I am thinking of doing a tour in India, and maybe onto Sri Lanka and Nepal.
I will post the itinerary, but are there any stops to avoid, any I have missed, and is Sri Lanka too similar to India?
And is Nepal worth it? I would like to see huge mountain ranges, but perhaps it is too cold after India?
I guess between 2 and 5 months if anyone have a recommendation on time.
I am well traveled, will sleep in hostels, hotels, a tent, whatever. Traveling light. Would also like to explore Yoga as India is famous for that I could get into that.
In no way interested in sex tourism, alcohol etc, or wasteful things I can do that in any country. I am here for India.
Any general tips. I have searched and read a lot online but India is not well covered other than people complaining about the usual things: Delhi Belly, India is Dirty, People are poor, Air quality. I know, lets look beyond the India stereotypes
Route I grabbed from Online which I thought was good
Varanasi
Deli
Orchha
Khajuraho
Dhula village
Jaipur
Pushkar
Jodhpur
Udaipur
Mumbai
Pune
Goa
Coorg
Mysore
Bangalore
Kerala
Puducherry
Chennai
-Sri Lanka?
-Fly to Nepal
North India/Kashmir (Ladakh)
Sri lanka was a total shithole and I heard India is even worse so maybe sri lanka isn't enough of a shithole for you?
Have you been to either?
probably not, there are like 2-3 posters max who actually write good travel advice on india and one of that hasnt posted in a month or two at least
Well i might write something as ive been there for around month and a half..but like 10 years ago
I recommend reading slum dog millionaire book, its really good to get the vibes before trup
India is fine, if you have travelled in other 3rd world countries. The Air pollution is the only real threat.
The itinerary you have posted could be done in 2 months not counting Himalayas and the yoga stuff. I am gonna recc based on the route you posted. But know that this all depends a lot on weather. When are you thinking of travelling? Summer is pretty much no go
Delhi
Varanasi
Khajuraho
Orchha
Agra
Dhula village
Jaipur
Pushkar
Jodhpur
Udaipur
Mumbai
Ajanta/Ellora
Goa
Hampi
Mysore
Ooty
Kochi
Allepey
Munnar
Madurai
Puducherry
Chennai. With Ladakh at the start. For yoga I've heard Rishikesh is alright.
>Sri Lanka
I wouldn't do it on the same trip, maybe sometime else
>Nepal
Great
Feel free to ask anything else.
Thanks. I am likely going to follow 90% of this. India is the country I've gone to with the least amount of clear information around it. For such a large country it has lot less than other countries I've been to
My main questions are usually to do with transport between places and places to stay. I don't expect a list, but are trains better than buses.
Are private cars better than train
Is renting own car even bettee than all?
What are the flags for bad hotels online. I've spotted all the Indian 1 review 5* flooding. I waste so much time looking things up I am trying to cut through it all.
Rddt is hopeless for recommendations. always $150+ a night stuff or always a package tour.
Specifically the Rann of Kutch, do I have to stay in tent city. Do I need a tour. Can't I just go there myself without paying $100
Wildlife parks. Getting a lot of conflicting reports on Corbett being the best. But then it's a clusterfrick of options to get on a tour
An old poster recommended
Ranthabhore
Bandhavgarh
Kahna
Pench
Gir
Kaziranga
Bandipur
Nagarwhole
Would like to know if you did any of these?
I'm already started my trip. It's colder than I thought but not by much.
So far it's a nice easy to navigate country
Thanks. This is also on my list of things. Hard to ask more. Wish we had a general for countries stop asking all the time.
Hope I can still post here from Indian ISP
If you are worried about being harassed, get a local to show you around. Also you can't post here using mobile data and several ISPs are also banned. Street food should be avoided because even if it is hygienic which it is most of the times, it'll still probably not sit well with your stomach. As for travelling between places, trains are good. Get an AC ticket. It's a good way to enjoy the countryside. The toilets are absolutely fricked though. Renting a car might not be suitable since you're probably not used to Indian roads. As for hotels, go for international brands like Marriott, can't go wrong with those. Usually not too expensive either. If they're not available, then I really don't think there's much you can do. Go for hotels that don't have too many 5*s as compared to 3 or 4*s.
>do I have to stay in tent city. Do I need a tour. Can't I just go there myself without paying $100
I actually don't know, never been there myself.
As for wildlife parks, haven't been to many but have heard of
>Corbett
>Ranthambore
>Gir
>Kaziranga
>Ranthambore
This seems to be winning out from everyone's recommendations
Thanks fren
>posting from Indian Sim, Sir
>wildlife parks
I'm the one who did it.
