How was your Explore Tour Leader?

"Our Tour Leader was Raj. He was most helpful and enthusiastic, always looking out for the group and taking care of our needs. He always had a cheerful disposition and was full of information, that he was bursting to tell.

He would always sort out the best possible room arrangements for us, and check our levels of satisfaction. He would check out the cleanliness and hygiene of eating facilities, provide us with guidelines on costs and keep us posted each day with  arrangements."

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

"Beware Taj Mahal security check means no liquids, creams, pens or straws as I discovered (leave these at the hotel or with your tour guide)

Be prepared in some places to be hassled to buy, take your tour guides advice, ignore completely if you are not interested, any reaction yes or no means they will persist. If you do get hassled just be patient, no one can force you to buy. Always agree upfront before proceeding with a transaction and make sure parties a clear. If you don't get the best deals just put in down to experience, I'm sure at time it was a good deal until someone else betters it.

Take along handwipes/bacterial gel and medication like immodium/diaralyte for just in case. Keep some mosquito repellant handy.

Pushkar ladies and young girls will need to cover their legs."

Do you have anything else to add?

A fantastic tour, full of the highlights of Rajastahan. Be prepared for some early mornings, but they are well worth it.

How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Excellent.  Our tour leader was brilliant in every way.  Couldn't do enough for us and really great with the children.  He had an extensive knowledge of the area and life in India in general.  He checked kitchen's to make sure that food was prepared hygienically for us and just went above and beyond what was necessary most of the time.

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

Be prepared for early mornings. ensure children have good swimwear which covers their bodies and preferably hats to protect their heads. Remember that the visas add a substantial cost to the holiday and should be organised well in advance.  Take playing cards and plenty of top trumps to entertain on long coach journies.

Do you have anything else to add?

We wanted a holiday which would be a real experience, an amazing adventure and something we would remember for many years to come.  We were not disappointed.  There were so many highlights with rides on Camels, elephants, motorised and cycle rickshaws and trains. Kids enjoyed all this and seeing tigers so there was something for everyone. Great going with other like-minded families and kids enjoyed being with other children. We feel like we saw something of the real India visiting the main tourist sites such as Taj Mahal, but also small villages and towns. It is not a holiday for the faint hearted or those who want to relax, it's very busy but worth it exactly what we expected from Explore.  I Highly recommend it.

A lovely experience to share with my family, which included my 6 year old grand daughters. Highlights for us were the Taj Mahal, which exceeded all expectations,and the visit to a village in Rajasthan where we received such a warm welcome from the people. And of course Diwali in Jaipur - we will never for get the fireworks - magical!   Molly and Alice just loved India - its a fantastic destination for this age group, so much to see and so exciting, an experience which they will remember all their lives. The fort hotel in Pachewar (sp?) was  beautiful - like something out of a fairy story.  To anyone considering this trip - I`d say go for it - bring plenty of anti bacterial hand wash - despite the forebodings expressed by friends and family, we were fit and healthy throughout the holiday but you do need to be mindful that local hygiene standards are not what we are used to.  The girls are still voting it their best holiday ever..and the grown ups loved it too!

This was my first family tour with Explore and it was fantastic. The whole family really enjoyed it in many different ways. The kids made some great new friends – whilst still enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and animals of India. I loved being able to experience adventure travel again – this time with my kids – getting to see everything I wanted to see all in one tour without the hassle. It was also the most relaxing, whilst being action packed, holiday I have been on with the family. India was more than I could ever have asked for and I loved Amber Fort, Ranthambore National Park, seeing my 5 year old climbing up to Savitri Temple in Pushkar and listening to the endless laughter from all the kids during everything we did. (FMG - 14th April 2011)