Kimkim Trip Reviews for India

4.7
Based on 131 ratings
Read 131 verified reviews by travelers who booked their trip to India on kimkim. You can also read reviews about kimkim on 3rd party sites including Google, TrustPilot and Yelp.

India trip planning. Excellent experience ...
India | Oct 28 - Nov 12, 2022

D
Deborah P.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Oct 06, 2022

We have had an amazing experience planning our trip to India with Ravi. The itinerary suggested was perfect and met our brief so well. Suggested changes from us were implemented quickly with excellent advice and help from Ravi. Response to messages was alway quick and appropriate. I would thoroughly recommend Ravi and Kimkim for planning your trip.
Thank you Ravi and I hope we can travel to India soon once we have the visa issue sorted.

Local specialist: Ravi Tickoo
Ravi
Ravi Tickoo
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Oct 06, 2022

Dear Deborah,
Glad to read your review. Thank you so very much for your support and we will always be grateful to you. It would be an honor for us to have this continued association with you and fulfill your travel needs whenever you will obtain Indian visa.
In the meantime, I send your way my best wishes.
Kind regards,
Ravi

Jit, my guide in Delhi was excellent as was d...
India | Sep 13 - Sep 20, 2022

S
Stefanos I.
Spokane, WA | Reviewed on Sep 23, 2022
Jit, my guide in Delhi was excellent as was driver Pushkar. I particularly enjoyed visiting Pushkar. Read more

Jit, my guide in Delhi was excellent as was driver Pushkar. I particularly enjoyed visiting Pushkar.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Udman Ferns N Petals
New Delhi, Delhi
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Grand Mercure Agra
Agra
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Dera Rawatsar
Jaipur
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Pushkar Palace
Bhattiyani Chohatta Udaipur, Rajasthan
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Arrival Delhi
Arrival Delhi
New Delhi International Airport (DEL)
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Delhi Full Day Sightseeing
Delhi Full Day Sightseeing
Delhi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very informative guide
Transport
Agra Sightseeing
Agra Sightseeing
Agra
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Taj Mahal at Sunrise and Drive to Jaipur
Taj Mahal at Sunrise and Drive to Jaipur
Jaipur

Sites were beautiful. Guide was good but not very personable.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Jaipur Sightseeing Tour + Village jeep ride
Jaipur Sightseeing Tour + Village jeep ride
Jaipur
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Jaipur - Pushkar
Jaipur - Pushkar
Pushkar
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Pushkar Drive to Ajmer -Delhi (Train 1545/2240hrs) - departure (Depart by Etihad Airways EY211 on September 21, 2022 at 0445)
New Delhi International Airport (DEL)
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Trip Concludes in Delhi
Trip Concludes in Delhi
New Delhi International Airport (DEL)

It is not an easy airport to navigate including access to the free WiFi so it would be helpful to add some of that practical info to future travelers

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Ravi Tickoo
Ravi
Ravi Tickoo
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Sep 27, 2022

Dear Stefanos
Greetings and good wishes !!
Glad to read your review on our services. Thank you so very much for your support and we will always be grateful to you. This would surely encourage other intending travellers.

It would be an honor for us to have this continued association with you and fulfil your travel needs whenever you plan to travel to our part of the world again. Please do keep us in your thoughts.

In the meantime, I send your way my best wishes.
Kind regards,
Ravi

Tour to Taj Mahal
India | Apr 8 - Apr 11, 2022

Rick
Rick B.
Houston, TX | Reviewed on May 06, 2022

Ravi was quick to respond to our inquiry about booking a trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. Every detail, from our airport pickup in Delhi, the private car to Agra, our hotel in Agra and our guide for our tour of the Taj was perfect. Our guide took us to lunch at "Pinch Of Spice" in Agra which was wonderful! He was very knowledgeable and personable.

