Highlights of Northern India

I always thought India, and especially Delhi, would be too overwhelming and busy for me so I was really surprised by what I experienced. So much culture, religion and scenery, it was fascinating, and all the forts were just so much more than I expected. Certain items noted on the itinerary were not fulfilled by the Tour Leader, and with no explanation given, from even the most basic of things like sampling local street food to visiting certain palaces or local camel fair. The overnight train was an experience but unfortunately as a solo traveller I ended up in a corridor bunk both times, which was not great as no one was there to watch my belongings if I need the loo in the evening etc, but I am glad of the experience, and the second night trip was much more restful after the first experience. Varanasi and the Aarti ceremony was just unreal to watch and to be apart of, but even this we were not able to watch the whole ceremony even though we had nothing else planned that evening. No reason given when asked why we could not stay till the end. Disappointing. Unfortunately, our Tour Leader took his role to another level and I am sure he thought himself more of a historian, even going as far as to tell us everything we know about the subject is wrong and he will tell us what is correct!!! On tours of specific sites he would often keeping us standing around in one place for up to an hour listening to him talk rather than being able to actually explore the sites and take all the pictures and memories we hoped for. If we were a few minutes longer he would then tell us how we were behind on the days schedule. It really took away from what should have been a trip of a lifetime. Not once did we visit a Hindu Temple, even just from the outside to see the wonderful colours and sculptures.

Shelley (Solo traveller) December 2025 I have wanted to go to India for years and am so glad that I finally did it with Explore, it enabled me to see and do so much in a short time. India is such an incredible country, rich in culture, religion, scenery etc, I was fascinated by all the places we visited and had an absolutely amazing time. The group were really nice, friendly and fun. The trip was quite busy with early starts but very exciting. It was great travelling on the Explore bus as you could watch everyday life and scenery out the window, the journeys didn't seem that long and we stopped for coffee/toilet/lunch etc. We were taken to great places to eat and the food was amazing. (none of the group were ever sick/diarrhoea etc) Indu (Inder) our guide was amazing, such a friendly, helpful, caring, informative guide with a great sense of humour! He often went out of his way to help us and make sure we were happy. I felt really looked after! : ) The bus driver and assistant, Ali and Rakesh were also great. Thank you for the best trip ever, I'll definitely be going on the Explore South India trip in the future and have already booked another Explore trip. Take a winter coat/hat/gloves for the cold early morning starts (no heating on bus). Jumpers are also good for early mornings/evenings. I took pounds with me and the guide arranged someone to come to hotel and exchange which was handy, otherwise he would show/tell us where the ATM's were. One thing that I thought would improve the trip- if the guide wore a brightly coloured top/jacket or hat so that they could be seen easily. It was often difficult to see the guide amongst the crowds, especially when we were moving around quite quickly.

Difficult and complicated at the booking stage. The "Live Chat" option would have helped as I'm resident outside UK and try to keep costly phone calls to a minimum. emails are slow to respond. I'd booked the trip for myself initially but a few weeks later my partner was free to join me. She made a separate booking but the order was cut at the pay deposit stage and there was no confirmation that the order had gone through. I made contact with Explore for me to pay the remainder of costs through my account. Flight package was added but cancelled and re added. After lots of back and forth we got there in the end ! I realise that our situation was a little more complicated than usual but I feel that Explore could have done a better job with communication and saved some stress. India was quite intense ! More of a cultural experience than a relaxing holiday. Both the guide(s) and driver handled the trip remarkably well considering the challenges faced and really earned their tip by the end of the trip.

We had an amazing trip to Northen India, with the best guide, Kartike. There were so many highlights from out trip. Visiting the Taj Mahal at sunrise was magical, seeing such an iconic building in real life was a really special moment. The forts and palaces we visited were huge, something you don’t realise until you are in these special places. In Ranthambore National Park we were lucky enough to see a tiger, leopard and sloth bear on our safari and when we were in Chambal Sanctury we saw pink river dolphins , memories of these moments will stay with us forever. Pushcar city had a great market to explore and the lake was beautiful, we felt like we had stepped into traditional Indian life. Varanasi was like stepping back in time and experience we will never forget.

Tour leader was excellent. Fantastic job of organising anything we need, including doctor calls and hospital visits that were unfortunately necessary (due to an infection, nothing that could have been done to prevent that) Most of the accommodation was good. Some problems with the hotel in Varanasi, but others were as expected. Itinerary was good, but could have benefited from more time for independent exploration or make some of the itinerary more optional.