From india to Nepal....

[gillx]

Hey everyone...I have approx 1 month as part of my RTW trip in India and Nepal and was wondering what is the easiest way to cross the border??

I dont have any sort of itinerary so i may end up flying into Kathmandu if i find myself miles from Nepal (iv already found a few cheap flights just incase) but if i do find myself crossing the border by land then where is the easiest/most common place to cross?? Iv read that i can get a visa when i cross the border..is this correct?? i dont want to find myself stranded in India a month into my trip and miss my flight out of Kathmandu!

I only have approx 1 week in Nepal so was thinking the best way to spend my time would be in and around kathmandu as this is where i fly out of nepal and onto saigon. So i was wondering what the best type of transport would be to get there from the border??

Any comments/ideas/suggestions/info would be a huge help!
thanks!

[space virgin]

Flying from Delhi or Mumbai is easiest unless you're planning to already be in a part of India that has a border crossing. Kathmandu is approx. 8 to 9 hours via bus from the border if you go overland (let alone the time to get TO the border).

Visa for Nepal is on arrival; visa for India must be obtained before you get on the plane.

What is your India itinerary and when are you planning to go?

[gillx]

At the moment i have no itinerary whatsoever! theres so many places and things to do and due to time restraints i cant do them all so im still deciding.
The only thing that is set in stone is that i fly into New Delhi on Jan 3rd and after that who knows........id love to travel south but then that takes me further away from nepal which means id definately need to catch a flight but then again id love to see the himilayas, really take the time to see the country and travel overland to the border rather than rush from place to place?pick a few places and stay longer rather than going everywhere but not really 'seeing' anything if you know what i mean?....i cant make up my mind!!
I just want to see everywhere and everything...wouldnt unlimited time and money come in handy!

[space virgin]

Well, personally I have a list of a few can't-miss places. Also keep in mind that flights within India can be relatively inexpensive which opens up your itinerary a bit more. Try Clear Trip and Ixigo for cheap flights.

Okay so if it was me and I had a month to kill in India before heading to Nepal, I'd probably spend more time around Rajasthan/Varanasi and the south since you'll be getting your fill of mountains in Nepal. I've been to India 3 times and will be going back for a 4th in October; if you want my opinion ( ) this would be a decent sketch of an itinerary:

-land in Delhi, stay for a day or two. Don't miss the Jama Masjid and Qtub Minar if you get a chance.
-head to Agra on the early morning Shatabdi train to see the Taj, Agra Fort, etc. Maybe even Fatehpur Sikri if you have a little bit of time.
-Get the hell out of Agra before the day is over, preferably via overnight train.
-I'd probably head from there to Varanasi; spend a few days relaxing by the Ganges and taking in the sights and sounds (and smells). Something you will never, ever forget.
-After Varanasi, head to a couple of places in Rajasthan. I would really recommend that you pick just two or maybe three places instead of trying to do a whirlwind tour.
-I'd probably pick Udaipur and Jaisalmer to visit in Rajasthan but that's just me. Jaipur was okay, to me the main attraction there is Amber Fort, but the city wasn't nearly as beautiful or interesting as Udaipur especially.
-From there head via train to Mumbai for a few days
-From Mumbai head south, either to Goa if you want to be around other westerners and have a "party" vibe on the beach or Kerala for a little bit more of a relaxed pace.
-Kerala is really fabulous, Cochin is vibrant and interesting-- especially the older part of the city known as "Fort Cochin". From there you could try to do a night or two on the backwaters (from Alleppey). Definitely not to be missed if you can do it.
-My favorite beach town in Kerala is Varkala; in January/February the weather will be perfect and the vibe is very, very laid-back.
-Just south of Varkala is the town of Thiruvananthapuram (or Trivandrum). There's an airport there so you could fly back north.

Hope this helps.

[gillx]

Aah!! all these place names are so confusing!! haha...im sure ill get the hang of it though!
Thats brilliant info, thanks very much! Sounds like you know your stuff!

I Think im definately going to head south now...iv been looking into it and it looks amazing! itll be worth the few extra quid for a flight up to kathmandu and if i feel like im missing out on anything then ill just have to come back to India another day!!
Im so excited now...only 3 months to go !!

Whats the acommodation that u stayed in like? im guessing its pretty cheap out there, i keep hearing all these horror storys from others who have stayed in some dingy places all for the save of saving a few quid! just adds to the adventure though i suppose!

gill x

[space virgin]

Accommodation varies from one extreme to the other. Obviously within the bigger cities you're going to have a larger choice of places to stay, but the prices are going to be higher even for shitty rooms. There really aren't very many hostels in India; YHA does operate there but most of the facilities are actually hotels that book under the header of YHA. Weird, but true.

Stick to the middle or upper end, price wise, of the budget options available in any given place. For the most part, India's hotel rooms tend to be pretty clean but there most certainly are exceptions (those exceptions usually occur in the bigger cities in the bottom-end hotels). I've paid anywhere from Rs 150/night to Rs 4000/night if this gives you an idea of the disparity.

Do you have a guide book? Lonely Planet just came out with their 2009 edition. It has a picture of a turban on the cover. I've also found the Foot Print India and Rough Guide India to both be worthy. I like to have more than one guide book so that I have more information regarding accommodations and transportation options.

I'll have more information after this upcoming trip (leaving in exactly 2 weeks).

[gillx]

Hey Space Virgin, hows your trip going?? hope your having a brilliant time!
Ye, iv just ordered Lonely Planet India so ill have my nose in that next week!

So whats the weather like over there? Think im going to head south after a few days in Delhi so its a bit warmer...im trying to pack light so dont really fancy hulking warm clothers around with me for the sake of a few weeks.

In reference to the accommodation out there, i suppose ill just find out when i get there...i dont plan on spending more than neccessary...im easily pleased! lol.Ill probably treat myself every once in a while though, even then im guessing a decent hotel wont exactly break the bank!

Im really looking forward to my trip now...i only have about 55 days to go so at the minute im rushing around trying to plan visas , ensurance, kit etc, very exciting!

[space virgin]

Hey-- I just got back last night actually. Trip was great, I will hopefully start on pictures soon. Just dealing with jet lag right now so I'll have more to write about later.

It's really not all that cold in the North, but then, I'm from a cold(er) climate, so my sense of what is "cold" may be different from someone else's. Everywhere was HOT on this trip, especially Goa and Mumbai, although they were also the most humid.

Just remember that if you're going to Mumbai, hotels are going to be a lot more expensive. Plan on about Rs 2000 per night or so for something even remotely decent (i.e. only small bugs, not big ones).