Local specialist: Ravi Tickoo
Ravi
Ravi Tickoo
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on May 09, 2022

Dear Rick,
Greetings and good wishes !!
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide feedback. Your feedback is greatly valued and important to us. We appreciate your kind and encouraging words. It would be a privilege for us to continue our relationship with you and to craft another trip for you whenever you return to our part of the world.
In the meantime, I send your way my best wishes.
Kind regards,
Ravi

This was our first trip to India. We are exp...
India | Mar 22 - Apr 18, 2022

Patricia
Patricia H.
Redmond, WA | Reviewed on May 05, 2022
This was our first trip to India. We are experienced travelers, but generally have local contacts that help us arrange a trip. For India, we had no idea where to start. We wanted a trip to see plants, orchids, and birds, along with natural settings, but also wanted a few cultural and historical places too.
After much back and forth, we had a trip planned, all tickets bought. Then covid hit. Two years passed and yet we still wanted this trip. This spring we took the leap and am...
Read more

This was our first trip to India. We are experienced travelers, but generally have local contacts that help us arrange a trip. For India, we had no idea where to start. We wanted a trip to see plants, orchids, and birds, along with natural settings, but also wanted a few cultural and historical places too.
After much back and forth, we had a trip planned, all tickets bought. Then covid hit. Two years passed and yet we still wanted this trip. This spring we took the leap and am certainly glad we went. We were everywhere welcome and asked bring more foreign tourists. Imagine being at Taj Mahal and being one of a handful of people of northern European descent. Indians are touring their own country now.. and the Taj with all the colorful saris not tourists in kaki was lovely to see.
There did turn out to be a lot of driving, but that was required to get to the various places we wanted to go. we had various guides, and for all but one ( our "guide" at the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary- I would have to give him a negative rating for many reasons) we had good to excellent experiences.
The accommodations arranged were sometimes over the top for we budget travelers but as we did not know the cost it and it was already paid for , we just enjoyed it.
Over all it was nice to just not have to arrange for anything. When we finished with a cultural site or were done with a hike, our car and driver were there, no walking to the car. We seldom carried our bags. Our biggest decisions were what to have for dinner. we have never traveled like this before and I will say it was nice.
We wrote a review of each day on the trip summary for specifics.

Local specialist: Rajendra Singh
Rajendra
Rajendra Singh
Local specialist in India | Replied on Jul 17, 2022

Hi Patricia and Jeff. Thanks for taking out time to write this detailed feedback and the day-wise points that you shared with me, it was so nice to read your feedback, it gives me pleasure to read and know that the job was well done and it can be made even better. Not everyone gets to design trips for experienced travelers like you, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing you in a not so distant future. Happy traveling and stay safe !!!

Golden Triangle India - 4 day tour
India | Jan 2 - Jan 6, 2020

S
Stephany A.
East Palo Alto, CA | Reviewed on Jan 20, 2020
KimKim was great to work with to organize this tour. Priya, our local specialist was very helpful. Because of the time difference, it usually took 1 day to respond. My planning of this trip was revised (by me) many times, and Priya managed all of the changes easily. All of our transportation, accommodations, and tours was seamless. The guides were knowledgable and helpful. I most appreciated our driver, Puran. He was with us from the moment we arrived in Delhi, until we departed Delhi. ... Read more

KimKim was great to work with to organize this tour. Priya, our local specialist was very helpful. Because of the time difference, it usually took 1 day to respond. My planning of this trip was revised (by me) many times, and Priya managed all of the changes easily. All of our transportation, accommodations, and tours was seamless. The guides were knowledgable and helpful. I most appreciated our driver, Puran. He was with us from the moment we arrived in Delhi, until we departed Delhi. I felt that he was always looking out for us - our experience and our safety. I also learned a lot about India from him. I will definitely be looking to KimKim again whenever I need help planning another trip. They have local specialists in many countries.
Thank you KimKim, Priya, and Puran for a great 4 day, whirlwind tour of the Golden Triangle.

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Jan 22, 2020

Dear Stephany,
Thank you very much for your precious feedback. We are glad and honored to plan and organize your India trip in a short time frame! It was great to have you in India and I hope you will come back soon!!
Regards
Priya

Great experience for a solo female traveler
India | Dec 27 - Jan 3, 2020

Z
Zhen L.
Hong Kong SAR China | Reviewed on Jan 07, 2020

Far beyond my expectations. It really brought me out of my bad mood. Warm welcome, quick response in WhatsApp group and considerate feedback calls en route, no harassment or traps. Thanks to my driver Mr Phrahalad, my guide Mr Verma and of course Mrs Priya, all excellent and professional. Overall, great trip, worth the price.

