Extension – Holy Ganges of Varanasi

Thank you for enquiring how the trip went. It was an excellent adventure, so many wonderful places and monuments to see. India is a dynamic place to visit. For me, the trip to Jaipur was the highlight! The walls and the palace and the history were incredible. But the elephant ride! Such a thrill for a westerner to be that close to an animal that has been in books and stories we have all been exposed to all of our lives. I would have welcomed more time to spend with those animals when they were at rest and not working. A great opportunity. The air-conditioned bus was a god-send with the high temperatures and humidity at the beginning of October. Our guide was excellent, very knowlegable and personable. Overall, it was a memorable trip. This is not Explore India’s fault, but I would expect you would want to correct this little glitch. I would use Explore again to tour magnificent India! Sincerely, Carolyn Feldinger

Thank you for the welcome home card. All went well on the return trip and we have just about got over the jet lag and the other demands involved in a long trip. We had a great time and enjoyed the whole experience. I could see just what must have been involved in putting together a trip such as this and we both agree you did an outstanding job. Rolff was great on the post tour and the guide etc. in Varanasi. The Ganges was a wonderful experience. Again thanks and we will keep in touch.

Nazir, I would like to thank you for your efforts towards helping me plan and organizing my holiday to India. I enjoyed the experience immensely. I was very grateful for the way you took my vague plans and turned them into a worthwhile and rewarding actuality and I found everything that you promised me, did happen, and more. Before I mention aspects of the holiday I thought were particularly enjoyable . This was my first visit to India, though I have travelled independently through Indonesia, Mexico, Peru and other countries, despite this, India was bewildering. I am happy to say that my naiveté was not abused. I feel I got full value from the money I paid. I was pleasantly surprised by the thoroughly professional way that train, plane and hotel reservations were honoured. I was more than satisfied with my driver Hash, he was pleasant company and I was impressed by the relaxed way he coped with the difficult driving conditions. I appreciated his concern for me at all times and I was often the beneficiary of his local knowledge and contacts in the places we visited. I now realize that driving is stressful and not for the fainted hearted driver or passenger. Overall I was more than satisfied with the help I received from your organization. I have no hesitation in recommending you to my friends when they consider a holiday to India.

Dear Mandira and Nazir, We had a really wonderful time. Our guide was very professional, informative and warm which really makes a huge difference when going with a group..and we could not have been luckier group wise- everyone was friendly and engaged. The hotels were all extremely good. We really enjoyed the range of food, the optional cookery session was a real insight into family life- a most delightful family. We really enjoyed the performance in Kerala. It was such a pity the performers did not have a larger audience Thank you all at Explore India for such a professional and friendly service. We will most definitely recommend your company to anyone thinking of going to India. Kind regards Catriona

My daughter and I enjoyed our trip. All went well and feel fortunate to have seen such amazing things. Our tour group was awesome and made friends for life. Thanks for all your help in booking our trip. I wish you had tours like this in other destinations! I have been recommending explore India to many, who have been seeing my photos on Facebook. I even have convinced my sister, Kymn to go (she told me she has you working on her trip, already). Thanks again,

Namaste! We had an incredible trip, and was far more than we could have ever expected, Rajeev and Yajur I know that is spelt wrong, made the trip as smooth as could be. The whole trip was fantastic, great programme, the only down side was the air quality, and was such a shame that the Ganges was so fogged in we did not see the morning sunset. Susan and I with the rest of the group were so lucky to see the Siberian Tiger not just once but twice. Thanks again for such a wonderful programme to see Incredible India. You certainly have a great set up, Merry Christmas and Happy 2016

Hi Nazir, We just got back from our extended trip this morning. The whole trip was a great success. Our tour guide, Arvind, was well versed in the history and passionate and positive about the future of his country. Once we were on our own, we especially appreciated the organization and routing he provided for the destinations of the itinerary. Our driver Ravi and his assistant, Shanke, were both very personable and we appreciated having them take care of us on the road. The itinerary delivered a good variety of highlights of architectural and historical monuments. I personally appreciated the chance to support the women's arts and crafts store. And, yes, Varanasi was an important add-on tour to round out our experience of India. Of course, the biggest thrill was seeing the tiger up close in Ranthambore National Park. I would definitely recommend you and this itinerary to my friends and family. Regards,

Hi Mandira, I am sending along a pic of us on the elephant, as promised. I would have sent it from India but frequently the internet service was not keen to send along my pics. Never a problem sending an e-mail, but pics. I am sorry that the elephants running around the bottom of my pant legs We had an absolutely WONDERFUL time. That we had Mr. Harry as our tour guide was truly a blessing - what a wonderful gentleman! It was also a pleasant surprise to be able to meet Nazir in Delhi just before we were on our way to the airport to return home. It has been our pleasure to deal with you and Nazir and we thank you for providing us with an experience of a life time!

Val and I had a wonderful time in India. We thought the tour was great and we managed to see a lot in the given time. The guides and drivers were very professional, knowledgeable and pleasant to be with. Our guide was adaptable when we wanted to change certain aspects of the program.The hotels we stayed in were fantastic. It was nice coming back to them after a day of touring. Highlights for me included Pushkar, Varanasi and the elephant and camel rides. I thought there was a good balance of city/rural life, history, culture and modern information and sites.

Feedback re Explore India re Journey of the Senses - March 5 - 26, 2016. We are still processing what we experienced in India.  When we think about all that was included in our “Journey of the Senses”, we feel we touched on many aspects of life there - the history, architecture, religious practices, the food, village life, city life, mountain villages, the culture - folk music and dances, the craftsmanship, both the modern and the “old” India. We appreciated the experiences with many different modes of transportation - rickshaw, elephant, camel, horseback, boat; the many internal flights and the comfortable coach with its excellent driver and impressive driver’s assistant.  The switch made by Rajeev to automobiles from bus in Srinagar was also much appreciated. We especially appreciated the hotel accommodations.  The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai will remain a highlight of our visit.  The restaurant meals throughout the tour were excellent. The cooking class and the Kashmiri lunch at your brother’s home gave us a unique insider view of private life - one which would be difficult to accomplish with larger groups.  The visit to Varanasi was unforgettable. All in all, it was a spectacular, extremely well organized journey and we appreciate all the attention to the details which made the trip so wonderful. The Journey of the Senses tour you have put  together is indeed spectacular and the reviews published on your website express the delight of  Explore India customers. Best wishes and thanks,