Before every trip, we spend a lot of time planning where exactly we want to go, what sites we want to see at each location, how many days we should spend there, and what time of year to travel to that specific location. We have created these Trip Summary pages to help outline all of these factors we considered in hopes that it helps you plan your next trip.
Because we live in India, this overview page will be formatted to mention all notable trips we take within India.
North India Itinerary
We had moved to Bangalore in April, 2019. This was our first major trip within India since we had moved there. This trip to North India, or the Golden Triangle, lasted from October 24th, 2019 to November 2nd, 2019. We took 1 week off of work for this trip (~10 days).
We had heard that Diwali was best celebrated in Jaipur, so the general dates of this trip were determined by Diwali. Diwali is one of the most popular Indian holiday, because this is a Hindu festival of lights. This festival symbolized light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Diwali is celebrated within a one month time range each year as it coincides with the New Moon. We started planning by understanding that we would spend only 1 day in Agra and then split the rest of our time between Jaipur and Delhi. We knew there would be plenty to see in each location so we filled in the rest of our trip with the top activities we wanted to make time for. Here is how the days were divided for our trip:
-Jaipur: 4 Days
-Agra: 1 Day
-Delhi: 3.5 Days
-Travel: 1 Day
The Highlight of this Trip was far and away Jaipur. Grant had a co-worker whose parents live in Jaipur, so we were able to spend Diwali celebrating with them at their home and had an employee of his Father assist as our personal tour guide the entire time we were in town. It was an incredible gesture and he showed us a great time.
The rest of the trip in Agra and Delhi was hampered by pollution. This time of year between the crop burning of surrounding rural states and Diwali firecrackers, the pollution is insurmountable. This pollution not only ruined beautiful monuments but limited our ability to explore each city due to the unsafe conditions. DO NOT TRAVEL to North India from October through the end of the year at a minimum if you can choose. Celebrating Diwali in the North as tourists will be difficult if you also expect to go site seeing.
Because we liked Jaipur so much, we plan to travel back to Udaipur given there are a lot of similarities.
And in February 2022 we did just that!
Rajasthan Itinerary
With the COVID cases drastically reducing in February 2022, we set off on a trip to North India, specifically to the state of Rajasthan. The initial purpose of the trip was to spend Valentine’s Day taking post-wedding photos in a beautiful location in India, and Udaipur was at the top of our list. With so many other areas to explore in Rajasthan that we were yet to see, we extended the entire trip to visit Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Our trip lasted from February 12th through February 28th.
-Udaipur: 4 Days
-Jodhpur: 5 Days
-Jaisalmer: 5 Days
-Jaisalmer Desert Camp – 1.5 Days
Udaipur
Most commonly known as the “City of Lakes” or the “City of Love”, Udaipur exceeded our expectations. Without a doubt, this is the most exciting, unique, and beautiful city we have visited in India. After only a few days here, it quickly became our favorite city for travel. Although there are 7 major lakes throughout the city, we spend 95% of our time on or around Lake Pichola. Beyond the lakes, the city also has an incredible history since it was the Mewar Capital from the 1550s to the early 1800s.
Jodhpur
Home to the Mehrangarh Fort surrounded by the blue city, there is no shortage of attractions. Whether you want to get some hiking and outdoor activity at the rock garden or spend time indoors for an epic cooking class, a highlight of our trip, you won’t regret adding Jodhpur to your itinerary.
Jaisalmer
The city with the sand castle in the desert, formally known as the golden city, Jaisalmer was the final stop on our Rajasthan tour. Spend a day or two at the fort, but don’t forget to explore the surrounding areas including Gatisar Lake, Vyas Chhatri Cenotaphs, or a night at a desert camp.
