Rajasthan - Where to Go

IndiaNewbie

Experienced solo traveler but first trip to India. Was able to arrange the trip on short notice so don't have much time to plan before I arrive.

Arrive Delhi March 15, depart late night March 26. I've looked around the site and guidebooks and want to focus on Rajasthan.

I know that it will be fairly hot in March but I live in Bangkok now (hot and steamy), and previously lived in Phoenix, Arizona (desert) so don't mind the heat. These are the places that I am thinking of:

Delhi
Agra
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Jaipur
Udaipur

I am interested in history and culture. In addition to the main sites, my favorite activity when travelling is walking around and seeing what I stumble upon.

Is this too much for 11 days?

What should I leave out?
Are there any places that I should consider instead of one or more of these?

I think I would prefer to travel by AC2 (or AC3) overnight trains. I normally like to travel without a fixed itinerary. But after reading this site, I think I should try to book train tickets in advance. But not sure what to plan for.

How long should I plan to spend in each location?

If I try to book now for March 15 - 27 am I likely to have trouble getting tickets? I've looked at the information on booking train tickets but haven't tried it yet.

Also, how should I arrange the cities in the itinerary to minimize backtracking and travel time?

This is an awesome site! Thanks for your help!

Baba

I assume you will start in Delhi.

Agra can easily be done in a day trip with Shatabdi trains. Then I suggest you strike either Jaisalmer or Udaipur as they are both out of the way and not easy to get from one to the other. I have not been to Udaipur, but I quite liked Jaisalmer. If you go there, make someone show you THE sweet shop and buy some "gottwha" - there will be a long queue.

So a sensible route would be Delhi - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Delhi. If you really want to visit Jaipur you can fit it in between Delhi and Jodhpur at the beginning or the end. I had a short look at the city and decided it wasn't for me. A random search for the Jodhpur-Jaisalmer leg turned up 2-6 seats in AC2, so trains should work fine if you book NOW. Hotels shouldn't be a problem this time of the year.

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Baba

Aishah

Hotels will be no problem at all - look here for some ideas and make a list or use a guidebook, fairly recent e.g LP Rajasthan, Rough Guide etc. You could ring ahead from each place but I think you'll find rooms easily anywhere at this time. One night in Jaipur - allow yourself time to visit Amber Fort, if you want to go there. I think you could do Delhi - Agra - Jaipur -Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Delhi in that time bracket - if you hired a car and driver you could do the lot, including Udaipur. You can take the train for all legs of that first route I've suggested. So pencil out a tight itinerary for yourself, then try for your overnight trains. Incidentally it is faster by bus to Jodhpur from Jaisalmer and it is not too bad.

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"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

sssall

If you can, try to fit in Udaipur. It has lots of history, culture and scenery. There are flights from Delhi which are reasonable.

Suggestion: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Delhi, by train. Then Delhi, Udaipur by plane. Try to stay at least one full day at each location. I'm not sure but I think there is a flight from Jaipur to Udaipur as well.

Train tickets can be booked any time before you go to India but don't leave it late in case they're fully booked.

All the best

IndiaNewbie

Thanks for the great suggestions.

I think I'll probably end up doing Delhi - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Jaipur - Agra - Delhi. Not sure if that will be too much time spent traveling though.

I am trying to get the train tickets booked on line. Here's what i would like to do. I will try to book all the tickets now. If I decide to change my itinerary as I am traveling, will I be able to cancel the tickets if I am able to purchase alternative tickets?

Also, some of the tickets I am trying to book online are available as waitlisted only. I can't book those as e-tickets. I don't know where I will be staying yet in Delhi. Is there someplace I can have those delivered and then pick them up?

Aishah

Risky booking waitlisted tickets anyway, IndiaNewbie - take a look at some of the information in this forum: http://www.indiamike.com/india/indian-railways-f10/
The first two threads are useful (Beginners' Guide... and Train Information)
If you are arriving in Delhi for any tickets not able to be booked/waitlisted, you can go to New Delhi railway station, Tourist Bureau, on the first floor and book via Tourist Quota system.
I think you can do your trip in the time frame you have. Happy travels!

Indizen

Yes you can cancel your tickets, online as well as across a counter.
See details at http://irctc.co.in