AMA and yes I'm a sir too so I can tell you about India more.
Pro tip: Avoid historical and cultural places especially in North India. India is best for it's nature, that's where the money.
If you want still want to see culture, Rajashthan, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, NE India, Karnataka, Goa and Pondicherry is your best bet
Hello anon
I am in Munnar at moment.
Have time in Thekkady and Alleppey.
Then I will be in Pondicherry and Chennai. Can you dump me some tips.
Still haven't seen a Tiger. Thinking north to Jim Corbett when I am back in Delhi area.
Also what about Varanasi. I heard it is shit but that I also have to go
I have been lucky so far only 1 or 2 bad experiences with Indians. Usually they are 100% chill people just trying to get along.
Hardest part is how big India is and finding reliable places to stay and eat.
There are almost too many things to see in India and therefore I never find good info online compared to other countries which are more manageable
March-June is the best time to see tigers since due to the summer heat they are constantly moving from one waterhole to another.
Try exploring Kabini/Bandipur if you're in South.
If you're going to Jim Corbett then it's only worth it if you to book your stay inside Dikhala Forest Guest House which is very difficult I recommend booking it via an agent/safari gypsy driver. If you're going to Central India (Nagpur/Jabalpur) then visit:
Pench
Bandhavgarh
Tadoba
Kanha
Panna
Ranthambore is your best shot but it's very difficult to get a safari there this season. If you're dead serious on seeing some tigers I recommend you travel in an organised safari tour. Here are some of the most trusted ones, keep in mind the price quotations is for Indian nationals so you will have to ask quotations since you're a foreigner.
https://www.toehold.in/travel/
https://www.beyondwild.in/
https://www.pugdundeesafaris.com/
>back in Delhi area
lol, I'm a Delhi resident AMA. Avoid red fort and chandini chowk. Use Delhi metro, it's actually good but avoid 8-10 AM and 5-7 PM due to office rush hours. South Delhi is very good and you can even find authentic foreign cuisine like Japanese, Korean, Continental (Western/white food), I know an American style BBQ restaurant in Vasant Kunj. Gurgaon is also good very cheap booze. Avoid Dwarka if you're a women and North Delhi, Pitampura and Rajouri Bagh areas have the best local cuisine i.e your traditional Punjabi Chicken tikka, garlic naan etc.
>Also what about Varanasi. I heard it is shit but that I also have to go
It's a shithole. I still don't know why are foreigners obsessed with it apart from the Coldplay MV with Beyonce and hippies.
(1/2)
>Dikhala Forest Guest
Thank you, Sir!
Matches what I have found. Seems like Rathanbore might be more realistic. Will definitely book a tour thank you for resources
Will not be stopping in Delhi only flying in to get back North.
My friend wants to go to Varanasi I can't convince them not to go.
Pondicherry ot Chennai for Holi? I will be in the area. Visiting Auroville Matrimandir and Sadhanna forest. Any other recommendations specifically?
Will maybe spend some time in Rishikesh. Unfortunately my time is running out here so won't get to do all you said for south
Doing ok with the food generally. South has nice fresh food
>Seems like Rathanbore might be more realistic.
Do safaris only in Zones 1-5 or Zone 10 and Zone 6 and make sure you do atleast 4-5.
Zone 3, 4 and 2 currently has tiger cubs but they are the most popular zones.
Dhikala is also great since 2-3 resident tigress there have cubs.
>My friend wants to go to Varanasi I can't convince them not to go
If he wants to see rivers, smoke some weed and hash, and see Shaivism Hinduism then hit the hill villages of Kasol, Kalga etc in Parvati Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Everything between Lucknow and Darjiling is a shithole tbh. East UP, Bihar and Jharkhand are the worst states in India. If you want to go east then go Odisha or North East India.
>Will maybe spend some time in Rishikesh. Unfortunately my time is running out here so won't get to do all you said for south.
Go to Himachal Pradesh instead. Visit the district Lahaul and Spiti. If you're going to Uttarakhand then go to Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi districts. Don't forget Valley of Flowers NP
>There are almost too many things to see in India and therefore I never find good info online compared to other countries which are more manageable.
Best option is reddit unironically. r/India or if you want more specific like restaurant recommendations then go to r/[name_ofcity] or r/[name_of_state]
You ever take a night bus
Bus from chennai to Kochi is around 7000
Bus for 2 is 3500.
14hrs sleeper. Versus 2hr flight
Haven't travelled South India much tbh.
Just get a confirm ticket in AC compartment that will 1AC, 2AC, 3,AC or AC Chair. It's not that hard.
