Hotels, Drivers and distance

Ching

Hi, my first post, and an amalgamation of all my concerns into 1 handy thread.

I am travelling to India on the 13th October and i believe i have my Dellhi, Agra, Varanasi wing worked out.
I will be arriving at Jaipur on the 18th (at approx 11pm via an agra train.

I have been in contact with numerous hotels which i am interested in staying with, one is Alsisar Haveli and Pushkar Palace and both have vacancies. What does concern me however is that they ask for my credit details via email. Is this common practice?!?

The other such question relates to the hire of an AC care and driver. My ultimate goal is to reach Jaisalmer on the 23rd (thereby having 1 night in Jaisalmer, 1 night camel safari and then a final night in Jaisalmer after which i board a train on the 26th back to Delhi). Therefore i would only need a car on the 19th - to 23rd. I am aware i need to pay for a return trip.

My current itinerary is as follows:
19th - Jaipur (explore) - late drive to Pushkar and overnight it.
20th - Quick look at Pushkar and drive to Udaipur - quick walk around and overnight it there.
21st - Possible visit to Kumbhalgarh Fort and Wildlife sactuary and stay at near by residence or perhaps Udaipur
22nd - drive to Jodhpur - visit Mehrangarh - stay overnight in Jodphur
23rd -drive to jaisalmer

I have been quoted various prices for this - ranging from 13500 INR to 520 USD.

firstly is my itinerary unreasonable? And secondly am i getting ripped off hard?

Thanks in advance

n kumar

Hi,
Are you on an holiday or going to school. why are you rushing like this. Please delete one or two places and have a relaxing holiday.

karuna

I agree, your first problem's your itinerary. Could you post the full thing- starting with Delhi?

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India Edge

Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, plus Rajasthan in 10 days? Maybe a bit too ambitious. My advice is to include Jaipur but leave the rest of Rajasthan for the next trip. Overnight in Agra and a few days in each of the other cities. I could easily spend 10 days just in Delhi and I've already been there three times. In India there is always something to see just down the road and it's very difficult not to want to see as much as possible. Good luck with that :-)

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arunchs

A more meaningful itinerary, even this, I think is pretty fast.

18,19,20 - Jaipur
21,22 - Pushkar
23rd morning - reach Jaisalmer.

You can do without a car, mostly. It would be very stressful to go the way you have planned, car or no car.

I dont know if it is normal to ask for credit card details by email. Even if they usually do it, dont provide it by email. Offer to call them instead.

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Ching

Ok i have reread alot of posts and have taken some advice in.

Here is a revised itinerary.
19th Jaipur - overnight in Jaipur
20th Ranthambore - drive and walk around
21st Morning Jeep safari - drive to Jodphur
22nd Jodphur - Fort and explore surrounding villages
23rd - Drive to Jaisalmer

Does this seem more feasible?
Is it even necessary to hire a driver?!?!

Thanks in advance

karuna

With your tight itinerary I would not go by train. Can't afford to risk delays and it adds a layer of faffing in getting to/from the station. Also, and more crucially, it's a bit late to be booking them!!!

That looks better to me. Not sure how long the drive is from Ranthambhore to Jodhpur - anyone know that?

Starting in Jaipur - have you got a quote from Rajasthan Four Wheel Drive? They are based there and have had good reviews here (I have not used them myself).

Aishah

I think that's a lot of driving in 5 days! I would drop either
Ranthambore or Jaisalmer and stay 2 nights in Jaipur, so you can see Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jantar Mantar at least.
A good idea to have a car with this tight schedule and use it for your sightseeing and getting around the cities.

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Cheap 'n' Best

As others have said you are trying to do too much in a short period of time.

With regards to the hiring of a car I feel those prices are very high. You should aim for something like Rs 3.00 per kilometer and then add on the drivers accomodation, food and tips.

karuna

Rs3 per kilometer?! Wow. Where are you hiring your cars from?

Most places will include the driver's expenses (but not tip) in the quote. Starts at about Rs6 per KM, but fuel prices and general financial squeeze have brought things up generally.

Cheap 'n' Best

I stand corrected, I have just phoned my taxi guy and it is in fact Rs 5.00 per km.

Aishah

Here, 5rupees per km would be for non a/c Tata Indica. If you need air conditioning add another 1 rupee. If you would like a larger vehicle expect to pay at least 7 rupees per km. On top of this around 100 rupees per day for driver's food.

karuna

Darn it, Cheap n Best, I thought you really had found a "cheap and best" deal there for me to exploit!

Haylo

What about paying for driver accommodation? I've heard that some places provide somewhere for drivers to sleep, but also that drivers have been known to sleep in their cars to save money.

If I was relying on a driver to keep me "safe" on Indian roads, I'd want him to have got some sleep!

karuna

It covers that. A number of hotels have dorms for drivers, and food (and other things). Don't rely on that meaning he'll get a good night's sleep though- throw a bottle of rum into the mix and you can kiss goodbye to any semblence of rest!