Kolkata to Amritsar

The rail trip across north India with Explore was undoubtedly a magical and once in a lifetime experience. The itinerary was jam packed and whilst exhausting with early starts and long rail journeys, it ensured we made the most of the 14 days . The accommodation was varied, sometimes underwhelming but on the whole acceptable. For the price we paid, Explore could make improvements, as It’s so cheap in India . Amritsar was my highlight, the golden temple and the border crossing was a glorious end to an incredible adventure. Extend your stay here if possible , we had an extra day and loved wandering around, exploring the winding streets close by the temple.

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.

group size was good. Leader attentive and kept us organized. Local guides were difficult to understand. Liked train experience and meeting Indian citizens. Could reduce time spent on Ganges River - evening or morning but not both. Tuck Tuck experience was memorable. Most accommodations good. Good opportunities to learn history.

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.

Our leader Gajendra was excellent. The trip was quite full on with several very early starts. There were some very long train rides too. There were a few things which could have been improved such as the overnight train journey of 3rd class. This was awful. ) 6 to a carriage plus a child. We were virtually ontop of each other. Explore should have booked 2nd class. & preferably with us sitting with the other Explore guests.. We were all on different carriages which was difficult for our guide to organise. Also the accommodation in Bodh Gaya was well below standard & dirty. Our hotel Ashiana Clarke in Shimla was about 2 miles away from the Ridge. We needed to taxi to go anywhere so going to a local restaurant at night was out. The location was no good at all. Finally I was puzzled why my £50 tip money had to be used for the taxi to the airport, , various guides, 3day driver for Agra to Delhi etc. These were all included in our payment gif the holiday.,

An enjoyable trip to India and travelling by train was interesting an authentic way to travel Itinerary needs tweaked - if it really is unwise for western tourists to head off exploring on their own then add cost of additional sightseeing in Kolkata and Varanasi to tour price. Very disappointed that we didn't have opportunity to see Ganga Aarti evening ceremony or visit Partition museum in Amritsar. Toy train to Shimla was an experience but not one I would want to experience again on the bottom numbing hard bench that was simply too small for 2 western sized bottoms. Better quality seating was available and I would willingly have paid more just to have my own seat. Hotels used were disappointing both for location and comfort. The basic hotel at Boda Gaya was understandable as the location was great and there was no choice but the hotel at Shimla was poor and too far out from centre. Final long train journey from Ambala to Amritsar was just one train journey too far as it would have been much easier to drive from Shimla direct to Amritsar rather than bus from Shimla to Ambala and then long train journey. This would also mean an extra evening in Amritsar and give time for evening ceremony at Golden Temple. Overall a good trip but could have been a great one!

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.

I really enjoyed this trip with the train travel making up a large part of the experience. As a result anyone planning to take this trip should prepare themselves for long train journeys. I particularly enjoyed the toy train up to Shimla and how lucky we were with the weather and views in Shimla.

Been 6 times to India, this was the most disappointing accommodation wise, do not mind simple, but was dirty. Toy train in second class was a torture! Rush, rush , rush…. Amritsar saved the trip

This trip has a great itineray and the railway concept is really interesting. But the trip can be a bit hard for some travellers as it is not always comfortable giving the infrustructure of India. However that said, the hotels in this trip can really be improved, esp. given just with a few pounds more you can be upgraded to a better location or a cleaner place.

Kolkata to Amritsar: A fantastic experience. The itinerary is great, taking us to 3 major and contrasting religious centres at Bodh Gaya, Varanasi and Amritsar which were fascinating and moving. As well as experiencing the post-colonial city of Kolkata and smog-ridden Delhi, with the mad traffic that characterises India, there were lesser-known, beautiful or interesting places such as Sarnath and Fatepur Sikri. The chanting monks at Bodh Gaya were extraordinary, the Taj was of course stunning (even a second time around, for me) and Shimla was an oasis of green and stunning views, even without snow and with the roads crammed full of Christmas holiday visitors. Our guide Raj was highly experienced, entertaining and informative. He's great at dealing with last minute changes (e.g. the President of Sri Lanka suddenly arriving at Bodh Gaya so we had to visit the temple much earlier in the morning, which was a shock after a late arrival the previous night! - But: sunrise and cool temps.). Raj did sometimes stride ahead too fast, so stopping to take a photo risked losing the group, especially in crowds, but otherwise he looked after us extremely well and with great kindness. The tour is very full-on, with long travel days. I was expecting the trains to've been upgraded since I was last in India 15 years ago, but no... seating was uncomfortable, the toilets horrible and most of us felt we could have done without the overnight train, 'experience' or not. It was a relief when a journey was in a minibus. Our drivers in the various locations were pleasant and efficient. The hotels were generally comfortable and service always with a smile, though the one in Bodh Gaya was grubby. The disappointing hotel was in Delhi, which was a charmless, Travelodge-style place, clean but with no nice public spaces and no restaurant so we had to go next door to a grotty place for breakfast. They couldn't even do my laundry in 24 hours (in a city of 23million people with every service imaginable... really?). I felt Explore could've found us somewhere much better for very little extra cost. But these are small things. Overall, it was a wonderful trip and I'd recommend it highly. It really gives a feel for India in all its variety and wonder. Five stars.

I really enjoyed this trip and seeing some more of India. Highlights include the Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Shimla and temple at Amritsar. I travelled with a really nice group and the tour leader made sure we were perfectly looked after. The food was good. Warm clothes are needed for Shimla in the winter months. I would highly recommend the trip.

This was a great trip full of wonderful and varied experiences plus a number of highlights including: Bodh Gaya and important Buddhist sites, Varanasi, the Taj Mahal, Shimla and The Golden Temple at Amritsar. Travelling by train proved to be fascinating and a good way to meet people, even if it was not always totally comfortable. Pemba was an excellent tour guide, caring, well organised, knowledgeable and extremely likeable. I would certainly recommend the trip as a good way to explore this part of northern India.

A wonderful trip as always.