Kerala & Tamil Nadu Tours in Winter

This trip was excellent but undoubtedly needs some modifications. The upgraded hotels were good but there was often inadequate time to spend in them and enjoy and relax which was a pity. There should be fewer destinations to reduce travelling time. The visits that should be eliminated are the Beypore boatyard at Calicut (literally a couple of hulks in half construction) and the mosque, the Wildlife safari on arrival at Wayanad was a waste of time as it took an hours travelling in each direction in the afternoon and a one hour trip in a not very comfortable bus to see five elephants in total. The afternoon could have been spent enjoying the lovely hotel at Wayanad. This was an eco hotel based up in the forest and had some activities such as a night safari led by naturalists. Otherwise highlights were undoubtedly included hindu temples, churches, a synagogue, a mosque and the Tibetan monastery. The houseboat cruise and overnight stay in the backwaters of Kerala at Allepey was excellent and memorable. The one hour traditional theatre trip and following meal in Kochi was great. The two train trips were really interesting along with the visits to the tea and coffee plantations. The hotel at Goa was excellent and we had the time to make full use of it and relax. We had booked an extra day. The trip was made all the more memorable by our excellent guide, Shevi, who could not have been more polite, friendly and helpful. The bus we travelled in was air conditioned and very comfortable and the crew extremely pleasant. Overall I would definitely recommend this trip but hope that Explore may modify it taking into account the comments about travelling times and some of the visits.

The tour is well organised and the guide was extremely attentive to our needs and questions.. The tour goes at quite a pace however the information we learn of the area is superb. One feels one can explain the tour to someone unfamiliar with the area very well. If doing the holiday on your own one would not obtain the friendships of the other tour participants, the fun with the guide and fully understand what we see. The upgrade is a good idea .. I have done Explore before on my own and I brought my partner this time - she absolutely loved it . I felt confident my partner would always like the accommodation on her first trip to India. Please do the upgrade for other holidays - it’s a good idea . Thank you very much

Fantastic guide and all the hotels except 1 were great. The highlight was the house boat on the Kerala Backwaters - a truly fabulous experience. The 2 nights in the Wyanad Jungle hotel were also wonderful - and the coffee plantation visit was excellent. A very varied trip - a good mix of city and varied countryside.

I honestly was sceptical about booking a tour to India, however this tour surpassed my expectations and was better than what I ever could have imagined. From start to finish the tour was ran excellently and gave me the chance to experience once in a lifetime opportunities and a different side to India, that I will cherish and remember forever. From first touching down in India, I was welcomed with my Tru-travel booked taxi which was a stress-free experience and took me direct to the start up hotel. The welcome brief and drinks in the evening were a great ice breaker and chance to meet everybody else. The tour of Delhi was extremely eye opening, learning lots about the different cultures and every day life from local guides which was a great insight. Also with the visit to the Sikh temple - this was a great extra addition and thoroughly enjoyable, especially being able to help participate with cooking for the masses. The real highlight for me was visiting the Taj Mahal, great idea to visit as early as possible to beat the crowds, a truly breathtaking visit and honestly makes you lost for words - I don't need to say no more! Every single activity whether it's the visit to the palace on route to the safari, the safari itself (what makes this tour unique) and being fortunate to witness a tiger was unbelievable, in addition - Bollywood dancing, night in Jaipur, pink palace, amber fort, Kerala beach/bike tour and the boat trip were fantastic and really can't have any complaints about them at all, the itinerary is truly spot on. The only slight disappoint for me on the whole trip was regarding the cooking class - the food was delicious but there wasn't enough hands on cooking for me and I would have loved to have been involved more in making and producing food, along with then hopefully eating my own creation! The only other way I believe the tour can be improved is if its simply extended so more of this beautiful country can be seen, i.e Goa or Mumbai!

Suyra was such a amazing tour guide. He did everything he could to make sure we had the best experience on the trip (including directing traffic when we were late). The tour was well organised and good fun and will definitely book with try travels again.

Our tour guide was possibly one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met. Any issue no hesitation and he’d have it sorted in no time! Extremely funny and relaxed but on it at all times. Every trip we did, he made great fun and a good laugh even the long long bus journeys. I couldn’t speak higher of him, the whole experience was a 10/10 for me, amazing people as well and accommodation and eating out was all wicked. Little I can say too fault.