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[effie123]

Hi,

This site has been a great help and i have had such great advise so thought i would run another one past you all.

I have put together an itinerary but it looks huge!! Im going for 3 months, got my leave date from work and am flying to Delhi 1st Jan 09 (long way off i know, but soooo excited!!).
I really wanted some advise as to if im trying to fit in too much or if there are some places not worth visiting or anywhere i should defo include.

Incase it makes a difference to any of the places im going to I am female and will be travelling alone.

Here goes:

DELHI (starting point)

UTTAR PRADESH
Agra
Fatehpur Sikri

RAJASTHAN
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Udaipur
Chittaurgarh
Bundi

MADHYA PRADESH
Orchha
Khajuraha??
Mandu (via Indore)??
Ujjain (then Mandu)??

MAHARASHTRA
Ellora
Nasik
Mumbai

Fly to GOA

KARNATAKA
Gokarn
Mysore

KERALA
Thrissur (Kerala) Alleppey/ Coir Village (Thirukunapuzha)
The backwaters
Kottayam
Varkala
Kovolam

TAMIL NADU
Kanniyakumari
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
Thanjavur
Kumbakonam
Chidambaram
Pondicherry
Tiruvannamalai
Mamallapuram
Chennai (Fly to)

WEST BENGAL
Kolkata! (Train to)

UTTAR PRADESH
Varanasi (Sarnath)
Lucknow

DELHI

HARYANA & PUNJAB
Amritsar
Chandigarh (Rock Garden)

DELHI (Fly home)

I keep checking and i cant decide which ones to take off??

Any advice welcome xx

[nomadic]

Personally I would take some of India away and include a bit of Sri Lanka......where else are you going in the world? I would see less and see it properly, that way you can really take it in through every pore and it will be less of a tick sheet and more of an experience.

[introducinlyric]

id say if you can pull all those places off in 3mths and take as much in as possible then do it but if it were me id prob cut it down a tad so it wouldnt be so rushed

[bloomer]

Keep in mind that you will find places you like and want to stay longer. Keep it loose. I would try to do the places you want to see in the north, and leave the south for another trip. You can always go back.
Agreed about Sri Lanka, it's a great place even with the troubles.
You will probably get a little tired of monuments and temples after a while, in the end it is about the people and culture. . .
One thing that is a must see in Karnataka is Hampi--just incredible. I wouldn't bother too much time in Mysore--see the nandi hills and palace, stay away from the 'oil "doctor"' (you'll know what I mean when you go there), get some sandalwood at the factory, and take off. Gokarna is a nice beach, but so has Goa plenty of beaches.
South is friendlier and a bit easier, so that may be a good place to start--Don't forget Himachal Pradesh (Manali, Dharamsala and others), HP is a pretty poor state, as it west Bengal, so watch your back there.

You could spend years in India and not see it all! Every region is totally different from the others. 3 months is just a small chunk--If your itinerary is that big, you're going to be really tired!

[effie123]

Hay everyone, thank you very much for your advice. You are all absolutely right, I want plenty of time to chill out and enjoy my surroundings. The list is just lots of places I have heard about or would like to see. I am keen to cut the list down like you suggest but I have no idea where to start.

Because it works out a lot cheaper I will be flying to and from Delhi so I was thinking a round trip in some way make the most sense.

I would love to see Sri Lanka but there are so many places to go to in India I think its best I just work my way around there.

I went to South Goa in Nov/Dec (package holiday) and it was great but the best part was when I went to Hampi, that’s when I knew I had to come back in a less commercial way.

Thank you all for your advice so far, I will keep looking to see what I can take off the list. I want to be flexible and I’m sure I will meet people and go some of the way with them but as I’m on my own for now just want to have some plan in mind of where I want to go.

Cheers peeps

[sharon1306]

i know three months seems like a long time, but i still think your itinerary is rather ambitious. You will probably have to cut down your list. I like the suggestion of maybe sticking to the north this trip and adding places in HP.

[hdh]

Plenty of people have said it already, but that looks like a lot to cover to me too. Don't underestimate distances and travel time in India. Unless you're hiring a car and driver, pretty much every time you go from one town to another you're going to write off a day, and you've got 30-plus destinations here, which makes about 1/3 of your trip just getting around.

Night trains help, but over a 3 month trip they'll wear a bit thin, and a lot of the journeys you have here are of the 4-6 hour variety, which doesn't work so good for night travel. A day written off to feeling knackered and not enjoying it is just as lost as if you'd spent it on a train.

I'd add another vote for HP or other places in the hill country as worth the effort, too.

[effie123]

Just to let you all know i have taken 5 places off the list so far.

Everyone has been really helpful and i get your concerns about doing both North and South but im not going to get to do this again so i would love it if i can find a way to do both even if it means cutting some places out inbetween.

I have now got my map of india (Its huge!), im sure it will be clear what to take off the list when i see the distances.

Cheers everyone.

[rishstan]

hi thr,
it seems like u hav a travel a lot & at end of the day u hav travel all the way bk 2 delhi y cant u getflights frm u r final destination 2 cut dwn the expenses?coz its like u r travelling frm one end 2 other end & again bk 2 north india.i can help u with south india.just gimme a shout.
thx
rishstan

[effie123]

Every one is still being so helpful thank you so much.

I have changed the plans a little and though i know i will never get to seeing all of these places i have kept it mostly to the West side of India so i am thinking of the following route:

Delhi
Agra
Fatepur Sikri
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Udaipur
Ujjain
Mandu
Indore (fly to)
Mumbai
Matheran
Konkan Coast
Arambol
Goa
Paloem
Gokarn
Udupi
Mangalore
Coorg
Mercara
Mysore
Ooty
Coonor
Munnar
Periyar
Kanniyakumari
Trivandrum
Varkala
Kollam
Kottayam
Kochi
Thrissur
Kannur
Calicut (Fly to)
Delhi

I have been plotting it out on a map and i still think im trying to cover a massive area, im also getting myself a little confused on where to go after each destination, im not sure if im going the right way, im especially confused as to how to cover Kerala covering the hill stations and the beaches.

In my guide book that im using to help me sometimes it dosent give any idea how to get between some of the smaller towns, it kind of make out you have to go back to one of the bigger more industrial areas and start again from there.

Also i would still like to include Chandigarh and Amritsar but i dont want to have to go back on myself so if anyone can advise if i should do it at the beging or end and how to fit it in then that would be great. Also any advise on where to visit in Punjab as Im wondering if its worth all the travel for just the rock gardens and golden temple? Originally i was hoping to go to Leh and closer to the Himalayas but i think between jan & end of March isnt a good time due to weather conditions?



Is it a good idea to start by going up North to through Punjab then from Amritsar to Bikaner?

Ohh so many questions sorry but you have all been so helpful so far, so yet again i ask for your expertise.

Thank you for your time.

XXX xxx xxx XXX

[lunthom]

Hi,

Jummu & Kashmier , did you forgot it ? it's very beautiful
advise you to add in your journey. Srinagar recommend to stay in the house boat
Bambri house boat's hotel is very luxury and convenience after Srinagar you can fly or by bus to Ladakh it's a little tibet it's very interesting place and many monastries.

[effie123]

Hi, Good Morning!!!
Since I had been worked as a professional tourist taxi driver so according my practical knowledge you should follow this itinerary:-

Thanks.
Raju India.

Wow, thats amazing, thank you so much for taking the time to list all those places and setting them out so clearly with how long to stay etc!

Im going to get the map out right now and check out that route.

It sounds fantastic and you have included so many places!

Again thank you so much for replying, you have been a wonderful help! xxx

Becky