Rajasthan

I am retruning to India later this year. I think it is a place you will fall in love with or hate. We are doing the Golden Triangle again as my SIL is with us and never been before and you cant go to India and not see the Taj Mahal!!! We are then travelling by train to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalyan Mountains and we are having two tiger safaris and a visit to an elephant scantuary. Like other people we will stick to veggie food and make sure we only use bottled water. I am determined to take fewer clothes with me this time because touring and staying in so many hotels eveythig gets creased up and in a muddle, well mine did!!!! lol. We also left all our toiletries behind and anything else we really didn't need anymore, tee shirts,suncream, mosquito creams,medications, sanitary ware, etc we cut down on our luggage for the return journey especially as we had gifts we had purchased whilst out there. Hopefully they were taken by the cleaners in the hotel and used by them and not just thrown away. There is so much poverty in India but you have to harden you heart somewhat. Hope you have a wonderful time.

We did a private tour arranged by Enchanting India 3 years ago and found the experience amazing. The local guides booked for you will tell you all sorts of interesting things about life in general in India and although the major attractions, like the Taj Mahal, palace of the winds, red Fort in Jaipur will be very memorable it is the little things that make the biggest impact, beautiful ladies in Saris riding pillion on a motorbike, with tiny children, Water buffalo being escorted to a muddy pool in the morning and back again at night, The beautifully adorned and painted lorries, starlings that look extremely exotic. One of the places that isn't always included in these trips is Udaipur, the lake is very beautiful and some lovely sights round there. We also visited Shimla as an add on, highly recommended.
Like many others I'd advise being vegetarian for the journey, DH and I had no problems with our digestions at all.

Yes go meat free you are less likely to get tummy trouble. Also bottled water when cleaning teeth. I don't think you will have time for a rabies injection. We had them many years ago and they come as a course of three but you do get a bit protection from one. I think it gives you just a bit longer longer to get medical help. Bats and monkeys can also give you rabies.

Best to eat vegetarian and avoid meat altogether. I would also avoid eating rice as often reheated. Have naan and chapatti instead. Enjoy! I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

Oh I do envy you.
We went in 1991/2, and did the Golden Triangle tour. It was magnificent, and we stayed in glorious hotels, mostly old palaces.
You may need a holiday to get over it

India is wonderful. Colourful, vibrant, very friendly. We have visited other areas previously. We set off for our tour of Rajasthan next week. I do recommend having the rabies vaccine.

Thank you everyone.

You have been given some good advice but
Don't forget to check out the jabs you may need
also the Visa
If this is part of a longer trip you need to realise the Visa is from date of processing or it was the last time I checked as we couldn't go to GOA because of this.

Loved the area the architecture is something you would not see anywhere else in the world. Would love to go back if given a chance.
However be prepared for the extreme poverty in places like Delhi and don’t drink any water even in an hotel unless it is from a sealed bottle ( check that the bottle is sealed properly) DH became very ill because he forgot and drank half a glass of water that was served from a jug in an hotel!
Having said that we have some beautiful photos of Jaipur and Udaipur and it was a wonderful holiday. Enjoy!

Eat local, its great. Pay for a public loo, we did because we were told we really wouldn't like the free ones. Don't travel by train unless you are going on something like the Maharajah Express, they are really not great. The people are lovely and if you are in a non-tourist area you may find them quite curious. Ours was a private trip, wonderfully organised but we stayed in fantastic hotels we didn't get time to enjoy. Probably better to go for a more economic stay unless you are spending a long time in the hotel.

Enjoy, it is wonderful.

Re food, on a visit there a few years ago I stuck firmly to things that were very well cooked - inc. deep fried samosas from a street stall - and had no tummy trouble at all.

Pack your bicycle clips !

Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and surrounding areas, pollution dreadful in the cities, otherwise your guide will choose safe places to eat, don’t touch salads. If you watched “ Marigold Hotel” it’s a pretty accurate account although rather sanitized, we used a mix of modern hotels and Airbnb home stays, no problem with either.

You are probably with a tour group if not there are plenty of tours to book when you are there, although even in Delhi they cover the same highlights. English is widely spoken in tourist areas but not in more rural places.

Can’t help but It sounds a very exciting trip.