2 weeks in India

[cheeky_chops]

Me and missus have booked flights end of March as they were a decent price - all the bits in the middle are to be agreed!

Out Lufthansa - BHX > Frankfurt > Mumbai Prem economy £500pp (business on a 747 is possible, its £1k each though)
Rtn Swiss - Dehli > Zurich > BHX Business £600pp

The missus went to India 10+ years ago with friends so her plan is roughly Mumbai 2 days, Kochi/Kerela/chilling 6 days, golden triangle/jungle tour 4 days.

Now as a powerfully built PH director, im feeling a little out of control - my usual bag is less city and more nature/history/relaxing away from the tourists traps but i guess there are some things like Taj you need to do right..... Saying that, and i appreciate its no where near the plan, i'd really like to visit the Hymalayas!

Any ideas or links to itinaries welcome

[Bill]

Cheap flights to India, did you check it's not monsoon season?

[bompey]

It won’t be monsoons in March but it will be hot.

[Bill]

A friend of mine got an amazing deal on a bareboat charter in the BVI. Turns out it was hurricane season.

[cheeky_chops]

Thanks for the weather forecasts but was looking for some do and dont visit ideas!

[shirt]

cheeky_chops said:

my usual bag is less city and more nature/history/relaxing away from the tourists traps but i guess there are some things like Taj you need to do right....

Read some William Dalrymple books on the Mughal era and the Raj. Makes Delhi a much better experience and the north in general as many of the buildings where great events took place still stand.

Personally I don’t think 4 days is enough for the golden triangle, must be a very hectic schedule with lots of driving each day. You can write off half a day or more each time you need to take a flight also.

If it were me I’d skip Kerala, plenty of places where you can get that experience outside of India. Focus on an itinerary with less travel and more experience and you won’t need that recovery time. So many truly excellent hotels and experiences where you can relax along the way rather than in one big block.

[tescorank]

2 weeks in India with your "chilling" schedule is the equivalent of UK in 60hrs, not a chance. DONT sleep you'll miss something.

[GT03ROB]

tescorank said:

2 weeks in India with your "chilling" schedule is the equivalent of UK in 60hrs, not a chance. DONT sleep you'll miss something.

This is a fairly accurate assessment except the distances would suggest even this is optimistic!

I lived in Delhi for a couple of years & Mumbai for about 6 months, so have a feel for India. I've never done any of the chillin beach places. There's far too much other stuff to do.

Delhi can occupy you for several days, you would never try to do London in a day after all! You can get to Agra & the Taj in half a day from Delhi. If you go there don't miss Agra Fort or Fatepuh Sikkri. Jaipur is also half a day from Delhi & well worth a visit Try & stay at one of the palaces in Rajastan.

I stayed at this one

https://www.samode.com/samodepalace/

rooms are something else.

Your closesr exposure to the Himalayas from Delhi is probably Shimla. It's not the snow capped peaks but more a hill station. Very pleasant & unusual for India, but probably a days drive. Kathmandu is a short flight from Delhi however if you want to try that.

The place is vast & you really won;t get to see much based on your schedule.

[shirt]

I stayed at the samode haveli in Jaipur, also very special. The hotel manager was something of a history buff, gave us a proper tour and also arranged for a mate of his, a history professor, to give me a guided tour of old delhi (shahjahanabad) when I arrived there.

[satans worm]

Its been over 25years since i travelled to India where i adventured for over 3 months, but im guessing the following has not changed

The rickshaw driver will not take you to the Taj without a visit to his friends shop where you will 'get a great deal', they may or may not tell you in advance you will visit this shop, but your end up there anyhow

your going to need to love to barter, my tip is look at what your buying, if you love it and its a great trinket /reminder of your holiday but the guy is ripping you off, and you really cannot get it lower despite walking away, give in and spend the money, better to be ripped off and go away with the item than walk away because its a tenner more than you price it at (when i was there i walked away from an item as it was 100ruppee to much, big regret when i calmed down and thought i should of just given him the 2quid extra! (in defense i was on a strict traveler budget so that would of been a hotel for the night, but still, regret))

you can do it in 4 days but it will be rush rush, personally i dont think India is for relaxing unless you have months there, its an incredibly exciting country that needs to be explored, not just sitting on a beach like you could in Spain, IMO of course

Grab a lonely planet guide (probably an old fashioned thing to do now) just reading about the country should excite you to want to travel more within it

and yes, you will get the sh@ts

Edited by satans worm on Monday 12th February 12:55

[cheeky_chops]

Thanks for the thoughts and clarifying i wont be "chilling"! Im 52 so keep telling myself i need to explore more as im usually quite happy in Europe (i did work in South Africa and Bangladesh when younger so not a total newb....) so this is it!

I will also pass on to the missus we need more experiences and less travel, though she has her mind set on Kerela/Kochi and a house boat as her parents did 45+ years ago...

Do peope book trips just by sifting thru tripadvisor or are trailfinders any good? (for what i presume is a premium for same trips?)