Orchha in June and during monsoon ?

Dear Friends,

I visited Orchha in Dec and liked the place very much. One of my friends is contemplating visiting Orchha within a couple of months.

My question is how the temperarure in Orchha would be during the 2nd week of June? Does it rain there in June?

When does the monsoon start in Orchha? And is it advisable to visit during the rains?

Waiting for the gurus of the MP forum to revert back.

still no reply machadinha, Jorge where are you guys?

I'm here, just saw this. Not an MP guru btw, far from it

My answer would be I just don't know. Never been there in the monsoon, and that is that.

Madhya Pradesh can be difficult to travel around at the best of times, owing to the condition of its roads. (And there are just a few train lines traversing it, mostly three of them north to south, and I think about one going west-east and not always very convenient for many of its sites.) I've often commented on it by now.

I don't imagine this to get any better during the monsoon. On the other hand, I know locals urged me to visit there at that time time and again, precisely because it ought to be when their country is at its most lush and best.

Nor do I know when precisely it ought to strike there. If it really strikes at all, of course, always remains to be seen with each year. I imagine though wet (and conceivably very hard to get around, indeed) it could be really worth it yes; it's an amazingly agricultural state, with many parts of it surprisingly lush indeed (or certainly if you manage to see the greenness through the dust and unrelenting sunlight at other times of the year). Orchha itself, yes, I stayed a week there just earlier this year (when it was still quite cool), and still never got around to making some major walks around the countryside like I'd planned to. With apparently still more undescribed monuments sticking out from the foliage and so on and as far as you can see, indeed. Amazing place.

btw There is of course the good thread at India climate chart. Go over it a little, it features some good links.

Those charts may not tell you much as such, but some of the weather sites listed might, especially those that feature weather history overviews.

I'm here now, it's 40-46 degrees C. To be honest the absolute lack of any other tourists, cheap rooms and afternoons spent lazily watching life go by in chai stalls mitigates the heat somewhat.

Generally I'm finding it tolerable away from the large cities and I'm avoiding travelling during the heat of the day. From 6 AM to noon it is actually mild, the evenings are quite humid but tolerable. I don't think MP gets monsoons like the south and if anything, it must be cooler than it is now.

I highly recommend getting off the beaten track here, some of the backwater towns are full of unbelievable temples that leave you wondering how Rajasthan and UP receive so much tourist traffic where as MP has virtually none by comparison yet is packed full of sights. Travelling around the state presents few problems, most of the roads have been sealed now I think so this makes bus rides more comfortable. Although small, packed but frequent buses will take you anywhere, albeit quite slowly.

There are two main train tracks running through the state, Bhopal and Jabalpur are very well connected with most parts of the country. The Shabby Express takes a pleasent 8 hours from Bhopal to DEL. Getting to the national parks seems a bit more challenging but far from impossible. FYI Kanah is pretty easily reached from Jabalpur if you catch a state tourism bus which run directly.

I am currently in Sachi will be going to Orcha tomorrow then bending around the state and visiting the national parks for some Tiger hunting!

Have fun.

Hello Golden chapati

Nice to hear that you are enjoying the summer . I am sure you'll have a great time Tiger spotting. Its actually the best season to spot them since many of the water holes in the jungle dry up. With limited water holes spotting becomes pretty much guaranteed.
Please keep updating this thread as you travel in MP. We would love to have a travelogue on MP in summer.

Yes definitely, I would like to hear about your journey too. By the way, 40 deg and more is quite high for my friend and he has decided against visiting Orchha in Jun.

One thing to remember, there's a dearth of cheap A/c rooms in Orchha, so if the heat get's too much it would be wise to have some back up cash to pay for the haven of an A/c room.

Orchha is small so it doesn't require a lot of physical effort to see the sights and you can always dangle your feet in the Betwa river to ease the pain.

Roads from Jhansi remain largely unaffected in the monsoon, if it arrives. Beautiful beautiful place Orchha.