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Jan 07, 2020

Dear Zhen Li,
Thank you for your kind appreciation. You are so generous in making such a wonderful review. I am glad to know that you had a very good time in India.
We hope that we will receive the opportunity to serve your India tour again!!!
Regards
Priya

Great driver, guides were good , wonderful to...
India | Dec 21 - Dec 31, 2019

I
Irving R.
Bayonne, NJ | Reviewed on Jan 02, 2020

Great driver, guides were good , wonderful tour of interesting palaces, temples. Tag Mahal. Tiger safari

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Jan 02, 2020

Dear Irving,

Thank you for your appreciation and the time you took out for feedback !
We would surely love to see you in India again.

Thanks
Priya
Active India Holidays

Dec 2019amily vacation
India | Dec 21 - Dec 30, 2019

R
Rekha D.
Pleasanton, CA | Reviewed on Jan 01, 2020

Priya, was the best agent who went above and beyond to help us with this trip. We had good car, great hotels, good drivers. Only in Goa ,we could not get English speaking driver due to driving company confusion. It was not a big deal because I speak there language. Every thing was on time and coordinated very well. Priya's work was very impressive. I will recommend this travel Co.. to all my friends and i will use the same in future also.. I appreciate them very much. Thanks to Ms Priya and Mr. Ravi Tikkoo

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Jan 02, 2020

Dear Rekha ji,

Thank you for sharing your valuable feedback. Your are so kind and generous in your appreciation.

We also thank you for considering us to recommend us to your friends for their India plans. We assure you that we will do our level best to provide them a comfortable, enjoyable and fulfilling India tour.

We hope that we will get our paths crossed in the future too and bestow upon us the opportunity to set up another India tour for you.

Regards
Priya

Jay was very knowledgeable and patient. He d...
India | Dec 4 - Dec 19, 2019

B
Bert S.
Honolulu, HI | Reviewed on Dec 20, 2019

Jay was very knowledgeable and patient. He did everything very well. I recommend him.

Local specialist: Jay Kajaria

Indian golden triangle
India | Nov 27 - Dec 2, 2019

A
Abdon C.
Germany | Reviewed on Dec 04, 2019

Must-do trip in north India to get to know important spots of Indian's history and get amused by the marvellous architectural accomplishments.
At the same time, it is a very touristic tour. One will be pushed to buy stuff by the guides (which for sure is normal and moves the economy but one should be given the option in advance).
Jaipur is a great city, walking around the city is an experience of its own.
Make sure to review (and change if you want) the hotels given by the agency before accepting the tour.
The agency provided a great driver

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Dec 04, 2019

Dear Abdon,
Thank you for your kind appreciation. You are so generous in making such a wonderful review.
We hope that we will receive the opportunity to serve your India tour again!!!
Regards
Priya

KimKim was fine as a tour company. I, however...
India | Oct 6 - Oct 12, 2019

E
Ena K.
New Orleans, LA | Reviewed on Oct 28, 2019
KimKim was fine as a tour company. I, however, found out I was not crazy about having a guide and using a touring company - though I do recognize that I would probably have had a difficult time without them. Perhaps it would have been better if I had had only one guide? Or if I didn't feel somewhat rushed from one monument to another and then was taken to tourist-trap type places to buy things at elevated prices? In any case, KimKim was very efficient - they got things together well and were... Read more

KimKim was fine as a tour company. I, however, found out I was not crazy about having a guide and using a touring company - though I do recognize that I would probably have had a difficult time without them. Perhaps it would have been better if I had had only one guide? Or if I didn't feel somewhat rushed from one monument to another and then was taken to tourist-trap type places to buy things at elevated prices? In any case, KimKim was very efficient - they got things together well and were very attentive. Any problems or issues I had with using KimKim were probably more just personal preference than any inadequacy on their part - though I do think they could do a better job in terms of giving more 'local' experience.

