[humyum]

Hi Team,

My parents and me are planning on a 15 day holiday in India. We don't have a set destination in mind. It can be anything from 1000 to 2000 km away but should be safe, picturesque and have lots of things to see and do in and around the city/town we stay. It should also be safer to get to that place.

We don't mind staying at the same place for 10 days to just enjoy the weather, chill, eat good food, see places and cultures we would have not seen before. We will be booking Airbnb wherever we go or if there are better medium range hotels, we would not mind that too.

My dad is 69 and mom is 62, both of them are fit. We will be travelling in our Swift Diesel and do a lot of 1000 km a day trips when we travel from Mumbai to Bangalore or Mumbai to Junagadh.

I had thought of Pondicherry and then Kerala came to mind but there is a brain freeze after that. Please let the suggestions pour in.

[Achilles_bhp]

You could consider Madhya Pradesh including Khajuraho, Panna, Jabalpur, Panchmari, Amarkantak, Kanha, Bandhavgarh

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by humyum

My parents and me are planning on a 15 day holiday in India. We don't have a set destination in mind. It can be anything from 1000 to 2000 km away ... pour in.

Have you thought of Jaisalmer ? Sure there are very little places to eat but the good part is there are a few things to see : Sam Sam Dunes, Tanot Mandir, Longewala Post and Munaboa (I can just think of these). Route from Jaisalmer to Tanot is very smooth road, and so is Jaisalmer to Longewala. Even roads in Rajasthan are good on the whole. Pokhran isnt that far also from Jaisalmer. In Gujarat though the roads are not in that good shape, overnight stop at Sanchore is a good option (IIRC, the hotel where I stayed was Hotel Kaushal International).

[Cessna182]

15 days is a good duration to cover all parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The weather will cool off soon and that will make the journey comfortable. The trip can include diverse places like sea beaches to forts and palaces to forests and nature reserves.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by Achilles_bhp

You could consider Madhya Pradesh including Khajuraho, Panna, Jabalpur, Panchmari, Amarkantak, Kanha, Bandhavgarh

Where should we set up our base? Let me explore this as I know very little about MP.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Have you thought of Jaisalmer ? Sure there are very little places to eat but the good part is there are a few things to see : Sam Sam Dunes, Tanot Mandir, Longewala Post and Munaboa (I can just think of these). Route from Jaisalmer to Tanot is very smooth road, and so is Jaisalmer to Longewala. Even roads in Rajasthan are good on the whole. Pokhran isnt that far also from Jaisalmer. In Gujarat though the roads are not in that good shape, overnight stop at Sanchore is a good option (IIRC, the hotel where I stayed was Hotel Kaushal International).

Can we set up our base at Jaisalmer for this? We should be planning a 8-9 day stay right? Can Mumbai to Jaisalmer be done in a day? I am seeing the distance as 1060 km. Let me google about the places you have mentioned too.

Originally Posted by Cessna182

15 days is a good duration to cover all parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The weather will cool off soon and that will make the journey comfortable. The trip can include diverse places like sea beaches to forts and palaces to forests and nature reserves.

We are from Gujarat, so have seen almost all parts of it, but Rajasthan does seem like a good idea.



Anything that can be done down south like say in Kerala?

[Vishal.R]

Few more suggestion,

Coastal Maharashtra (Konkan coast with Ratnagiri as base)

Karnataka (Coastal region and Coorg)

Mangalore or Kasargod as base, parts of Karnataka and Kerala can be explored.

PS: I have not been to these places but just came up in mind as alternate. We do have good presence in Team BHP from these regions.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by humyum

Can we set up our base at Jaisalmer for this? We should be planning a 8-9 day stay right? Can Mumbai to Jaisalmer be done in a day? I am seeing the distance as 1060 km. Let me google about the places you have mentioned too.

