Kolkata Tours and Trips

On the whole a great itinerary. I would drop the Sunderbans though, since the chance of seeing any wildlife while sailing for hours up and down the middle of the river is unlikely, especially since the animals are behind a fence. We had an excellent tour leader, Kiran who is warm, very informed and energetic and who certainly went that extra mile in solving problems and caring for everyone. The local guides who travelled with us were also great, as were the drivers. The hotels in India were the Summit hotels, an Indian chain. They are clean and quite well organised. However since those in Sikkim were out of town we were forced to eat dinner in the hotels which produced the identical menu. It would have been better to have spent the bits of free time we had in Sikkim in the towns themselves.

A fascinating trip with visits to high profile hot spots as you cross India to the Pakistan border and learn about the country’s history. The journeys in between use various classes on the excellent railways, so you see how the locals travel by joining them. Hotels were fine, dining interesting and local motorised transport in Autos (tuctucs) and cars, exhilarating. The trips are long so not for the fainthearted. All this led by an excellent local guide. Make it an excellent experience for hardy travellers.

We enjoyed this varied train journey visiting major sights of India. I particularly enjoyed Kolkata, Bodh Gayá, Shimla and Amritsar since I had never visited these places before. I found Varanasi overcrowded (due to religious festival) and found my visit in 2014 much more enjoyable. Indian train journeys are always exciting and give an insight into how a lot of locals travel. My favourite place was Amritsar beautiful city. Our tour leader Gajendra Singh Rathore was excellent and made our tour run very smoothly.

An wonderful trip travelling along the Ganges plain to the Pakistan border visiting many major sites and cities along the way.Travelling mostly by train is an experience to behold, especially overnight, exhilarating and not to be missed. Led excellently by Viv, knowlegable throughtout and with a good sense of Indo/English sense of humour regarding the cricket series played during our trip. Personal highlights for me are Bantony Museum in Shimla, in Amritsar the awe inspiring Golden Temple complex, Wagah border ceremony AND the Partition Museum ( Wonderful explanation regarding the history and run up to independence and following creation of India and Pakistan and ongoing problems. * A Must * )

This was an excellent trip that not only took us to a number of really interesting sites across northern India but also gave us the opportunity to meet and interact with the local people on the train journeys. Our guide, Vivek, was excellent, ensuring that everything ran to plan despite the trains to Varanasi being especially busy due to the Kumbh Mela. The last day in Amritsar when we visited the Golden Temple and the Beating of the Retreat/flag down ceremony at the Wagah Crossing was a superb end to a fantastic journey.

We had the most incredible time on the Highlights of Assam and Nagaland trip. We have travelled a number of times with Explore, and our expectations were blown away at every stage of this incredible trip. Wildlife highlights included the river dolphins on the Brahmaputra and incredible safaris - including the 'Big 5' in Kaziranga National Park - Royal Bengal Tiger, Water Buffalo, Indian One-Horn Rhino, Elephant and the Swamp Deer! The Khasi hills were stunning, with the walk to the living root bridges a real highlight. We were lucky to have a swim in the crystal-clear river to cool off at the bottom of the valley before trekking back up the steps! Longwa Headhunter Village afforded us some fantastic interactions with local people and opportunities to see their local cottage industries. Majuli Island was a beautiful, relaxing and spiritual place, as were the tea plantations in Dibrugarh. Of course, the incredible Hornbill Festival was a sight to behold. We spent two full days wandering around the various tribes longhouses, interacting with the friendly tribes, trying local delicacies and watching their performances. This is truly an experience not to be missed... There were some long drives, as expected, but these seemed to be well-planned and the views were often spectacular - especially in the Naga Hills and plains of Cherrapunjee. Our driver, Moon was fantastic - safe, calm and worked hard to find us the best stops for photos etc. Our guide, Pema Bhutia, is an absolute credit to Explore and his homeland. Passionate, caring, kind and knowledgeable, he went over and above at every opportunity to ensure our experience was first class - we would definitely travel with Pema again in future. Overall, don't hesitate to book this trip - the accommodation was much better than described, the infrastructure in the region is improving slowly, and the food is fantastic. It's still a relatively unexplored part of the world, rich in culture and tradition that surely won't disappoint even the most seasoned traveller!