India itinerary: too packed?

Hi everyone, and first of all, I wish you all wonderful travels in 2025! ;)

My partner and I (we're seniors) are leaving at the end of January for a 40-day trip to India, arriving in Cochin and departing from Delhi. After reading lots of travel journals about India, I’ve put together an itinerary, but I’m worried it might be too (very?) packed... Here’s my plan:

5 or 6 days in the backwaters Munnar: 1 or 2 nights? Ideally next: Madurai, Trichy, Tanjore, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram, Pondi, Mahabalipuram (number of nights in each place to be decided if I keep Tamil Nadu) Flight from Chennai to Varanasi Varanasi: 2 or 3 nights Overnight train to Agra Agra: 1 night Drive to Jaipur with a stop in Fatehpur Sikri Jaipur: 3 nights Bundi: 3 nights Drive to Udaipur with a stop in Chittorgarh? Udaipur: 2 nights Drive to Jodhpur with a stop in Ranakpur Jodhpur: 1 night Jaisalmer: 3 nights Flight to Delhi, then back to France.

This all feels *very* packed. We’re thinking of taking taxis between cities fairly often if public transport is too complicated or time-consuming. Do you think this is doable? Otherwise, the alternative would be to spend more time in Kerala (though we’re not really beach people) and skip Tamil Nadu (which I’d hate to do!!) to focus more on the north instead. We’ve never been to India before, and I’m a little worried about feeling overwhelmed with all the city and temple visits. We’re more used to alternating nature and culture. Looking forward to your valuable advice to finalize our itinerary!

we’re more used to alternating nature and culture...

I don’t think India is a very nature-focused destination, at least not in the regions we’ve picked...

We’d need to head toward the Himalayas, but is this the right season?

Hi Attila, I’m well aware this isn’t a nature trip! I just wanted to say we’ve rarely done this kind of trip—usually we do a mix—which is why I’m worried it might be too packed with visits...

Hi Marie,

I find that India is a country like no other.

The variety of visits works well there because it’s not always a place you discover, but an atmosphere.

In a group or on guided tours, it might feel more overwhelming, but when you’re traveling solo and going with the flow, it’s perfect.

(I mean, the vibe is as much in the room as it is on the screen...)

Plus, the temples in the South are different from those in the North.

Just be careful not to try to see everything in the places you’ve planned. That’s when you might risk overload! Sometimes, just wandering, resting, taking time to eat well, or skipping a few temples is the way to go.

Yes, it's as much for the "vibe" as for the sights—exactly what we're looking for!

Hi Marie, I’d love to chime in, but while looking for Thailand itinerary and travel-organization tips, I just realized how subjective advice can be. I’ll quote someone who helped me a lot because she knows me through my travel journals about India and because we’ve had long conversations over the phone, WhatsApp, and email.

The more I think about it, the more I realize how useless forum answers are, and your situation confirms that for me. In reality, we don’t know much about the person’s expectations, and we know even less about their physical condition. So, there’s a one-in-twenty chance that the answers will perfectly match the person asking.

But it’s really hard to give advice without knowing each other. I have several suggestions, but aren’t they ultimately very personal? Anyway, since I’ve lived in Kerala for a big part of the last 10+ years, I can tell you that 5 or 6 days in the backwaters is way too much. Those are days you’ll lose for the rest of your trip. (You can find my travel journals by clicking on my profile if you’re interested.) If you’d like, I can tell you how *I* would do it—but remember, it’s YOUR trip, not mine. Best regards,

we’re more used to alternating nature and culture...

I don’t think India is a very nature-focused destination, at least in the regions chosen...

We’d have to head toward the Himalayas, but is it the right season?