From Delhi to Rishikesh just take an overnight bus.
>not that hard
You are overestimating me.
So if I booked a 1AC on 12go what will happen if it doesn't get confirmed? Does it go down the classes or do I slum it with the poors?
Don't book anything that has waiting list on it. Get a confirmed ticket ffs.
Btw I just booked a tour to Panna. 4D/3N at a 4 star riverside just for 450 USD, everything included. Obviously I'm Indian so safari is cheap for me.
>Don't book anything that has waiting list on it
Don't think I have seen a single train to anywhere in India with any buzz that isn't at least 80% waiting list tickets.
I just don't understand how this is preferable to just selling out of tickets
I always get and book confirmed tickets tbh. If you're going to get a train from Delhi to Rishikesh, just take a Volvo bus.
>Pondicherry and Chennai
Pondicherry is good and Chennai is the shithole. You will have a lot of lungi women approaching you for photos (I'm assuming you're white), also Chennai is a very humid place, if you want to explore Tamil Nadu then explore Nilgiris (most biodiverse part of Western Ghats) or go to Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari, much better.
>Goa
What's the deal with Goa.
Hard to find where to go from looking online.
Don't want hostels or drinking/drugs/cooming.
Looking to chill
Appreciate some tips on Goa onwards for each point you listed if you can be bothered
What is tipping like in India
Not that anon, and haven't visited Goa since 2014. Will defer to others in giving advice.
>What is tipping like in India
If you're at a restaurant, tipping between 5-10% of the overall bill is fairly common practice.
Indians don't otherwise tip, except in situations where it seems merited or fair. For example, if you take a cab ride with a fare of Rs. 92 and pay the driver with an Rs. 100 note, consider letting him keep the change. And you'd likely offer a bit more if you'd asked them to make a stop, or wait for several minutes to pick up friends along your route.
(in many cases, taxi drivers will start counting out your change, even if it's only 2-3 rupees--and will almost always appreciate if you let them keep anything beyond the final fare)
In some hotels, especially nicer hotels, bellhops and room service attendants typically appreciate tips. If you're foreign and staying in a hotel that receives many foreign visitors, they may even expect it. But it isn't strictly necessary, nor is there any unwritten rule that governs these sorts of transactions. But tipping paltry amounts by U.S. or European standards can make you popular with staff, who'll see you as a cash cow for giving them the equivalent of $1 and make all of your requests an urgent priority.
You can also tip tour guides who do an especially good job, but--again--this isn't required.
Overall, Indians are misers, and they don't tip beyond letting a waiter keep a small amount of change or offering additional gratuity for nonrequired services (e.g., asking a waiter to get you a pack of cigarettes from a shop outside). The downside to going places like Goa is that people working in the service industry have much more experience serving foreigners--so, while your waiter at a shitcore highway dhaba wouldn't think twice about returning exact change, bars and restaurants in tourist-heavy parts of Goa might expect tips from foreigners or even add gratuity to the final bill.
As an afterthought: in India, any service charge levied on a bar or restaurant bill is equivalent to a tip (whether your waiter receives the full amount is a different story, and varies between businesses). In practice, very few Indians tip if their bill includes a service charge.
Furthermore, under a recently-passed law, service charges cannot be mandated--if you receive terrible service and don't want to pay it, you have a right to demand that it be stricken from the bill.
Finding in India anything touristy is expecting big tips on top of paying for the service.
Getting a little tiresome
go the north beaches for chilling, they are some of the best chilling beaches on Earth. The southern coast is where the debauchery happens, and it's not walkable, more like a 20 minute scooter ride.
Can you hit me some names. Again getting conflicting information on this.
Looking for an airbnb in some area.
Scooter rental maybe as This Goa Taxi Mafia stuff seems like a big problem
No uber. No ola. Just rip off taxis from all sources online
Palolem beach
There are a lot of ~~*certain people*~~ here and also Russians.
Invading occupying the place.
Otherwise its good
Nice post. Where is this in Iceland?
Its close in the westfjords. Close to the "most dangerous road in iceland".
More relevant pic of a dog at everest base camp.
Cool.
Nice dog too.
I am in India. Going to Kerala. Want to see some Elephants.
Indians are very chill people it transpires
Skip Delhi. Just skip Delhi entirely. There is nothing of note in that city, other than if that's where your layover is. I will list certain places which I believe are unique and enjoyable for tourists.
Udaipur
Rann of Kutch
Mahabaleswar
Goa
OOTY
Pondicherry
Puri
Darjeeling
Varanasi
Manali
Mumbai
General advice would be to stay out of cities as much as possible. I've listed Mumbai if you really want to see a city.
