Trip Coach: January 16, 2007

Diane Mehta: You might want to start with deciding what kind of landscape(s) you want to see, and plan your trip from there. Rajasthan, in the northwest, is dusty desert, and it's more touristy, but it's filled with spectacular forts, princely sights, and hotels. Goa, which is beach and jungle, is similarly well-trammeled, but beautiful especially in the southern parts, and good for a beach break.

From Delhi you can take short flights to Khajuraho and Varanasi, and spend a day or two at each place, which would certainly be lovely. The erotic temples at Khajuraho and the ghats and smells/sights in Varanasi would be quite an experience. You may have to fly back to Delhi in order to get to Calcutta, however. And keep in mind travel distances: Kerala, which is one of my favorite places in India, is all the way at India's southwest tip, while Calcutta is all the way east, near Bangladesh.

You could combine a trip to Kerala and Karnataka, the state directly north of Kerala, but even then you'll be doing a lot of driving or flying. Karnataka is gorgeous but more rural, so you have to drive a bit to get places, like Coorg or Nagarhole, from the airport. In Kerala you could start in Kochi (Cochin), basically a lagoon dotted with islands (and ferries), and from there take a boat trip through the backwaters and down to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Or, instead, you could drive east up into the hills of Munnar, in the Western Ghats, where you can stay at a tea plantation. (I'd recommend the Windermere or Mahindra Lake View, though there are plenty of options: hotelskerala.com/munnar.htm) In Munnar the views are spectacular, it's much cooler, and it's a welcome, leafy break from the rest of India.

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Fort Worth, TX: We're planning a trip next January/February. Do you have suggestions for a reputable agent in New Delhi to contact for setting up a self-guided tour? Thanks, Lorna

Diane Mehta: Peirce & Leslie are reliable agents in New Delhi (peirceandleslie.com). That said, with any travel agent in India, you'd be wise to check the rack rates and flight costs online first, if you choose to use an agent. Otherwise they'll often give you a lump sum price without a breakdown. Also find out beforehand what the cancellation policy is, or buy travel insurance in case something goes wrong.

Also, I should say that I prefer making reservations myself. Now you can do everything online---flights and hotels. If you go on a hotel discount site, or you email the hotel yourself and check rates for different time periods, you'll sometimes get a better rate. (For example, if you avoid high-tourist season, from Dec 10 to Jan 5 or so, you'll get better rates. Late November and late Jan-Feb are even cheaper, and the weather's still tolerable.) Here's a list of airlines: indianairlines.nic jetairways.com kingfisherairlines.com goair.com airsahara.com allianceair.com airdeccan.netspicejet.com goair.in flykingfisher.com

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Seattle, WA: My husband and I will travel to So. India in Oct. for 2 weeks. Places of interest are: Mysore, Madikeri and the Kerala coastal area. We'll come from Kathmandu via DEL by air. Where should we start? Chennai or Bangalore, and select what mode of transportation? Any suggestions on Ayurveda spas/hotels in the Kerala area? Thank you

Diane Mehta: You can fly from Delhi to Bangalore, then drive southwest to Mysore, and continue on for a few more hours west to Madikeri---the capital of Coorg---in Southern Karnataka. Near Madikeri is Nagarhole National Park, a great spot for game viewing. You can stay at the Kabini River Lodge (luxurious cabins within the park) or visit the Dubare Elephant Camp through Jungle Lodges. There are also plenty of other plantations and jungle resorts in the area.
For ayurveda spas/hotels, Ashtamudi resort is serious about ayurveda and yoga, and it's non-touristy, eco-friendly, and family-run (and reasonably priced). Ashtamudi is a short drive or boat ride from Quilon, on the coast, or 3 hours south of Kochi (Cochin). You can, alternatively, fly into Trivandrum and drive north a few hours to Quilon/Ashtamudi. (FYI, most resorts in Kerala offer some kind of yoga and ayurvedic treatments, though they're oriented toward novices.) If you're hard-core about yoga, the place to go is Sivananda Ashram near Trivandrum.

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