Fist Trip To India

Hello! My husband and I are making our first trip to India at the end of March!!!! We could use some help. We%26#39;d like to book a tour with a travel company in India; we already have our flights. We%26#39;d love to see Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Agra, Varanasi, Khajaro, Fatehpur Sikri and Ranthambore Nat. Park. We have 13 days - this seems really ambitious. Does anyone have suggestions for a good reasonably travel company (our buget is small to mid level), and or any other info. that would be helpful. We are flying into Delhi. Thank you so much!!!!!

Rose

Fist Trip To India

HiRose,

Firtly, what a fab choice of countries to visit, I hope you are as taken with it as I was the first time.

I cannot reccomend a travel tour company that can be pre booked as the ones in this country are mad expensive and is an expensive way to do it. From experience I can only suggest that you do each leg at a time and then you can decide where you would like to see more of. The local transport is crazy but has to be done really and much much cheaper if you can deal with having to do a little running around to buy train tkts etc. There will always be a helpful rickshaw driver to guide you.

I can see that you have a big list of places to want to see and I can%26#39;t say don%26#39;t try and do it but I think you may be a little ambitious. My first visit was for 2 weeks and i managed to see Delhi , Agra, Jaipur and Bombay(mumbai).

I have used buses, trains planes and even taxis for lond distances in India and all get you where you want to go..

I am not sure if you have any accomodation booked anywhere yet but again this can be done as you go along. It is now a long time since I was up in that regions an cannot remember places we stay but none were booked in advance and all were just fine. I generally travel with a rucksack and don%26#39;t plan but I guess it depends on your preferences. If I can find it at home I will try and get you the address in Jaipur, which was a guest house belonging to the a man called Babloo and his father was the cheif of police. who knows he may still be there.

Althoug I have not given you any set answers I hope the ideas may help.

Mo

Fist Trip To India

Rajasthan is the most exciting district in India (maybe in the world) and you have chosen the best places in Rajasthan, so I don%26#39;t think you will have any trouble filling your thirteen days. Honestly, as much as I love all those destinations, I think I%26#39;d cut back on one or two, otherwise you will be spending a great deal of time rushing to catch buses and trains... all it will take is one train that misses a vital connection, or one bus that doesn%26#39;t turn up (this happened tto us last time with our overnight bus from Bundi to Udaipur), and you are going to panic trying, in vain, to catch up again.

If you have to miss one destination out of the above list, it should be Khajuraho; it%26#39;s a wonderful place, but it will take an inordinate amount of your time getting in there and getting back (from either Jhansi or Satna it%26#39;s about a five-hour bus trip, and from there to Varanasi is something like 15 hours overnight). If you absolutely must include Khajuraho, think about taking train 2448, which goes from Delhi%26#39;s Nizanmuddin Station on three days a week, passes through Agra, and lets you off at Mahoba at a very reasonable 5:55 a.m...... from there it%26#39;s only about two hours to Khajuraho. The bad side of Mahoba is that all the trains back to anywhere seem to leave there in the middle of the night.

You will have a lot of fun, I think, playing around with this website: trainenquiry.com/TrainsBetwImpStation.aspx. It%26#39;s not terribly easy to use, but it does contain a wealth of information about trains in India, and if your budget is small, you will certainly find that overnight trains will loom large in your itinerary!

You can do all your travelling by bus and train and never need the services of a travel agent, although in this case you will have to be prepared to take whatever seats are available, and this may mean sitting up in what is known, for some reason, as Sleeper Class.... when you see it, you will wonder how anyone could get any sleep on those hard seats! Wherever possible, we travelled on class 3AC, or, for a big splurge, 2AC, and found that we slept well every night. It is possible to biook all your train tickets in advance, and have them waiting for you at your first-night hotel.... but this always leaves you open to the problem that if your itinerary collapses from under you, you have thrown away all those berths!

If you want to enlist the services of a good agent, then I can recommend to you an outstanding person... Sanjay in Delhi. I have recommended him many times on this site... just type in ';Sanjay'; in the search and I%26#39;m sure his name will come up.... and I do this with a lot of confidence, because the people who took my advice and contacted him have reported on his services as positively as I have. He sure saved us some money in Delhi; he scouted up a double air-con room with ensuite, TV, and fridge for $US15 a night (this was in 2004.... I%26#39;m sure he couldn%26#39;t do that today). His email address is indiaexpeditions@hotmail.com. We only used him for a hotel in Delhi and a hire car for a pre-dawn departure, but he tells me he can handle hotels and cars, and, if necessary, drivers for anywhere in Rajasthan. He will enjoy helping you achieve your somewehat over-ambitious itinerary... but he will probably also tell you to take a couple of places out of the list. India is, to put it mildly, hot; after a few hours of vigorous walking, you start to feel the need of some relaxation time, especially if you didn%26#39;t start off until after sunrise.