Has anyone ever purchased a 30day etc train ticket from the government.
We got shepherded into some Info centre apparently from the govt. selling longer term flexi travel in 2 AC compartment
But because Indians refuse to answer direct questions I don't know if they can be used when turning up to station or need booked in advance.
Apparently you also get 6 free nights stay in Hotels around India.
The price they are asking is quite high.
Is private rented car a better option. Also the farmers strike is going on if that changes things
Do not go. I do not recommend India to anyone. I refuse to believe that any westerner would truly enjoy their stay there. Everything you hear about it is even worse than you can imagine. The smell, the filth, the noise, the crowds, the stray dogs, the cows, the piles of garbage. Its a disgusting and depressing place and I am convinced that anyone who claims they enjoyed it is a liar.
Ironically, the only place I would recommend is Varanasi. It is unironicaly a hellscape. Absolute filth EVERYWHERE. Burning human bodies openly on the streets. Stray dogs fricking everywhere. Constant noise from horn honking. The smell in some parts is unbearable. There's open sewage running through streets. The power lines were absolutely horrifying. Just massive clumps of tanged wires all over the fricking place. But if you HAVE to go to India I would recommend it because where else on Earth is like that? You're going to experience something truly vile, truly unique, something that will give you all kinds of wild stories to tell, and it will make you feel extremely lucky to have been born wherever you were.
I wanted to ask if you are both talking about Delhi only.
But 2621131 confirms Varanasi.
Isn't the South so much better?
What about North. Like Rishikesh or Ladakh
Or heading to Kashmir
Just spent 22 days in Nepal on a University study trip.
Visited:
- Dhulikhel
- Kathmandu
- Chitwan
- Pokhara
Everyone is friendly af and do not require tips I did anyway as the exchange rate was good for me but they were chill. Its the first third world country I have gone to ngl.
Didn't have time to visit the mountains although we did go to some locations with good vantage points but the views just made we want to climb the frickers.
>picrel, closest I got to the mountains (had me foaming out the mouth) shot with my drone
lmk if you have any questions
Was transport and accommodation already organized for you then?
How was each day spent
What tips would you advise for spending day times?
Transport:
Most of it was yeah just busses from the university and lifts organized by our lecturer. But there was some situations where we sorted our own transport like taxis and some busses.
with taxis just ask hotel receptions what the going rate is from A to B and they will tell you, the cabs are usually easy to barter down. In the busses just make sure you are holding onto your shit like in most scenarios
Days Spent:
Spent like 10 days studying at various universitys, but in our free time we just did some hikes, drank heaps of beers and ate frickload of food. Lots of walking around the cities in the places we were staying & bonding with local students.
Heaps of shopping also if you find the non-touristy shops in Kathmandu and in Pokhara.
Tips:
Heaps of people will try to swindle you too buy shit so just get used to saying no. The knockoff Northface/Patagonia/Arcteryx stuff is actually semi decent (looks anyway) so make sure you grab some.
Frickloads of painting shops and they are all pretty nice but its hard to find ones that are genuine, they will all try make you believe they are.
Spend your days walking and looking at temples and shit, but definitely try and get as close as you can to the mountains they are jaw dropping. Would strongly advise trying to organise multi-day hikes whilst sleeping in mountain villages its my one regret.
Also ill add, there is just random busses driving around everywhere yelling where they are going to. Just get on and tell them where you are going if its on the way and they will drop you off.
No need to book or anything just have cash, most restaurants take card but its a big cash operating country.
They don't kill dogs because of muh hinduism, but they don't build shelters either so there's just a bunch of rabies infested dogs that roam the streets.
Before its economic collapse Sri Lanka did feel a little more developed and navigable than your average Indian province. I haven't been since then but I imagine the countries are pretty much comparable now. You can just think of SL as a territory with a fairly distinct cuisine and attitude toward life (Buddhists and all -- they're pretty chill about visiting temples and my wife didn't get anywhere near the harassment that she got in India). There's a lot of fun stuff to do within a small area in Sri Lanka, maybe that's the main draw.
no nepal isnt too cold.stay at pokhara if you arrive
Heading South India on a trip soon.
Any advice for Munnar onwards.
Where is good to see Tigers in Kerala?
