As an aside, try also this (whole) thread for some general idea: India climate chart

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Aishah

NBSF - if you're from California you're probably used to some heat. August, many people are travelling in Rajasthan because of hols. in Europe and England. East Rajasthan is definitely cooler than where we are - they get the benefit of rains more than us.
Temps will be in 30's and out our way up to 38'c. Just occasionally there will be rain here and we have a really cool day for a couple of days after, then they rise again.. By August however it is at least a 10'c drop on what we have in May and June!

NBSF

Hi everyone - thanks again for the very helpful info. Although the trip is still many months off, planning the itinerary might be my favorite part and one I can't resist spending hours on when I should be working...

Here is my latest question - I've heard well all the advice that it's better to make fewer stops and spend more time per place than try to fit too much in. In going from Udaipur to Kochi, we had planned an overnight stop in Mumbai, but having thought through this more, I wonder if we'd be better off just changing plans in Mumbai and heading straight to Kochi, and avoiding the extra trips to and from the airport and the stress of trying to see such a huge city in one afternoon.

Anyone have some advice as to whether we'd be more glad to simplify our itinerary a bit but miss out on this obviously quite well-known city?

(Also, a question for the moderators - is it bad forum etiquette if I were to post this same question only as a new thread? The current title of this thread might not catch the eye of someone with advice on this particular q?)

Thanks again!

machadinha

Yes, it would be, check the site's Forum Rules on multiple posting, which is confusing to everyone including yourself & therefore not accepted.

Don't worry; by adding your post (and now me adding this one), your thread has been "bumped" (brought back to top), and I'm sure answers will be in. It will help others trying to answer you to know your previous considerations.

ps

That to me would be a strong consideration to skip it altogether, yes. You'll hardly know what hit you I think.

Mumbai can be very nice and interesting like any metropolis might be btw, on the other hand it wouldn't rank high on my must-see list (blasphemy to all Mumbaikars I know -- sorry peeps). In any case to get a "feel" for the city you'd need some time I think; if it's just for an afternoon, you may well find most of it spent in traffic and being lost among the crowds.

pps Should you decide to visit after all however, I just stumbled into this excellent and concise write-up by Aadil: Mumbai. Where to stay, what to see

pontesnm

You can fly into Delhi and out of Kochi (or Chennai) to save a return flight and possibly some money. If you are from San Francisco or coastal CA, then Rajasthan in August will be really hot! (I should add that I may be travelling in Rajastan at about the same time but will probably be going more to the Eastern part of the state). The southern part of Kerala gets less rain than the north so would recommend beaches there.

NBSF

Thanks Machadinha and pontesnm, I really appreciate your help. I've decided to skip Mumbai per your advice and my intinerary now looks like:

Delhi - 2 nts
Agra- 1 nt
Jaipur - 2 nts
Pushkar/Ajmer - 1 nt
Mt. Abu- 1 nt
Udaipur - 3 nights
then to kerala for 8 nights in Cochin, Kumarakom and thereabouts
Back to Delhi 2 nts

I'm very very excited about how it's all coming together and am mostly working on logistics. I do have one lingering question which is, given the timing and how hot it will be in Rajasthan and also the apparent relative similarity of some of the stops, I wonder if I would do well to take 1-2 nights away (say Pushkar and 1 Udaipur night) and instead go somewhere a little greener, perhaps head to Haridwar and/or Rishikesh before heading to Agra? Or another spot within Rajasthan?

We are very excited to see Rajasthan and its temples, history and culture but the Ganges seems like a real draw as well, and in general both my wife and I really enjoy parks and scenic areas.

I'm sure this is basicaly a matter of opinion at this point but I would love to hear what advice anyone may have on the subject.

Aishah

You know, what I would do is stick with your current itinerary and then if you find it all gets too hot, head for the hills. But not so advisable in August where it is rain, rain and more rain. September is definitely better. Maybe late Aug. mightn't be quite so bad. I do know my friend in Dharamsala complains bitterly of the endless cloud, damp and mould at this time of the year.