Whatever anyone tells you, however, don%26#39;t leave out Jaisalmer. I know it%26#39;s a bit out of the way, but it%26#39;s unique and marvellous. You won%26#39;t have long for a camel safari (they%26#39;re usually overnight affairs), but Setan at the Shahi Palace Hotel will organise a one-day look at a part of the desert that few tourists ever see... you will never forget this, I promise. Also, don%26#39;t leave out Varanasi, especially the sunrise walk along the ghats. Since you%26#39;re tight for time, don%26#39;t stay anywhere else but along the river in one of the hundreds of small guest houses that overlook the Ganges. Then everything you need to see in Varanasi is within strolling distance from your room.

Agra is the worst city we saw in five and a half weeks in India, but I know you will want to go there because of its one peerless attraction. Don%26#39;t spend longer than you have to, however... that%26#39;s one place that can be cut down to a few hours, and you won%26#39;t feel the loss.

When you do pare back your list of must-sees, bear in mind that this is the most exciting country in the world, and you will definitely be planning a follow-up trip before you%26#39;ve even finished this one. So don%26#39;t charge through India this one time as if your whole life depended upon it... save a bit for next time.

Good luck!

hello,

for some reliable help try writing to

jaipurtravel@yahoo.com for bookings and help with transportation in rajasthan

jaipur pushkar, udaipur, jaisalmer and jodhpur are must see sights in rajasthan.

happy travels

Hi Rose,

If this seems like a weird first post, it isn%26#39;t my first post. I was Rajkumari but I forgot my login details so I%26#39;ve had to assume a new identity. :(

You have too much going on for 13 days! I%26#39;d stick to Rajasthan if I were you, save Varanasi and Khajuraho for another trip.

I%26#39;ve just come back from a brief trip to Delhi and Jaipur, and I went with the same driver I always do- sureshchand70@yahoo.co.uk. He%26#39;s a straight up honest guy and I guarantee you will get no commission shopping or other rubbish from him.

I have also seen recommendations for Travel Virus, Rajasthan Four Wheel Drive, and Beckon Tours. I took my first tours with Namaste India Tours who also have a fantastic reputation. This gives you plenty to go on! :-) Have a great time!

Thank you for all the helpful advice. We are getting everything organized now. We are so excited!!!

Much gratitude,

Rose

Rajasthan is easy to travel with a private taxi driver. Distances are a problem if you have only 13 days. You have to choose. Delhi, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Ranakpur(!), Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar and Jaipur are far enough for a two weeks round trip. Or you could take Delhi, Agra, Rantambore, Orchha, Gwalior, Kajuraho and Varanasi and then flying back to Delhi.

In 2006 we travelled three weeks with a private taxi driver from Delhi to Rajasthan en Agra. Not so very expensive (about 35 Euro/day, all in = car + driver + taxes + fuel + his own food and sleeping needs).

You can choose your accomodation yourself or you can ask him to arrange it for you. The same for your meals. The driver%26#39;s name is Mr Singh Khem. He lives in Delhi and drives a great Ambassador taxi. You can find his e-mail-adress and many pictures on my website: http://users.telenet.be/DirksTravelsite

greetings from Belgium

have a nice trip

My wife and I just returned from 3 weeks in Rajasthan. Here is my suggestion. I am not attached to you using any of what I am suggesting by the way. Because everywhere is so far from anywhere else not necessarily in Km but in driving time, and you only have 13 days, time is of the essence. We did:

Delhi - 2 days/ 2 nights

Nawalgarh - 2 days/3 nights

Jaipur - 5 days/ 5 nights

Bundi - 2 days/2 nights

Udaipur - 4 days/4 nights

Jodhpur - 3 days/3 nights

Delhi - 1 day/1 night

Skip Nawalgarh, but you can hire a driver through the hotel to get you anywhere else that you do not take the train or fly domestic.

Master Guest House in Delhi is a good place to start your trip. 1-2 nights.

1. Train from Delhi to Jaipur - 3-4 days in Jaipur is ok.

2. Train from Jaipur to Kota, then driver to Bundi-this is a must see IMO. 2 days/nights in Bundi at Haveli Braj Bushanjee. Try to not have to do any car driving at night-it is frightening. Also when you do anything longer than 30-40 minutes, a Tuk-Tuk is not a good idea IMO.

3. Overnight train from Kota to Udaipur. 3-4 days in Udaipur is good. Spend the money and stay at Ambroi-it is very nice and very quiet. Ask for the newer section with Lake view.

4. Driver from Udaipur to Jodhpur so you can see the Rathambore if I am correct. Or fly from Udaipur to Jodhpur. 2 days in Jodhpur is sufficient-Jodhpur is a madhouse. Devi Bhawan is an oasis in this madhouse.

5. Fly to Delhi from Jodhpur.

you can book flights while there but we did ours here from the US with a US company to feel less anxious about it.

email me if you want more specific info:

phcarvalho@earthlink.net

Paul Henri

Talk to realindiatours.com.

They have arranged a few trips for me and I was very pleased with their hotel suggestions and drivers. You can also do train if you do not want a private car with driver.