Guess what, another India-virgin

Why, oh why didn't I find this place a long time ago?

Hi all!
I am currently planning my first trip to India in October. It is part of a larger journey including South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, but the part I look forward to the most is the 1,5 month I will spend in India.

We are starting in Sri Lanka and the plan is to go from there to Kerala and then up towards Mumbai, then into Rajasthan. After this we're going to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and other places on the way. The end of the journey will be Calcutta from where we are flying to Bangkok or Hanoi if possible. The route is not set and we will probaly change it as we go.

Any suggestions on places to go to and things to see is appreciated. Of course it is always fun to meet other travellers on the way, so if anybody is going to the same places in october-december, let me know.

/ Em

welcome to IM _EM_,

your itinerary sounds great, just that it might be a little to less time for all the places you mention and making your way from the very south to mumbai, delhi and kolcatta.
sometimes a bit less can be a lot more

have fun!

Hi freemanx!

Yes, I imagine we will change our itinerary as we go when we see how much time we have left.

We will have 2 weeks in Sri Lanka and then 1,5 month in India.

Which areas do you suggest for us to spend more / less time in?

i really liked the taj, fathepur sikri, orcha, khajuraho and varanasi.
don`t miss Varanasi, it`s a very special place and i think it`s good going there at the end of your stay in india. (you might appreciate it more if you`ve seen a bit of india before)
at the moment i`m in palolem in goa and it`s

hi
well most of the places you have mentioned are the places to go to in India ,but maybe with a lil more time, if u dont have the time best is to select a few of them and plan it accordingly , as to your plans to fly to hanoi from cal , well there are no flights , you will have to go to bangkok ,and then maybe hanoi.

Hi Em,

I am going travelling either at the end of December or In January and plan to visit all the places you mentioned.

I want to go to India, SEA, then on to Oz and New Zealand for a year. Im not sure whether to fly straight to India or to go via Bangkok, spending some time in Thailand before embarking on my India adventure!

I havent booked any flights yet and wondered if you could recommend the best way of doing this? Is it better to get a round the world ticket or a bunch of one way tickets?

Id really appreciate any advice you or anyone else can offer as I am struggling to decide what to do!

Thanks

joliecoeur, I have sent you a private message!

Thanks Em, I'll take a look at that website

Have a great trip, I get excited just thinking about it!

Sounds like the perfect trip !

I'd suggest one domestic flight - say Goa / Bombay to Delhi just to take the strain out and give you enough time.

Working South up to North will give you a more gentle 'breaking in' for Agra etc !

Use the search engine on this site and you'll probably find most of the info you'll need.

Personal faves are ( although I've travelled much less in the North - I like the Southern layed back pace & weather )


Kerala
Karnataka
Bhuj / Kutch ( a bit out of the way for your itinery )
Udaipur
Varanasi

To do list

HP
Calcutta
Orisa

Butterball, thanks for the advice. Perhaps we will book some sort of domestic flight if the price is ok and we get tired of the train!

I like your photographs by the way!

Thanks !

I've been to India a number of times and 'in the old days' I religiously took buses / trains ..

I've mellowed a bit and bite the bullet and go for the occasional 'convenience'. That hike 'up North' can be tiring on a long trip.. It's just a suggestion, but can really get the distance covered. You'll still have longish journeys accross th North on your way to Kolkata..

Plus, the US $$ is REALLY cheap for the UK ££, and as you pay the fares in Dollars - they are pretty reasonable !

Hey _Em_ ,

When you are in kerala don't miss the stay in the houseboat in the back waters. You will love it

When you visit the back waters don't go for the resorts , inatead, arrange for a house boat.
You can get one with 5 star fecilities for around $125 .

Darsan

Thanks for the advice Darsan. I will look into that. However, I will be travelling on a backpacker budget, so no 5 star facilities for me.

No probs _Em_ , they have a wide range in the tariff.

And it's not the fecilities which gives the feel , even if you stay there in a normal crrier boat , you cal enjoy it to the max . In a calm lake , with cool breaze ...... it's exiting.

The house boat prices are almost equelent to the hotel rates in Kumarakam and Allepy [the near by towns]