Highlights of Northern India

I have always wanted to visit India and this trip did not disappoint, its such a vibrant country full of traditions, colour and lots of smiles. The children we met who wanted photos of us along with everyone at India gate who we felt like celebrities posing for them in pictures. The overnight train to Varanasi was an adventure and not to be apprehensive about with some wonderful morning views from the train to take in.

As always, Exodus didn't disappoint. The itinerary was great, we packed a lot in to the 9 day trip. Some early starts and long drives but the bus was comfortable and the air con worked well! Lots of walking on this trip, and be prepared for the pollution, if you have bad asthma I would consider a different trip as you are literally coughing with the smog! But the busyness of the traffic is part of the adventure! Sunrise in India isn't a thing unfortunately due to the haze of pollution so the Taj Mahal wasn't seen to it's full beauty until the sun is higher in the sky. The dreaded sleeper train definitely is something I never wish to repeat, but it's one night and so long as you don't go to the toilet you'll be ok haha ....I took shoe covers !!! So glad I did ! The beds are as hard as a table top !

Hectic trip with an excellent tour leader

This trip is amazing. If you are looking to squeeze as much as possible of the must-sees in and around the golden triangle, this is a great choice. It's not a relaxing trip as it's constantly on the go with long days of sightseeing and traveling and not much time to just hang out and relax. But it's very rewarding to get to see so many amazing sights in just 9 days

Yes, the trip is fast paced, but I think that's pretty well explained on the website so I was expecting it. But the itinerary covers some really incredible places and I felt like I got a good feeling for India (my first time) as a result of it. There were some long drives, but the days spent in places like Jaipur, Agra and Varanasi meant it didn't feel like we were *constantly* on the move. I absolutely loved India! The group gelled really well and we're considering going on a S. India trip with Exodus all together again in 2026!

A busy but fun filled 8 days travelling around to see the best of northern India! A lot of travelling on the bus but that’s really the only way to get around, plus you see a lot of how people live, get around and the landscape.

A non stop trip round the highlights

The whole trip was awesome, lots of different places visited the tour guide was fabulous lots of knowledge. Did some wonderful things that supported sustainable tourism an experience never to be forgotten

The trip delivered exactly what it stated and in that respect was wonderful. However, we felt that the pace was too relentless given the large distances needed to travel. An additional day, perhaps in Ranthambore NP (with a further tiger hunt?) and some time by a pool would have been good to break in the itinerary. Overnight second class train from Agra to Varanasi was 6 hrs delayed adding further to the tight timeframe and was somewhat of a challenging experience. Express train from Varanasi to Delhi very good however. Hotels were fine but mostly tired.

An amazing trip. A wonderful group. A brilliant guide …who made the tour even more wonderful …took care of us all and made us all laugh. A sensory overload of a trip.

This is the first time I had visited to India and gone solo on a group tour. It was life changing for me . The country was fantastic I felt if I went home on day 3 I would have been happy! Our group was fabulous and we have since met in London for a curry! The itinerary was busy but excellent covering the classic sights of northern India with the added extra of Varanasi which was so memorable riding down the Ganges at 6am, our guide Naveen was simply the best. Great company, funny, kind and kept up on track.

Every day was like having 2 days in one! We saw and did so much each day. The itinerary was packed but it all worked really well and we visited so many wonderful sights. Each day was so different and varied and for each site we had our own specialised guide who explained things well and gave us time to enjoy each one. Naveen Bazaz, our Exodus leader, looked after our every need. We all really enjoyed his sense of humour and his caring nature.

This was a wonderful trip. It needs some stamina as there are a lot of early starts and long journeys. Keep an open mind and take it as it comes, there are many rewards. The group got on really well and we had some great laughs. The tour guide was brilliant and was central to the success of the trip. It's made me want to see more of India.

This was an amazing "starter" trip for anyone wanting to begin to experience India. Packed with highlights, everything ran like clockwork (yes, even the train!) and there were no disappointments - friendly people, incredible sights, amazing experiences and incredible food. Highly recommended!

