|
Hi Goons, My SO and I have decided on India for a 2 week trip next year, and would like to start planning, so would like some advice. I read through the last 5 pages going back to Feb 2015 and saw no India thread (did I miss it?) Budget: 4-6K for 2 people departing the southern US not including airfare. We're super early on the planning and are looking for suggestions and ideas on where to go, what to see, WHEN to go, etc... Our only main decision done already is that we want to split time between north and south, pretty evenly, give or take a day or two. Is there a particular time of year that is actually nice to hit both the south and the north? I hear November is a good sweet spot? We're thinking do a leg up north that's more active/rural, at least a few days in Delhi (unless someone can talk us into Mumbai, Jaipur or somewhere else) hitting the sites that we can and then a relaxing luxurious stretch in the south. What are the real "do not miss" places in India? Maybe a few days out at a nice hotel/resort in the jungle? While some places will obviously not be possible to avoid, we prefer to stay away from the ULTRA touristy stuff, are adventurous eaters, and are not averse to some physical activity. Thanks very much in advance for the help. Doom Rooster fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Jul 7, 2016 |
#
?
Jul 4, 2016 22:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 01:41 |
|
|
Doom Rooster posted:Hi Goons, India is huge and there are interesting places all over. I spent almost 2 months, mostly in the north (Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh). I have a feeling you will need a bit more than 2 weeks to get used to the different culture, but maybe I've got the wrong idea. As far as your budget goes, hotels will cost you anywhere between 200 rupi and however much you want to pay. Food is similarly as cheap as you want. Doing more touristy things will cost you more. In my experience, people who travelled to India refer back to it as either the best trip they ever made, or something they never want to set foot in again, so be warned. It would be easier if you had a bit more concrete plans I think (like saying you want to visit this or that place). Having said that, even if you want to avoid touristy places, I still think you should visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, it's super busy but I thought it was pretty amazing to be there. There's also the Agra fortress nearby which is pretty cool as well. If you are in that area you could visit Fatehpur Sikri, when I was there it was very much like Agra fort but without the tourists. You also said you want to avoid Jaipur, I would agree with that, I didn't think it was that interesting. Highlights were the astrological park, built by some ruler that really loved giant sundials, and Amer fort, but overall I'd say it is skippable.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2016 13:37
|
|
|
If you can focus your interests more, it'll be easier to advise. Chill out - Goa or Kerala backwaters Mountains - Lots of places next to Himalayas in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh Wildlife - India has by far the best tiger viewing opportunities in the world in plenty of national parks Food - Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata have amazing street food Culture - Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh like Varanasi Also, figure out what festivals are around when you come. While holi and diwali are better known, there are tons of festivals in each place and they provide a truly memorable experience to first time travellers (and a huge culture shock) Be prepared for tons of rubbish everywhere and people trying to scam you.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2016 10:20
|
|
|
Thanks for the info! Would definitely like to spend more than 2 weeks, but that's going to be what we'll have available give or take a day or two (jobs with a set amount of PTO). Based on what you both have said, We'll probably split the trip up into 3 parts. Touristy sightseeing, mountains, chill out. Day 1-2: Travel from US to Delhi Day 3: Explore Delhi, see sights Day 4: Agra/Taj Mahal Day 5: Travel to <INSERT MOUNTAIN DESTINATION> Day 6-7: Explore <INSERT MOUNTAIN DESTINATION> Day 8: Travel to <INSERT CHILL OUT DESTINATION> Day 9-12: Be at <INSERT CHILL OUT DESTINATION> Day 13-14: Travel back to US Seem reasonable? Thanks very much for the names of things to check out. Will start looking into those and seeing what looks like what we want.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 18:38
|
|
|
Doom Rooster posted:Thanks for the info! I think you can fly to the Dharamsala area from Delhi, but I'm not sure, it's mountainous and quite nice. All the tourists go to Mcleod Ganj or Bagra, and its fairly touristy. 2 days would be enough I think, but you might want to look into booking things like hikes in advance. From Dharamsala I took a long buss ride to Manali and had a nice relaxing end to my trip, I ended up staying in Vashisht, just outside Manali, still a very mountainous region, and quite unlike the rest of India. A lot of Tibetan immigrants, more relaxed atmosphere, beautiful wooden temples, I ended up liking it a lot. It's a place that's more of a holiday destination for Indian people, rather than western tourists. When I was there, hotels were being built everywhere though, so I can't tell you how it's changed since then.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 13:26
|
|
|
I'm thinking about a similar trip but more like 2 months solo next summer. Flying into and out of New Delhi. If it helps I'm into temples and Buddhism. Any tips?
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2016 23:00
|
|
|
a butt posted:I'm thinking about a similar trip but more like 2 months solo next summer. Flying into and out of New Delhi. If it helps I'm into temples and Buddhism. Any tips? Sarnath is pretty nice specifically if you're into buddhism I think. It's a daytrip from Varanasi, and it's a nice change of pace (Varanasi can be very crowded).
