As we made the decision to travel India about a week before arriving in Delhi, we were
scrambling to plan out a basic itinerary of where to go, what to see, and how to do it. It is a
pretty overwhelming task - we spent many full days scouring through travel blogs, forums,
India's railway website, and the Lonely Planet book to figure out where in the sub-continent we
should visit.
India is a big place. In fact, it's massive. We only spent six weeks here and feel like we barely
touched the surface. We are very excited to return to India in the near future to see more of this
crazy, chaotic, and colourfully unique place.
Our itinerary is one of many ways you could tour India, and of course, your itinerary may change
based on how much time you have there. Regardless, we hope it helps you in your research of
travelling this amazing country.
Note: prices for rooms are per night for a double bed with private bathroom and fan.
Delhi
How long: 3 nights
Where we slept: Ajay Guest House (700 rupees)
How we got there: Flight from Istanbul via Dubai
Other notes: A friend recently described Delhi to me as "the armpit of the world". I would say
this is a fair description. There is not much going on here other than chaos and lots...I mean lots
of people. We originally planned on staying for only 1 night, but were stuck here as trains out of
Delhi were sold out (tip: if you are travelling within a month of Diwali - book trains in advanced!).
Despite this, Delhi is a good base to fly into and you can do a day trip to Agra to see the Taj
Mahal.
The streets of Pahar Ganj
Piles of garbage on the streets
Sleeper class (SC) trains for long or short distances
Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
How long: 3 nights
Where we slept: Roop Mahal Guest House (400 rupees)
How we got there: Train Delhi to Jaisalmer (18 hours)
Other notes: Jaisalmer was one of our favourite destinations in Rajasthan. The sandstone Old
Fort is stunning - and it is a lot of fun to attempt to navigate and inevitably get lost in the small
streets of the fort. The popular thing to do here is camel safaris to the Thar Desert - be
compassionate! Opt for a ride in a Jeep to the sand dunes instead of riding a camel. Save a
camel...ride a Jeep...?
View from a viewpoint inside the old city over the sandstone town
The most detailed buildings we have ever seen all hand carved into sandstone
gigantic bats you can find inside the fort and surroundings
The 'Great That Desert' sand dunes for sunset
Colin posing with one of the many many many cows of India
Pushkar, Rajasthan
How long: 3 nights
Where we slept: Diamond Guest House (300 rupees)
How we got there: Train Jaisalmer to Ajmer (11 hours), public bus Ajmer to Pushkar (1 hour)
Other notes: Pushkar is a really relaxed place. It is a very small town, yet is a backpacker
favourite and is inevitably very touristy. It is worth a stop to rest from the hustle and bustle of
India. We found the markets and shopping here to be our favourite in all of India, and there are
also two vegan restaurants here (rare for India!). Though it may seem sleepy, there is lots to do
in Pushkar, such as hike up to a nearby temple or people-watch as Hindus bathe in the lake. Oh
- and accommodation is very cheap here.
Our great value room with a balcony !
super creative healthy vegan food at Honey and Spice
Holy Men near the Ghats- careful, not all of them have honest intentions with your donations
The holy Ghats of Pushkar
Hiking up to Savitri Temple
Jaipur, Rajasthan
How long: 3 nights
Where we slept: Vinayak Guest House (450 rupees)
How we got there: Train Ajmer to Jaipur (2.5 hours)
Other notes: The Pink City was our least favourite city in India. Like Delhi, it is busy, hectic, and
the locals are not friendly...at all. We were actually quoted 1000 rupees ($20) for a tuk-tuk driver
to take us 5km! If we could do it again, we would probably only spend one full day in Jaipur.
Despite this, we had a great time hiring a tuk-tuk driver for the day to tour the Amber Fort and
Old City sights. A hike up to Monkey Temple is also a must do.
Posing for a photo with a family who wanted pictures with us- a common occurance
Floating gardens at the Amber Palace
Our fun Tuk-Tuk driver, equiped with speakers in the backseat and lots of dance moves
Walking around Jaipur is a bit like a zoo
Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan
How long: 2 nights
Where we slept: Hotel Ranthambore Palace (450 rupees)
How we got there: Train Jaipur to Sawai Madhopur (2 hours)
Other notes: If there is one mistake we made planning India, it is deciding to come to Sawai
Madhopur. We stayed 2 nights, and it was 2 nights too many. Sawai Madhopur is the nearby
town to Ranthambore National Park. We did one safari tour of the park in hopes of seeing a
tiger, but only saw a bear and (many) antelope. We unfortunately found it underwhelming and
expensive. You may still want to test your luck to sight a tiger - and if so, don't spend more than
one day in Sawai Madhopur as there is quite literally nothing to do in this small town.
Our bear siteing at the very end of our safari
The most stressful ticket buying ever. Getting pushed and shoved, yelled at, and ignored.
