Advice on my trip India - Nepal
Replies: 6 - Last Post: Nov 25, 2012 3:16 AM Last Post By: ravindrasingh
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Advice on my trip India - Nepal
Hey all,I'll be heading to India and Nepal this summer. I was in Nepal last year and feel like I have missed out on so many things, so I want to go back. I already booked a flight to Delhi and plan to travel to Nepal over land and then probably fly back from there to Delhi.
This is what I came up with so far. I'll be travelling on my own (I'm a 20 year old women from Amsterdam), so any advice, tips, tricks, things to avoid etc. are welcome!
I plan to start in Delhi and spend a couple of days there, maybe meet up with a good friend I met in Nepal who nowadays lives nearby Delhi. Next I want to go to Agra and maybe take a side trip to Fathepur Sirki. Next on I want to go Orchha spend maybe a day or two there and move on to Khajuraho. From Khajuraho I plan on to go to Allahabad, is this place worth spend a visit? Next I plan on going to Varanasi, stay there for somedays and then go to Sarnath. From Sarnath I plan to go to Kushinagar and the next day from Kushinagar to Lumbini (is this possible in one day??). From there on I plan to do Lumbini - Pokhara with a stop in Bandipur along the way. I plan to do a couple of days in Pokhara (I was there last summer for only one day, such a shame). After my days of relaxation in Pokhara I plan to go to Gorkha. From Gorkha the next day to Kathmandu.
I might do some volunteering in Nepal with the organisation I went last year with. Had a great time and would love to see some of the people there again. I plan on doing some daytrips from there. I wish to go to Chitwan for about one weekend. Also Godawari + Patan (one day?), Dhaksinkala + Pharping and maybe Chobar and Kirtipur(one day, possible?), Thimi + Bhaktapur, Kopan + Budhanilkantha, and of course the things in Kathmandu like Durbar Square, Monkey Temple, Crematory, Boudha, etc.
Am I missing out on anything? I've already been to Nagarkot (but I'll be doing Sarangkot in Pokhara anyway) and the Shiva statue, plus Thamel for couple of times.
Any advice on places I'm missing out on? Or things I should totally skip? How long would you recommend to stay in each place? And what about transport? Even some safety advice is welcome. I'll probably be wearing my shalwar kameez most of the time, so I guess the clothing part should be fine. Are Indian people very different from Nepali people? Should I get my visum for Nepal here in Holland?
Also, I need to spend one night in Delhi before my return, so I need a multiple entry visa right?
1
Hi!In general you will find differences between people of Nepal and peole in Indian larger cities. Nothing to worry about, though.
I have never seen any violence in India so far and I've been there several times. Expect a lot of people around you when going in Indian cities.
Regarding Indian visa: ask for multiple entry visa.
Regarding Delhi, I can recommend Tara palace hotel in Old Delhi (http://www.tarapalacedelhi.com/). A jewel in Old Delhi.
They also offer free airport pickup on arrival, have decent 24h restaurant and useful staff.
If you never visited Delhi before, maybe this is a good place to do some logistics.
Regarding going from Delhi to Kathmandu by bus, I'm not sure how pleasant that ride will be. "24h hell on earth" is what they call that ride. And make very clear if your ticket is valid to Kathmandu or only to border with Nepal. Many people had problems on that ride.
Regarding Nepali visa: it is easy to get one on the airport in Kathmandu. If you plan to take the bus from Delhi to Kathmandu, please check carefully what you can expect at border.
In general, you shouldn't worry about dress code. In Sikh temples you should remove your shoes and cover your head (not face :)). That applies to men and women.
In other temples, usually taking off the shoes is enough.
Covering head and shoulders is mandatory when visiting mosque (if you go to Jama Masjid in Delhi, for instance).
If I recall of some other useful advice, I will update it here.
Best regards,
Mario.
2
Hi MargauxA couple of points about the Nepal stage of your trip:
Visas are available at the land border and need to be paid for in a 'conv ertible' currrency;; Euro are accepted but not Indian rupees.
To cut down on road travel consider visiting Chitwan before or after Lumbini, perhaps go to Pokhara via Tansen/Palpa because you can visit Bandipur on the way to Gorkha.
Hope you enjoy the trip.
scoodly
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HiIt's usually cheaper to pay in USD even after conversion charges; 15 days/$25, 30/40 and 90/100. Depending on how long you are intending to stay it might cost less to get a 40 day visa and extend...
I don;t know if there are ATMs in Lumbini butin common with places other than Pokhara and KTM, don;t rely on them (run out of cash, power outages). The fixed rate for exchanging Indian rupees is 1 IR to 1.6 NPR. You will get a better rate for Euro in P or KTM.
scoodly