Take a look at the rather run down Jhansi fort too. The scene of one of India's great heroines, Laxmibai, the Rani of Jhansi, Datia and and the mountain top Jain shrines of Sonagir are also worth a visit.

It got to be in those temperatures when I visited western MP in last year March yes. Locals were telling me this was exceptional, and about a month too early.

It's quite the killer, and it took me a while to accept that OK this is not the time to be running around sightseeing all day, but rather enjoy the shade or your (shaded!) balcony or room in the daytime, and leave any activities for the early mornings or late afternoons/evenings. Meaning things take more time, of course, and it's not so easy at first to get rid of this notion of "Oh but I'm on a holiday, I should be doing things!!!" (And I had two months and going nowhere in particular, I imagine it can get frustrating if you're on a short and rare break and actually want to see some stuff at something of a pace.)

So I don't know, we all take differently to such things, but if your friend feels that way, he may have chosen wisely yes.

(Then later that same trip, late March/early April by now, I ended up in Kerala, OK and even temps., 32C or so, but incredible and unbearable humidity. I had to conclude that between the two, I probably prefer that dry soaring heat.)

Hi everyone.

Actually now the heat has really set in, the temperature feels like it simply remains hot, scorching in the day, humid in the mornings, evenings and at night there is little relief. Just a few days ago (well when I was more south) cool breezes abated the heat somewhat, but now those breezes have just turned into heat blasted air! Travelling in the heat of the day with ST buses is a real endurance test. You can still be active in early mornings or early evenings, but it remains a sweaty affair wondering around the sights at any time.

As for Orchha and Kajuraho, I've found them a world apart from the serene hassle free gems of Mandu, Omkaheshwar and Maheshwar. One of the highlights of Orchha was staying in a homestay, organized by a local NGO called friends of orchha. Beyond promoting sustainability etc, they have converted several small family homes in the village above the main strip into pleasant double rooms with fans and air-coolers (on request). The going rate is 300 INR. I feel it is a great chance to spend some time in the village whilst giving them a small share of the tourist dollar. The temples at Orchha are worth the fuss.

In Khajuraho you can not walk down the street without getting hassled. The main bizarre is full of bullshit wallahs' calling themselves daft names like 'Ricky Martin'. The village itself is largely uninspiring and noisy, however it is tolerable for a day and the western temple complex is enough to shock even the most jaded temple tourist. On the positive side there are good places to eat here and at the moment a lack of tourist's has halved room rates. I think A/C could be had at agreeable prices.

So next to the national parks, but to be honest I might skip BHV and head straight to Kanha, it seems getting to these parks is quite a lot of hassle if you are without the benefit of private transport. The train line to Satna to Umaria is served by few trains so book ahead. The other option I'm considering is just basing myself in Jabalpur and tackling the bus journeys to the parks from there. Jabalpur is very well connected to Satna as the HWR-MUMBAI line cuts straight through there. If anyone was interested to take rest on the beach after the parks, you can take a 7h bus ride from Jalapur to Nagpur in MAH and then pick up the Adi Puri (Orissa) Express (2844) to save back-peddling through the state.

Cheers!

GC.

P.S

The MP Tourism 'express' bus that runs from Platform One at Jhansi railway station direct to Khaj no longer exists! Apparently there was a fall out between Indian Railways and the Tourist Dep. so you'll need to go to directly to the bus stand at Jhansi and go local style. The last bus is that 1.30 PM and takes around 5-7 hours.

Well just to complete, I did make it out to Kanha National Park only to find they had increased the jeep hire and entry fee to a gob smacking 3000 INR for foreigners. I was relying it on the entrance fee being 600 rupees plus 150 for jeep hire (as per my Rough Guide 2007). The journey took two days from Satna and was most unpleasant. The local bus rides to the park are hopelessly overcrowded and the blistering heat did nothing to assist. So after watching yuppies roll up in air conditioned land cruisers and pay a mere 600 bucks entrance fee, I had to book a room and then I left the next morning, 14 hours later and barely able to focus I was in Nagpur, where I am now, and totally stuck!!! Even first class berths to places have taktal waiting lists!