A fresh tiger footprint
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
How long: 3 nights
Where we slept: Hotel Tourist Home (250 rupees)
How we got there: Train Sawai Madhopur to Haridwar (12 hours), public bus Haridwar to
Rishikesh (1 hour)
Other notes: We love Rishikesh. Touristy, but fun nonetheless - very relaxed and hippie vibe.
Great restaurants and it is exciting to immerse yourself with domestic tourists, backpackers, and
(hundreds of) macaques exploring Rishikesh's different areas. Of course, visiting an ashram for
some yoga is a must-do here. We wish we spent longer than three nights.
serene settings and beautiful clean air
Colin taking part in a yoga class at Vini Yoga, highly reccomended!
Why do all the cows in Rishikesh have such short legs?!?!?!
A shakey walk across Lakshman Jula blowing in the wind
But first... Let me take a selfie
Varanasi
How long: 5 nights
Where we slept: Ishan Guest House (350 rupees)
How we got there: Train Dehradun to Varanasi (19.5 hours)
Other notes: Varanasi swept us off our feet and made us feel extremely uncomfortable (in a
good way). If we thought the old city of Jaisalmer was tough to navigate, just wait until you get
to the narrow, winding streets of Varanasi. Tip: be careful of charging bulls running through
Varanasi's old town. A walk along the Ganges to explore the ghats is an incredible experience,
and it is very difficult to describe what it is like witnessing the Hindu rituals at the burning ghats.
We extended our stay to be here for Diwali but could have seen all the sights in much less time.
We enjoyed going into the University grounds and walking through the many parks and going for runs in the
quieter and cleaner setting.
The constant crazy traffic on the main roads in Varanasi
The smells can be overwhelming in the old city and smoke makes the air thick and hard to breath
An intimidating visitor to the Dosa Corner for lunch
Mumbai
How long: 2 nights
Where we slept: Airbnb apartment
How we got there: Train Varanasi to Mumbai (29 hours)
Other notes: We decided to stay two nights in Mumbai to break up the long train from Varanasi
to Goa. Mumbai is a great city - we found it much less crazy and a lot easier to travel than Delhi.
The stark contrast between high rises and blue tin roofed slums running like a river through the city
Our first visit to a proper supermarket in weeks, a nice break from two tiered pricing scams
Anjuna, Goa
How long: 3 nights
Where we slept: An extra room in a local's house (450 rupees)
How we got there: Train Mumbai to Thivim (10 hours), tuk-tuk Thivim to Anjuna (40 mins)
Other notes: Known for its all-night beach parties, we had an alternative experience in Anjuna. It
is relaxing, the flea market is a lot of fun, and the sunsets are gorgeous. There really is nothing
like watching the sunset on the beach with more cows than people around you. There isn't
much of a beach here, but maybe Anjuna is worth the quick stop.
The famous Anjuna flea market- a tad tacky but still lots of fun
In love with the golden hue of Goa sands
Palolem, Goa
How long: 6 nights
Where we slept: Rosy Paradise Beach Bungalows (500 rupees)
How we got there: Train Thivim to Madgaon (2 hours), public bus Madgaon to Palolem (2 hours)
Other notes: It's hard to compare Palolem to the rest of India. We loved it here - we had a hut
right on the beach with a sea view for only $10 a night. The beach is stunning - very long and
lined with gorgeous palm trees leaning over. We originally planned on staying only three nights,
but extended our stay to six. We would go back in a heartbeat.
Colin relaxing in our bungalow's hammock on the beach, our favourite view ever
Munnar, Kerala
How long: 1 night
Where we slept: Green View Holiday Inn (500 rupees)
How we got there: Train Madgaon to Aluva (13 hours), bus Aluva to Munnar (5 hours)
Other notes: As we extended our stay in Palolem, we had less time to explore Kerala. Munnar
was gorgeous - the drive from Aluva to here was stunning. We enjoyed doing a full day hike
through the tea plantations and even saw a wild elephant!
The highest point of the hike overlooking rows and rows of tea fields
hiding between the maze of tea plants !
Very rare and exciting elephant siting in the tea plants!
Plenty of vegan fresh and cheap chocolate to buy in Munnar Town
Alleppey, Kerala
How long: 1 night
Where we slept: Prince Homestay (350 rupees)
How we got there: Bus Munnar to Kochi (5 hours), Bus Kochi to Alleppey (2 hours)
Other notes: Another short stop for us, but it seemed like enough. We could not afford to rent a
house boat to tour the backwaters, so we opted to do a ferry tour for two hours around the
backwaters. It was quite beautiful, though the amount of houseboats and the pollution they are
causing is concerning.
The many house boats parked along the keralan backwaters
Wonderful views of palm lined canals and local life
Instead of an expensive house boat cruise we opted to sit at the top of a local taxi ferry for the same views!
#1 Attraction on Trip Advisor, and its not even open to the public!
The best meal in the world. No questions about it.
Pumpkin and coconut soup, keralan rice, with chapati, three different coconut curries and a coconut crepe dessert.