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Nov 07, 2019

Dear Ena,
Thank you so much for posting a review on KImKIm for your latest India tour. Thank you for sharing your valuable feedback. Your appreciation really motivates us.
I hope that our paths would cross again in the future. We shall look forward to that with great anticipation.

Regards
Priya - Active India Holidays

Culture and (mountain)nature in India
India | Aug 19 - Sep 3, 2019

Robin
Robin B.
the Netherlands | Reviewed on Sep 19, 2019
The KimKim concept works fine. It's very handy to plan your trip, communicate and have your (personal) information integrated in one platform. We like the focus on sustainability and the transparent fee structure. Our trip in India was great. The contact with Gaurav was friendly and he was very helpful in planning the trip we had in mind.
During our stay in India we had regular contact and he always informed us when needed.
What we also liked was the fact that his organization had an eye... Read more

The KimKim concept works fine. It's very handy to plan your trip, communicate and have your (personal) information integrated in one platform. We like the focus on sustainability and the transparent fee structure.

Our trip in India was great. The contact with Gaurav was friendly and he was very helpful in planning the trip we had in mind.
During our stay in India we had regular contact and he always informed us when needed.

What we also liked was the fact that his organization had an eye for social issues. In Delhi our transportation was arranged by Women on Wheels (http://azadfoundation.com/our-programmes/women-on-wheels/). When we arrived in Delhi we received a LifeStraw bottle (https://www.lifestraw.com/products/lifestraw-go). We calculated that by using this bottle we saved appr. 150 PET bottles.

The most important: we had a great trip and enjoyed our stay in India very much.

So we absolute recommend Gaurav / The Folk Tales when you want to plan a trip to India!

Local specialist: Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar
Gaurav Bhan
Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Sep 24, 2019

Thanks Robin. That's a lovely review. I have noted all points of your feedback. I look forward to hosting you again in future. And this time I will definitely meet :)

Spiti Trip
India | Aug 1 - Aug 14, 2019

J
Jonathan G.
Brooklyn, NY | Reviewed on Aug 16, 2019

The trip was fantastic and very well planned. Choephell, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive and thoughtful. The food on our trek was surprising and delicious; Maila is a truly amazing camp chef. One of the days of scheduled hiking was too long, almost more than we could handle, but we’d been warned about a long day and it was necessary because we had a shorter time than usual to do the trek. I guess the lesson is to make sure to ask questions and be clear in communication when planning. In any case, we definitely felt well taken care of.

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Aug 16, 2019

Dear Jonathan,

Thank you for your review. We also cannot thank you enough for mentioning our services favorably. In fact, we too enjoyed the contact that we made with you. You were so understanding and easy going.

I hope that our paths would cross again in the future. We shall look forward to that with great anticipation.

Warm regards
Priya

Ladakh& Varanasi
India | Jul 5 - Jul 18, 2019

V
Vanessa I.
Brazil | Reviewed on Jul 28, 2019
- Organization and preparation was really excellent
- The trek was amazing and our guide very helpful and had a very broad culture on Buddhism
- Our driver (Ladakh) was excellent also, super kind , drove well and also very helpful
- The home stays were overall good, we were almost always alone with the families since not too many tourists so could enjoy cocking with them an choosing our rooms. The bathrooms were very irregular, some excellent and clean other really less. Not a big deal but...
Read more

- Organization and preparation was really excellent
- The trek was amazing and our guide very helpful and had a very broad culture on Buddhism
- Our driver (Ladakh) was excellent also, super kind , drove well and also very helpful
- The home stays were overall good, we were almost always alone with the families since not too many tourists so could enjoy cocking with them an choosing our rooms. The bathrooms were very irregular, some excellent and clean other really less. Not a big deal but worst to mention. Food was fresh and good, totally veg though which we were not expecting.
- Good surprise was that we did not need to carry our backpacks during the treks except for water and some basic stuff. I did not ask before but it would be important to let people know in advance, would not have bought so techy brand new backpacks
- Very disappointed with Singge Palace. First room we had was in the annex and very basic, second was nicer but we had a mouse in it. We claimed with management and they did not even bother to apologize. Buffet was good though. Overall people were not kind nor helpful specially at reception
- For all the Delhi connections, drives, Manish, keeping our bags,,, was really flawless (except the guy who asked me how recognize me but we already talked about it and by the way he ended being super nice)
I definitely would recommend the agency !

