[al22]

Hi we are 2 girls on setting out on our first visit to India for 2 months before heading off to other destination around the world.

we want a fairly simple travel route through India that will allow us to spend some time in each place rather than rush through. we are also on a tight budget!!!

we arrive in delhi mid april and depart from Mumbai mid june.

we are not new to backpacking but understand we are in India in the hottest months and therefore don't want a too taxing route!!!

we want to include both the north and south...starting in the north.  we have been advised to stay away from the east coast during our trip as I beleive this is where the monsoon rain first arrives.

if possible also we would like to get to kathmandu but realise this may become too expensive.
and we could like to get down as far south as Kerala.

we are completely open to any suggestions.
so any ideas of any routes taking into account the time of year we are going would be greatly appreciated!

[jyotirmoy]

Mid April is not too hot in Delhi or most parts of north India.
Monsoon arrives at the south west coast earlier than the east coast and  is likely to hit Kerala coast by May end. Also remember that peak holiday season starts in May so train tickets will be difficult to secure unless you plan now and start booking.
After arriving in Delhi you can do the popular route Delhi-Jaipur-Agra-Varanasi-Delhi.
From Delhi you can travel by train to Kerala or you can do Delhi-Jaipur-Agra-Varanasi-Kolkata-Chennai-Trivendrum-Mangalore-Goa-Mumbai.
Please go through the posts here and consult your guide book to prepare a rough itinerary. Members here will help you to fine tune it.

[KABAARY]

Hot ! Consider going to the mountains.

[WonderWomanUSA]

Whether April to June is intolerably hot may depend on your home country. If you are, for example, from Southern Florida in the US, those temperatures (and the humidity) may be "normal" for you. If you are Scandiavian, you will be very uncomfortable!

Please buy a guidebook (even a used one) or borrow one from the library. Find out what is between Delhi and Kerala that you might like to see or do. What does NOT sound interesting to you?

We can be of much more help with a lot more input from you.

[cyberhippie]

I'm here for the same period of time so don't worry hot CAN be dealt with but I'm hoping your budget will at least extend to some AC rooms come Mid May. You can get these for as little as 5-600 in some place,s though 8-1000 is a bit more realistic!
Though it's so tempting to try and see both south India and North in one trip I suggest leaving the deep south (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala)
The northern States with Maharastra and Karnataka offer plenty to see and really you can have an excellent look at what the Sub Continent has to offer just staying in the North.
Anyway here's few ideas
Rajasthan/Madhya Pradesh Route
Jodhpur, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgarh, Mt Abu (respite from the heat) Udaipur, Chittor, Bundi, Ranthambore/ Bharatpur Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Gwalior, Orchha, Datia/Sonagir, Shivpuri.

Having done this I would head for the hills as KABAARY suggested, maybe something like Rishikesh, Gwaldam Ranikhet, Almora, Nainital and if you time it right Corbett National Park,
The above mountain destinations are in Uttarkhand but Himachel Pradesh is equally interesting, others can better advise for this state but Mecleodganj is a lovely spot to hang out for a while, as I said others can better advise. Have a good trip and maybe I'll bump into you along the way you never know  
I'll be in Almora in June for sure, so drop me a line if you fancy some company from myself and Mrs Cyberhippie

[al22]

hi thanks for your advice.

I have decided to stay mainly in the north now.

this is an general outline of my itinerary now.  any suggested alterations would still be aprrecited..anything that I should avoid..or must see.

arrive delhi
meeting family briefly in lucknow now 4 days after arriving so it makes sense for us then head on to varanasi - agra - jaipur

then head up to uttarakhand and himachal pradesh visting some of the suggested places in the last post.

we then are thinking of making are way down to rajasthan..and spending a lot of our time here then on to Mumbai to fly out

(if we have enough time we may try and make it Goa but all depending on how fast we move through places!)

does this sound feasible in 2 months?

[cyberhippie]

Perfectly feasible, only do Rajasthan first, and leave the mountains until the end of the trip. It's pretty easy to get to Mumbai from the North of India (Himalayas) and you can always make one stop along the way to break the journey up.

From Pathankot (nearest to Mcleaodganj) to Mumbia

2472 SWARAJ EXPRESS AVL CHKB 13.05 BDTS 18.05 duration 29.00 hours

From Kalka(nearest to Shimla Manali etc.) to Mumbia

2926A PASCHIM EXPRESS AVL KLK 10.10 BDTS 15.15 Duration 29.05 Hours

From Haridwar (nearest to Rudraprayag, Gwaldam etc) to Mumbai

9020 DEHRADUN EXP AVL HW 13.10 BDTS 04.30 Duration 39.20 Hours
You could stop at Kota on the way down with most of these trains which is a good jumping off point for Bundi

Alternatively you can fly to Mumbai from Delhi for as little as 2500Rps (40 Euros)

Or indeed to Goa from Delhi for around 3000Rps, continuing by train north to Mumbai for you departing flight.
Beware that in June, Goa is pretty much deserted and and you will find most of the beach shacks and accommodation closed though you will still be able to eat and sleep without too much problem. The seas are pretty heavy at this time of year as well, which may mean that swimming is nigh on impossible.

Have fun and feel free to pose any more questions you may have

[al22]

thanks cyberhippie but why do you suggest doing rajasthan first? just out of interest?

also do you think booking a hotel in advance for our arrival in delhi is advisable?

any reccommended areas, hotels in delhi to head for when we arrive?

[kullukid]

al22, on Apr 8 2008, 11:46 AM, said:

also do you think booking a hotel in advance for our arrival in delhi is advisable?

any reccommended areas, hotels in delhi to head for when we arrive?

Definitely & if you are arriving at night then i would strongly recommend booking a taxi through your hotel.
It depends on your budget, but here's a decent mid range hotel i've used a few times in Paharganj area http://www.hotelprincepolonia.com/ they charge rs1100 inc breakfast & tax, it's verreee clean & convenient for everything inc New Delhi rail station, they charge around 4-450 for a taxi to collect you from the airport, which is about double what you would pay at the pre-pay booth in the airport, but like i say if you arrive at night pay the difference for an hassle free arrival. You can email Polonia at polinter@vsnl.com they tend to reply on this address faster than the one displayed on their website.
KK

[jyotirmoy]

Visit Rajasthan as early as possible before the real hot summer sets in.