India 16-Day Tours and Trips

Good trip that delivered the goods eventually! We had one far off sighting in Pench, nothing at all in Kanha but my goodness did Bandhavgarh deliver with interest. One tiger drinking in a water hole, one tigress and 2 cubs walking out straight in front of our vehicle and one tigress drinking from a water hole and then turning and backing into the water to lie down and cool off. The overnight train to Agra was an experience ... and I'll leave it at that! The Taj Mahal and the Red Fort at Agra were worth seeing, but we were upset at the amount of rubbish in and around the Taj Mahal, it really could be better looked after.

I was initially nervous about taking the leap and joining a group tour as a solo female traveller. Having just arrived home from this trip, I realise that it was one of the best experiences of my life to date. I have made memories for life, gained valuable local experiences in two amazing countries which have challenged preconceptions and experienced new friendships with like minded fellow travellers.

A great 2 week trip visiting many cities, Palaces and Forts in Rajasthan. Great accommodation, variety of activities and fun guides. Cycling is varied and we were well looked after.

This was an exhausting trip, but all for the right reasons. We got into the nitty gritty of the local culture, ate the local food, and saw so much! I would never have seen half of what we did if I’d tried to do this on my own. Our guide, Ajay, was simply exceptional and it really felt like he had our backs in a country, which for many, including myself, can be overwhelming.

Trip itinerary was excellent, successfully tiger focused, with a half day spent at UNESCO temples. One daytime and one overnight train journeys were on time and reliable, good fun, however group separation resulting from Indian Railways bureaucracy was unfortunate. Very good double figure tiger and other wildlife sightings were achieved at three of the National Parks and a leopard and other wildlife was sighted in and on the periphery of Sariska NP - Wow! In the NPs, the standard of jeeps was generally good, although one morning game drive at Kanha was delayed (and tiger sighting missed) as a result of poor vehicle maintenance, previously notified to the driver, with his lack of timeous action which would have avoided delay and enabled tiger sighting, seen by other group vehicles. It is fully accepted and endorsed that communities close to the NPs should benefit from the impact of visitors to the NPs. Some jeep drivers and guides were excellent, others less so and pot luck who is allocated to you, which can be frustrating. The NPs rightly employ drivers and guides locally but could and should improve the language and communication training of their employees to enhance the visitor experience. Whilst many ‘guides’ are knowledgeable, many fail to communicate adequately. Hotels were generally of a good standard, with friendly staff however included food was repetitive and lack imagination. The Staff at the Delhi hotel were excellent, however the hotel is located right next to a 24/7 mainline railway line, with associated nighttime noise! Trip leader Gajendra was excellent at dealing with individual questions and issues, supported individual needs very well, was friendly, however group communication and advance and routine notification was limited and could have been greatly improved. Driver and minibus were excellent.

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.