Itinery so far - what do you think for two females with ltd time?

mjball

For two females travelling end of dec/jan for four weeks including travel time, what do you think of the itinery below and what should be added/deleted? We don't want to be travelling too much.

Arrive Delhi and get flight straight away to Kathmandu.
Spend approx 9 days kathmandu (and do a short side trip_
Travel to Varanasi overland (probably half train half bus) (1 day)
Around Varanasi (2 days?)
Varanasi-Agra (1 day)
Agra (2 days)
Jaipur (5 days or more to do camel ride etc)
Somewhere up North perhaps (McLeod Ganj?) Are there hilltribes or will we be doing enough of that in Nepal...
Is Goa too far away?
We are flying home from Delhi...

It is so difficult to know where to go and in what order...I am happy with it up to Varanasi but that is about it...

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

Inity & Iditation

have you thought of the weather in december/january???

it will be a wee bit chilly in much of the Mountains at this time.

If you've got the cash, I would definately splash out and fly to Goa for a good portion of your time. mind you... 4 weeks ends up not being much time.

personally I would skip Agra and Jaipur, especially on a tight schedule. very very over-rated.

Unless you really really are obsessed with seeing the Taj... :/

And Varanasi can be pretty intense, just so you know.

I get a feeling your travel experience is of Thailand? (the 'hilltribe' comment) Keep in mind this will be a little different

Inity & Iditation

ooops.. sorry i just saw another problem... camel rides are not really a big feature of Jaipur. You might be thinking of the more distant Jaisalemere or Bikaner?

Although Rajasthan (where Jaipur and the above cities are) and Uttar Pradesh (where Varanasi is) are quite fine weatherwise (a bit chilly at nights though) in Dec/Jan....

I would personally recommend that "2 females with limited time" on their first trip to India (?) should actually avoid North India as you will experience more harrasment /touts/ scams etc... in this area of high tourist traffic.

Consider Flying to South India..(Goa, Karnataka, Kerala) this is the best season to be there, it will be kinder on you.. and believe me there is no end of things to see and do down there!!!

The Agra-Jaipur circuit is really over-rated and can be quite harshed out in actuality.

wonderwomanusa

If I only had 4 weeks, I don't think I'd do it that way. Your itinerary is too "busy" and all over the map.

As I&I says, it will be quite chilly up in the mountains -- both Kathmandu and HP/UP (McLeodganj). If you're ready for it, take your long undies and warm socks and flannel pajamas for sleeping!

Kathmandu to Varanasi is a very long day ...... try to spend 3 or 4 days in Varanasi. There's a lot to do and see there. Then get a train to Agra that arrives in the morning, see the Taj and Baby Taj and go to Delhi that night.... or go to Bharatpur (for the bird sanctuary) and then to Delhi.

Then go EITHER to Rajasthan for the rest of your trip or to Goa -- don't try to do both. You have beaches at home, right? You have a desert, too, but it's not like Rajasthan, so travel around .. Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer .... and then back to Delhi for a day or two of shopping and sightseeing before you go home.

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mjball

Excellent advice everyone!

Yes I had the same feeling about the beaches, we have them at home however I feel that the desert in India will be something I have never seen before. And with the camel rides, yeah I meant Jaisalmer I think.

Hill tribe wise, yep my last holiday was Vietnam, and then China (hence the hill tribe comment).

I think not going south is going to be the cheaper alternative for us...unless people think it is really necessary. We don't want to spend all our time travelling.

As far as Varanasi is concerned, although you can never be totally prepared for what I imagine it to be like, we are backpackers and want to totally experience India so just because somewhere if full on intensity and possibly incredibly dirty does not mean we want to go there.

How long in the Rajasthan region do you think? Are the camel rides overrated (bearing in mind I have never been to this part of the region before).

THANKS SO MUCH again for everyones comments - they are such a great help!!

wonderwomanusa

>>Hill tribe wise, yep my last holiday was Vietnam, and then China (hence the hill tribe comment).<<

There are hill tribes in the mountains of HP and UP ... lovely shy people who do not hassle you.

>>I think not going south is going to be the cheaper alternative for us...unless people think it is really necessary. We don't want to spend all our time travelling.<<

Save the south for your next trip; it's different and fascinating, but you already have a full schedule.

>>How long in the Rajasthan region do you think?<<

As much time as you have to spare. It is the most colorful part of India, and quite different from the rest.

>> Are the camel rides overrated (bearing in mind I have never been to this part of the region before).<<

I've never been on one. You've surely seen the comments on the Thorn Tree about them -- some folks love them and some don't. Your own mileage will vary.

mjball

Oops, with the Varanasi comment, I meant that I still want to go to the dirty places if it means experiencing the real India! Yay so excited!!!

steveribs

Some excellent advice here. Wonderwoman you deserve a medal for all the help you give people on this site. Anyway, just a couple of comments from me. The advice about timescales is absolutely right. I would say get out of Agra ASAP. See the Taj and go. The town itself is a hole. Rajasthan is beautiful but I want to tell you something about camel treks. I went on a four-day camel trek from Jaisalmer, which by the way is a beautiful city. But camels smell, they do not co-operate, the food is extremely basic and after a couple of days the novelty has worn off. Just do a two day trek. That way you get to spend a night out under the stars in the Thar desert, which is magical, but you can still feel your arse when you get back. If you take a camera keep it in some kind of container (or something?) because the sand is ultra-fine and will ruin it, as I discovered. Also haggle like crazy with the tour operators because they are absolute sharks. You could get around Rajasthan in two weeks, maybe Jaipur-Jodphur-Pushkar-Jaisalmer-Udaipur (I can't recall the logical order). DEFINITELY go to Pushkar, it has something magical about it, and get used to Israelis. Everyone says they're rude and insular but I think they just stick together. They're all long-stayers and often ex-army buddies, but they are the best hagglers around. Jesus I go on a bit. Wish I was there now. Must go back.

steveribs

Actually your itinerary is a bit tight. How many days do you have in India? In hindsight two weeks for the whole of Rajasthan is a bit too hectic. You could easily spend six weeks there. Maybe pick out some highlights, such as Jaisalmer, Pushkar, Udaipur. Get overnight sleeper trains as much as possible to maximise your time. If you go regular second class, or second/third-class Air Con, try and reserve/grab the top bunks. Fight for them if necessary. It makes a big difference to how much sleep you get. I'm so jealous. Enjoy.

mjball

Yeah after looking and researching into this heaps more, I have realised that we are better to focus on a few places. It's funny you should say that re camel trek - my friend said the same thing - that the novelty would wear off and so would our arses!

Our itinery so far is now this -
Kathmandu - 2 nights
Pokhara 4 nights (trek)
Chitwan 2 nights
Sunali
gorathpur 1 night (so that we can get train only)
varanasi 4 nights
agra 2 nights (because we will be going overland the day before from varanasi)
jodpur 1 night
jaisalmer 7 nights
jodhpur 1 night
delhi
home

Perhaps I need to cut a day off jaisalmer and move it to jodhpur or something...

Thanks everyone for your help

IainC

Do you have to go to Nepal? If you stayed in Northern India you could still fit in 4 days trekking but save on all the travelling time, and then have a more relaxed trip.

steveribs

You would certainly save time and money by leaving Nepal until another trip. Depends what you want. I know there is good trekking from Minali in Himachal Pradesh, but there is also trekking in Uttaranchal I believe, which is nearer to Delhi, but I don't know anything about it. Anybody else know? 4 nights in Jaisalmer would be plenty. Maybe you could squeeze in a night around the holy lake in Pushkar.

mjball

Have to go to Nepal for personal reasons - my friend who I am going with Dad died in Kathmandu so we have to make that a part of our trip.....

I think we will knock a night off Jaisalmer and pop it onto Pushkar....yay can't wait!

bijapuri

on your way to pushkar, you almost certainly pass through Ajmer, which has the holiest site for Muslims in all India- the Chisti Mosque. It isn't the greatest archetectural wonder of the world, but is of true spiritual significance, especially if you have any interest at all in the Sufis. Worth a few hours visit. Dress and behave respectfully and you will be well received.
BiJ

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lookit me!!!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bijapuri/

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bijapuri

small shot of the mosque:

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