7 independent reviews for India wildlife and culture tour, Rajasthan
Reviews for India wildlife and culture tour, Rajasthan
John Jessup review 27 Jan 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing a tiger in the wild for the first time in Panna and seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time were standout moments, but overall the most memorable part of our trip was seeing a small part of India and getting a glimpse into the way of life and the culture. It was brilliant stopping at the roadside for a cup of masala chai, eating street food from non-touristy outlets and having conversations about religion, culture, politics and kharma with our driver/guide Ravindra. Being invited into his friend's house for a home-cooked lunch was an honour and a memory that will stay with us for ever.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Pack light! Your luggage needs to fit in the car boot alongside your driver's luggage - which in our case meant a daily challenge. Hotel laundry services are cheap and quick, while clothes on sale in normal Indian shops are also very cheap by European standards.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Definitely. I believe that all the hotels we stayed in were Indian-owned, as were the places we ate. And, of course, the company who arranged our tour were a truly local firm.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Memorable! India is unlike anywhere else we have been in the world, so full of colour, people, noise and cows - lots of cows. But this trip also gave us breaks from the noisy cities with time spent in blissful, rural quiet too. Certainly very glad that we spent time outside the Golden Triangle and that we got to see a mixture of cities, small towns and villages. And it was great to have such a friendly and interesting guide as Ravindra, who was also an excellent driver who made us feel safe at all times and who calmly dealt with any issues that arose during our holiday. I don't hesitate to recommend him as a man to rely on in India.Nick Webber review 13 Jan 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We loved India and it's impossible to identify one standout moment. The leopard safari in the Jawai Bandh was wonderful and we loved the cities in Rajasthan, Darjeeeling was very different from anywhere else we went and we loved it there and Kolkata was a vibrant and fascinating city.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't try to pack too much in. Try the trains. Be open to new experiences.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We stayed in mainly small guest houses and homestays and we used local drivers. We took trains for some longer journeys.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
India is, as everyone says, an assault on all your senses. We loved it and we felt well looked after by Ravi who was responsive and professional.Chandra Kothari review 16 Apr 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing tigers and viewing the Taj Mahal early in the morning.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Street food can be great especially if you are advised by Ravindra Chauhan as we were.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope so, since our trip was wholly arranged by local personnel.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Extremely highly, especially our tour organiser Ravindra.Daniel H review 17 Feb 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The most memorable part of this trip was how personalised the tour was. Ravindra was incredible at altering the itinerary to suit my needs. We visited incredible places including forts, palaces and national parks, however it was the incredible people that Ravindra introduced me to along the way that made this tour special. The most exciting parts were the tiger safaris and also leopard safaris at Sena leopard conservancy.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
I would recommend tailor India tours to anyone looking for personalised travel anywhere in India. I spent 5 weeks with this company all over north, central and western India. Everything was organised and well planned. My tips would be to have a rough outline of what you would like the see, then let Ravindra guide you with accomodation options, transportation options and the amount of time spent in each location.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. We visited many local families, ate at local restaurants and used local guides at monuments and national parks. Conservation was supported greatly by promoting and visiting areas that were off the main tourist path that included wildlife areas, conservation areas and smaller villages.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
My holiday overall was incredible. We saw unbelievable places and wildlife and met great people along the way. Everything was well organised, but also flexible in regards to making sure I got the best times/days to see wildlife and monuments. I would highly recommend this tour operator to anyone travelling to India. Ravindra is one of the best I have dealt with and I be be greatly thankful for the experience he created for me. I will use them in the future when I visit India again.Ian Ward review 28 Feb 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
