How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Excellent. Very caring, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. On same wavelength as group. Always took us to good restaurants.

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

Be prepared for long and bumpy drives.

 

How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Absolutely excellent. An encyclopeadic knowledge of the areas visited - and most caring to group.

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

Be ready for very long bus journeys. I don't think the tour description adequately conveys the length of bus travel - which is a particular shame given some fantastic hotels

Do you have anything else to add?

The desert camp is more Centre Parcs than desert camp - which isn't what is suggested in the tour notes. 

 

It would be very difficult to list trip highlights as there were so many but most notable about this holiday was that it exceeded my expectations. The hotels were all so full of characteur and in lovely settings. There were some long driving distances but I found it all very interesting and worth it for the amount of amazing places we saw. The architecture of all the temples, forts, palaces and havelis was stunning with such great craftsmanship. The camel trek in the desert was great fun and it was a privalege to be invited into local homes. Our guide was very knowledgable on all topics and very kind and conciderate. I did find the Rat Temple was not quite to my personal taste but it was an interesting experience and I am glad I went. I didn't feel there was as much hassel with beggers and hawkers as I expected and the best way to deal with any was just not to acknowledge them. I also recommend that visitors do vary their diet and not continually eat the local style food as our digestive systems find it difficult to tolerate.I felt it was a good introduction holiday to India and look forward to visiting the country again. (DRD- 26th November 2010)

Burning temple floors made me wonder why I had chosen to go 'In Style' and had to walk and not be carried in a golden howdah but this holiday had all the elements an Explore holiday should have! We did explore and not necessarily 'in style'. We still rode on trains, tuk tuks and camels, wandered round bazaars, ate in roadside 'services' and were introduced to the locals. Then came the evenings when we would drive through majestic gates and into the peace and quiet of the Indian version of a stately home. Meals were often served in deeply scented gardens which during the day would echo with the calls of peacocks and langur monkeys. So, back to those burning floors - a very thick soled pair of socks will help you stroll sedately across the courtyard and into the stunning, cool interior. (DRD- 2nd April 2010)