6 weeks in India and Nepal

Hi,
I am flying into Mumbai April 24 '09.
My partner and I want to do the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal and also see the Taj mahal and Agra Fort (this will be my forth trip to India I figure I should do the big tourist thing at least once

All my previous time has been spent in the south (south of Mumbai).

Does anyone have any suggestions for a Northern-ish itinerary that includes EBC and the Taj? We want to get off the beaten track as much as possible but I would also like to see Varanasi. A flight to Nepal isn't out of the budget completely...

Thanks, any help much appreciated.

check out Rishikesh, capital of yoga, if you are interested.

Quoting karlyfu

Hi,
I am flying into Mumbai April 24 '09.
My partner and I want to do the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal and also see the Taj mahal and Agra Fort (this will be my forth trip to India I figure I should do the big tourist thing at least once

All my previous time has been spent in the south (south of Mumbai).

Does anyone have any suggestions for a Northern-ish itinerary that includes EBC and the Taj? We want to get off the beaten track as much as possible but I would also like to see Varanasi. A flight to Nepal isn't out of the budget completely...

Thanks, any help much appreciated.

This is a popular trek to the Khumbu region of Mt. Everest. You trek up to Kala Pathar for a magnificent view of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and the Khumbu icefall and glacier
The base camp is the starting point for many of the expeditions to take on the summit . this itineraries are carefully designed to ensure you have adequate time to acclimatise comfortably, thereby enjoying the trekking experience to the full.

Trekking Itinerary:-

Day 01: Arrival and transfer to the Hotel.
Day 02: Full day sightseeing around of the Kathmandu valley.
Day 03: 40 minutes Fly to Lukla (2800m), trek to Phakding (2640m) 4 hrs
Day 04: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3446m) 6 hrs
Day 05: Acclimatization day in Namche
Day 06: Namche to Tengbuche (3870m) 5 hrs
Day 07: Tengbuche to Dingbuche (4410m) 5 hrs
Day 08: Acclimatization day in Dingbuche
Day 09: Dingboche – Lobuche (4930m) 5 hrs
Day 10: Lobuche to Gorak Shep, and ascent of Everest Base Camp (5450m) than return back to Gorak Shep. 8 hrs
Day 11: Early morning before sunrise visit to Kala Pattar for the best panoramic view (5545m). And return back to Gorakshep and have breakfast than continue trek down to Lobuche (4930m). 5hrs
Day 12: Trek down to Pangbuche (3370m). 5hrs
Day 13: Pangbuche to Namche Bazaar 5hrs
Day 14: Namche Bazaar to Lukla 5hrs
Day 15: Morning after breakfast 40 minutes fly back to Kathmandu.
Day 16: Final departure to your country.

Have nice travel!!!

thanks guys

I really need some suggestions for the India part..
I know the south well but not the north and it seems a bit trickier... there are some restricted zones etc... we were thinking the Chandigarh area or Uttarakhand... I know this is just really vague so I don't mind if no-one has a suggestion but if someone has been up around there I'm sure they'll have something to add.
cheerio

Hi,

I'm not sure of your interests exactly but you could potentially visit places like Gwalior Fort, Orchha and Khajuraho on the way across India to Varanasi. This is all possible by bus and train.

It is also possible to travel overland from Varanasi to Nepal - the flight would be much quicker mind you

If mountains are your thing then a flight up to Leh might be just the ticket. Kashmir is safer now than it has been for ages and some tour operators are starting to send a few people up there.

Have you thought about going to Gujarat. Tourism is in its infancy but there are many reasons to visit - wild ass anyone?

From Mumbai to Agra and onwards to Varanasi is a fair old journey - are you flying any of that stretch?

India is my favorite country by a country mile and I have travelled there extensively so if you ahve any questions just shout.

Joey

Hi There,

I will suggest you to make Delhi as you base camp and from there you can do one day trip to agra and come back the same day.agra is abot 5 hrs drive from Delhi.Then you can explore rajasthan..Jaipur also is abot 5 hrs from delhi...and u can check jaiselmer which futher in rajasthan.In april i wont recomment you so much the hill station as that is peak season and it will be very crowded...Leh is better option although it is hill not many indian tourist go there..I will also recommend you to go to amritsar and check out golder temple (Sikh temple) and wagah border which is India pakistan border.Please let me know if you have any query?

Thanks

DJ

Thanks all, I'm totally keen for Leh now, does anyone know much about entering Nepal from the north-western border I think Bareilly is the closest Indian town? I have heard of someone doing it (with lots of difficulty), Anyone tried recently?
Thanks