Our typical trip involves renting a car and driving to where we are drawn. The general advice for India is to hire a car and driver. We found that it is well-worth having a driver but this yields a different experience.
road sharing – The roads in India are largely paved but shared with all types of things. Large trucks, tuck-tucks (3 wheeled motorized cabs), rickshaws, camel carts, cows, herds of goats, and lots of people.
the unpredictable – Oncoming traffic will be in your lane even on the few divided 4 lane highways. People also walk out onto the road without looking.
accidents – Our first day with a driver included being involved in an accident. Someone was in the middle the road and our driver tried to fit between the person and a truck. We hit the truck. Nothing that would hurt us but you could tell the back of the car was crumbled and the trucks fender was bent out. Our driver got out of the car and a huge mob formed. The mob was yelling and pushing him until what appeared to be a policeman arrived. Our driver got back in the car and the policeman asked to be let in. Our driver pointed to us and drove off. No insurance exchanged as many don’t have insurance. Most police don’t have vehicles. Several days later the car was fixed and the driver said he worked on it with a mechanic; cost was 5000 rupees (~$100). We suspect our driver paid out of pocket and the legal system is so slow, the authorities won’t catch up to him.
logistics – Most essential thing is to have a mobile phone and know your driver’s mobile number. Simply call him anytime. The driver figures out where to stay on his own and has a 300 ($6) rupee per diem. Many drivers sleep in the car but we suspect ours did not.
navigation – No GPS or maps are used. Simply find a road, and hope the driver knows where you are going. Our driver didn’t know how to get to a less traveled area but said he did. We had maps but he was more comfortable stopping and asking if we were headed in the right direction in each village. At one point we had to go another way as the roads were impassable for our Toyota Innova (cross of mini-van/ & SUV).
3 things needed to drive in India – Good brakes, a Good horn, and Good luck.
