India

Mr_Lahey

I fly to New Delhi on June 11th, from there i travel down to Agra and then fly to Andhra Pradesh where my children will be spending a few days at a village school.

On 22nd June i have to be in Mumbai, and then on 1st July i have a flight out to Kuala Lumpur from Trivandrum.

The question is:

What can i do between 19 - 22nd June, maybe take the train to Mumbai is it worth it? What about Hydarabad? Or maybe get a train to the East coast and then fly to Mumbai?

Then what can i do between 22nd June - 1st July, given that i have to be in Trivandrum on 30th June. Travel down the West cost maybe?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Incapuppy

Have you posted this on Trip Advisor? You are likely to get more of a response from over there as they have many 'destination experts'

You could also try the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forums.

Mr_Lahey

Incapuppy wrote: »

Have you posted this on Trip Advisor? You are likely to get more of a response from over there as they have many 'destination experts'

You could also try the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forums.

I'm banned from posting on TA, ill bang it onto Thorntree though.

eslick

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

I'm banned from posting on TA,

ohh am I the only one wondering what happened there

imho

You aint going to be able to do a lot as it will be so hot and humid as the Monsoon will kick in not long after you get there.
There is trouble in Hyberbad. And the east coast is burning sun. I went there in Dec and its 85 degrees + at 8am in the morning and rising.
I have arrived back form India on sunday and it was getting hotter and its only Feb

Rosie75

How about some time in the hills when you're travelling between Mumbai and Kerala? It should be rather cooler (though, possibly, rain might be a problem?) than the plateau areas. Somewhere like Coorg or Wayanad? I'm off to Coorg myself next month as part of a trip to Karnataka and north Kerala, and it sounds like a really unique part of India. There are some nice homestays there, so you can experience staying with an Indian family, and have some good homecooked food. These are both quite outdoorsy destinations (spice and coffee plantations, trekking, visiting caves and game sanctuaries) - which may or may not be your cup of tea.

If you travel down the west coast, Goa has a few festivals during the Monsoon which might be interesting (eg. Sao Joao is on 24 June). A lot of the hotels in Goa close during the monsoon, but some people think this is the best time to visit since you get more of a sense of the local flavour, rather than a package holiday destination.

Then, of course, there are the usual Keralan destinations - Kochi, backwaters, etc., though it could be very wet. Again, there are people who say the best time to visit is during the monsoon.

Mr_Lahey

Thanks, i had hoped to try and visit Varanasi so we could go and see the Ghats, i know seeing a body burned would not be for everyone but i think for the kids it would be an amazing insight into the real India and the Hindu religion.
I have ruled out Khajuraho, whilst i would enjoy it i don;t really want the kids to see that type of sexuality, a quick look and there are men having sex with animals and, well what seems like everyone.

The heat or humidity is not a problem, the kids and I are well travelled and very resilient.

Any thoughts, also Agra is a must, probably en route from New Delhi to Varanasi, the Taj Mahal can be done in a day right?

odowdchr

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

Any thoughts, also Agra is a must, probably en route from New Delhi to Varanasi, the Taj Mahal can be done in a day right?

You might want to go at dusk and dawn to experience the different colours and atmospheres....much better than a trip in the middle of a day with the sun overhead.

odowdchr

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

Then what can i do between 22nd June - 1st July, given that i have to be in Trivandrum on 30th June. Travel down the West cost maybe?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

You could fly to Goa cheaply (not a very interesting train trip), then get an overnight sleeper train from there to Ernakulum in Cochin.....then travel slowly across Kerala to Trivandrum in a week, stopping off at a few places?

Mr_Lahey

odowdchr wrote: »

You could fly to Goa cheaply (not a very interesting train trip), then get an overnight sleeper train from there to Ernakulum in Cochin.....then travel slowly across Kerala to Trivandrum in a week, stopping off at a few places?

Thanks, that sounds like what i had in mind, can you suggest any places worth stopping?
Generally i prefer 'real' places. You know, off the beaten path. I cringe when i imagine a beach in Goa filled with Chavs and empty cans of Carling.

Rosie75

You might want to try posting on www.indiamike.com. There's a wealth of knowledge, particularly about making travel arrangements, on there.

I'm not too sure about this, but I don't think the package holiday companies actually go to Goa out of season, so you shouldn't find many sunburnt beer-swillers in June. South Goa is, from what I've heard, quieter than North Goa.

If you do go for the railway from Goa or Mumbai option, you could get off the train in North Kerala or Mangalore and work south through the Kasagod, Kannur and Wayanad districts towards Kochi and Trivandrum. The north is much less touristed than the south (though that can make it less easy to get around without a car), and you could then do the more usual South Keralan sights at the end of the week.