This is a busy itinerary that covers all the major sights in the 'Golden Triangle' of Northern India, plus two tiger safaris and Varanasi, in only 7 days off work. Most itineraries on offer for this part of the world won't give you so much in such a short time period. This makes it a great option for travellers with little time to spare and who want to see as much as possible of this part of the world. There is little 'down time' and it can feel a bit rushed at times, but for me this was far outweighed by the opportunity to see so much and visit places I simply couldn't have fitted in at all any other way. The trip was very well organised and run and I enjoyed everything we visited.

This trip is not for the faint-hearted. Despite various lengths being quoted, the traveler is effectively on the road in India for 8 days, and flies home on day 9. But in the 8 days you pack in an incredible number of beautiful, memorable sights. You will (hopefully, like we did) meet a smallish group of nice, decent, funny people that you are happy to travel, eat and drink with, and who look out for one another. Transport is effective and comfortable. You'll struggle to take in the volume of sights, sounds and smells that India will provide. The food is wonderful, hotels are comfortable and all in all, it's hard to avoid the 'trip of a lifetime' cliche.

An amazing trip with a very full on itinerary! You’ ll see all the highlights of Northern India, you will do all the must activities like boat ride in Varanasi. Yes, there will be early mornings, but in return you’ll got to see fantastic places during sunrise! Yes, there will be long bus journeys, but you’ll travel through small villages and see how people live and take some amazing photos. Yes, most hotels were basic, but nice and clean with friendly staff. Yes, the overnight train is fun! Read your trip notes to know what to expect, arrive with open mind, ask questions and enjoy this amazing country!

Absolutely superb. Our guide, Ajay Gupta, was out of this world. All Exodus guides are super but he was just amazing. The sights we saw in such a short time, the standard of the hotels, the food - oh my goodness! I cannot recommend this trip highly enough

This is a fast paced tour around some of the popular tourist sites of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh states. There's a good variety to see, but fog was something of a hindrance on most mornings at this time of year (late December) and resulted in an itinerary change that meant we missed out on Varanasi, but saw the less frequently visited sites of Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur and Mathura instead.

Booked the Golden Triangle trip that went Boxing day and returned January. Knew it was going to be fast paced trip ( had 'done' Egypt some years ago) However, after an overnight flight ( 8 hours - plus the 3 hr before at airport and the hour or so when landed ) found the 5+ hours straight off on 'coach' very tiring. Jaipur - pink city was good. loved the elephants with their decorations. Taj was good and worth a visit- be prepared for it to be shrouded in mist at this time of year. Then all went wrong- overnight train cancelled -therefore not go to Varanansi, no trip on Ganges etc. Got put up in disgraceful hotel in Agra on New Years Eve. What a let down - cancelling Varanansi bad enough but better accommodation should have been sought. Alternative itinerary followed.Visit to Bharatpur and Mathura - another game park ( mainly birds ) and various temples. What made it worse was the trip before this one had experienced the same problem and yet no e mail was sent warning us of possibility of change.

I recently went on the Highlights of Northern India trip. The guide Ajay really looked after us and made the trip run smoothly from start to finish. The group were really friendly and I didn't feel as if I was on holiday alone at all. The itinerary certainly packed a lot in and we got a great overview of the sights to see in these towns. The Taj Mahal was breathtaking and I was so excited to see a tiger in Ranthambore National Park along with so many other animals and birds. This is a trip I will never forget.

From the majestic beast that is the Bengal tiger in its natural habitat to the architectural majesty of the Taj Mahal. From chaos-that-works of Delhi traffic to the spiritual calm of sunrise on the Ganges being rowed past the ghats of Varanasi. From demonstrations of handed-down skills of weaving and jewelry making to opportunities for bargain purchases. Truly sights, sounds and memories of a lifetime. And all under the confident and learned leadership of an outstanding guide. Enjoyed with an eclectic but bonding mix of fellow travellers.

A wonderful, face paced trip that explores the best of northern India.

From the majestic Mughal forts and palaces to the profound spirituality of Varanasi with the exquisite Taj Mahal and a fantastic tiger sighting in between, this full -on tour was a feast for the senses from start to finish and provided the perfect introduction to Northern India for me.

This trip was exhausting but so worthwhile. I enjoyed it all and would be hard-pressed to select my bets moment because there were so many. I felt that the enjoyment of the holiday was in major part due to the expertise of our guide, Harish Kumar, and also the great mix of people and characters in our group. We all seemed to gel really well and this made the experience even better.