India - anyone been?

[blueskyinmarch]

DH and I thinking of India in Jan/Feb 2017. Delhi-Mumbai-Goa possibly. DH been loads of times with work. I have never been. No idea what questions i wan answered but am am really just wanting peoples opinions on this as a trip? Good? Bad? Interesting?

You are missing out on some really good "first time " experiences with just two cities and the beach - which is not very Indian. Look at a trip into Rajistan. The palaces , sights snd sounds and hotels are great. This is tourist India but well worth it nonetheless. We have also enjoyed finding tigers so adding in that dimension may appeal.

We have also travelled in southern India. That is altogether more local but the temples are superb.

I think your itinerary is rather bland and probably based on where your DH has done business plus a beach. Have a look at the itinerary suggestions of companies such as Audley Travel, Cox and Kings or Ultimate Travel or similar to see what they suggest for an itinerary but my view is that you will be disappointed with just two massive cities.

Thanks for that. Will discuss with DH. Will probably need to fly in to Delhi as using air miles. But can do what we like when there. We just started to think about it last night and once our main flights are booked we can tweak our itinerary to suit. Tigers sound exciting!

Have to agree with Bojorojo - if you're going to do a trip and maybe not likely to repeat this then there are other places I'd personally want to visit if I had a wish list. I've not done a big trip in India but have spent a week in Goa. To be fair, there are lots more things to do there than lie on a beach if you want that. We did temples, nature reserves and spice plantations as well. The seafood is great and cheap! It's an old Portuguese colony and has a bit of a separate identity. I enjoyed it. Would recommend carrying a loo roll and anti bac wipes in your handbag!

Thank you. I need to look into this a bit more i think. I will do what i normally do when l plan to go somewhere new; i will go buy a nice shiny guide book!

We have found Lonely Panet guides are very useful. Excellent hotel recommendations as well as restaurants and things to see and do.

Goa is a former Portuguese colony and is therefore less "Indian" than you might experience elsewhere but is an easy introduction. If you want to see tigers, the best reserves are Bandhavgarh and Kanha. Pench has tigers although a bit more elusive and was the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. Corbett Reserve is also amazing. All these parks take effort to reach but I can assure you that seeing a tiger is an experience you will never forget.

Rajasthan has Ranthambore NP. There are tigers here but it is very over-run with tourists these days and I would not recommend it, although it is relatively easy to reach. It is a very attractive park.

The cities in Rajasthan are great. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer to name just a few. There are converted palaces, heritage hotels and "havellis" to stay in as well modern hotels with impeccable service. Agra is a "must" too. Staying in brilliant hotels is part of the fun. I would have a look at the reviews of hotels and which companies use them. The better companies use the better hotels and they may be inexpensive but have real character.

Hope you have fun working it all out!

Though Ranthambore National Park is over-run with tourists because at the park the probability to catch a glimpse of tiger is very high in compare to the other tiger reserves in India. Most of the tourists got the view and that's what they had visited a tiger reserve for. As, i think one must visit Ranthambore NP if you really love to get the sight of this beautiful beast in the forest. You can get more info on this website - www.ranthamborenationalpark.in

I'm not sure about Ranthombore we did five game drives and saw no tigers, nobody in our hotel did either. Our guide who hadn't seen one in a long time. The park is lovely in places. It's nice enough but I wouldn't go back.