Honeymoon in July. Kumaon or Himachal?

Hi all,

After witnessing some very informative and helpful threads, I finally have registered and am here to seek help. I am sure, you guys would help me out with my confusion about Honeymoon in July. Monsoon it is as you all know and thats where the confusion is.

Please suggest which of these 2 plans seems better in terms of monsoon not restricting or spoiling the trip.

8th July – Leave from Amritsar/Delhi and reach Shimla. Rest in afternoon and enjoy Mall road shopping in the evening. Overnight at Shimla.

9th July – Sightseeing in Shimla. Places like Kufri and Chail. Overnight at Shimla.

10th July – Leave Shimla reach Manali. Rest in afternoon and sightseeing in evening in Manali. Overnight at Manali.

11th July – Solang Valley and Rohtang Pass tour in Manali. Overnight at Manali.

12th July – Places in and around Kulu/Manali. Overnight at Manali.

13th July – Back from Manali to Delhi.



Plan 2

8th July – Leave Amritsar/Delhi and reach Nainital. Rest in afternoon and enjoy boating in evening.

9th July – Sightseeing in Nainital. Overnight at Nainital.

10th July – Nainital to Binsar. Evening sightseeing in Binsar. Overnight at Binsar.

11th July – In and around Binsar. Leave Binsar in afternoon and reach Chakoori. Overnight at Chakoori.

12th July – In and around Chakoori. Leave Chakoori in afternoon and reach Munsiyari. Overnight at Munsiyari.

13th July – Munsiyari sightseeing. Leave Munsiyari reach Kasauni/Ranikhet. Overnight at Kasauni/Ranikhet.

14th July – Sightseeing in Kasauni/Ranikhet and leave for Delhi in the afternoon.


Also, we are first going to Amritsar after marriage to visit the Golden temple. So is it worth starting from there or come to Delhi and then start.

Finally, should it be a package tour or Do It Yourself

Rainy Season Warning !!!

You scaring me.... Is it that bad at both the places?

I am afraid dear, your tour may get washed away ! That's peak monsoon season at both places !

Then my friend please suggest a place to me where I can enjoy in July.

Probably Tamil Nadu would be the only state where it won't rain in July.

Ok lets face it. We know its gonna rain almost everywhere. So we are going with that mindset anyways. The only thing is where could it affect us the least of the below options.

Himachal
Kumaon
Gangtok
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Andaman

ok, lets start by eliminating Lakshwadeep and andaman, even when it isn't the rainy season it can rain there, in the rainy season it will be a washout. Eliminate Gangtok because it is a small places and all places to see nearby are quite exposed and in the rains there will nothing to do there.Same goes for Kumaon.That leaves Himachal and Kerala. Both these places are quite commercialized so even if it rains, if you are in a good resort there will be something to do. When it rains its better to be in a green place than the hills so the answer it Kerala.
I would also think about Goa but Kerala would be my first choice in the Rains .

Thanks for the suggestion. Really helpful. However, I checked with a few locals as well as package tours and they all were of the view that Kerala can get pretty dirty and unhygienic in rains (especially the best part - houseboat becomes the worst).

All of them were of the view that since its July first half, the hills is a viable option as it gets worse in the later part of July.

For my plan 1 - Shimla/Manali, the package tours offer me 7 days/6 nights with sightseeing/all meals and stay(3 star hotels) in 15k per person. Is it worth it or should I plan it myself??????

depends on the detailed itinerary and the hotel they are oferring. 3 star covers a lot of ground and often in India the star rating is not a true metric of a hotels merits.

why not ladakh in july

It is better to plan it youself. Indiamike members would be able to help you regarding your questions.
Also check this site http://hptdc.nic.in/ which is for Himachal Pradesh Toursim Development Coroportation.
You can book hotels, taxis, and sightseeing through them.

Thanks a lot for the replies. Below is 1 itinerary which I have got for 15K per person.

Day 01:- Delhi to Shimla (343Kms / 8hrs).

Day 02:- In Shimla - Kufri sightseeing

Day 03:- Shimla to Manali (247Kms / 7hrs ).

Day 04:- In Manali - Temples

Day 05:- In Manali - Rohtang and Solang

Day 06:- Manali to Chandigarh (272 Kms. / 7 hrs.).

Day 07:- Chandigarh to Delhi (4hrs. approx).

Hotels -

02Nts Shimla in Silverine
03Nts Manali in Snow Valley Resort
01 Nt Chandigarh in City Heart

Another one for 16750 per person.


Day 01 / Delhi-Shimla
Day 02/ Shimla –Kufri-Shimla
Day 03/ Shimla-Kullu -Manali
Day 04 / Manali - Temples and Solang
Day 05 / Manali Sightseeing - Rohtang
Day 06/ Manali - Dalhousie - Day at leisure
Day 07/ Dalhousie- Khajjiar- Dalhousie
Day 08/ Dalhousie - Amritsar - Golden Temple
Day 09 /Amritsar - Delhi

Hotels -
Shimla - Hotel Shingar / Dreamland / Hotel Surya
Manali - Hotel Rajhans / Hotel Vintage / Hotel Ankit Palace
Dalhousie - Alps Resort / Hotel Spring