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Jul 30, 2019

Dear Vanessa,
Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Though we get excellent reviews from other clients for the same hotel - Singge Palace, who recently traveled with us, but I apologies for the inconvenience you had during the stay there. I will surely bring this issue to the hotel.

I am glad that overall you had a nice trip and I hope to see you again in India near future !!

South India Adventure
India | Jul 2 - Jul 11, 2019

L
Leah T.
San Diego, CA | Reviewed on Jul 20, 2019
My India trip was everything I hoped it would be and more! So grateful to the KimKim team, especially Jay and my driver Kierin; Kierin was so much fun and taught me the most as we drove from location to location exploring beautiful exotic places in South India like Munnar, Alleppy, and Kochi. My guides were all knowledgeable, friendly, and professional: special thanks to Glen (Kochi), Junis (Munnar) and Shreedevi (incredible hostess at hotel UDS in Trivandrum) - these wonderful people, among... Read more

My India trip was everything I hoped it would be and more! So grateful to the KimKim team, especially Jay and my driver Kierin; Kierin was so much fun and taught me the most as we drove from location to location exploring beautiful exotic places in South India like Munnar, Alleppy, and Kochi. My guides were all knowledgeable, friendly, and professional: special thanks to Glen (Kochi), Junis (Munnar) and Shreedevi (incredible hostess at hotel UDS in Trivandrum) - these wonderful people, among others, made my experience extra special. My goal in India was to really immerse myself in the culture, try new foods, see wildlife, and interact with local people - coming from a large metro city in California, I also wanted to get off the beaten path a bit and unplug - KimKim made the whole thing seamless and fulfilled my desire to go a bit beyond regular “tourist” type experiences - the most memorable moment, perhaps, was waking up at The Leaf in Munnar and listening to the birds while I drank my coffee and talked to a family visiting from Saudi Arabia. I will also never forget the seeing the tea plantations and the mountains in Munnar; the best smelling place in the world! Alleppy houseboating was also incredible; I had a meal I’ll probably never top! When it was time to say goodbye to Kierin, I realized I had truly made a friend, and will always remember our conversations and the laughs we shared - so thank you AGAIN KimKim for finding me the perfect road companion and for setting up my dream travel in India! I will be back and I will use KimKim again, no doubt.

Local specialist: Jay Kajaria
Jay
Jay Kajaria
Local specialist in India | Replied on Jul 22, 2019

Dear Leah

Greetings!

We thank you for sharing the trip feedback. We are so glad to know that you liked the services of guides and driver during the trip and enjoyed the host of authentic local experiences that Kerala had to offer.

It was truly our pleasure to serve you in India. We look forward to welcoming you again in the near future.

Places Most Travelers Miss (But Shouldn't) in India
India | May 29 - Jun 19, 2019

Jacqui
Jacqui O.
Australia | Reviewed on Jun 26, 2019
We’ve just finished our Indian Odyssey, all superbly organised by Priya from kimkim. Three perfectly coordinated weeks of travel adventure & Priya was with us all the way. It felt like she was constantly in the background ensuring everything ran smoothly, that we were happy & liaising with our driver & hotels to ensure we had the best of times. Priya put together a fantastic mix of travel, adventure, activities, & relaxation using a mix of hotels; some super luxury, some more basic, some... Read more

We’ve just finished our Indian Odyssey, all superbly organised by Priya from kimkim. Three perfectly coordinated weeks of travel adventure & Priya was with us all the way. It felt like she was constantly in the background ensuring everything ran smoothly, that we were happy & liaising with our driver & hotels to ensure we had the best of times. Priya put together a fantastic mix of travel, adventure, activities, & relaxation using a mix of hotels; some super luxury, some more basic, some historical, some querky but all really good. We couldn’t be happier. For the full 3 weeks we knew Priya was working in the background for our enjoyment. She called us every few days for a chat & report on how we felt the trip was going. We thought this was really good and it gave us confidence in what we were doing. She made the whole planning of the trip easy. Prompt and polite and always on hand with solutions and suggestions during the planning stage. She asked a few questions as to what we enjoy doing and magically produced a great itinerary. The local agent she used to represent kimkim, Active India was fabulous and every member of that team punctual, professional & polite. Puran, our driver was superb, he kept us safe, got us everywhere without any issue and totally focussed on our comfort and enjoyment. Totally reliable - there every step of the way. If we did a train journey an Active India rep magically appeared at our seat at destination to assist with bags & getting to the car, they took us to checkin counters at airports - all making the trip totally stress free.
We highly recommend Priya from KimKim to plan your Indian trip & need to extend a big thank you to the whole team for enduring our trip was so fantastic.

