India Cruise Trips

The southern India trip itinerary offers a nice variety of things to see and do. One day you are at a magnificent temple and the next day you are on a safari looking at a tiger. Be aware that there are long drives to get from one city to the next but this trip gives you a nice taste of the southern region which has a totally different feel from the northern and central areas.

Great trip made even more enjoyable by our amazing guide Abhi, he made sure that everyone had the best experience. It was Holi during our trip and he arranged for us to celebrate at the hotel we would be staying on that day.

A great experience to see India and parts of it that you wouldn't see normally. I have enjoyed the experience. If in Kerala the boathouse is a must.

A very enjoyable 2 week trip. The tour leader was excellent as was our driver and the local guides. The highlight of the trip was seeing leopards and a tiger in the Bandipur Tiger reserve but there were lots of other memorable moments from the evening "bed ceremony" at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai to the Kathakali dance performance in Kochi and the train ride up to Ooty.

This trip was excellent but undoubtedly needs some modifications. The upgraded hotels were good but there was often inadequate time to spend in them and enjoy and relax which was a pity. There should be fewer destinations to reduce travelling time. The visits that should be eliminated are the Beypore boatyard at Calicut (literally a couple of hulks in half construction) and the mosque, the Wildlife safari on arrival at Wayanad was a waste of time as it took an hours travelling in each direction in the afternoon and a one hour trip in a not very comfortable bus to see five elephants in total. The afternoon could have been spent enjoying the lovely hotel at Wayanad. This was an eco hotel based up in the forest and had some activities such as a night safari led by naturalists. Otherwise highlights were undoubtedly included hindu temples, churches, a synagogue, a mosque and the Tibetan monastery. The houseboat cruise and overnight stay in the backwaters of Kerala at Allepey was excellent and memorable. The one hour traditional theatre trip and following meal in Kochi was great. The two train trips were really interesting along with the visits to the tea and coffee plantations. The hotel at Goa was excellent and we had the time to make full use of it and relax. We had booked an extra day. The trip was made all the more memorable by our excellent guide, Shevi, who could not have been more polite, friendly and helpful. The bus we travelled in was air conditioned and very comfortable and the crew extremely pleasant. Overall I would definitely recommend this trip but hope that Explore may modify it taking into account the comments about travelling times and some of the visits.

A very interesting tour packed with variety, colour and contrasts. Some long driving days but always plenty to see. The city sights were magnificent, and I particularly loved the night on the Kerala backwaters, also Bandipur and the bird reserve. Seeing a tiger was the icing on the cake. Our guide Abhi went out of his way to ensure we made the most of every day.