help independant travel to taj mahal

[ktlous]

Could any one give any advice on organising a trip from Kochin for three days to the Taj Mahal. We will be leaving the ship to embark back in Mumbai

[paul929207]

Have you checked the Roll Call for your cruise? Someone may already be planning a private excursion. To join, Click Boards at the top of this page, Scroll down to Roll Calls, click on your cruise line, Click on your ship. Find the thread for your sailing.

[kitty9]

Cochin is in the far south of India, and your only choice is to fly. We flew Jet Airways and it was just fine. Just a point of information, security is incredibly strict at the airports. They will take either your entire camera or the battery and not return it until the plane lands. You absolutely cannot take photos anywhere in any airport in India. You will be arrested if taking photographs. For security screening, they separate you by gender and you will be taken in a curtained area and be patted down. Do not take these screenings lightly.

 

Once in Agra, you have a large number of hotels you can select. I recommend either the Howard Park Plaza or the Jaypee Palace Hotel. They are both lovely properties.

 

There are no gas vehicles allowed near the Taj so you either walk, take a bus or a small electric car. Be careful of the begging kids near the Taj. Do not wear jewelry of any kind, and keep your cash in a money belt or some other close to the body holder. You cannot bring in any food, water or anything like that. Even if you have gum or mints or cigarettes in a pocket or bag, the guards will take it away and toss it in the garbage. Cameras are perfectly fine. Dress modestly. It was highly recommended to us not to wear shorts or sleeveless tops. The men in our group wore long slacks and collared shirts and the women wore slacks or very long skirts with long-sleeved tops.

 

You can probably make all the arrangements yourself, but I would highly recommend putting all of this in the hands of a local travel agent. They will be able to make all reservations, run interference if there are problems and they can assist with getting visas.

 

Any other questions? Please ask.