UKC

So for the last 6-7 years I have only had climbing trips as holidays. I'm going to India in February (And while we have a little visit to Hampi) the majority of the trip will be .... not climbing? Any recommendations for non climbing things to do in India? A few people have recommended Kerala or Tamil Nadu for some southern beaches type things. Has anyone done any trekking in the Himalayan foothills? Open to any suggestions!

In reply to Kemics:
Rajasthan is beautiful, Jaipur , udaipur, Johdpur all worth a visit. Taj Mahal is very impressive in real life. Goa is great too.

Kerala is nice, although I found the overnight boat trip along the canals a little bit "samey" but Varkala was great.

I preferred Mumbai to Delhi as the two big cities I visited. Wherever you go i'm sure it will be amazing

Edit - I didn't go north so cannot comment on the foothills of Himalaya

In reply to Kemics:

I did a short trek up in Leh. It was only a 3 day homestay trek taking in a 4200m peak, but I'll remember it for the rest of my life. Incredible part of the world. I'm sure longer and higher treks are available.

Beware the altitude sickness. Leh is at about 3500m asl and it was an 18 hour minibus from manali over a 5000m range. What a journey!

Having said that, I've just read that you are going in Feb. I expect you might not even be able to drive/fly to the Himalayan plateau at that time of year, though I might be wrong. Have a great time!

I did Mumbai, Goa, golden triangle, Amritsar, menali and leh. Happy to offer more help/advice if you want/need it

In reply to Kemics:

Stay south. Plenty of stuff for a lifetime to get up to down there. Hill stations and trekking, tea plantations, elephants, tigers, beaches. Weird hippy paradises like Aeroville to visit. Too much time wasted in my opinion 'doing' India - its almost a continent, enjoy! Also north is a lot of work, difficult to recommend without an objective with such a short period of time - 1 month or less, also its pretty cold after 15.00 - 16.00 in the hills and even in Dehli during night time in Feb.

D

In reply to Kemics:

Varanasi is a must.

India is not really a beach destination, as in there are much better countries for that. Also you will miss the "real" India.

Tamil Nadu is fantastic for the most spectacular temple complexes. Madurai is a fantastic city, esp at night.

Madhya Pradesh for "unspoiled" "Kipling India"

Utter Pradesh for mad chaotic Hindu cities.

Try not to move too fast; it's tiring, you're more likely to get ill, you'll have a much better experience spending time in fewer places.

Amritsar - the golden temple is much more impressive than the Taj Mahal (as are the Tamil temples)

Stay away from Goa, unless you like a more tropical version of Ibiza.

Varanasi is a must.

In reply to Skip:

Varanasi was the first Indian town we visited

Welcome to India

In reply to Kemics:

Get an AMEX card, for booking rail travel.

In reply to Cheese Monkey:


It was also the first Indian town I visited. Still one of my three favourite towns/cities anywhere. The other two being Llasha and Old Jerusalem. Although from recent pictures I've seen the former has been massively changed by the Chinese.

In reply to Kemics:
Has anyone done any trekking in the Himalayan foothills? Open to any suggestions!

Yes, in the Garhwal Himalaya, the Pilgrim walk up from Gangotri to Tapovan Meadows via Gaummukh above the Gangotri Glacier and directly under peaks like Shivling and Meru is stunning, and passes the source of the Ganges. Takes about 2 days each way. You can stay at the ashram at Bhojbasa and/or camp at Tapovan Meadows where there is a spring, often used as a base camp for the peaks on the South side of the Gangotri Glacier

Also in the Garhwal Himalaya and equally stunning is the two day Pilgrim walk up from Gauri Kund to Kerdarnath (ashrams en route), and ashrams in Kerdarnath. It's worth spending a couple of days here exploring the area with some good day walks including one up to the lake at Gandhi Sarovar where Ghandi's ashes were scattered. Like Tapovan, incredible mountain scenery.

You can do these treks quicker but the altitude is around 15,000 ft, so you may struggle if you go too fast before you acclimatise. Gets very cold at night.

In reply to Skip:

We got the bus there from somewhere in Nepal I think. But yes I agree, Varanasi was one of my favourite places too

In reply to Kemics:

There is a spectacular wetland / nature reserve not far from the take Mahal well worth a stop mind blowing in a dry year
Must be amazing in a good year

In reply to Kemics:

Just about everywhere in India is great, enjoy.

Going from Hampi to the foothills is no mean trek by the way, it's a big country and travel isn't the fastest. But the experience is great.

In reply to Kemics:

How long will you be there? It is a big country and travel can be slow though enjoyable.

I really enjoyed Varanasi but found the West of Gujarat to be the most friendly place though hard to get to.
As some else said the Golden Temple is great.
I'd stay away from the cities expect when needed though I found Calcutta to be the most friendly

It one of those places you could spend years and not see enough.

Enjoy

In reply to jasonC abroad:

We've only got a month there so sounds like lots of traveling around would be a waste of time.

In reply to everyone:

Okay so Varanasi is definitely a must! Easily the most reoccurring mention.

It sounds like things will be a little too cold in North and the Foothills a bit inaccessible - I'm thinking we'll probably stay mostly south to make the most of our time there.

The homestay trekking sounds like a great option, if I get my arm bent into doing toursity stuff..sustainable tourism sounds like the way to go. Would anyone recommend any trekking in the South...are there mountains that way? Presumably nothing like even the Himalayan foot hills but I can easily imagine some beautiful places ive never heard of?

In reply to Kemics:
Rajasthan- jodhpur, Jaipur, Pushkar. I loved Shimla too. It’s only the very foothills but the train ride is fun and the town nice.
Everything is cheap so spend the extra for a bit of comfort.