8-10 weeks in India--suggestions?

Hello all.

We have a few India questions. Been reading up a ton and searching threads and all that jazz, and boots has always been a good source of info, so just wanted some advice.

We are currently on our year long RTW. Been on the road for 8.5 months, and we're in SE Asia right now. The tentative plan is to finish in India, probably for anywhere between 1.5-2.5 months. We'll arrive sometime in late August/early September and stay until the end of October.

We know that August/September is still monsoon season but that's it's starting to draw to a close, and that it depends on what part of the country we'll be in. We are thinking about sticking mainly to the north, possibly flying into Delhi. Some things that have intrigued us thus far on our research is the Rajasthan area, Agra and the Taj of course, maybe parts north of Delhi towards the Himalayas, Darjeeling, Varanasi, and then probably spending a week or so in Goa before flying home out of Mumbai.

We have nothing booked, and we are open to suggestions. We both love big, crazy cities (have loved every one we've been to, including Bangkok, which most we've met have not liked). We do know that Indian cities are a different animal of course, and if we are going to spend 2+ months in India, we want to balance our time and make sure we get away from the chaos so as to not get burnt out. We definitely want to see some Himalayan areas, maybe do a bit of trekking. Nothing too intense, maybe some day hikes or a couple day trek. We mainly just want to see the beauty of the Himalayas; we're not super hard core and don't have the appropriate equipment to do it up right anyway.

Like I said, we're totally open to suggestions. We want to go to places that make the most sense weather wise and are most logical based on the places we want to see. We can probably afford to take a flight or two if we're going to be crossing the entire country, but we mainly plan to stick to overland travel as we have on the rest of our trip. We love soaking up the culture wherever we go, and we love eating the local food (India cuisine is some of our favorite, and this is also important to where we go). Like I said, just looking for some ideas from people who have been there.

Thanks in advance, and if there's anything more I need to clarify, let me know.

Some things that have intrigued us thus far on our research is the Rajasthan area, Agra and the Taj of course, maybe parts north of Delhi towards the Himalayas, Darjeeling, Varanasi, and then probably spending a week or so in Goa before flying home out of Mumbai.

Sounds like a good plan. I haven't been up north of Delhi into the higher country and mountains, but if I was there in the middle of the year it would definitely be first on my list. Darjeeling, Varanasi, Agra, Mumbai, Goa...all good. Rajasthan...well that all depends. If you're melting in Delhi/Agra and really are finding the heat unbearable, then you might want to skip Rajasthan. Now, if you skip Rajasthan, want a break from India or the heat, then can always head over into Nepal for a bit before heading on down to Goa/Mumbai.

Why not fly into Kolkata or Varanasi if you want to visit those places and THEN go toward Goa. Flying into Delhi, going east to Varanasi, and then going to Goa would be an unnecessary hassle. Jet Airways flies from BKK to Kolkata for a reasonable price (and are one of my favorite airlines in the world). Anyway, you can fly into Kolkata and then travel west to Rajasthan, and then drop down into Goa. But even that's a long and uncomfortable way to go. I'd just travel by train from Kolkata to Rajasthan and then fly to Goa on Kingfisher or the like if you can afford it. Otherwise it's a lot of backtracking by uncomfortable trains.

Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks, guys.

We have looked into flying into Kolkata, and we've actually found a few cheap flights. The only reason I was thinking against that is because of weather. We've read that the area in and around Kolkata and towards Darjeeling can really be hit hard with the monsoon. Any word on what it's like around those areas in late August/early September? Obviously that would make the most sense, just flying into Kolkata, head into Darjeeling, then start heading west. The only reason for starting in the Delhi area was weather related. I know you never know with the weather, as we've been in SE Asia for almost 2 months now and have not been affected by poor weather at all even though it's the "rainy season" where we've been. Just want to make the most out of our last few months. India is a place we're both really, really excited about.

Thanks again, and we look forward to more advice.

I flew into Kolkota in August of 2003 before heading to Varanasi, Agra, Delhi, Rajahstan, et al overland by train.

First of all — don't miss Kolkata. It's an amazing city — very different from either Mumbai or Delhi. The monsoons weren't that bad. Toward the end of August in Kolkata, it was worse if I recall. But even then, if you're used to heavy rains in South East Asia then Indian monsoons shouldn't be too tough to deal with.

I'd say fly into Kolkata then head by train to Varanasi, Agra, etc. Then move on from there. You wont be disappointed!

Bideshi, makes an excellent point. If your final intention is to link Kolkata/Darjeeling, Varanasi, Delhi/Agra, Rajasthan, Goa, Mumbai. It would best to fly into Kolkata and link them in that order, weather be damned.

Now, if it was me (and it's not), and I was heading to India at that time of year. I would probably fly into Nepal first (to buy a little time), overlanding out the East of Nepal directly to Darjeeling (to buy some more time), then down to Kolkata, on to Varanasi, Delhi/Agra. Then decide from there where to head next (up north, out west, or down south).

Then I'd save the rest of India (provided you liked it) for another time during a different season.

Just a thought.

Halfnine — true. My travels took in the 'northern triangle' and I didn't head north of Delhi into the hills, or onto Nepal. So if going into the hills is going to be part of your agenda, I concur with the above post!

It sounds like you've got a real good plan shaping up.

A word of warning: my wife and I love cities - loved Hanoi, loved Bangkok - but Delhi is a different animal, and not at all representative of India.

I would suggest looking at going to Kerala instead of Goa. The coastline around Varkala has some tremendous beaches. Kerala is much less populated, more prosperous and more socialist than the rest of India, so you can relax there.
Also, see if you can get to Ellora and Ajunta - some really amazing old temples carved into the mountain-side.

On our recent 'round-the-worlder, we spent almost a month in Rajasthan (and got stuck in Delhi a few days too). The palaces and forts of each town got repetitive, but we still loved the region.
Jaisalmer is a very friendly place and they were really hurting for tourism when we were there, just before the Mumbai attack. Be prepared to spend some time sipping chai and watching beautiful quilts be rolled out in front of you.

We've shared the stories of our experience and some specific food, bed and site recommendations on our website: http://ephemerratic.com/dispatches/37-dispatches/114-delhi-dally-the-relief-of-being-in-india-the-pain-of-being-in-delhi.html

have fun!

Hi,

Kolkata is a suitably crazy city, and you can spend days just walking the streets and taking in the atmosphere. Durga Pulga festival in Kolkata in early October was amazing if it fits your itinerary. Was about 35 degrees then, so bearable.

I reckon the route suggested by halfnine would make the best of the weather. Was in India in early October to end of November last here (heading from Kolkata west to Delhi then south basically) and it was just about the right weather.

Try to fit Amritsar (Punjab) into your itinerary. Very friendly place and staying overnight at the Golden Temple is a great experience. Palolem Beach in Goa was also a really pleasant place to finish up in India.

Enjoy your time there.