STA Travel Bugs: Trains, planes and treks in North India
Over in Lonely Planet forums, Nick is ‘planning on going to India from Bangkok and traveling up into Nepal’ and has asked other wanderers on the web for their advice so he can make the most of his time oop north in India:
what would be the best city to fly into (cheapest) in order to then travel my way up into Nepal. The train system would be the best way of doing this right? and what places would be a must to see in India. I have been there 3 times before as a kid (i am now 18) and i would like to spend most time up north as i enjoy the cooler climate and the whole “hill station” vibe. so any advice on towns to see, places to visit and just general advice for a trip across india. i hear its a tuff gig.
Go and read the advice of the other members on the board and lend your own. For our part, STA Travel kindly lent the services of one of their Sheffield staff and an old hand at Indian travel, Simon Rocchi, to give some insider insights into the best way to make the most of such a trip…
Hi Nick
Sounds like a great trip! If I were you, I would fly straight into Delhi. Delhi is the cheapest place to fly to and a fantastic base to all the cool things in Northern India. You have to head straight for Agra to see the Taj Mahal which isn’t far away, and you may have heard of Varanassi, a place where you can see the burning ghats and do a sunrise river cruise down the Ganga River. If you’re going to Nepal you must go via places like Shimla, which was an old English colonial village. Then once you get over the Nepal border, before you get to Kathmandu, you definitely need to go to Chitwan National Park to see the Elephant Sanctuary. I had a baby elephant chasing me around head butting me; we also went trekking through the park to find Rhino’s and took a old wooden canoe through a river full of crocodiles!
There are local buses and trains you can take all around India, but be careful what you book; sometimes you can by a ticket that doesn’t include a seat - I had standing room for about 15hrs before i paid someone for thier theirs! You can do trips that take in all the places i have mentioned and a lot more that start Delhi and end in Kathmandu - they use local transport and are a great way to make friends for life. India is more off the beaten track than somewhere like Thailand, which can make meeting people a little more difficult. It’s definitely the most cultural and most interesting place I have ever been to. If you are interested in some of the trips and options we can offer please do not hesitate to contact me on 0871 468 0644 (option 1).
Simon Rocchi
STA Travel Sheffield