Except for Munabao, yes, Jaisalmer can be set as a base. Infact, if you can do advance bookings, even staying at Sam Sam dunes isn't bad option. There is RTDC hotel at Sam Sam Dunes too. Tanot, Longewala can be done in a day, but would avoid that with elders and one day each for Tanot and Longewala would be very relaxing. 4 full days should be enough for Jaisalmer. I have missed out on Fort due to crowd last time I visited. Too much rush along with zero parking space made me miss out on Fort.

Mumbai to Jaisalmer is tough, would be very stressful for elders due to high density of traffic on Gujarat highways. Plus night driving after Barmer is not recommended, its a very lonely stretch actually.

[RM Motorsports]

Originally Posted by humyum

Anything that can be done down south like say in Kerala?

Backwater stretches of Kerala are really beautiful. Kumarakom, Alleppey, Kozhikode, Kasargod, Ashtamudi all are amazing places to relax and chill. My parents went last year and they really loved it. Just laze around on house boats and enjoy the delicious food.

Also if you like wildlife there is Periyar National Park & Konni Reserve forest.

[aargee]

If I were you, 10 days wouldn't be sufficient for RJ; anywhere from Udaipur to Jaipur to Jodhpur to Jaisalmer to Pali to Bhilwara to Mt. Abu & what not in terms of very hospitable people? And this time of the year RJ not only has awesome weather but also a fantastic tourist season

[Gurgaon_lyon]

Why I can't see a suggestion for Goa? I think it ticks all the boxes.

Also I agree with others on Udaipur /Jaisalmer circuit. But it all depends when exactly you would like to go.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by Vishal.R

Few more suggestion,

Coastal Maharashtra (Konkan coast with Ratnagiri as base)

Karnataka (Coastal region and Coorg)

Mangalore or Kasargod as base, parts of Karnataka and Kerala can be explored.

PS: I have not been to these places but just came up in mind as alternate. We do have good presence in Team BHP from these regions.

Thank you, let me google these up.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Except for Munabao, yes, Jaisalmer can be set as a base. Infact, if you can do advance bookings, even staying at Sam Sam dunes isn't bad option. There is RTDC hotel at Sam Sam Dunes too. Tanot, Longewala can be done in a day, but would avoid that with elders and one day each for Tanot and Longewala would be very relaxing. 4 full days should be enough for Jaisalmer. I have missed out on Fort due to crowd last time I visited. Too much rush along with zero parking space made me miss out on Fort.

Mumbai to Jaisalmer is tough, would be very stressful for elders due to high density of traffic on Gujarat highways. Plus night driving after Barmer is not recommended, its a very lonely stretch actually.

We usually leave for our trips at 2-3am, still a stretch? Also, Barmer to Jaisalmer is dangerous during the nights?

Munabao is a 4 hour drive from Jaisalmer no? Can't we leave early morning and get back by evening? or will it be very hectic? Also, as I am googling, I am getting information of permits being required for Munabao, is that so? All of us are super history buffs, so Munabao with Longewala, Sadhewala and Tanot will be amazing for us to see.

Also, I was googling for this place called Bahid that they show in Sarfarosh where Mirchi Seth stays, is that a real as I could not find it on Google.

We can visit the Sam Sam dunes dunes, but none of us are the tent living in the desert type of people.

Also, any places you would recommend for photography? People, places or structures, anything would make for good pictures?

Hotel recommendations are welcome too, I have been googling but would be amazing if got some first hand reviews of places, even Airbnb ones are fine. I will book them for from say 15-16 to 25-26.

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

Backwater stretches of Kerala are really beautiful. Kumarakom, Alleppey, Kozhikode, Kasargod, Ashtamudi all are amazing places to relax and chill. My parents went last year and they really loved it. Just laze around on house boats and enjoy the delicious food.

Also if you like wildlife there is Periyar National Park & Konni Reserve forest.

I am googling these too, haven't seen these places ever and would make for an amazing trip.

Originally Posted by aargee

If I were you, 10 days wouldn't be sufficient for RJ; anywhere from Udaipur to Jaipur to Jodhpur to Jaisalmer to Pali to Bhilwara to Mt. Abu & what not in terms of very hospitable people? And this time of the year RJ not only has awesome weather but also a fantastic tourist season

I agree. Rajasthan does seem very lucrative.

