India Small Group Trips

This trip was truly amazing. The itinerary was full on and fast paced. This was needed as we covered so much ground. The places we visited were incredible and got progressively better as the trip went on. The hotels were of a good standard, the heritage hotels were beautiful and gave us a taste of their past glory. The food we ate was delicious. Lots of choice and great for vegetarians. It wasn’t too spicy and I had no ‘Delhi belly’. I loved how we also learnt about Indian history and culture on this trip. Pushkar was fun and interesting. Our guide Satish Dhar was great. This holiday was one of my favourites. Advice for other travellers thinking about this trip: there a fair amount of walking, 9000-15,000 steps most days. This wasn’t an issue for me, however, it maybe for those who are not as active. When Explore say this is a full on trip they really mean it. Please make sure you are physically up to it.

Accomodation: • The standard of accommodation far exceeded my expectations and was excellent throughout the trip. All rooms were clean, reasonably sized for 2 people and had aircon and/ or ceiling fans. Itinarary: • The itinerary was well balanced between the well known sites in Dehli, Agra and Jaipur, as well as including other not-to-be missed activities such as the "home cookery class" in Agra, and the Craft Centre (Block Printing, Rug Making, Textiles etc.) in Jaipur. The visit to a Bollywood cinema was another unique experience ! • Travelling by road in India can take time due to the distances, but it gives visitors the chance to experience life in smaller rural towns and see a wide range of agricultural . The airconditioned minibus was very comfortable. • At most historic sites we had dedicated local guides who were well informed and spoke good english. Leader: • "G" (Gajendra), was an excellent leader and guide who kept us well informed as to the plan for each day, and also for specific local visits. He was very approacheable and easy to talk to. He dealt admirably with the challenges of shepherding the group into central Dehli on the Metro , and keeping us together as we walked through the Chandni Chowk market !

The tour gave a good insight into India. It covered many interesting and outstanding sights. The hotels were superb especially the former palaces. The tour was well managed by the leader who was a great source of information. Overall it would be hard to beat this tour.

What a superb quick tour around some of India's most iconic sites (of course, including the Taj Mahal). As we have come to expect with Explore tours, our tour leader was excellent - a real advocate for the country. Accomodation was also better than expected with some really amazing 'heritage' hotels. Food, without exception, was fabulous.

Had a great time in Kerala, with a fabulous bunch of fellow Explorers and a very knowledgable guide in Sam. Weather was kind, despite rain being forecast for the whole trip, only one heavy shower which was quite welcome in the very hot and humid conditions which made the cycling a little tougher. Accommodation was of mixed standards, had more cold showers than hot! Often welcome tho. A/C or fans throughout and much needed. Backwaters just as expected, lush and green, teeming with flora and fauna, binoculars useful, also enjoyed blowy coastal rides and the start of the trip in hippie vibe resorts of Kovalam and Varkala, excellent restaurants overlooking beach and lots of shops selling clothing and fabrics. Trip ended in Fort Cochin, iconic fishing nets ‘Cheena Vala’ didn’t disappoint along with architecture left by Dutch and Portuguese, nice feel to the place - an excellent trip with lots of good and cheap food, a few G and Ts too.

A fabulous holiday. India is such a vibrant and fascinating country. This safari gave us the opportunity to explore the wildlife and beautiful jungles in 5 national parks, as well as some cultural sites. Looking for tigers is like looking for a needle in a haystack, but we saw 3 and it was breathtaking. Our guide was very knowledgeable and took good care of us, and the accommodation was excellent, although the hotel in Delhi was rather tired, but very helpful staff everywhere.