Local specialist: Priya Dikshit
Priya
Priya Dikshit
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Jun 26, 2019

Dear Jacqui,
Thank you for your appreciation and the time you took out for feedback !

We value your thoughts and it was a real pleasure helping you through the itinerary and tour. In addition I am grateful to you for recommending us to others.
We would surely love to see you in India again.

Thanks
Priya

Tour of North India and Rajasthan
India | Mar 2 - Mar 14, 2019

J
Julie S.
New Zealand | Reviewed on Apr 22, 2019
We gave the places we would like to visit and the time frame to the KimKim team who assigned us to Gaurav their Indian specialist and after a few tweaks we had the most amazing experience over the 13 days of our visit to India. Our driver Sadari was with us for 10 days and handled the chaotic roads, streets and highways like a real professional. We felt safe with him and he always Made sure we were dropped off picked up at easy accessible sites. Our guides on the tours were professional... Read more

We gave the places we would like to visit and the time frame to the KimKim team who assigned us to Gaurav their Indian specialist and after a few tweaks we had the most amazing experience over the 13 days of our visit to India. Our driver Sadari was with us for 10 days and handled the chaotic roads, streets and highways like a real professional. We felt safe with him and he always Made sure we were dropped off picked up at easy accessible sites. Our guides on the tours were professional knowledgeable and passionate in their work. Every day when we thought nothing could beat the day before ... it did. From airport pick ups to accommodation to drivers to guides to the experiences we had I cannot recommend The KimKim team highly enough. Thank you Gaurav for this experience

Local specialist: Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar
Gaurav Bhan
Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Apr 25, 2019

Thank you for the review and for all the photos Julie :) We enjoyed hosting you too. Do visit again to another part of India. There is so much more to see.

Trip to India
India | Feb 25 - Mar 5, 2019

Naresh
Naresh C.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Mar 10, 2019
The trip consisted of visiting Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. This part of India requires a separate permit due to the sensitive nature of the area.
Gaurav was able to negotiate the minefield of bureaucracy needed to obtain the permits for our party.
The travel arrangements were adequate - given the limited availability of tourist vehicles in India. The accomodation was also adequate - given the limited availability ( or even non-existent ) 3*, 4* and 5* hotels in Arunachal. Travelling in... Read more

The trip consisted of visiting Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. This part of India requires a separate permit due to the sensitive nature of the area.
Gaurav was able to negotiate the minefield of bureaucracy needed to obtain the permits for our party.

The travel arrangements were adequate - given the limited availability of tourist vehicles in India. The accomodation was also adequate - given the limited availability ( or even non-existent ) 3*, 4* and 5* hotels in Arunachal. Travelling in India is always unpredictable, given that the infrastructure is still being upgraded. Travelling over Sela pas was made difficult bt the 'freak' weather on the day. However, it was educational.

The driver (Porag) coped well given the difficult road network and heavy snow fall.

All in all it was a good trip and we learnt a lot.

Local specialist: Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar
Gaurav Bhan
Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Mar 13, 2019

Thanks Naresh, glad that you and whole family enjoyed the trip. I do agree that Arunachal is still one of the most rugged places with limited options in hotels and road conditions. But we are hopeful that within few years the infrastructure will improve. Do visit India again. There are diverse places and experiences in terms of culture with good infrastructure.

