How to see India in 12 days

Feels like another lifetime that we went for our ‘Grand India Trip’. Just thought I’d tidy up my itinerary and share it with you.

This guide is for anyone who is interested in seeing as much of India as possible in a limited time, in this case – just shy of 2 weeks. If you can afford more time though, I would recommend taking the extra days to see more or rush less.

In our 12 days, we visited Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Leh (and environs).

Why these places?

Most international flights only fly into Delhi anyway. Not visiting Delhi when you come to India is like not going to London when you visit England for the first time. However, because of this, there is a very high chance that you will encounter scams from the moment to exit the airport (best place to find unsuspecting international tourists, fresh of the boat). My advice is to make google your best friend – read up on common scams before the trip so that you are aware and on high alert, and if you can, get a local SIM card with data to cross-check any information someone feeds you.

Besides that, Delhi itself is an interesting mix of historical monuments, crazy mess India, hip & cool, and modern. There’s a good mix of ancient sites, bazaars, a wide range of dining establishments, and shopping malls (if it so pleases you).

Rajasthan (the state that Jaipur is in) is literally translated ‘land of kings’. It’s a state teeming with grand forts and palaces. Jaipur is the most visited one simply because it’s the nearest to Delhi. On a separate weekend trip, I’ve been to Udaipur, and other popular destinations within Rajasthan include Jodhpur and Jalsaimer. It is definitely worth it to pick out one or two of these places, but not all. In my opinion, it gets repetitive after a while (kinda like visiting every duomo in every city in italy). Unless, of course, you’re really passionate about forts and palaces.

Agra is where the Taj Mahal is. Fullstop. To be honest, there’s nothing much in Agra worth staying for. Instead, ask yourself: I’ve flown myself all the way to India, can I leave without seeing the legendary ‘Taj Mahal’? If the answer is ‘yes’, go ahead and skip it. We decided to just do a day trip to Agra from Delhi.

We chose the Ladakh region because it was so different from what you imagine India to be. And it really met and exceeded our expectations. Only an hour and a half by plane away from Delhi, Leh is at an altitude of 3,524m (11,562ft) and within the Himalayan Range. I’ve never been to Tibet, but I’m going to venture a guess that the region has been largely influenced by the Tibetans.

This is one of my favourite Indian destinations – the people were so so so hospitable and friendly, and the scenery was truly one of a kind.

So, how does everything fit into 12 days?

Day 1 – We flew in to Jaipur directly.

Day 2 – Full day in Jaipur. We hired a auto-rickshaw to take us around. (He tried to convince us to to go to a factory at the end of the day but we firmly refused).

Day 3 – Morning train to Delhi. Afternoon in Delhi.

Day 4 – Delhi.

Day 5 – Day trip to Agra.

Day 6 – Delhi.

Day 7 – Morning flight to Leh. Acclimatisation day, so light activities like walking around the market place.

Day 8 – Area around Leh.

Days 9-10 – Nubra Valley.

Day 11 – Pangong Lake.

Day 12 – Morning flight back to Delhi and out of India.

For my personal detailed itinerary, click here.

When to visit?

India gets unbearably hot in summer. The heat can really distract you from any kind of fun – and this is coming from someone who has lived on a tropical island her whole life. For Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, the dry winter months (November to February) would be the best. The temperature goes down to ‘nice and cooling’ and ‘may need a cardigan in the evening’.

Ladakh, on the other hand, freezes over in the winter months, the lakes will be frozen and it will be bitterly cold especially with the lack of good heating. The tourist season starts from April and lasts till.. maybe August? I’m not sure, but I’ve heard it’s nice and warm in the summer months. We went at the end of October and it was quite chilly. There wasn’t much in terms of bustling tourist scene and it felt like things were winding to a close for the year. In fact, we saw a sign along the way to Nubra Valley that said that the road would be closed starting from 1st November (we were there from 30-31 October!). The guesthouse we stayed at in Nubra Valley already had their electricity and water supply cut off or the year. From what I understand from the owner, they do that after the summer months and they have to start getting their water supply from the well. On the flip side, we got every place all to ourselves – no pushy tourists in all our photos (in fact every shot was a good shot), the peace and serenity you would expect from a mountainous region, and fiery golden autumn leaves.

In conclusion, I think September would be perfect for a trip including all these places. It won’t be too hot in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, yet not too close to the winter months in Ladakh.

My current desktop wallpaper – look and drool | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

While drooling, you might want to check out my previous posts on Ladakh with even more drool-worthy photos of the region, Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake.

The Hits and Misses of Delhi

Lotus Temple in Delhi | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

In retrospect, we had quite a good time in Delhi. For 2 main reasons: (1) there were quite a few interesting cafes and restaurants we managed to check out, and (2) the some of the tourist attractions were really fascinating. This is coming from someone who has already experienced India in the general sense, so the actual ‘being in India’ novelty has long worn off.

But first, the not-so-positives…

It is sad that Delhi being a popular tourist destination, has taken on the bulk of tourist scams. To be honest, this hadn’t crossed our minds before we travelled there.

We met a young man was very insistent on us taking an auto-rickshaw to our next destination, even though we wanted to try out the metro system. The auto that we eventually boarded charged us a very cheap (probably what the locals pay) rate of Rs 30, and its driver tried to convince us that the restaurant we wanted to go to was closed and insisted that we let him take us to a tourist office. It all felt strange because the insistence of both men were suspicious, yet we couldn’t figure out what the trick was. Also, it was frustrating because we obviously just wanted to get to our destination but the driver kept driving in circles and pushing for us to go to the tourist office. Thank God for GPS – we at least knew where we were and the direction we ought to be heading. In the end, the hubs offered to pay him Rs 100 if he would just drive us to where we wanted to go. And he did.

Over lunch, we did a google search on scams because we were curious and couldn’t figure out what their scheme was. We ended up finding a lot. I read an account of a young couple who got a pre-paid cab from the airport. The driver was chatty and friendly (I don’t mean to be cynical, but this is often a sign that you might get scammed. The other drivers who dutifully brought us to our requested destinations never bothered with chit chat.) but midway, claimed that he did not know the way to their hotel. He suggested stopping at a tourist office for directions and they agreed. There, the staff at the office told them that their hotel was closed and convinced them that they would not be able to find other accommodation options as they would all be full. The driver also refused to drive them to the address they had to check it out, claiming that the road would be closed for a festival. In the end, they were persuaded to sign up for a tour package at the office. This is a very common scam even in other countries.

If you’re planning a trip to Delhi, my advice to you would be to read up of likely scams you will encounter to prepare yourself. And also, to get a SIM card with data. With access to the internet, you can fact check anything anyone tells you. I just hope that by spreading the word on the likelihood of such scams, more people will be alert enough to avoid them altogether.

Now for the positives…

There are so many places we visited that I would love to share with you! Connaught Place (we had a great time eating there), Qutub Minar (we compared to the agora in Athens or the Roman forum in Rome), Humayun Tomb (visually stunning), Hauz Khas Village (cosy pocket in the city to hang out with friends), Khan Market (actually an expat hangout, but loved the vibe), and many others…

Will be sharing more on these places with more pictures soon! (: