Testimonials

Hello Nazir, The Journey of the Senses was truly an amazing trip and there are many things to reflect on. It is difficult to process it all at once. The pictures and the memories certainly help. I am working at putting together a travel journal so I don't forget it all! There, of course, were many highlights, but three key highlights for us were the community kitchen at the Gurduwara Bangla Sahib [we would have loved more time there], the visits to the ghats in Varanasi and the tour of the slum in Mumbai. I'm so glad that we switched to the February tour from a private tour in December, and that we chose a tour that you were leading. You and your team thought of everything, and took care of every small detail, including a proper toilet in the middle of the desert!. Not having to deal with our luggage, checking in at the airports, or lining up for hotel keys was a real treat. The guides, especially Yajur, were great, and we felt very safe and protected with Ravi and Shenkar. The special events - welcome dinner, elephant and camel safaris, lunch at Taj Khema and the dinner with Joti in Udaipur were amazing, each surprise exceeding the other. And a special thank you for arranging my trip to the dentist in Jodhpur. These kinds of unexpected medical issues can be stressful, but you calmly took care of every detail. Again, Nazir, thank you for a great time-enjoyable, educational and delicious! We may be up for another adventure in 2017 - let us know!

Hi Nazir, I am writing to thank you for organizing an amazing trip for us. Mandira, you impressed us before we left Toronto with how effective and attentive you were in making sure we had everything. Your customer service was excellent.  Thank you.  We had a fantastic time in India.   The trip was well organized.  The culture, food, people, shopping, and places were all amazing.   Each city had something special to offer.  We were well taken care of by Ajur, Arvin, Parveen, and Sonu.   We spent a lot of our time with Ajur, Parveen, and Sonu.  These guys are amazing.   Our driver handled the bus and road with expertise and safety.   Sonu was so amazing.  Always there to greet us off and on the bus and always hand sanitizer ready for us, providing us with water and snacks. He is very attentive and works really hard.  Our group was fantastic, really great folks.  We will definitely recommend your company to others and we can’t wait to explore the rest of India in the near future.

Good Morning Nazir, Thank you for an amazing adventure!! My experience in India would not have been the same without your excellent trip planning and the caring, knowledgeable men you have guiding us in India. Every day was packed with things to see and so much to learn about the culture and history of the area and its people. Arvind Sharma is extremely passionate about his country and shared so much with us. He looked after every detail and went out of his way to ensure that each of us in his care was looked after and happy. Our bus driver and his assistant were second to none, always smiling, helping us in any way that they could. I have a few friends who are considering a trip to India and are waiting to hear my stories of the trip. I will highly recommend they contact you should they decide to travel next year. Again, thank you for making my trip to India so enjoyable.

Good Morning Nazir, Thank you for an amazing adventure!! My experience in India would not have been the same without your excellent trip planning and the caring, knowledgeable men you have guiding us in India. Every day was packed with things to see and so much to learn about the culture and history of the area and its people. Arvind Sharma is extremely passionate about his country and shared so much with us. He looked after every detail and went out of his way to ensure that each of us in his care was looked after and happy. Our bus driver and his assistant were second to none, always smiling, helping us in any way that they could. I have a few friends who are considering a trip to India and are waiting to hear my stories of the trip. I will highly recommend they contact you should they decide to travel next year. Again, thank you for making my trip to India so enjoyable.

Thanks Nazir, we are back tired but entirely satisfied! Where do I start?  You have a tremendous team working for you in India, including Raj, our guide in Darjeleen and of course Ardvid (please excuse my spelling).  Not only were we fully informed about what we were seeing but they all added interesting info regarding the religions, history etc.  I give Ardvid a 42 gun salute (Trust you know what this means with him). What a beautiful man! Went out of his way to satisfy everyone, one of our friends, Val Frost hurt her foot, he obtained a rickshaw for her twice.  Always first on there when meeting us and always counting, does herding cats come to mind. The tour was spectacular!  Know I understand the phrase Incredible India.  Extremes are mind boggling, from extreme poverty to extreme wealth.  The driving!  The cows!  The people!  (we were stopped constantly to have pictures taken with locals.  Always a friendly smile, a wave.  Once instance a school group stopped and sang the Indian National Anthem for us. Hotels and meals super!  The only downside was no tigers at the preserve but to show Ardvid, in Jaipur tried to show us all leopards to make up for lack of tigers, but unfortunately, only one car of the group saw them.  Another example of his need and wish to please all. Thank Raj for arrangements for our last day.  Worked much better than the original plan.  We had two awesome drivers and Raj was always there, even to the point phoning all three groups the night before our departure and then again in the two cars on our way to the airport. One downside was the interesting move of the Prime Minister on the night we departed, canceling 500/1000 rupee notes.  I know Errol got stuck with a couple but I recommended he mail the rupees to you so you could arrange a donation to charity. Please feel free to use me as a reference Nazir if necessary.  You and your group were wonderful from the time we booked until our return.  If you need any clarification regarding the above please let me know but a big THANK YOU again from two extremely satisfied guests.

We have just returned home from the 10 days Explore India tour Magical India with unforgettable experiences and truly favorable memories. Any initial reservations or uncertainties related to travelling in such a mysterious land were quickly relieved after we received a surprise but welcoming and reassuring phone call while registering on arrival at our airport hotel in Delhi at 11:55 pm from Explore India's Head of Operations. Despite using our own travel plans to and from the tour, Explore India representatives continually provided full support to our individual travel plans right through to our arrival at the Delhi airport for our departure flight. Our tour guide was extremely effective in preparing our group with extensive historical and current information on all the amazing sites we visited. Despite travelling in a country well known for its chaos and unpredictabilities, the tour was extremely well organized and effectively delivered. Accommodations were consistently first class. Meals were of high quality, with an ample variety for all tastes. Transportation was first class with a fully modern bus operated by a skilled driver. All tours to the many amazing world-class venues were conducted with professional precision. Kudos to Nazir, Rajeev and Arvind of Explore India for providing us with an exceptionally favorable, and memorable travel experience.

Dear Nazir, Not having travelled on a tour prior to this trip, Brian and I were a bit concerned about how the itinerary would work for the two of us who tend to be rather "foot loose and fancy-free”. Our interaction with you and Mandira, while arranging our tour, was very positive, so we were quite hopeful that the tour would be just right for us. Brian and I appreciated your attention to detail, to making sure our needs were met and especially your pre-trip phone call to answer any questions we had. Our positive interaction with Explore India continued with all the staff throughout India. Our first meeting with knowledgeable, efficient, and friendly Rajeev who so competently managed all the details throughout the tour and Harry, our erudite, articulate and enthusiastic guide quickly dispelled any concerns we had. Our drivers were quite wonderful, as they took us through the hectic crowded streets of Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, and Varanasi, and through the rural roads that were crowded with oxen and other animals, keeping us safe at all times. Our assistants, in particular, Amid, were charming, taking great care of us and always providing us with much needed cold water whenever we came back to the bus. Our tour was a small group, and we quickly meddled into a cohesive group, enjoying each other’s company and sharing in the delight of exploring northern India together. The tour suited us perfectly, no name tags to wear other than the first morning when we were introduced to each other, no flags to follow, rather just a group of travellers exploring together. The Impressions of India tour was extremely well organized and the itinerary provided us with the opportunity to see the majority of historical sites in the cities and rural areas we visited. India’s history is complex and the tour and Harry our guide provided us with many insights into the past world and architecture of the Mugals, Rajputs, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists as well as providing many insights into modern India. All of the sites we visited were both impressive and moving, however, none more so that the shimmering beauty of the Taj Mahal in Agra. While we found the cities fascinating, the countryside and its people were more interesting to both of us. A request to stop by the roadside so that I could photograph the women working in the fields turned into an incredible opportunity to stop at a tiny village where we were able to interact with some of the villagers. I think the villagers were as intrigued with us as we were with them. I was very honored to be given a wee, naked baby girl to hold by a shy young mother. Throughout our trip, we continued to have opportunities to interact with the local people, which was a pleasure for all of us. It was quite interesting that in the rural areas, we were considered exotic, and as a result, a number of the locals asked us if they could take photos of us with their children. It didn’t seem to matter that our Hindi was limited to please and thank you and our only Urdu was thank you, or that many people we interacted with had no English, we were able to communicate with smiling eyes and with joy and appreciation for all the children we encountered. A highlight for all of us was an unplanned stop at a government-sponsored school in rural Rajasthan. We arrived just as the whole school, from kindergarten to high school was meeting in the hot, dusty centre courtyard. The children and teachers were thrilled to meet us and we were equally thrilled to meet them. We were introduced individually, including our occupations (or former occupations) and treated with much respect, especially Brian as a former principal, and Tina as a former mathematics teacher. Our decision to sing Oh Canada was completely spontaneous and utterly moving as the nine of us sang with great pride our national anthem to a rapt audience of students and teachers. Three teenage girls then sang the Indian national anthem with sweet young voices again to a rapt audience of staff, students, and Canadians. All too soon it was time to say goodbye as the students returned to their classrooms and we headed off to continue our exploring. Our hotels were luxurious with wonderfully attentive staff. The food was excellent wherever we were with a variety of curries and Indian specialties available at every meal. There was nothing better than freshly baked naan with each and every meal. Street vendors had small carts with the most interesting and delectable food offerings and as our stomachs grew accustomed to the Indian diet, and with our guide Harry’s direction, we were able to try some local specialties including deep fried vegetarian balls dipped into a spicy cilantro sauce, crispy potato samosas, refreshing plan in Varanasi, local sweets, and masala chai made with camel milk at a small remote tea stand. Indian culture is very different than our own and it was important to us that we not judge the people and their ways through our Western eyes but rather just let ourselves experience all that India had to offer. India is a rich and vibrant country that provided us with the most fascinating multi-sensory experiences and gave us just a small glimpse into its world and its warm and welcoming people. We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have been there and feel equally fortunate to have found your Explore India company which provided us with such an incredible variety of experiences in a short period of time. We definitely could not have seen as much as we did without your fascinating itinerary. Returning home to a very rainy October, we are already thinking of returning to India, and of course, when we do, we will definitely be in touch to book another trip with you. With warm regards and much appreciation,

Thank you, Nazir.  Our entire experience in India has been amazing.  You have some very special people working for you. And I sincerely hope that they are appreciated.  In particular, I have to mention Raj and Arvind. As you know, Shirley and I arrived two days ahead of the rest of the tour group.  We met with Raj who became like a big brother to us.  With our safety in mind, Raj continually checked on our well-being, made some terrific suggestions including restaurants and even arranged for us to meet with a numerologist, which had been on our wish list for India.  He was always asking us if we were happy and if there was anything else he could do for us.  He arranged taxis, made some excellent suggestions and went out of his way to make our dreams a reality.  We felt very safe. Arvind was an excellent guide.  He gave 150% to everything he did.  There is no doubt in my mind that this part of our tour would've been entirely different and not nearly as spectacular had it been anyone different. Arvind was more than a tour guide.  He educated us on the history of India, the poverty, spirituality, rituals, food, the different religions and much much more.  His day was never over.  He was always planning more than was included on our agenda.  Surprises and extra activities – he was a very generous man.  Very trustworthy and honest. he managed to please everyone on the tour which is no easy feat. I cannot say enough about Arvind.  He made our whole trip. Another guide worthy of praise is Lo Chen on the Darjeeling portion of the trip.  A very gentle and caring man.  He was so amenable to suggestions and also went the extra mile to show us the highlights of this part of the country.  Very knowledgeable. I had a fantastic trip.  I loved India and I hope one day to return. It has a very special place in my heart. I hope that my comments will be helpful to you and please pass on my thanks to Mandira who always responded quickly to any questions we had and gave us lots of interesting information before we left. Namaste,

Explore India, October 26 – November 8, 2016, Magical India
The trip was wonderful, interesting and educational. Most important we had an amazing Tour Guide in “Arvind Sharma”. We have done many tours while traveling to 108 countries around the world and Arvind is the best we have ever had. He is passionate about his country, religion, beliefs, Indian history and all the different religious groups that live in India. One of the highlights of the trip was the last minute visit to meet his family. Rajeev Sharma did an excellent job on making last minute arrangements for some of our tour members while making sure we are all happy. He does a great job of singing “Jingle Bells”. Hotels: We were pleased with all the hotels. Bus Drivers were excellent. The places we visited were very enlightening with history; the country's infrastructure, roads, and bridges are way behind other countries. Thank you for an amazing trip

Namaste Nazir,   We are back home after our amazing trip to India. I thought the tour package that you put together was very well thought out and gave us a good look at what India is all about. I don't feel that I missed anything that I was hoping to see and experience in India, at least the north part.   Your team in India could not have looked after us any better. Lynn and I spent two days on our own and felt that Rajeev was there making sure we were safe and organized whatever it was we wanted, from a numerologist to the market, organized dinners and vehicles to get us around. It can be quite intimidating when one first gets there so we really appreciated his advice on what to do and what not to do.   Lo Chen, in Darjeeling, was a very gentle, kind and very knowledgeable man who made sure we learned about the area, had fun and were safe. Whatever anyone requested he made happen which is hard in a group our size.   Arvind, well, he indeed was our leader and mentor. He is a very honorable, spiritual, knowledgeable man who is passionate about his country. We learned so much of the history and culture of India from this amazing man. Whatever anyone wanted it was always "no problem" and it would happen. We were very fortunate to be in India during Diwali and the celebration of the sun. From fireworks in front of a restaurant and dancing to Indian music after a beautiful buffet dinner to going out on a boat to watch the celebration of the sun on the Ganges, he worked very hard to please us all. We even got to meet his parents at their home on our request. I will never forget this very wise man.   All in all, the trip was more than we could have expected. Sincerely,

Hi Nazir;   We arrived in Calgary late Wednesday. Needless to say we are tired. We had a memorable time in India to say the least! On TV one sees programs about India however experiencing it was another thing! One cannot image the density of people without experiencing it firsthand. It was truly shocking. Explore India provides Canadians an opportunity to see it for themselves. Arvind was a great tour leader; his knowledge about the country, its customs, its people, is astounding. Raj, your man on the ground, went out of his way to help us. As you know we stayed an extra day in Delhi at the end of our stay because of poor plane connections. As our booking for the Taj Ambassador Hotel did not work out, he arranged our stay at the Pride Plaza Hotel and provided a car and driver to allow us to see the city. This turned out to be a much better than if we had stayed at the Taj Ambassador as the new hotel was close to the airport saving travel time at departure. Lochem (sp?), your local guide for Darjeeling had exceptional knowledge of the area, its history and the people. Without him much of the local folklore would have been missed.   There were two surprises we encountered while in India. The first was the road condition between the airport and Darjeeling; the lengthy travel time and being so winding. Unfortunately Carolyn got motion sickness throwing up stomach acid within the vehicle making it uncomfortable for other passengers. Returning was much better as she took Gravol that settled her stomach. In the end we all laughed about it. The second surprise was the India government announcement cancelling the 500 and 1000 rupee notes the day prior to leaving. We got stuck with a small quantity of rupees that we could not use. This is not a big deal but wondered if you had a use for them. Perhaps they could be given to an Indian charity? If it could be done let us know where to send them.   The itinerary for each leg (six) of the tour were appropriate providing us with a good overview of India. The quality of the hotels was excellent providing an evening refuge to recuperate, collect our thoughts, and share with friends. Transportation arrangements were excellent; Arvind did a superb job dealing with airport arrangements for air travel within India. Security had recently been stepped up at the airports making for long lineups. Arvind managed to shorten them with his knowledge and relationships with security personnel. The quality of buses used for transportation between Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore, and Jaipur were excellent. As you are aware driving in India is somewhat different than driving in North America. Road quality can be very poor, vehicle density is very high, roads go through many towns, people and animals share the road, and drivers don’t necessarily obey traffic laws; such as creating five lanes of traffic on a two lane road.. The bus drivers had to deal with these situations being mindful of our travel deadlines and our safety. They did an excellent job!   It may be a while before we travel to India again, however we would definitely consider Explore India first for making our travel/tour arrangements when we do.   Our kindest regards

Dear Nazir, I wanted to express what a wonderful trip I experienced with Explore India.  The tour far exceeded my expectations in every way:  from the administration help from Mandira Gauba, the incredible tours, the fabulous accommodations which were all complimented by our extraordinary tour escort, Sandeep Singh whose enthusiasm and knowledge made the trip.   A special shout out to our bus driver and assistant (sorry I do not remember their names) who throughout the trip went the extra mile (no pun intended) and who moved heaven and earth to get us to the airport on time for our departure despite unbelievable traffic.    I would highly recommend your tour company to anyone looking to explore the beauty of India.   Thank you so much and I look forward to returning to India in the future.