Need to tweak my itinerary - could use some help.

I need to tweak my upcoming trip to India in October/November. The first part is locked in and I'm doing it with my wife.

First part of trip (2 weeks) - Varanasi/Sarnath, Agra/Fatehpur Sikri, Khajuraho, Gwalior, Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi

The second part I'm doing by myself.

Second stage (6 weeks) - Srinigar, Pahalgam, Amritsar, Haridwar, Yamunotri, Vrindavan/Mathura, Alwar, Bikanar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ranakpur/Kumbhalgarh, Ajmer, Chitaugarh, Palitana, Girnar, Mumbai, Ajanta, Ellora, Vijayapura, Pattadakal/Badami, Hampi, Halebid, Ooty, Kerala backwaters, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Ramanathaswamy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram.

There's a lot packed into the second stage but I've built in a lot of overnight trains to save on travel time, plus a few flights to hasten the process. I still think I need to cut it back a bit because I'm not sure I can squeeze it all in within the 6 weeks. Any suggestions on say 4 - 6 of the places I could eliminate without too much gnashing of teeth?? To my way of thinking it has to come from the following - Yamunotri, Vrindavan/Mathura, Alwar, Mumbai, Pattadakal/Badami, Ooty, and maybe the leg to Sri Lanka. I guess I could also eliminate one of either Palitana or Girnar - I was planning on climbing both within a few days of each other!

Lastly, if you were limited to one week in the Himalayas, where would you spend it? Nepal? Sikkim? Zanskar/Ladakh? I'd consider Bhutan, but being charged $290 a day traveling solo through the country is way too expensive for my budget.

Thanks in advance.

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If you are considering both Kashmir and Ladakh the obvious approach is first Srinagar , and the two day ride to Leh. Unless you already have spent a night in Gulmarg or Sonmarg. October is nice in Ladakh , the massive tourist crowds have left and the road to Srinagar is open a lot longer. Diskit Gustor festival in Nubra around the 8th.

Keep track of the situation in the Vale closer to departure. Anything major will come up in the news sticky on my blog below.

Skip Bikaner, unless you have some compelling reason. It's very underwhelming.

@TimW59

First part of trip (2 weeks) - Varanasi/Sarnath, Agra/Fatehpur Sikri, Khajuraho, Gwalior, Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi

It might be locked-in, but that's an unfortunate pace for 14 days.

Any suggestions on say 4 - 6 of the places I could eliminate without too much gnashing of teeth??

I'd want to be guided by your greatest interests, because you certainly don't have time for that lot. And eliminating 4-6 places won't get you over the line either. The other issue is that there are always at least three practical ways of getting from A to B in India, so chopping and changing the itinerary isn't out of the question.

If it was me ....

Kiss your wife goodbye at Udaipur airport. No point in your going back to DEL just yet.

Week 1:
Take a car+driver from Udaipur and go via Khumbhalgarh and Ranakpur to Jodhpur. Jodhpur for two complete days; then train to Jaisalmer.

Week 2:
From Jaisalmer, flight to DEL, transfer immediately to a flight to Amritsar. Two/three days in Amritsar, and then overnight train to Haridwar. Three days Haridwar and then flight DED-DEL-BOM

Week 3:
Mumbai, 3 days then either flight or train to Aurangabad. You'll need a day for each of Ajanta and Ellora. Direct flight Aurangabad to Hyderabad. With Shiva's blessing, you might be able to catch the overnight train to Hosapete (for Hampi). Or simply take a day to look at Hyderbad, and be sure of the train.

Week 4:
Hampi, followed by an overnight train to Madurai.

Week 5:
From Madurai, train to Villupuram Jn, from there a car to Puducherry. A few days here, followed by Mahabalipuram. To Chennai for homeward flight.

Week 6:
Well, I've left this free so you can add the unmissable from your list - and figure out how to amend the itinerary to incorporate them.

Palitana and Girnar are not out of the question - you could 'do' them from Mumbai as week 3.

Vrindavan/Mathura are so close to Agra, that I'm disinclined to the backtracking that would involve.

Vijayapura, Belur, Halebid aren't out of the question, although the travel gets a bit untidy, and starts to depend on days of the week.

Yamunotri, Srinigar and Pahalgam - not a viable part of your route

Bikanar, Ajmer- neither of these are worth visiting

Alwar - possible

Chitaugarh - possible, maybe

Ooty - more trouble to reach than it's worth

Kerala backwaters - if you're not headed to Kerala for any other reason, this isn't practicable

Kanyakumari, Ramanathaswamy - not practicable on your schedule

Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy - you don't have time for Sri Lanka

Kanchipuram - viable, but it's no more than a day trip from Mahabs

Lastly, if you were limited to one week in the Himalayas, where would you spend it?

McLeod Ganj

First part of trip (2 weeks) - Varanasi/Sarnath, Agra/Fatehpur Sikri, Khajuraho, Gwalior, Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi

As above 8 places in 2 weeks is too fast to go through India. You'll spend so much time on trains and/ or car transport, it will prevent you from having time to enjoy India. I think you could do it traveling really fast if maybe you skipped Udaipur, which is out of the way compared to all of the other places.

Second stage (6 weeks) - Srinigar, Pahalgam, Amritsar, Haridwar, Yamunotri, Vrindavan/Mathura, Alwar, Bikanar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ranakpur/Kumbhalgarh, Ajmer, Chitaugarh, Palitana, Girnar, Mumbai, Ajanta, Ellora, Vijayapura, Pattadakal/Badami, Hampi, Halebid, Ooty, Kerala backwaters, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Ramanathaswamy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram.

You've listed 32 different places to visit in 42 days. Just for example, a good visit to Hampi takes 3-4 whole days because there's so much to see, and if you add in nearby Pattadakal/Aihole/Badami, you've got a whole week right there.

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