Hi Agnès, I don’t entirely agree with you. Let’s say the tourist destinations people travel to are mostly urban, especially in the north, and indeed mountain-focused in the Himalayan regions. But when you can afford a vehicle and get out of all those urban spots everyone goes to, you can also discover magnificent natural places and sites where no one ever goes and you wouldn’t expect to find them. There are some in Rajasthan, some in Karnataka, some in the countryside around Varanasi, and with a bit of searching, I could name many more... But, sure, if Marie chose the regions she mentioned, it’s for the cities, palaces, forts, museums... though the "Nature" sites do exist there. It’s just that Western tourists aren’t interested in them...[;]

Hi Marien, I agree it’s hard to give advice without knowing people. It’s also tough to sum up our tastes and travel style in a few words. We don’t know Asia well, but India is a whole different story anyway, right? I’ve been reading lots of trip reports, and by compiling travel journals, reviews, and forum discussions, you can get a rough idea. This is our first trip to India, so like many, I’ve got questions...

Since you live in Kerala, you must know it pretty well! Actually, I started my itinerary in Cochin to begin with a "softer" region while we get acclimated for the rest of the trip. My main concern is whether my program is doable—if there are any stops I should cut or swap. I’m open to any tips that might help! I’ll already shorten the Backwaters stay, as you suggested. Could you tell me the best way to visit them without being surrounded by big motorboats?

Hi Jean-Marie,

you can also discover magnificent natural places and sites

I don’t know. For me, a natural site is magnificent when it’s uninhabited, when you get the feeling of being on a deserted island.

India is very densely populated—three times more than France. It’s also a country of makeshift and patchwork.

So, finding a space that’s remained wild and preserved seems difficult to me, except where geology, altitude, and weather make human settlement extremely challenging.

Personally, I only know (and just a small part of) India roughly south of a line from Jaisalmer to Delhi, then Varanasi, and west of a line through Varanasi, Khajuraho, Hyderabad, Hampi, and Chennai (not Kerala).

I don’t remember any preserved natural landscapes.

That said, it’s easier to escape when you can rent a car without a driver. But that still doesn’t seem like a realistic option in India yet...

Good evening, I’d suggest staying longer in Varanasi since I think it takes time to soak in the atmosphere. And why not Bhopal and its ethnographic museum, which I found extraordinary. Happy planning! Pierre

Hi Pierre, thanks for your suggestions! Unfortunately, I’m already struggling to fit in what I’ve planned 🤪, so I won’t be adding another stop 😄. But I’ll keep it in mind for a future trip—you never know!

Good evening, We took a similar trip to your plan back in 2019, at least as far as South India goes (we’d visited Rajasthan a few years earlier). I also think 5 or 6 days in the backwaters is way too much. We stayed 2 nights there. Munnar: at least 2 nights because the nature is gorgeous in that region. In Tamil Nadu, we did: Madurai: 2 nights Trichy: 1 night Tanjore: 1 night Pondicherry: 1 night Mahabalipuram: 2 nights. We really loved the temples and monuments (different from what we’d seen before). Chennai: return flight. It’d be a shame to skip Tamil Nadu.

It’s hard for me to say if your itinerary is too packed because we were traveling by car with a driver, so we didn’t have to worry about transportation.

For the north, I’d cut one night in Bundi and only stay 2 nights in Varanasi—but that’s just my personal opinion.

For me, a natural site is magnificent when it's uninhabited, when you get the feeling of being on a desert island. India is very densely populated. A density three times that of France. India is also a country of odds and ends. So, finding a space that's remained wild and preserved seems difficult to me, except where geology, altitude, and weather make human settlement extremely challenging. I don’t remember any preserved natural landscapes. 🤪 It’s easier to escape when you can rent a car without a driver. But that still doesn’t seem like a realistic option in India...

Hi Agnès, I wrote you a somewhat long reply that might clutter this post a bit. So I moved it to my Kerala travel journal where it fits better. https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10659865;live=1;#10659865

Hi Annick, sorry for the late reply—I’ve been swamped with preparations!! Thanks for your tips; the itinerary’s all set. We’ll only spend 3 days in and around Cochin, and for the rest, I’m keeping the same route but leaving some flexibility depending on how we feel or if we’re tired. My only issue right now is that my booking for the overnight sleeper train with 12Go from Varanasi to Agra was canceled because it’s fully booked?!! So I’m not sure how we’ll manage—8 hours on a seated train isn’t exactly appealing!! If anyone has any ideas??