How was your Explore Tour Leader?

In a word exceptional. Satish made the tour. He had the maturity, knowledge, work ethic and dedication to add enormous value to the tour. We travelled vast distances by train, bus and car without a hitch. I have travelled with other companies in many different countries and never had a tour guide who was even close to the level of service provided by Satish. He is the type of employee that is hard to find, he is a wonderful ambassador for Explore.

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Insist on Satish Dhar as tour leader

Do you have anything else to add?

Only that if I return to India in the future I will find a tour where Satish is the tour guide. If any of my friends express an interest in visiting India I would advise them to do the same.

How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Atul was the perfect tour leader, he was relaxed with a good sense of humour.  He had an expert knowledge of the country and he was always there to help us when needed.  The tour group was very varied and Atul seemed to be able to adjust to our needs.  This was my 5th tour with Explore and Atul was up there with the best of tour leaders

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Research the tour before booking.  It includes many hundreds of miles train travel and Indian trains are not exactly luxurious.   Some days include 9 or 10 hours travelling and it can be tiring.  Do not book the tour if you are looking for a relaxing holiday in comfortable suroundings

Do you have anything else to add?

Many of the train journeys were in A/C3 sleepers it made it difficult to sit down  if the occupier of the middle bunk wished to lie down.   It would have been better if we travelled A/C2

How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Rafeeq was great and went out of his way to help all 11 of us on the tour, he was very informative about places we visited and made sure we saw all aspects of India including rickshaw rides & tuk tuk rides where possible and visiting some of the narrow back streets we wouldn't have dared go ourselves.  He took charge of all tipping and negotiated prices.  He even bought stamps for postcards for some and arranged money changing.

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Make sure you are fairly active ie lots of up and down steps at train stations, being able to carry your own bag (don't pack too much) quite long distances.  Make sure you take a chain to chain your bag to the seats on overnight train.  Be prepared for early mornings (5am a few times), not a relaxing holiday.

Do you have anything else to add?

Everthing we hoped for on this holiday, hotels were generally good or excellent, but the Potters Hill Camp in Shimla was not on the itinerary and not suitable for winter travel.  Some of the local guides weren't very informative and Rafeeq had to fill in where they lacked, also their English wasn't that good.  Some were good.

How was your Explore Tour Leader?

"Umi was great - Great sense of humour and kept everybodies interests in mind when visiting places. Shows great passion for his country.
Was quick to re-arrange transport when the train was seriously delayed which was much appreciated by the group."

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

"Go with an open mind, sense of humour and patience!
Travel as light as you can as you'll be carrying your luggage on/off the train and will need to put it under the seats..  If your travelling over december when it get colds think about bringing a hot water bottle - some hotel rooms only have free standing heaters so you might appreciate a warm bed!"

Do you have anything else to add?

Can I go again?!

How was your Explore Tour Leader?

 

AnilKumar was cool collected and well organised. Full of information and nothing was too much of a hassle for him. What more could we ask?

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

 

 

"Travel light and with an open mind, India can be hard work unless you relax into it. Delhi isl not the most pleasant city in the world but don't let that put you off. Explore had downgraded the hotel in Delhi and it was not good - Explore you need to do something about this. How about a section on this review fior things  that didn't go so well. If in doubt about booking this trip,don't be!"

 

This tour is a fantastic insight to India, the itinerary is quite challenging and there is a lot of travelling involved but this tour takes you to some amazing places of which you won't be dissappointed. Our guide Anil Kumar had an encyclopedic knowledge of everywhere we went which meant i came away not only beholding the spectacular sights but understanding the history and culture of this facinating country. For me the whole trip was amazing so it's difficult to pick out highlights as i was blown away by all that i saw but if you put me on the spot the Golden Temple of Amritsar just about edges it on wow factor alone! Anyone considering this trip needs to be interested in the culture of India and be prepared for the challenges of travelling on Indian railways, if you can travel light then that would be my suggestion to ease the burden of jumping on and off trains but any minor negatives are far outweighed by the wonderous expeiriences and sights you will encounter. I thoroughly recomend this tour and you must really be prepared for some unpleasant sights and smells but get your head around that have you will have a wonderful holiday. (RBA - 15th October 2011)

Very good tour. Well organised considering the Indian train system. Some early starts and long days, but they give you time to get to know the group. All the places were worth seeing, though some of the sights and smells can upset some. November is a good time to go as the weather is still warm but not over the top. Surab the guide was excellent and made the tour. I would recommend it to anyone. (RBA- 13th November 2010)