Thanks for the roundups, Chapati; much of your post #10 above I found myself heartily concurring with.

Yes, those parks... I've always been of the understanding Kanha isn't easy to get to, nor cheap (to a foreigner). Would still love to visit some day though -- but not at those prices!

Earlier this year I visited Corbett park, also said to be doable'ish according to another 2007 guidebook. Guess what, a week or so before my arrival, they'd upped the foreigner fees, to somewhat match those in most parks elsewhere these days... (possibly still on the lighter side, certainly not what you quote just now! Either way, rather heavy on my limited pocket.) 't Ain't no fun no (and takes away the fun even if you do go in), but, what are you gonna do

Good luck being stuck in the heat in MP, I can only imagine (and relate). There ought to be a bus going somewhere at some point, no? Or, treat yourself to a taxi, I know it seems a crazy load of money if you're used to cheap public transport there (see if you can find some folks to share it with -- put up some posters to that effect in local cafes popular with tourists, if there are any around. Ask them to contact you at your hotel or so), but boy, it can be a luxurious life saver... It's fun, too, btw, to have the contrast between them and clanky jam-packed buses.

Hi Machadinha, that's a shame I was relying on the Cobolt to be a bit more relatively priced. Still if anyone wants to see a mind blowing national park at affordable rates, go to Assam and visit Kaziranga; chances of tigers are not great but wild Rhino will be grazing 10ft from your jeep.

I got hit with some sort of flu or something by time I reached Nagpur, the mercury was touching 50c so I was told and I could believe it. I was stuck there for four days but got lucky with a taktal ticket and now I'm sitting in Puri. Little I did I know I was heading out of the heat into a cyclone,! Luckily it fizzling out now.

ps machadinha are you familiar then with Henry's Dream?

Certainly ; about the last album (or the pre-last?) before I fell out of tune with Da Man, he just lost me at some point. Haven't checked what he's been up to lately, btw; that thingumajig band project he's been up to is said to be alright.

Yes, Corbett; I think I paid around Rs. 1500 last Jan., for entrance fee + car + guide fee + camera fee + the whole shebang. Little much for me; six-hour ride or so btw, so that wasn't in fact bad.

It may or may not be the case that entrance fee (some Rs. 900-1000 I think) is actually for three days, so you'd then just have to pay the rest each day. I didn't look into this, had kind of had it after the one ride, and Ramnagar its base town I found an unattractive little place, and godawful noisy to boot.

(And, to other readers, those would be foreigner rates of course, Indian visitors will likely still find it quite affordable.)

Yes, Kaziranga, I should still make it there some day. So that's affordable still then?

Cheers, flu be ye far from me.

Well I thought Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus and Dig Lazarus Dig!!! are both smashing albums. I also enjoyed his little Grinderman excursion into electro rock. I was fortunate to see him doing a duel Grinderman and Bad Seeds show at the Forum in Melbourne Town. The guy still rocks out, but I couldn't say the same for the crowd. Anyway I digress.

Kaziranga, simply put, was one the most stunning places I've ever seen in India, if not the world. At risk of overhyping it, I stood gazing at it from a watch tower for at least half an hour and completely forgot I existed. Even if you didn't see any Rhino's, and sightings are pretty much guaranteed, the simple nature of the place is memorizing. I think I paid all up around 700 rupees, half of the overall cost including everything; I was with a Korean girl. But I'm sure we tipped the driver a fair few hundred because he was a legend. Make sure you dip into Majuli Island, Assam is a great hassle free state to travel, and immensely beautiful as well. Kaziranga is near Tezpur, 180 clicks from the state capital. It's easily reached from NJP which is well connected via Kolkata and Delhi.