Originally Posted by Gurgaon_lyon

Why I can't see a suggestion for Goa? I think it ticks all the boxes.

Also I agree with others on Udaipur /Jaisalmer circuit. But it all depends when exactly you would like to go.

Because all of us have been to Goa so many times. If nothing works out, it will finally be Goa.

[ishan12]

Since you said you know very little of MP, below is my suggestion.
It is not an itinerary but below is the list of stuff you can plan to do/ visit in MP during your 15 day trip starting from Mumbai in a circuit. Cut short/ skip/ plan differently as per your convenience. Basically I am giving you names and references to help with your google search.

Mumbai to Indore (Enjoy the super tasty food of Sarafa and visit Rajwada)
Indore to Mandu and Maheshwar (Padman of Akshay Kumar was shot here), both a one day affair each from Indore.
Indore to Bhopal (Bhopal lakes in the city and then Bhimbetka and Sanchi, both a day affair from Bhopal)
Bhopal to Khajuraho
Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
Bandhavgarh to Jabalpur to visit Bhedaghat, stunningly beautiful, an absolute hidden gem
You can either head back to Mumbai or if you have time, go further Ahead to Pachmadi and then back to Mumbai.

Apart from the places of interest, it will be a new state for you and you would experience really humble and helpful people of MP with great hospitality and good places to stay in quite reasonable prices. All the places above are quite safe to travel too.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Since you said you know very little of MP, below is my suggestion.
It is not an itinerary but below is the list of stuff you can plan to do/ visit in MP during your 15 day trip starting from Mumbai in a circuit. Cut short/ skip/ plan differently as per your convenience. Basically I am giving you names and references to help with your google search.

Mumbai to Indore (Enjoy the super tasty food of Sarafa and visit Rajwada)
Indore to Mandu and Maheshwar (Padman of Akshay Kumar was shot here), both a one day affair each from Indore.
Indore to Bhopal (Bhopal lakes in the city and then Bhimbetka and Sanchi, both a day affair from Bhopal)
Bhopal to Khajuraho
Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
Bandhavgarh to Jabalpur to visit Bhedaghat, stunningly beautiful, an absolute hidden gem
You can either head back to Mumbai or if you have time, go further Ahead to Pachmadi and then back to Mumbai.

Apart from the places of interest, it will be a new state for you and you would experience really humble and helpful people of MP with great hospitality and good places to stay in quite reasonable prices. All the places above are quite safe to travel too.

Got you, Thank you very much. Googling these too along with AIRBNB's and Hotels around.



Also guys, just need some more suggestions, what if we tried Uttarakhand or Himachal? Can anyone who has visited these places give me a rough place to place of where we could go?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by humyum

what if we tried Uttarakhand or Himachal? Can anyone who has visited these places give me a rough place to place of where we could go?

For UK & HP, from my limited experience, I understand the Mountains have to call you. The Nature changes so dynamically that sometimes planned effort goes in vain as well as unplanned charters works miracle.

If you're religious you have to visit Banaras, likewise, if you're a traveler, UK & HP (JK & NE) are must visit.

[humyum]

So we have narrowed it down to Rajasthan as the idea of visiting Border towns and staying in a rustic townish city like Jaisalmer is just too much for my parents to resist. We are all history buffs and read a lot, so going to Longewala, Tanot and Munabao is just sounding amazing.

I also want to click lot of pictures of culture, say people, monuments (with a wide angle lens, so you know the shots I mean) and a good sunrise and sunset, a panoramic view of the city and stuff like that.

But the idea that we cannot stay for 10-12 days at a stretch in Jaisalmer is also true.

So which other city in Rajasthan should we explore for say 5 days and then move to Jaisalmer? Or should move to Jaisalmer first and then to say Udaipur or anything else you suggest?

Also please suggest Hotels to stay in the city you suggest if you know of them. I will check out Airbnb's too in the these places.

I know of Updaipur as one place, but can there be a Jaisalmer type similar rustic city which we can stay for a couple of days?