[Prazstar]

Hi Everyone,
                   In October this year me along with 4 family member will be touring India, we made a list of place's we wanted to visit (Destinations Covered: Mumbai-Amritsar-Jalandhar-Vaishno Devi-Dharamdshala-Chandigarh-Haridwar/Rishikesh-Jaipur-Mathura/Vrindawan-Agra-Chitrakoot-Allahabad-Varanasi-Delhi )and contacted golden triangle tour and this is the itinerary that they have put together for us;

Day 01: Arrival Mumbai.
Day 02: Mumbai City Tour
Day 03: Elephanta Caves & Shopping
Day 04: Mumbai to Amritsar by Flight
Day 05: Visit Golden Temple & Transfer to Jalandhar
Day 06: Jalandhar City Tour & Transfer to Katra Vaishno Devi.
Day 07: Mata Vaishno Devi Darshan
Day 08: Vaishno Devi to Dharamshala
Day 09: Visit to Chamumda Devi, Brajeshwari Devi, Kangra Devi, Chintpurni Mata & Jwali Ji Temples.
Day 10: Chandigarh City Tour & Visit Mansa Devi & Chandi Devi Temple
Day 11: Chandigarh to Haridwar
Day 12: Haridwar/Rishikesh City Tour
Day 13: Haridwar to Jaipur
Day 14: Jaipur City Tour
Day 15: Jaipur to Mathura via Fatehpur Sikri.
Day 16: Mathura & Vrindawan Tour & Transfer to Agra
Day 17: Agra City Tour
Day 18: Agra-Chitrakoot-Allahabad
Day 19: Allahabad to Varanasi
Day 20: Varanasi Boat Ride City Tour & Sarnath
Day 21: Varanasi to Delhi by Flight
Day 22: City Tour of Delhi
Day 23: City Tour of Delhi
Day 24: Free Day in Delhi
Day 25: Transfer To Airport

in ther quote they also provided us with hotels in which they will book for us, they include;

Mumbai         3 Nights Hotel Intercontinental The Lalit Mumbai
Delhi         4 Nights Hotel The Latil Delhi
Jalandhar     1 Nights Hotel Radisson
Amritsar         1 Nights Hotel Ritz Plaza
Vaishno Devi 2 Nights Hotel Country Inn Suite
Dharamsdhala 1 Nights Hotel Surya Resort
Chandigarh 2 Nights Hotel Taj Chandigarh
Haridwar     2 Nights Hotel Country Inn & Suites
Jaipur         2 Nights Hotel Taj Jai Mahal Palace
Mathura         1 Nights Hotel Radha Ashok
Agra           2 Nights Hotel Jaypee Palace
Allahabad         1 Nights Hotel Kanha Shyam
Varanasi         2 Nights Hotel Taj Ganges


Please feel free to comment, add, change our list.

Also any other recommendation on tour companies that we can get quotes from would be greatly appreciated.

[WonderWomanUSA]

That's a very strenuous tour; you don't have any free time unil you get to Delhi. I might want to take it more slowly and perhaps see fewer places, but everyone is different; if you feel that you all have the stamina for this, you'll be fine.

Do you do most of this with a car and driver? Or will you be taking trains?

[iwanttogoback]

that was my first impression too wwusa - very strenuous. you might like to consider taking a couple of rest days here and there. chandigarh, in my experience, is a good place to have a break without being too hassled by crowds and touts, and it's in the middle of your tour. maybe an extra day there just to do nothing - you may well find that you need one!

on this forum and others, namaste india tours, http://www.namasteindiatours.com/, have had some positive feedback.

[Prazstar]

Yeah it is a very strenuous tour, but its the only way we will be able to go to all the place's we want to visit,  alot of the times we will be in a car with a driver. But having such a large area that we want to visit we will be mostly visiting alot of the temple's thats one of the main reason for our trip. But yes it going to be pretty full on!

Thanks for that I will definitely check out  namaste India tours, and see how I go!

[jw46]

That sounds like a far too ambitious  schedule.."If this is Tuesday, this must be Belgium" kinda thingie..By the end of the tour you will be sooo burnt out, you will not enjoy anything IMHO...

[jw46]

Agreed, Chandigarh would be a good place for a time out..Traffic is not impassible, touts are lower in frequency..good public transportation...

iwanttogoback, on May 31 2009, 07:01 PM, said:

that was my first impression too wwusa - very strenuous. you might like to consider taking a couple of rest days here and there. chandigarh, in my experience, is a good place to have a break without being too hassled by crowds and touts, and it's in the middle of your tour. maybe an extra day there just to do nothing - you may well find that you need one!

on this forum and others, namaste India tours, http://www.namasteindiatours.com/, have had some positive feedback.

[jw46]

October 17 is Diwali.. major festival.. getting to where you are going may be a problem since everyone goes home for that one..What fun it is... you itinerary did not give dates just days... Don't expect to sleep, no matter where you stay, on the 17th.. Indian firecrackers would be considered explosive devices here in the states...

Will be in Varanasi Oct 15-19 looking foreward to KABOOM

[jw46]

There comes a point when you get Temple overload.. much as when I traveled thru europe... how many cathedrals do you really need to see.. Had much more fun wandering (Getting lost) in little side streets and seeing what is really there..
JMHO, of course...

Prazstar, on Jun 1 2009, 01:15 AM, said:

Yeah it is a very strenuous tour, but its the only way we will be able to go to all the place's we want to visit,  alot of the times we will be in a car with a driver. But having such a large area that we want to visit we will be mostly visiting alot of the temple's thats one of the main reason for our trip. But yes it going to be pretty full on!

Thanks for that I will definitely check out  namaste India tours, and see how I go!

[Prazstar]

jw46, on Jun 2 2009, 01:45 AM, said:

October 17 is Diwali.. major festival.. getting to where you are going may be a problem since everyone goes home for that one..What fun it is... you itinerary did not give dates just days... Don't expect to sleep, no matter where you stay, on the 17th.. Indian firecrackers would be considered explosive devices here in the states...

Will be in Varanasi Oct 15-19 looking foreward to KABOOM

on the 17th I will be in Jaipur. And i'm definatly looking forward to the firecrackers. who needs sleep when you have firecrackers  to play with

yeah I will be only making small changes to the itinerary. Not major.