Travel Ideas : India, first time
 

Help me plan my trip.

I love to take photographs, have a unique interest in history and nature. I also like to go back to a nice hotel (not necessarily luxury) but running water, internet and clean / comfortable amenities, at the end of the day

I am thinking start of at Delhi, do the Taj Mahal + Nepal?.

Help. When should I go?

This is a large problem. India has fascinating places to vist all over the country. There are accommodations at almost all levels everywhere. There is such astounding variety that nobody can answer such a general question.

We need to know things like,

1)how long you will spend,
2) how much you are prepared to spend,
3) how you want to travel: plane, train
4) when you plan to go.

Then we need to know more about your interests and preferences.

Some of that will help.
You might want to spend some time with a good guide book or two also.

1)how long you will spend,

A week

2) how much you are prepared to spend,

Negotiable. I like value for money, but I don't mind spending $ if its worth it. Whether something is "worth it" is arbitrary. A private pool vila in Bali at $500 a night is worth it if you have a loved one with you, probably not so worth it if I were by myself.

Since I will probably be solo, so I won't want to stay/nor will I have the need for super luxe (i.e Aman type places). I don't mind roughing it in the right conditions.

Unique places are wonderful.

3) how you want to travel: plane, train

Plane. I've heard horror stories about trains in India.

4) when you plan to go.

Fall / Winter

I cannot argue with your choices in the beginning if you have so little time. Starting with the Taj Mahal is always the right choice IMO. Because you said you did not like the idea of India's trains of course I am suggesting a train trip. The tour below does all you wanted, but takes 11 days. The Palace on Wheels is an experiences you will never forget. Ten years after I took it I maintain friendship with one of the expatriate Indian families on the trip (many wealthy expatriate Rajastanis take the trip) and with anotehr from Hong Kong. If you're going so far this lets you see the Moghul palaces (Jaipur and Jodhpur are incredible, among others) and include the Taj Mahal and Nepal also.

There are many other ways to do this, but this one is unforgettable.

http://www.palacetours.com/Tours-Pal...s%20of%20Nepal

mefirst, this question has been asked multiple times in the 'india' forum so if you go through the first few pages you will get answers to most of your questions....

Except that you are interested in trekking/mountains, I d choose Rajasthan over Nepal. In Rajasthan go to Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer. Not a big fan of
Jaipur.

Try go to Varanasi. It is the the quintessencial Indian city and a fantastic spot for pictures.

I am not a fan of Agra but I guess you would like to see the Taj Mahal.

I must admit that I feel envy. I wish I could experience India for the first time again. It is a fascinating country. You ll probably regret your decision the first few days though.

Yes it is frustrating sometimes but it is fascinating.

Travel by train is totally fine. I have even used Sleeper Class once and it was Ok. Given the choice, I d go with AC2 though.

I would avoid Delhi in winter and during the Monsoon season. I don t mind heat but summers temperatures are normally over 40C.

A week is a bit short for Nepal, much less the both - you'll spend a day each way getting from Kathmandu to the mountains themselves. I'd suggest flying to Leh (IXL) instead. Plenty of gorgeous scenery to photography there - mountains, monasteries, austere Himalaya. Flights are short, relatively inexpensive and daily from Delhi.

Between that, Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and/or perhaps somewhere in Rajahstan (Jaipur, Jodhpur) you can easily fill a week, and many memory cards :D

I've traveled in most classes on Indian Railways (including 2nd class unreserved i.e general no AC). It's cheap, reasonably efficient, but often slow and can be irritatingly delayed. Fantastic people watching and eating though. A train trip isn't something to miss; I wouldn't base your transit strategy on it.