So many to choose from; seeing glorious palaces and forts, eating fabulous food and getting to see some of the India not often seen on normal tours. Having lunch with a local family, being welcomed with garlands of flowers and turbans was certainly the most memorable thing, oh and seeing a tiger!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take something warm for the early morning game drives, it gets surprisingly chilly. Take an empty suitcase, you'll easily fill it with all the lovely things you can get in India.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The places we stayed were not multi-national chains, mostly owner run, and the guides were all locals. Visited many local craft workshops and restaurants all run by the owners, we felt that all the money we spent went to the local people.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A really good mix of culture and wildlife, just when the cities started to exhaust us we had the peace of the wildlife reserves to revive us.Val Cardwell review 1 Mar 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We were lucky to get close up to tigers in Ranthambore, we enjoyed exploring magnificent buildings and admiring superb craftsmanship. In rural Rajasthan we saw wonderful countryside and wildlife but some of the most memorable things were spontaneous events and interaction with people.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Trust the tour operator to work in your best interest. Be flexible, try new things, interact with people; if there is something you particularly want to do - ask. On a practical level a dust mask or scarf may be useful, and take a large memory card for all those photos. Try a few words of Hindi!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, very definitely. Most of the accommodation used was family run, employing local people, especially in the more rural areas. Meals were usually made from very local produce. There was opportunity to purchase locally made crafts, and to see artisans at work in the villages. Five of the places we stayed specifically supported wildlife conservation projects, replacing hunting of eg. leopard with eco tourism.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This was one of the best holidays we have had, the organisation, attention to detail and thoughtfulness left us completely free to enjoy all the new experiences in a totally stress-free way. We learnt a lot about the culture of Rajasthan(ancient and modern) and also had great fun, lots of laughs and have come home with many many happy memories. Thank you.Chris Hunt review 6 Oct 2017
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
In our 3 weeks we had so many highlights -Delhi a very intense city - a person in our group called it --compressed humanity---walk through the spice markets, the kitchen at a Sikh Temple where they feed the poor -you can help out. All the forts, temples & mosques are so very different because there are so many different gods. A village lady who, as the goats were being brought in made us a cup of hot tea as soon as they were milked -very nice. Village children --all want you to take their picture or have you be in theirs. A nights stay in the Princess Room at Roopangarh Fort -beautiful room & location --we were very spoiled. Ajunta & Ellora caves -like nothing you've ever seen.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Challenge yourself to do something different. See the main sights but get off the regular tourist trail a bit & see some of the real India- at times it's confronting but there's always something different around the next corner. Try train travel it's not like on the TV -air-conditioned - sleepers - safe & secure. We went in September -still a bit warm. Our tour operator said our next trip should be in October/November-a bit cooler. Try the local street food -your guide knows where it's good to eat -5 of us the trip & nobody got Delhi belly or anything like that. Our guides told us about Indian people- how they live, eat, pray, their schooling, history, arranged marriages - a lot of information. We flew into Delhi -train to Agra then driving over about 2 weeks to Udaipur -fly to Mumbai then overnight sleeper to Aurangobad for the Ellora & Adjunta caves & then fly out of Mumbai.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Our guides took us to small villages off the beaten track. We saw the local hand manufacture of clothing, rugs, mortar & pestles, brightly coloured ribbons, sesame oil, bangles & much more & we went home with our bags full. We bought pens & exercise books & took them to a local school in Roopangarh village, spent some time & learned how the children spend their school day. The conservation work being done by Ravi Ji at Jagnath Wildlife Safari refuge in Dhawla Village is commendable & the night drive through the wilderness was very rewarding. We also were guests of Pushpendra & his team at the Varawal Leopard camp. His passion & knowledge of the local Leopards -where to see them, what their habits are, how they move around & their population growth was exemplary.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This trip was so good we will be going back. We are Australians -we have 24 million people -in total. Mumbai has 22 million in one city. Our land mass is twice that of India. Our tour operator did an exceptional job of looking after the 5 of us -their organisation was flawless. We changed the itinerary a few times & they were more than happy to do that We went on an affordable trip - if it's 3 or 5 star accommodation no matter where the care & experience will be the same --- unforgettable.Holiday Reviews
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