India in 3 weeks - November 2007!!!

Hi,

I have booked a very last minute flight to Mumbai and will be staying in India for almost 3 weeks. The first 4-5 days I will spend in Mumbai with relatives but was thinking I would like to do some travelling thereafter.

I would really like to go to Pondicherry as I have a friend there but other than that I have no set plans.

Can anyone recommend a travel plan for me bearing in mind that I do not want to travel too much and if possible would like to do some voluntary work inbetween with street children.

Any suggestions welcome!

Thanks, Kirsten

hi Kirsten,

Since u have 3 weeks in india and u want to spend first few days with ur relatives in Mumbai, ur left with around 16 days at ur disposal.

I would advise u to stick to South India only though i would have wanted u to visit the famed golden triangle of the north.

After finishing ur commitment in Mumbai u can do the following:

Move to Goa and spend 2 days there
From Goa u can go Kerala and spend at least 8 days there(Arrive in cochin, spend a day there, then proceed to visit the golden triangle of the south(Munnar--thekkady--Alleppy),
move further south to Trivanduram and Kanyakumari and spend 2 days at each of the place
From Kanyakumari u can go to Chennai and visit Pondichery(2days) and then return back to Mumbai

Do let me know if u have specific interests, like temples, beaches, mountains, forests, then we will be able to provide with more information

Cheers and have a nice trip
Arif

Thank you for all that info....

I have a couple of questions..

My first thought is that I may adjust it a little to stay 4 days with my friend in Pondichery.

1. Do you think I can travel to these places alone?
2. Can I travel by train inbetween , flying from Mumbia to Goa?
3. Can you recommend any places to stay and guided tours ?

So many question but there is so much to learn!

Thanks, Kirsten

hi... As u are planning to visit pondichery, u can try Mahabalipuram, Kancheepuram(famous for Temples)... These places are easily accessible(around 2 hrs by bus) from pondichery... and can be covered in a day(each)...

Hey Kirsten,

after the 4 days in Mumbai, the following can be a good itirenary (again depending on your interests) -

- Take a train to Goa along the Western Ghats on the Konkan Railways - amazing route - probably the most scenic in India. Spend a 3-4 days discovering the world famous beaches of Goa.
- Move a little east to Hampi/Bijapur - These are historically renowned places. famous for temples and other sites.
You can spend 2-3 days visiting both the places
- you can then move a little down south to either Bangalore (I won't recommend it) or Mysore.
You can spend 2 days there.
- Move east to Pondicherry and spend time with your friend.
- Fly out of Pondicherry / Bangalore / Chennai to Bombay.

This itinerary is strictly keeping in mind that you do not want to travel much.
As for spending time with street children - you'll find orphanages in most of these places
and they allow people to spend time with the kids.

There are other itineraries too but it all depends on what interests you as Arif has already mentioned.

Have a good one,
Apurva

hi Kirsten,

Apurva has planned a good itinerary for u...

Since u have only 14 days, leaving the 4 days each in mumbai and pondichery, it would be better to skip Kerala, else it would be too hectic.

Travelling alone would not be a problem in these areas and u can follow the mumbai-goa-hampi-bangalore-mysore-chennai-mahabalipuram-pondicherry route.

Plenty of accommodation is available in these areas but if u wanna book in advance u can try the following:
www.travelguru.com
www.cleartrip.com
www.ezeego1.com

Since the above places are not far from each other u can very well travel by trains . U can also book trains in advance at www.irctc.co.in

Do let me know if u need any more info

Arif

Hi,
I went to Bombay in November last year and travelled India alone for three months. It is no problem going as single woman, of course India is very different and you need to be careful but I did not experience major difficulties. I pretty much used the Rough guide all the time considering hostels etc. Goa in November was a little low season and I easy found hostels but you can call from Bombay to make sure. In Hampi it was really low season, prepare for people fighting over taking you in their rikshaw.

From Bombay I took the overnight train to Goa (book at least two days in advance). From Goa I went by overnight bus to Hampi. Hampi is very nice, but I can not recommend the overnight bus. Better take the train but it only departed once or twice a week from Goa. Then I went by overnight train to Bangalore - no need to stay there- and overnight bus to Kerala. However you should skip Kerala consider your limited time schedule. I did not go to Pondicherry but to Mammallapuram and Chennai. Cant say that any of them are a must go. Flying back to Bombay should be no problem from Chennai using Spicejet, Kingfisher, etc. Good luck and have a great time!!