India with kids - could someone in the know have a look at our itinerary

[notquitesureagain]

DC are 8 and 6. We've had a lot of "I can't believe you're taking your young DC on a trip like this" but we have thought it through, got a lot of planning advice from someone over there, had our jabs, and will have a guide with us for some of the time. However, DH has a habit of trying to fit a wee bit too much in on holidays (understandably - we'll only be able to do this trip once and he wants us to make the most of it), and the kids, though very good travellers are still pretty young.

I'd appreciate some advice from anyone who knows these areas well and can tell me if there's anything we're missing or should miss IYSWIM. The plan is Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Madhar Predesh, Jaipur. And here's the breakdown (sorry rather a lot of detail but just thought I'd chuck it all in) - thanks for taking the time to look.

Delhi

Day 1: Holi Day, Gandhi museum, music concert or poem singing at Nizamuddin complex

Day 2: old Delhi - kite flying - Gulab Singh Johari Mal curiosity shop, old Delhi wander (Chandni Chowk), rickshaw journey (wounded bird sanctuary), Bollywood cinema or theatre

Day 3: Lutyens Delhi - India museum and colonial centre, Lodhi gardens, Khan market, cricket in evening

Agra:

Day 4: train to Agra, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, 8 pm train to Varanasi

Varanasi: [these days still a bit up on the air in terms of itinerary]

Day 5: The ghats and temples

Day 6: Boat ride on Ganges at sunrise, the Tower of Zarathustra, hotel

Madhar Predesh:

Day 7: temple visit
Day 8: visit tiger reserve
Day 9: Boat ride and cooking class
Day 10: Hiking and bird watching

Jaipur:

Day 11: train to Jaipur
Day 12: Temples and palaces; puppet show in evening
Day 13: Shopping day (visit jewellers?), drive to elephant camp
Day 14: Morning with elephants

Journey back

Very excited to come back to this and find all the new messages. All your advice greatly appreciated.

chunkymum1 ooh, that's an idea re the blog post. Where would it go? (Sorry to be so ignorant) is there a mumsnet travel blog section somewhere? I'd be very happy to write something.

Thank you again to everyone who has posted. I'm sitting down with DH and your comments this evening and we're going to modify his our expectations.

Did I mention that I'm v excited?!

Here's some pics from my trip to help you with that excitement!

Don't drink lassi from the roadside! I'm Indian with a stomach of steel and I wouldn't do that. Something with milk and yoghurt in it that has been out in the heat- no no no. Also North India is very very dry. I come from a part of India that isn't. We just sweat the heat out. I remember once almost collapsing in Delhi from dehydration because it was so hot and dry and I had misjudged how much fluid I was losing (because I wasn't sweating). So make sure you have enough water and you drink frequently.

Hope you do not mind me asking. I'm planning a similar trip for next year. I couldn't figure out how to book train tickets from the uk. Admittedly have not done much research yet.

If you can change tickets or forego the cost, I'd definitely drop Varanasi. It's such a long journey and I suspect will be your children's least favourite place anyway.

TBF, I did spend the majority of my time there glued to the toilet seat, so maybe I'm biased, but I don't think it's worth it in your timeframe.

In your shoes I'd probably have done Delhi, Agra and a Rajasthan loop of Jaipur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer. With Jaisalmer, you still get the overnight train experience, but much less intense than the slog to Varanasi.

When I was in India I actually flew to quite a few places, wasn't too expensive as I couldn't face the trains! Combination of constant diorrhea, dodgy toilets, heat and being stared at all the time was just too much...

We did both Agra Fort and TM in one day with 8 and 10 yr olds but we stayed in Agra the night before and saw the TM at dawn. It was still a lot for one day!
In Delhi we went to the Gandhi Smitri. The kids found that really interesting. They watched the Gandhi film beforehand and enjoyed spotting major events from his life in the diaporama models. It's also calm so good for getting away from the hustle and bustle. We didn't go to the Ghandi museum. It sounded a little less interesting to kids and we didn't have time for both.

I have been in all those places and I can pass on a bit of advice from our guide: India doesn't run by the clock as the UK does. It is in predictable, trains arrive late, people get delayed and the plans change all the time, so it is just better to take your watches off and try to enjoy the journey.

I think you are bound to get disappointed trying to adhere to that schedule.

I absolutely loved India, it was the holiday of a lifetime, and all trips we have had afterwards seem boring in comparison. But even so, I'm not sure I would enjoy repeating the experience taking DS with me, and he is much older than your kids.

So much stuff going on, so full of people, such a busy place, I think I would spend the days stressing out at where could DS get in trouble next. (Says she after founding idiotic ex standing in the middle of heavy traffic taking photos of the cows)

... And that was before ex got a cold and panicked thinking he had got malaria!

Sounds like an amazing trip but agree rather full on. Trains are often very late (I mean hours and hours). Have you factored in the knock-on effect if one train is delayed?

And as a PP says, one day in a tiger reserve isn't enough if you really hope to see a tiger. There are never any guarantees but 3+ is better. The reserves in MP are some of the best for tiger sightings but they're aong way from anywhere. IIRC Kanha was a bone shaking 5 hour jeep journey from Nagpur airport, and Bandhavargh 6 or so hours by road from Kanha. I saw tigers (plus Cubs) in both but we stayed for several days. Both reserves would beively places for a bit of R & R. Many of the lodges have swimming pools, which your DC might like.

Have you considered the reserves in Rajastan? Ranthambhore? Sariska? Both beautiful and much easier to reach from UP although less chance of seeing tigers, especially in Sariska where tigers were recently reintroduced after their were all poached out in the early 2000s.

Anyway, have fun. V envious.

IST = Indian stretchable time

I agree with the others it seems a lot. I guess you are already in India as you were here for Holi. Hope you enjoyed it.

Thats a very full on trip with nothing factored in for emergency belly aches and days when you just dont want to do much, if anything.