south or north india?

Travel Forums Asia south or north india?

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1. Posted by scarlette (Budding Member 19 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

I'll have about one month in india, maybe a little more or less. I'll be there in May, coming from nepal and making my way east eventually. I know it will be getting terribly hot, but i'm willing to suffer. I know its not much time so i'll have to concentrate on a smaller area. I"ve been reading and rechearching and can't seem to make any decisions!!!!

I'm asking everyone for their suggestions/experiences:

-What would you concentrate on? the south or the north?
-Certain cities/regions.
-what shouldn't i miss?

I"m interested in all of it: beaches, treking, culture, and vegetarian heaven!

thanks

2. Posted by SVM (Inactive 46 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

Hello,

If you are intersted in beaches, treking, culture, and vegetarian heaven! :

--> then u have to hit South india..

Ideally for beaches, back water resorts - kerala

Culture - India is fully rich in culture..north or south everywhere..

in south u can see Hampi,Mysore,Madurai to name a few..list extends..

For hill stations in south - Ooty,Kodaikanal,Munnar,Coorg.. I like munnar a lot..

North india is too very good...but u have to decide based on timings that u have ..

3. Posted by wouterrr (Travel Guru 3383 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

rajastan and the golden triangle (delhi-agra-jaipur) is a must see when u visit India. this is in north-india. if u want to hike in the mountains? shimla/manali/dharamsala is only 10 to 14 hours by bus from Delhi. considering your amount of time this is all u could manage. if you had a week more and fly from mumbai u could head for the beach life in Goa. but i guess u will not have enough time for that. I too was in Rajasthan during april/may. its doable. dont worry. i even did a five day safari in the thar desert on a camel. it was hot, but its part of the adventure.

[ Edit: Edited on Sep 2, 2007, at 9:41 AM by wouterrr ]

4. Posted by scarlette (Budding Member 19 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

so one say south and one says north really can't decide what region to concentrate on.

the idea starting to formulate in my head: varanasi - golden triangle- down to southern india (fly/train? which route to take? central?) make my way up the eastern coast of india. Am I dreaming here? or would this be doable?

how much time is needed to do the golden triangle?This is defenately something i'd like to do. I was thinking 14 or so days, but would this be rushing it?

The south eastern part of india looks really interesting to me, would i be crazy to try and spend 14 days goingup from goa by train?

(ps. I'm Canadian, so I will be suffering in the heat)

5. Posted by anglosurma (Full Member 106 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

ive been north and south and reccomend kashmir check my photos and ull see why

6. Posted by arif_kool (Travel Guru 1757 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

hi Scarlette,

I would advise u to take the best of both the parts, north n south:)

In north the Golden triangle is not to be missed, which means u have to cover Delhi, agra and Jaipur, all separated by 4 hrs from each other by road. i think 8 days would be enough to cover all the main sights. Stay in delhi for 3 days, move to Agra for 2 days(1 day cover Taj n fort, next day go to Fatehpur Sikri), then move to Jaipur for another 3 days. As u r coming in May, i would not advise u to go to interior Rajasthan as the weather is too bad there

From Jaipur u can fly or take a fast train to Mumbai, spend a 2-3 days in Mumbai(Im also based in Mumbai:)), then u can take an overnight train or take the ariel route to Goa. Goa is a must visit place for u as u would enjoy the culture and the beaches there. just hire a 2-wheeler for a few days and enjoy the beaches on ur own.

Moving from Goa u can head straight to Kochi(Kerala) and set apart 8-9 days for Kerala. Here again there is a golden triangle not to be missed. Munnar(hill station, thekkady(Wildlife reserve) and Alleppy(centre of backwater activities) all separated by 4-5 hrs of travel from each other.

while returning from Kerala u can return via Ooty, Mysore n Bangalore and then back.

Regarding as question about travelling by train/air, it depends on ur preference and budget.

Do let me know if u need any further info

Arif

7. Posted by wouterrr (Travel Guru 3383 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

Quoting scarlette

(ps. I'm Canadian, so I will be suffering in the heat)

I am Dutch so there is not much difference there...

8. Posted by wouterrr (Travel Guru 3383 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

if u have 4 weeks then i should definately not try to cover north and south in one go, unless you fly (which will be more expensive for foreigners). if you have to do the distances by train or bus you will get exhausted (it are huge distances). As arif_kool suggested, 8 days for the golden triangle is a good amount. I would head for Rajasthan after. Visit the blue city of Jodhpur with its huge mehrangarh fort (my personal highlight of India). the golden city of Jaisalmer with its beautiful fort and haveli houses (I took a camelsafari in this area which is awesome). Visit Bikaner with its rattemple. Head for Udaipur with the monsoon palace. After that you could visit Pushkar which is a tranquil holy place and a must visit (from tiger hill you have nice views). and head back to Delhi. U should not rush it in India, especially not with the heat. I think with travelling, quality is more important then quantity. Enjoy and relax the places you visit. Avoid tight schedules, but that is of course up to you. Have a great trip.

9. Posted by arif_kool (Travel Guru 1757 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

wouterrr,

Seems Rajasthan has left a lasting impression on u. No wonder u braved the heat to explore this wonderland:)

indeed rajasthan is beautiful and colourful and not to be missed if u can brave the heat or better visit it in winters when it is koool and chilling at night

Arif

10. Posted by scarlette (Budding Member 19 posts) 17y Star this if you like it!

thanks everyone, some good ideas i'll try to narrow it down to maybe 2 regions.

The golden triangle, rajasthan, mumbai and goa all look great....

Does anyone know how long in advance I'd need to book tickets? I hear that trains book up weeks in advance, but I don't want to book too early because I like to change my mind frequently. Although a plane would be faster, I'd really much rather do all my travelling by land.

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