India - ideas for trip - recommend a tour operator

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briancbyrne

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Hi,
the better half is going to India soon and is looking to book a guided tour around the golden triangle. Has anyone used or can recommend such a tour operator as there seems to be plenty of cowboys out there.
Also any must see's in Mumbai ??

Much appreciated,

Brian
 
Hi

We went to India with Explore earlier this year. We did this tour
[broken link removed]

It was the first time we'd done a guided tour (usually just do our own thing) and we really enjoyed it. The group was small (13) and everyone got on well. Dinner is only included on two nights so your free to meet up with others in the group or just do your own thing.

Only criticism I have is we were brought to a few "hard sell" places, a jewellery shop & a carpet place.

It's a fascinating country and the Taj Mahal is breathtaking.
 

One place I would recommend in Rajisthan is Udaipur. If you can stretch to stay at the Lake Palace there it is definitely worth a visit.
In Mumbai, a trip to Elephanta island is worth doing.

We booked through an Indian company but it was not with a group, just a driver and the two of us for the days we were touring. If this option is of interest to you I can root out the name of the company - I'm sure I have it around somewhere.
 
Agree on Udaipur - fabulous place and if you (really!) want to splurge you can stay at the Lake Palace hotel .. but the rest of the city is nice too and plenty decent places to stay.

For the Golden Triange/Rajahstan area ... you of course can't miss the Taj Mahal in Agra ... I didn't much like Delhi as a city.. but there's a few amazing things to see there so it's a must visit. Jodphur and Jaisalmer were both pretty amazing places - I'd try to fit them in ... Jaipur was probalby the least amazing place - but it was still pretty cool too and if you're going to any of the other places mentioned you'll likely have to pass through.

Wonderful country to visit .. pretty easy to travel around and your money goes a long way there ... Visit it with an open mind and enjoy!
 
We travelled around with Intrepid, there were about 15 in our group from memory it's the 3rd or 4th time I've used in Intrepid and always find them good. In Mumbai there's the gateway of india boat tours depart from here, we didn't do one just had a look at the gate which is pretty impressive. There's a lovely walk along the boulevard, even if the water is a bit smelly!
 
Myself and Miss Gunner are thinking of travelling to India this year. Not into the hiking etc just something easy and comfortable.

Was looking at the Golden Triangle tour or Have travelled with Gap and found them good and would like to go with a tour guide.Looking at interpid travel also.

Would it be better to do the Golden Triangle then head to one of the beaches to finish off trip with relaxing time?

Anyone with suggestions?
 
Sorry for butting in, but I'm looking at doing a last minute trip to India for the cricket world cup, going to Ireland's two games in Bangalore and then take 5/6 days to chill out in (probably) either Goa or Kerala. Would anyone have recommendations for either?

Too old for beach parties or hanging out with gap-year students (so lots of Goa ruled out) but maybe if someone can recommend somewhere in either place or somewhere else nearby that would be appreciated.
 
I went on a trip to India with GAP last summer; second time I have used this tour company and would highly recommend them. I have also travelled with Intrepid and Explore in the past and would have no problem recommending them either.

Here is a link to the trip I took



It was very comprehensive and covered the majority of main sights in Delhi, Rajasthan etc; it certainly gives you an excellent flavour of the country.

Be careful of the time of year you go; I went in the 2nd half of July in 2010 and it was quite hot and very humid and the monsoon season was kicking in (but the rain only got really bad towards the end of the trip).
 
IrishGunner said:
Would it be better to do the Golden Triangle then head to one of the beaches to finish off trip with relaxing time?
Click to expand...

Definitely leave the beaches until after the tour as it is a great way to wind down and relax before travelling back home. Although the tours are not physically demanding e.g. hiking etc, they do take a lot out of you as they can be quite intensive.

Goa is supposed to be the place to go for the beaches but as I said in the last post, avoid July through to October or so. I met a couple of guys who were in Goa the week before our tour started and (in July) and the said Goa was dead and the weather was awful; totally the wrong time of year to go.
 
Have been going to Goa for the last 5 years in Feb and would highly recommend it. We are neither back-packers, gap-year students or interested in parties.... Just retired 50 year olds!!!! If you have only 5/6 days, I would recommend flying to Goa. If you want any other info you can pm me. Lovely beaches, restaurants and people.
 

Thanks

What was the accomodation like ? I would sleep on a bed of nails but Miss Gunner likes her comforts and cleanliness. Looking at going maybe end of Oct as Monsoon season finished then. May either do a short tour and then head to beaches to relax depends on how many days we can take as holidays and weighing up the options. Then we can check flights etc
 
Brian, I travelled by train from Delhi to Agra (2 nights) to Jaipur (2 nights) and back to Delhi by a/c taxi. At each site you can pick up a good English speaking guide. If you do a tour sometimes you are stuck with a guide (could be anywhere not just India) whose English you really can't follow for more than 5 mins and it becomes very tiring.
 

Thanks, have sent PM.
 
Tips for Kerala Trip

Kerala has some amazing places to visit and stay. It would be best if you could stay for atleast 2 weeks. Some of the places to visit are Vythiri in Wayanad district, Munnar in Idukki, House boats in Kumarakom, Alappuzha. In fact there are so many interesting places, I just named a few. It would be defnitely worth if you could have some rejuvenating ayur vedic treatments, oil massages etc.You can always search and see for the above terms. If you love the sea, try Kovalam, Cherai Beach etc. If you would like to explore, visit Kochi, Kozhikode (Calicut), Trivandrum, or Thrissur during the Pooram festival which is on May 12th this year (2011).
 
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