South India - how many days? (Like last time : D)

I forgot to put alleppey on my list. I do intend doing a backwaters trip. Thanks for reminding me Xly.

So the thing with the hill stations is that they are pretty much all nice and it doesn't matter too much which ones i choose, yeah? As i will be cycling between Kochi and Munner, I should probably just go to those on my route, right? But its interesting to hear about these others, in case i decide i must see more.

I also forgot Varkala. As i have beach near here, its not such a big deal for me, the beaches. I won't by lying around them except if its my Sunday.

Having reviewed the above, I think this is starting to look more like 2 months worth of travelling instead of one. Does anyone disagree?
If so, i think i should skip from hospet-hampi by train (instead of bicycle) straight to Mysore. And come back the following year :-(

mumbai -

Hospet - (to see hampi)
Hassan - (to see belur, halebid and sravanabelagola)
Mysore
Madikeri and tibetan settlements
Munnar
Kochi
Alleppey
Kollam
Varkala
Kovallam
Trivandrum
Kanyakumari
Madurai

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<hr>Interesting your other suggestions for hill stations oldpro, I will check them out.<hr></blockquote>

I'd like to clarify that some of my choices were made for practical reasons. I might go to a "type" of place, or follow my whim, or just do what interests me. I'm not a believer in "must see" places.

My final itinerary constantly evolves while I'm on the move...
For example, I wanted to visit a hill station to cool off for a few days. Nothing I'd heard about Ooty appealed to me. Kodaikanal was an alternative that I could slot into a route from Madurai into Kerala. Also, just over the state border was the nature reserve at Kumily, which I was also interested in.

So, by picking my route partly for practical reasons, I was able to combine Madurai, 'hill station', reserve/plantations, all on one route into Kerala. I then ended up at Kottayam and took a ferry from there to Alleppey, and so got in my backwater ride -- probably better than the tourist route as well, another bonus.

As you may have gathered by now, there's not much point in worrying about missing something. There are so many alternatives out there. Pick a convenient route and make the best of what you come across along the way.

Re Madikeri - very difficult by bicycle; very hilly and winding road. Dangerous for bike rider. Also, there are new rules for Tibetan settlements since February. Need a permit to visit or are subject to arrest by police. Permit can only be obtained in New Delhi (and I don't know from whom).
I thought Madurai was great. I can't imagine why someone thought it scary. Temple is spectacular. If you can only see one temple in Tamil N., see this one.
Kollam - we took the 1/2 day Tourist Dept tour through backwaters by large handmade canoe (holds about 8 people). It was great. Went through tiny canals and waterways and saw villages and saw canoes being made, rope being made by hand, etc. Highly recommend tour.
To save yourself, consider visiting Somnathpur, 32 km from Mysore. Also a Hoysala temple as in Belur and Halebid and a lot less effort to visit than going to Hassan, and a really beautiful temple besides.

that's a good tip travelhol, i shall look at that option. (re somnathpur)

re hills: if dervla murphy can push her old bike all over the himalaya, then i can do a few hills with my modern gears. - and if i can't, there's always the bus, i suppose. : p

re permits for settlements: someone has warned me of this and there is a website you can get all the info from which i've seen. The permit doesn't seem to be very much of a drama. they just want to know who's there i guess they are trying to keep trouble away, whoever 'trouble' might be.

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<hr>I tend to do most of my flight research throught the flight centre site <hr></blockquote>
I always book through my Indian travel agent. She gets fares that are considerably cheaper than those ever listed by the Flight Centre (who claim to have the lowest prices guaranteed but, I've always been able to book cheaper than their listed fares).

As for Hampi, it's a place to walk through (except when you are going to the museum in town, which is around 10km distance).

I would suggest at least 3 days to spend there. Be aware that the stone chariot is US$5-10 to get entry. There was a viewing platform to the right of the temple, alongside the long brick wall. The chariot was OK but not worth the $$$ entry.

