1

Reading your other post in the Thai branch, you're a backpacker, so I'm guessing a limited budget.

There are certainly tours that go around the "golden triangle" area of India but it's also well catered with buses; trains; hire cars and taxis that you can do it on your own.

Let's start out with:

• Temperatures: it's going to be HOT during that time you are there.
• Hotels: you want something that has AC, so you can sleep at night when it's roasting outside.
• Locations: with 2-weeks to tour, you can get a lot of ground covered. I'm assuming that you are flying in /out of New Delhi, so consider the following route:

Arrive Delhi. Tour through Delhi with the NDTDC (New Delhi Tourist Development Commission). They have 1/2 & full-day tours for very reasonable prices. Don't get taken to any other travel agents where you will pay a fortune.

Go from Delhi => Agra. Spend 1 day there. See Taj; Fatephur Sikri. Go to Orchha via Jhansi .

Jhansi => Jaipur (via Ranthambhore national park).

Jaipur => Delhi.

As to whether there's something "better" than the golden triangle, that depends on what you want to see and how much you have to spend.

Have a look at this map to help you decide locations; travel times; and more: http://maps.mapmyindia.com

If you go on an organised tour (eg. Intrepidtravel or Gap Adventures), you'll pay around $100 per day to be taken around to various locations. For that price, Intrepid provide a basic hotel room and transport.

To my mind, it's a bit high and you can easily do it solo (thousands of others do it each month).

2

Try Intrepid or Gecko tours. Both are well run companies designed for people like yourself. Low cost, using local transport, basic accommodation, relatively small group size with a local guide. My son and his girlfriend did a Gecko tour in Thailand a few years ago to Chang Mai and hill tribes, had a great time and was a good introduction to independent backpacking.

http://www.geckosadventures.com/

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/search/trips

If you haven’t done so already get yourself copies of the relevant Lonely Planet guide. Will help you with your planning and along the way as your travel.

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/?lpaffil=lphp-topindex

3

burguesa, vikasbansal is very likely to be a tour operator. Have a look at his other posts - all start out the same way. While his tours may be legitimate, there's no knowing what you are signing up for - either go solo or, with a reputable company for your first time through India.

4

@ burguesa - as a fellow solo young female traveler, I hope it gives you some peace of mind that I have been getting a lot of assurance from a yoga school I've been talking to in India. They've assured me that the majority of their students are solo female travelers, and that it is very common to come across lone female backpackers in India. This is the demographic most often interested in going to India to do yoga, and therefore the road in that regard is pretty well paved. Just be careful about dressing culturally appropriate and such.

5

Burguesa – Yes there are many sole female backpackers in India and If you are an experienced and confident independent traveler then backpacking in India shouldn’t present a problem. However the tone of your post suggests you are neither experienced nor confident.

Can I suggest that at the very least you pre-book your first night’s accommodation in Delhi and organize a car and driver to meet you at the airport (they will have your name on a piece of cardboard as you come out of customs at the airport). After a long flight arriving in Delhi can be truly confronting and this at least helps get you past the initial hassles of India.

The hotel should be able to organize a car and driver. Or have a look at the Namaste India Tours website who do this as well. You could also do a half day car and driver tour around Delhi with Namaste to help you get oriented.

http://www.namasteindiatours.com/DelhiAirportTransfer.htm

The post above from vikasbansal will give you an idea of the scamming and hassling in India for the unwary traveler!

6

Hi,

I would be really surprised to see someone touring places like jaipur & delhi in mid of june.
It will be really hot and not a good time to travel outside.

I would suggest you should travel in mid june to Munnar, Ooty & Coorg in down south.
Munnar is especially great in monsoon too and by the time you leave from there - you will be able to see monsoon arriving there.

You can avail the feature of staying in houseboat in backwaters of kerala and not to forget Kerala have one of the best ayurvedic spas.
if you get time you can sure touch the southern most point of india - kanyakumari.

But that is upto you and choose tour agencies based upon reviews like Dpauls etc.

However, if you were staying till July 15th, then in the last leg I would have suggested you to travel north as then monsoon would have arrived there also.

7

Burguesa - #4 has been warned about his harassment activities on this forum and still he persists. It is probably the most annoying part for many young ladies but almost always persisistant but harmless.
However you could do everybody a favour, particularly lady travellers by clicking on that flag icon in #4 and reporting harassment.

8

#12 Hey John555 - you dont identify much about yourself even hiding your country but this is very harsh - the chances of Burguesa coming to harm are small if she sticks with a well-trodden route, no more than any other place and safer than most (this is why you have to object to that creep on #4).
I hadn't even read your #1, being obsessed with perverts BUT
You want to do the standard triangle - good move - you can come back later to the slightly less popular areas:
1) Fly to Delhi - stay in Paharganj along with loads of othere backpackers - the LP and similar are full of flops - if you want somewhere more sophisticated, then stay in the Metropolis - you'll have no problem getting there from the airport, here is a good taxi service from there, prepay at kiosk
2) Next stop - Agra - go by train - the tourist booking room above platform 1 New Delhi station (I think) is excellent - dont believe anyone, even the Pope, that it is closed - it is not and you've just met a lying tout - just a short walk up Paharganj you can organise your whole itinerary from there (the booking office - great guys) - there is only 1 MUST-SEE in India - the Taj Mahal. Plenty of flops in Taj Ganj - try booking ahead in Sheela - a good old favorite amongst backpackers. Visit Fatehpur Sikri on a daytrip.
3) Now choose the rest of your trip - the standard is Jaipur (by train - prebook in Delhi) then on to Udaipur - Ajmer/Pushkar back to Delhai then out or - Jaiselmer (by train - book in Delhi) then Udaipur by bus - back to Delhi.
40 note that Udaipur is quite lovely and stay in a haveli in Lalghat - - in all guidebooks.
You will certainly enjoy your trip but dont buy an out-of-date guidebook both LP and Rough Guide are good.

9

I just did a wonderful India tour with Intrepid - seven weeks but divided into three different tours, the second of which was 'North India Unplugged' which went through Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra, Varanasi & Kolkata. Check out my blog for the kind of stuff we got up to:

http://thirtyonedistant.wordpress.com/

Let me know if you need any more help or advice :)

Happy travels!

10

My Advice is not to trust any of them and you will be fine ,
Taxidrivers, guides they will all be very willing to help but at a price..I have travelled extensively in India and I have seen every rip off and scam going ..Not all of the men in India are pervs but they have different values than us westerners..
But you can also meet some great fellow travellers ..
Hope I have not alarmed you ..I have a friend who is travelling alone at the present time and she has been fine

Happy Travels ;-))

Edited by: RC501

11

hey hiya, for the safety purpose first of all get a mobile in your hand, a sim will cost 1$, & keep an eye on what you wear, everything else is fine, just stay on your guards with the men, nothing else to worry, be friendly & be the one ti initiate the conversation , anyways you coming to varanasi aswell ??

take care & have a happy journey , cheers !!

12

Am not sure I'd agree fully with ved- varanasi - he is clearly not a visitor to India!
To initiate conversation is asking for trouble - you'll have no problem conversing as Indians are great talkers and want to practice their spoken English.

13

burguesa - pretty sure this message board just gave you a taste of travel in India. Everyone trying to sell you something. Thailand is much easier to travel in and that's why India lends itself more to tour groups. It just doesn't have the tourism infrastructure that Thailand does. In Thailand tourists are somewhat separated from the local population on tour buses and such but it makes travel easy. India doesn't have that so you're always traveling with the locals unless you hire a driver. That's enjoyable but takes a lot more effort. I've traveled solo throughout the region if you have any questions.