India's Golden Triangle
India | Feb 18 - Feb 28, 2019

Denise
Denise D.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Mar 09, 2019
We had a fabulous trip to India with a fantastic driver Vikram. However our whole experience has been marred by our guides need to feed us to the lions at every opportunity. We felt like they thought we were walking ATMs to be fleeced at every opportunity. Our first day we were talking to a store, our guide told us he just wanted to show us something. Then we were led to the slaughter. My husband works in the Middle East and is used to bartering but this was an all out attack that left us... Read more

We had a fabulous trip to India with a fantastic driver Vikram. However our whole experience has been marred by our guides need to feed us to the lions at every opportunity. We felt like they thought we were walking ATMs to be fleeced at every opportunity. Our first day we were talking to a store, our guide told us he just wanted to show us something. Then we were led to the slaughter. My husband works in the Middle East and is used to bartering but this was an all out attack that left us feeling abused. We bought a pashmina we neither needed or wanted just to get out. After this we made it clear we did not want to shop, we don’t need stuff we travel for the experience not the tat. Another guide took us to a palace and even though we had specifically said we did not want to shop we ended up sitting infront of an artist where both the guide and artist embarrassed us into paying £100 for a picture but were quite disappointed that we didn’t buy the £450 they started with. We were made to feel mean and tight by both of them. The fact that we could neither afford or wanted the picture meant nothing to them. If this is how your guides operate I would be reluctant to use them again.

Local specialist: Rajendra Singh

Third Eye Tour of India for the Yoga Group
India | Feb 12 - Feb 24, 2019

J
Jessica L.
Asheville, NC | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2019
Overall, our trip was fantastic. Our local guide, Jagdish Thakur was absolutely wonderful in every way. He was knowledgeable, professional, and compassionate. I felt that communication with Angela could have been better. There were some issues with pricing that took a phone call to iron out. She also was unclear on the registration process to see the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. It cost us a couple of hours of unnecessary waiting in a line (in the rain.) There was also a lack of communication... Read more

Overall, our trip was fantastic. Our local guide, Jagdish Thakur was absolutely wonderful in every way. He was knowledgeable, professional, and compassionate.

I felt that communication with Angela could have been better. There were some issues with pricing that took a phone call to iron out. She also was unclear on the registration process to see the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. It cost us a couple of hours of unnecessary waiting in a line (in the rain.) There was also a lack of communication with Jagdish prior to the trip.

It seems that the advertised itinerary was at times simply impossible to complete in the amount of time allotted. This was a yoga retreat, and we were unable to do yoga for the first week due to the schedule, and the hotels where we stayed. Seems this could have been better planned. (?)

As I said, despite these issues, everyone still had a FANTASTIC trip. Thanks so much!

Jessica Lohrey

Local specialist: Angela Manrique
Angela
Angela Manrique
Local specialist in New Delhi | Replied on Mar 12, 2019
Thank you, Jessica, for the pictures and the feedback.
I would like just to comment on some of the points mentioned by you. The communication has been very active for 10 months as I was always replaying to your messages and emails to be able to answer any question. However, as you mentioned, when the pricing issue arose, we solve it immediately with two calls and as you know KimKim and Open Eyes covered the misunderstanding amount, from our side it was great to be able to clarify this....
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Thank you, Jessica, for the pictures and the feedback.
I would like just to comment on some of the points mentioned by you. The communication has been very active for 10 months as I was always replaying to your messages and emails to be able to answer any question. However, as you mentioned, when the pricing issue arose, we solve it immediately with two calls and as you know KimKim and Open Eyes covered the misunderstanding amount, from our side it was great to be able to clarify this. Regarding the registration process for the Dalai Lama teachings, just to say that we were following all the indication regarding the official Website of the event where they mentioned that registration was necessary. However, as it was a local event, there is always a possibility of rules changes, we are glad that you were able to see his Holiness Dalai Lama. Finally, regarding the itinerary, we have agreed this route with you since the beginning of the conversation and we even mentioned transfer times and possible hours to do Yoga, also provide places to practice Yoga in every city or Hotel. However, we understand that it can be difficult to fit in the classes when people are tired due to traveling hours or if the weather is not comfortable. But we are still happy with the final result and if you want something more relax, we can always offer our wellness retreats, please visit the Link. http://www.wellnessretreatsindia.com/

Best,

Angela