There is also another (well, one of the many) temple that's located near what used to be the marketplace - from memory, it's up a hill - worth going to visit as not many tourists go there (local or foreigners).

Cheers
Zoltan

I seeee... any chance you could share her details with me (by pm)? Is she in india or australia btw?

A few comments. Sorry to be so slow off the mark with them!
re fares: have you tried Zuji? It's pretty good.
Temples in Kerala: don't worry about temples not admitting women. Only a tiny minority don't. There are plenty of others to see.
Dropping Ooty is wise. There's nothing to see. The attractions are the train journey to get there, and escaping heat and humidity for a while.
Madurai is worth putting up with for the sake of Sri Meenakshi temple, which is wonderful.
Tamil Nadu is lovely and worth more time, if you can spare any.
International airports: if you haven't already booked your return ticket, note that a surprising number of Indian cities have international airports, including some you might not have thought of: Bangalore, Cochin, Trivandrum and Hyderabad, for instance. Services available are limited but still increase your choices. Check airline websites, e.g. Singapore Airlines, Jet Airways and Silk Air (to name but a few), to see what the possibilities are. Buying an open-jaw ticket (returning from a different place) is difficult, but you could buy two singles, which would enable you to return home from the south.
Backwaters: for your Kerala backwaters experience, skip the chartered tourist boat thing, which is overpriced and overrated in my opinion, except for a canoe trip I did out of Kollam (Quilon) a couple of years ago. Instead try public ferries, which are much cheaper. Just make sure you sit right up the front to escape the engine noise. Rough Guide has a little more info on the subject than LP.

Thanks cgame

Actually zoltan did pm me the details. Otherwise I find usually find flight centre to be ok, similar to zuji. And i decided i would fly back from kochi to delhi or mumbai. But all after I see what z's travel agent can do for me.

Thanks for backwater tip and rough guide i will definitely look into that. I have been enjoying reading Eyewitness a bit lately. (from the library).

Unfortunately its really unlikely that i can do more of Tamil Nadu on this trip.

I've dropped Ooty off my list but the fact is, i won't be able to avoid going through. It will just mean i won't stop and hang around. I am excited about the prospect of Munnar though.

I am still interested in how many days people recommend to spend in each place on the list. I probalby have enough info to go on really but i find it interesting and useful to know how long people think is a good time to spend in a place.

Haven't read other people's responses, so it could be that I'm repeating a few things. Here's my 2paisaworth about your travel plans:
Hospet - Hampi: 3 days.
Belur, Halebid, Sravanabelagola): 3 days.
Mysore: 2 days. This is a totally sweet little place. The palace doesn't float my boat - mainly because there's, like, a billion people tramping thru it at any given point. But I can afford to be iffy - I saw it 20 years ago at a time when the crowds were thin.
Madikeri: I spent a week there! If you're on a tighter schedule, maybe 3 days?
Tibetan settlements: I assume you mean Bylakuppe & not Dbondenling in Kollegal (N. Kanara): 2 days.
Ooty: Avoidable.
Munnar: 3 days at least. Great place for wandering around.
Kochi: 2 days. I've stayed there for a week at a time & still not had enough - a sweet little place. Try & fit in a short backwater trip, if you like boats & things. In fact you could do Kochi-Allepey-Kollam by boat.
Kovallam: Too touristy for words. Avoid, if you ccan bring yourself to miss a beach - you have better ones in OZ!
Trivandrum: Go only if you simply have to. Avoidable if you need to squeeze your itenerary!
Kanyakumari & Madurai: Didn't you say in your OP that you aren't going to Tamilnadu? I'm not a fan of that state or its people. And temples are totally not my thing, so I'll shut up about this bit.

Q for you: Are you planning to cover Rajasthan, bit of Karnataka, Kerala and TN in one month? Much of a muchness, imo. If it's some time in Rajasthan & then a month for these other places, then your plan looks slightly saner.