India Natural landmarks sightseeing Trips

This was a great trip taking us from kalkata and the southern mangroves to the hills crossing from Darjeeling to the lovely old kingdom of Sikkin to Buthan and finally in Kathmandu. The contrast between them is striking with mountain tops communities temples ancient fortress and beautiful people. So much history. With countries so close you would expect people and costumes to be similar but this could not be further from the truth. Our tour leader Keran had everything organised to a tee and was great company as well a continuous source of knowledge. Just go, before it all changes forever😂😂

We benefited from an absolutely brilliant tour guide, Kiran, very experienced and knowledgeable but also highly organised and excellent company! Bhutan was of course the tour highlight with another excellent local guide. We only covered a very small part of the country which could be made into a tour in its own right if possible! It would have been useful for dress code to be included in the tour notes ( long trousers and collared sleeve tops) as some of the party had to buy the latter in Bhutan. Enjoyed everywhere else but a long return trip to Sandurbans to see very little, although a welcome bit of relaxation after Calcutta. Darjeeling and train ride another highlight and staying mid town was appreciated, which we missed in Gangtok and Kathmandu, Accommodation generally good but Summit chain in India variable quality and repetitive menu selection, some variation would be preferable. But all in all a most enjoyable and worthwhile trip expertly guided

This trip is not for the faint hearted! The majority in my group were 'returners' to India and for me this was my third visit. Having visited various parts of India before was helpful in recognising the difference India's Little Tibet offers to the rest of India, geologically, culturally, socially and in its cuisine. The high altitudes were at times a little challenging for some but the reasonably slow acclimatisation to increased height was very helpful as we ascended the high mountain passes. Having never visited the Himalayas before or indeed many parts of the world higher than Snowdon (!), I found the scenery breath taking. The skill of our drivers in negotiating what must, at times, have been challenging roads to drive was exemplary. I always felt safe even in the presence of mountain rubble on the road side.

Accommodation at Alchi was substandard unclean and way below the all other hotels etc on the trip (hotel Zimskang). We were in the old wing of hotel for one night. This was clearly needing a complete overhaul and cleaning within it was way below a standard. The stairs to the first floor were marble with no handrails and had a big chip out the top step. On second night we were moved to the new wing (main hotel) the fabric of the building was 100% better however there was still cleaning issues. The bin in the room had not been emptied and general cleaning was not great. The visit to Alchi was well worth it however another hotel should be used and there were some in the village. This was main reason why I gave accommodation an average score this would have been good or above if it had not been for Hotel Zimskang.

When Air India cancelled all their flights on 24 June, Explore quickly got me an alternative flight with British Airways on the following day. I and another couple were picked up at Amritsar and taken straight to Dharamsala to join the rest of the group so we only lost one day of the trip. I can't thank Explore enough for their prompt action.

This tour gave me a complete taste of India, from the bustling streets of Delhi to the serene backwaters of Kerala. Every destination was thoughtfully planned and the local experiences were exceptional.