3 Cheers for ActiveIndia!
India
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Feb 8 - Feb 17, 2026
We were already happy with the excellent communication w/ActiveIndia before our trip to India Jan.-Feb. 2026. Our confidence was reinforced when we met our local guide in Mumbai, Mr. Suraj and driver, Mr. Sunder and checked into the Suba Palace hotel. Our half day tour of Mumbai, which included seeing the Gate of India, the Victoria Terminus Rail Station, the Gandhi Memorial Museum (Mani Bhavan) on Laburnam Rd. and beautiful city parks, was just enough for us. The Suba Palace hotel was comfortable and accommodating. The next day we were taken to the airport on time & efficiently for the next leg of our India trip, in Delhi. Our IndiGo flight (arranged by ActiveIndia) was also comfortable and efficient. At the Delhi airport we were met by the Delhi ActiveIndia office representative, Adarsh, and our driver for the next week, Mr. Rajesh. Both were friendly and accommodating. We met our local Delhi guide, Nadim Akhtar, at our Delhi hotel, The Colonel’s Retreat, for a quick tour of the Lodi Gardens. Due to the very heavy traffic & our limited time, it appeared we did not see all the planned Delhi highlights, but we did see the most impressive Mahatma Gandhi memorial. As a gardener, I was most touched by the beautiful pollinator gardens and the thousands of bees and butterflies as much as the monuments!
We liked that all our hotels provided a delicious breakfast and most had a restaurant on site. The Colonel’s Retreat was able to accommodate our request for dinner even tho’ we returned from sightseeing after 8 pm.
The next day we got to know our driver Mr. Rajesh, as the trip to Agra was long. We appreciated his skilled driving and he and ActiveIndia selected the perfect places for refreshing rest stops (often with fun shopping opportunities!) In fact, we appreciated the quality and atmosphere of all the places our ActiveIndia guides took us to shop.
In Agra we met our local guide, Mr. Ajay Gupta, there at the hotel, Da Bungalow. Da Bungalow was a quiet and relaxing place to stay, even tho’ we stayed only one night. Mr. Gupta took us to the impressive Agra Fort first, from which we got our first breathtaking glimpse of the Taj Mahal. Mr. Gupta was a premier guide, showing us the detail of the artwork & craftsmanship with local pride and insight. Thanks to him we got lovely “sunset” photos at the Taj to send home to friends & family.
After breakfast the next morning we left Agra for The Abhaneri Stepwell. There, Mr. Rajesh handed us off to a cheerful and knowledgeable local guide for about an hour and we were mesmerized by both the well and the Harshat Mata temple a few steps away. The well, also called the Chand Baori, it was truly a wonder to behold. Then we continued on to Jaipur! In Jaipur we stayed for 2 nights at the most charming Traditional Haveli, but as soon as wee checked in, our Jaipur guide, Mr. Sanjay Safaya, whisked us away to the Laxmi Narayan temple to witness the Aarti ceremony. It was well worth the the rush! In fact, everything Mr. Safaya showed us and introduced us to was marvelous. We especially loved the Jaipur Flower and Vegetable Market in the old part of Jaipur, as well as the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar solar observatory. At the end of a marvelous day of incredible sightseeing, we said a fond “good-by” to Mr. Safaya. We ended our day with a cooking class & dinner with Usha & IV Inder Vigi Singh, a local family. It was really special to learn about their family history and current life in Jaipur.
Our drive to Jodhpur was long, but Mr. Rajesh was very capable and guided us to a good place for lunch! In Jodhpur we enjoyed the lovely Pal Haveli even if only for one night. Our guide there, Mr. Raghunath, was also personable, knowledgeable and easy to communicate with.
The next day we set off for Udaipur and another day & a half of wonderful sightseeing. We stayed 2 nights at the beautiful Karohi Haveli near Lake Pichola, and met our Udaipur guide, Mr. Gajraj there late Sunday afternoon. He & Mr. Rajesh were able to get us to the 6pm show of the Dharohar Dance company at another haveli, Bagore Ki Haveli. That was colorful, but I would have liked to see more of the dancers & marionettes and less of tourists dancing with them! The highlight of our next day in Udaipur was their City Palace & Museum, plus the Courtyard of the Maidens garden . We also liked the Jagdish Temple, where we could take photos & record a short segment of the worship service.
Finishing off our 2nd day in Udaipur, we took a boat ride on beautiful Lake Pichola. It was wonderful to view the city’s skyline from the water.
All in all, we really appreciated all our guides and ESPECIALLY our driver Mr. Rajesh from Delhi to Udaipur (Mon. Feb. 2 through Tues. Feb. 17). We thought all our hotels were a very good value and the personnel at each place were kind and super-hospitable. I appreciated having the written materials ActiveIndia provided. The only negatives we experienced were the heavy traffic and VERY long distances between Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Jodhpur-Udaipur. But that was our ignorance of India, not your agency’s fault. In fact, ActiveIndia provided us with a well-curated and sanitized journey overall. Please convey our appreciation to all your staff and participating businesses. We will refer our friends and family to ActiveIndia and hope to return to India someday, ourselves.
Activity Reviews
We only wish we had more time to view monuments and less rime in traffic!
Really enjoyed the Jaipur Flower (& Vegetable) Market.
Standing on the balcony where Mahatma Gandhi stood, at his friend’s house on Laburnum Rd., was quite profound.
Very gracious welcome by a local family who shared both their home and family lore/history in Jaipur.
I really liked the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial. The pollinator gardens there were a moving tribute to Gandhi’s work with rural honey production.
We really loved seeing the Taj Mahal with a local guide who could take us to good spots for fantastic photos. His knowledge and pride in the workmanship was inspiring.
