Visiting North India in 2nd Week of Sep 08 ---- Advice Needed !!

Hello All, (Please Read this Itinerary though its long -- Its a Urgent as i don't have much time left And Please atleast advice something after reading.)

I need an advice on the following Itinerary.. I'm (26yrs) gonna visit North india with my parent (Age 65+) in the second week of Sep.

Day 1 (Sep 06) : Arrival to Delhi In B'lore-Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
Suggestion needed in which economic Hotel to stay. Couple of my friends suggested that i can stay in "Hotel Southern" in Karol Bagh .. but looking at the reviews in the internet..was not really confident about that hotel though i have reserved on phone for a Delux Room. (Any Another Decent Economic hotel suggestion is really appriciated.)

Day 2: Visit Delhi and stay back in the hotel for that night.

Day3-Day9 (Sep 8 to Sep17): This is the day my entire travel starts as i have taken a packaged tour with Panicker Travels. Going to Visit these places with the help of travels.
Chandigarh-Manali-Dharamsala-Katra-Vaishno Devi-Amritsar-Wagah Border-Kurukshetra.

Now here where i'm in dilemma as, should i visit Vaishno Devi temple as there is a lot of communal clashes happening regarding the Amarnth Land Row . As i have my aged parents with me and i don't want them to suffer in between the journey.

Another thing is that i heard there is a chopper service in Katra (If it is still operational)..the suggestion that i'm looking here since my parents would not be able to take the entire 15 kms of hill walk up hill or down hill , i though i'll opt for the chopper service. Do i need to book for that much earlier or is it still ok to reach Katra and then opt for that service.Incase if i have book the chopper service--Contact no's pls and Suggestion on ride.

In their Itinerary, it is mentioned that they will take us to Wagah border. Now the suggestion that i need is, do we need to take any pass/tickets to go as close to the border as possible to view the "Beating the Retreat" ceremony in the evening.
As i want to be close to the soilders and watch the entire process of both sides of the soilders.

Day 10: Visit Agra-Mathura and back to delhi the same day.

Day 11 & Day 12 : Visit Haridwar-Rishikeash-Laxman Jhoola from Delhi and be back to delhi on Day 13th night.

(Suggestion Needed on Day 10,11 And Day12 -- Is it a good idea after visiting Agra, Mathura and Sikandra) to be back to delhi or should we go further to Haridwar-Rishikeash that same night of Day10 to save time.

Day13: Visit Delhi..If possible atleast visit major tourist attractions.

Day 14: Visit Akshardhama temple and surrounding places.

Day 15: Take the Train (Rajdhani Exp) at 20:30hrs and back to home town.

The above said Itinerary is as now planned. Please suggest me if there is any changes or to include some places in the above. I Can Sqeeze in one more day of travelling if there is any more place that i should not miss.

Please suggest me the Economic hotels in delhi and should we take travels like Panicker/Southern travels to visit Haridwar-Rishikeash and also Agra, Mathura and Sikandra or should we go on our own to these places.

One more thing is that i'd like to find out what would be the distance between H.Nizamudin Rly Stn to Karol Bagh and does the Easy Cabs if booked a day early for the transportation to the hotel will they offer service form Train Station and how much roughly will it cost from H.Nizamudin station to Karol Bagh will it cost.

Any suggestion in above Itinerary is greatly appriciated. Thanks in Advance for your suggestions.

Really how sad !!!
none has replied to the information that i was looking for .. even after asking that its URGENT
I agree the Itinerary was a little long one .. but i thought atleast one person would have replied and i have infact atleast checking this forum thrice a day.. but still then .. no one has replied so far..

Anyways PEOPLE of IndiaMike .. Now i know Looks Like IndiaMiker's are sleeping ....REALLY how SAD!!

Sorry, my eyes blurred over after the word Urgent & a couple of exclamation marks

I'm sure there'll be paid travel agents out there who are willing to give you their piece of mind.

Hi aps,

The itinerary is fine. I am from Delhi only and suggest you with good budgeted hotels and operators with good services. It will be better if you can write me on my e mail id -----------gmail.com.

Regards,

Moderator Note.

Sorry, but such posts lead us to suspect 'travel agent'
which is not allowed. The purpose of the forum is to
publicly exchange information.

I looked at some photos of Hotel Southern and it looks very nice; it's always difficult to say, however, if nobody we know has stayed there.

It looks as if both Day 2 and Day 13 are free for sightseeing in Delhi; of course, if you are feeling rushed, you might use that Day 13 to do other things. Rest after all that touring around, or maybe some shopping!

I am the age of your parents, and would find this vist tiring if it wasn't a tour; I hope you all enjoy it and will return with comments on what service you got from this agency and whether you all were totally exhausted at the end.

Another time, you may find that being just a little more selective with your questions gets better results.

Nobody is under any obligation to spend time answering your questions, though many members do put considerable effort into this.

Check out MapmyIndia.com which will give you this information.

Sorry, cannot make head or tail of that question, if it was a question. Yes. Approximately Rs 15 per kilometer, if you need a more accurate figure, phone them to ask or check their website which I think has sample costings.

If you ask shorter, more specific and focused questions you'll probably get better, faster responses.

1. If you are reading your morning papers you will note that the trouble in Jammu has subsided.
2. For your chopper service related querry go to
www.deccanair.com/vd.html - 19k -
3. Agra & Mathura on the same day & return to Delhi is not recommended.
4. There is a sticky in Delhi forum about radio cabs, please refer that. You can also opt for a pre-paid ordinary taxi at NZM station.
5. No need to take help of any travel company to visit Haridwar & Rishikesh. Numerous bus services and also Shatabdi Exp from Delhi. There is an overnight train too, go to www.erail.in for train info.
6. For your Agra, Sikandra trip you may take an organised tour. Check if they have Fathepur Sikri on their itinerary. Since you are 3 people renting a cab from Delhi is another option.