Srinagar and up to the mountains, may e bangladesh districts as well, calcuta was fun, ive played croquet over there. Kashmir as well
Spent two months in nepal last fall. Amazing place, and kathmandu feels enough like india for me. Also the mountain regions are completely different from the lower valleys. You will see this when you get there. I didnt have any plan when I arrived, only wanted to see the everest region. Depends how much you like hiking, but take the bus from kathmandu to jiri and just start hiking towards everest basecamp. You dont need a guide or plan a lot in advance, just hike and stay in guest houses.Its cheap and real, everest region after lukla feels like disney land for hikers. Closer to jiri its more quiet and local.
unrelated pic from Iceland
>I am thinking of doing a tour in India
she just got 9k compensation basically her travel costs back.
someone explain this 3rd world train shit to me
surely you don't *really* have to book a train with a 58% probability of getting a seat and only find out 4 hours before
I want to go from Dehli to Rishikesh, was gonna do train but I might just fly or hire a car
Since I will have to be in Dehli for at least 36 hours, what should I do in that time?
Booking tickets on the IRCTC website isn't very hard, so long as you make a half-hearted effort to understand railway abbreviations.
As this anon said (
), you should avoid "waitlist" tickets whenever possible. In most cases, you can search for different trains on the same route and find available berths in higher classes of travel, such as 1AC and 2AC. Furthermore, a significant number of tickets are withheld under the "tatkal" quota--they become available one day before departure, and can be purchased any time after 10am. But if you're traveling around the holidays, or on a high-volume route, you need to be on the IRCTC website at exactly 10am to have any chance of securing tickets.
IIRC, there are--or were--some restrictions on the use of foreign cards for IRCTC bookings, too. In the past, you could only use non-Indian cards through IRCTC's "Atom" portal, which was configured to refuse such payments if they are made within 48-72 hours of departure.
But, as a disclaimer, I have an Indian card and Indian bank account now--I haven't had to deal with this shit in years, and it's entirely possible the rules have changed.
cont.
India also has a "Foreign Tourist Quota" (FTQ).
You should be able to book FTQ tickets on the IRCTC website if you register for an IRCTC account using a foreign cell phone number and a foreign passport number. If you can't manage that, several railway stations also have "International Tourist Bureau" offices. The largest is in Delhi (NDLS), but I think there are other ITBs in other cities (Lucknow, Varanasi, Kolkata, etc). Don't expect stellar service or short wait times, and come prepared with:
>your passport
>a copy of your e-visa, if you are traveling on an e-visa
>your preferred stations of arrival and departure
>your preferred train code (e.g., the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani is train 12301--you see these codes when searching for trains on the IRCTC website)
>cash for payment
However, I think the FTQ is only available on certain routes--there's no uniform list of which trains are subject to the FTQ, but you should be fine as long as you're traveling somewhere popular with other wypipo.
Also, this.
The bus ride from Delhi to Rishikesh is like 5-6 hours. Buses from Kashmiri Gate run throughout the day, but with more frequent departures before ~8am and after ~9pm. Try to book on RedBus--if they decline your foreign card, you can sometimes get around it by using an Amex or by paying on AmazonPay (although they may have fixed the AmazonPay loophole).
If booking online, look for "AC" buses (preferably Volvo). Also, a "seater" is a regular seat that doesn't recline, a "semi-sleeper" is a regular seat that does recline, and a "sleeper" is a small lie-flat berth with a mattress. Avoid sleeper berths with more than one available seat if you're traveling alone, unless you want to share it with a stranger. And look at reviews before making a decision--some companies encourage their drivers to go around in circles post-departure to fill every last seat, or they stop 100 times en-route to pick up packages and cargo.
Lastly, if you're not a total poorgay and are short on time, you can literally just book an Uber Intercity from anywhere in Delhi to anywhere in Rishikesh. I checked rates on my Uber app, and the ride costs all of $48 (although you may have to pay for tolls separately).
If you ever end up using Uber Intercity, take cash and avoid credit card payments. Indian cab drivers can be very stubborn about preferred modes of payment, and will typically call to ask about your pickup location, destination, and mode of payment--if you say "credit card," they'll most likely say "okay, coming," and then cancel the ride within seconds.
Also, it's somewhat common practice for Intercity drivers to ask that you cancel the ride and pay them in cash upon arrival (so that they don't have to share any of their earnings with Uber or Ola). It's not unusual or sketchy, but make sure that you:
>show the driver the fare on your phone
>say the price the aloud
>make the driver confirm the fare
>screenshot the fare
I've never had any issues with drivers demanding more money on arrival, though they'll probably ask for cash if they need to get gas or CNG. Not a big deal, just deduct the amount from your final payment.
Correct and genuine advice. Can confirm.
Anyone here who has done Kheergana trek and went to Kasol/Kalga?