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2016 10:24
|
|
|
Hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread OP but I couldn't see an India thread either! I'm going to India in Feb and would like some suggestions. My gf and I are flying to Delhi on the Friday from London, arriving Saturday, we have the remainder of the day and Sunday to get some shopping done before we fly to Jaipur on Sunday evening for her cousin's wedding. That's on Monday and Tuesday. So from Wednesday to when we fly back to London on Sunday we have some time free. Any suggestions for things to do in the area around Jaipur? I like nature/landscapes/mountains/wildlife as am into photography. We like history and temples etc but would only want to go to big must-see sites. We were thinking of spending a couple of days in Delhi before our flight back so that just gives us a two or three days in Rajasthan. Any suggestions?
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2016 23:24
|
|
|
Lady Gaza posted:Any suggestions for things to do in the area around Jaipur? I like nature/landscapes/mountains/wildlife as am into photography. We like history and temples etc but would only want to go to big must-see sites. We were thinking of spending a couple of days in Delhi before our flight back so that just gives us a two or three days in Rajasthan. Any suggestions? If you're into wildlife photography, India has something in relative abundance no other country has and ever will. Tigers. People who've been to Serengeti etc in Africa still talk about tigers in India because there's nothing in nature that comes close to them. Get your big telephoto and go to Ranathambore near Jaipur (there are other places to see tigers but this is the closest to your itinerary and is pretty good).
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2016 07:09
|
|
|
Anarkii posted:If you're into wildlife photography, India has something in relative abundance no other country has and ever will. Tigers. People who've been to Serengeti etc in Africa still talk about tigers in India because there's nothing in nature that comes close to them. No guarantee of actually seeing a tiger though. I drove around half a day there and the closest we got was some paw prints.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2016 17:12
|
|
|
Also hijacking this thread. I'm planning a trip in early May to Northern India and Nepal for roughly 3 weeks. Here's my rough itinerary, please let me know if I'm missing anything critical: Day 1: Arrive into DEL from NYC around 9pm, find hotel, go to bed Days 2-4: Explore New Delhi, see the Red Fort & other architectural sites, eat street food, get acclimated to time zone and culture Day 5: Day trip to Agra - see Taj Mahal Days 6-7: ??? - Suggestions on day trips and non-obvious things to do near New Delhi would be welcome. Perhaps a trip to the Bandhavgarh National Park but that seems like quite a trek to do in a day. Days 8-9: Fly to Amritsar, see Golden Temple, border ceremony Day 10: Fly to Kathmandu Days 11-12: Get acclimated in Kathmandu, check out the city and temples Days 13-18: Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek in the Annapurna region Day 19: Rest and recovery in Kathmandu Day 20: Fly back to USA Do you think that is too much time in the Delhi area? Should I opt to go to another city (Jaipur?) instead on days 6-7? Also from what I can gather early May will be hot as gently caress in the Delhi area but pretty nice in the mountains. The nice thing is that I'm finding tickets from NYC to DEL for about $600, and I don't mind the heat.
|
|
#
?
Nov 23, 2016 20:08
|
|
|
Seph posted:Also hijacking this thread. I'm planning a trip in early May to Northern India and Nepal for roughly 3 weeks. Here's my rough itinerary, please let me know if I'm missing anything critical: Your schedule seems fine, but do not underestimate the temperature. I was there in May and I spent 1 day mostly passed out in my hotel room because of the heat.
|
|
#
?
Nov 24, 2016 17:03
|
|
|
Hi, I am from India and I live here so I might be somewhat useful. Seph, 1. I know you aren't underestimating the heat, but still be careful and account for that too. You cannot get a lot of sight-seeing / travelling done during the day unless you are planning to hire an air-conditioned car to drive you around. Temperatures around Delhi and the cities can get to above 40 C (or 104 F). 2. Bandhavgarh National Park is in central India and to reach there from Delhi, you gotta fly to Kajuraho (around 1-1.5 hrs) and drive for 7 hours from there. Kajuraho itself is another historical place with rock cut temples - it is one of the UNESCO Heritage sites. This part of India is a trip in itself that you need some time for. 3. Maybe you were thinking of Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary that is around 3-4 hours from Delhi? If you are looking at something specific - related to forests or wildlife, this is one option. Jim Corbett National Park is another (4-5 hours from Delhi). If you'd rather just chill for a couple of days between sightseeing and traveling, and you don't mind spending some, you can stay at this palace-resort that's around 1-2 hour-drive away : Neemrana Fort Palace
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2016 19:16
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 01:41 |
|
|
Just gonna jump in here and see if anyone has tips for doing the Golden Triangle? My partner and I had been vaguely thinking about India as one of those trip-of-a-lifetime places, until we figured out how cheap it would actually be. So I think the plan is November-ish next year to fly into Delhi, then do Jaipur and Agra in no particular order, before going back to Delhi to come home. Any must-sees (Taj Mahal is, of course, a given), must-dos or must-avoids?
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 21:57
|
|
