Ganges Explorer

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

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  Leena Malde

  GANGES EXPLORER

  

  Written February 2012

  A superb experience encompassing India's spiritual essence and away from the regular tourist spots 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Rishikesh is a beautiful, peaceful town and the evening puja ceremony was the most moving experience of the whole trip - definitely not to be missed and a place well worth visiting. The couple of days sailing down the Ganges and away from the traffic chaos that is Indian roads was also superb and camping on the banks of the Ganges was definitely a highlight for me.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Our group leader, Ajay, was superb. He was so honest and open about everything and did not seek to deceive us in any way with regards to the real India. Also nobody got sick and that's down to Ajay taking us to good places to eat without spending a fortune - 5*.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Not really a trip for first timers to India! If you haven't seen India before then this trip would be overwhelming as it really gets to grips with the spirit of India, not the forts and palaces, so it would be something of a culture shock/challenge for a first timer. Be prepared to have a few wet wipe washes, take a sleeping bag liner and plenty of toilet roll!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  A superb trip and thoroughly recommended. The contrast between the hustle and bustle of Delhi and Calcutta, contrasted with the tranquility of Rishikesh and Sunderbans all in one trip is incredible. The evening prayer service at Rishikesh is not to be missed and I would also recommend the short afternoon trip to Sarnath during your free time in Varanasi.

   
• 

  Tanya Lay

  GANGES EXPLORER

  

  Written November 2011

  Off the beaten track holiday. Saw some amazing places that I wouldn't have found independently. However the trip covers a massive distance and we seemed to spend most of the time travelling. 3 overnights on a train with very little sleep was too much. Due to the large amount of travel it wasn't very relaxing and there was not much free time for shopping. Whilst it was great to stay in hotels run by locals the standard of some of them was hit and miss - including extensive renovations in one.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  2 days on a boat on the Ganges, camping wild and tiger spotting in Sunderbans. Sunderbans was like an oasis.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  This was the second time this trip was done and I believe they rotate leaders so you don't get the same one one each trip. Our leader wasn't very good - he didn't give much cultural context outside of religion and didn't like answering our questions and was very patronising on several occasions. This created a very awkward atmosphere in our group.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  This is more of a glorified backpacking trip that covers a huge distance. This has it's pro's and con's. We saw very few other tourists on most of the days and we saw some amazing places. However it is an exhausting trip. The trip notes are accurate with description of places - however it should stress more the distances and time spent travelling.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  It feels like this trip wasn't planned in terms of how may nights spent at each place. 3 nights on a train was too much - 1 night was sufficient - exhausting to have 3 nights with very little sleep. It would have been good to have 2 nights in Varanasi for example (rather than one). This may all be teething problems during the first year of this trip, but this was not the holiday I have come to expect from Exodus - I normally give 5 stars.

   
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  beverley needam-taylor

  GANGES EXPLORER

  

  Written November 2011

  In principal, this should be a good holiday but it was spoilt by the tour guide Mr Avtar Singh.  I felt that there was too much time spent on the three train journeys which were very long and suggested that an internal flight could reduce this and that two nights in Varanasi at a more centrally located hotel would have been more enjoyable. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  There should have been many inspirational moments, but I felt that the group were deprived of these by the attitude of our tour guide Mr Avtar Singh.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Ah yes, Mr Avtar Singh, Mr Charm for the first few days turned into Mr Charmless for the rest of our holiday.  He became rude, obnoxious, disrespectful and had no empathy with the group and for most of our holiday the atmosphere was very tense whenever he was around.  He seemed to lack interpersonal and conversational skills.  I have travelled for 20 years to India and other countries with Exodus and other companies and fortunately I have never experienced a bad tour guide. 

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Check that Mr Avtar Singh is not your tour guide for this holiday.  Re-confirm your return flights a day or so ahead as mine did not exist from Calcutta to Delhi though confirmed by him to the group the previous day and I had to make my own way back.  Exodus have since told me that they do not consider this is part of the tour guides responsibility, though on all other holidays this has been done as a matter of routine.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  This holiday should have had great potential but was very badly let down by the tour guide.  It has highlighted the importance of a good guide and has made me wary of holidaying with Exodus in the future and I shall certainly look to other tour operators who offer similar holidays.

  Exodus Response

  I thank Mrs Taylor for her valued feedback and assure you that we take feedback such as this very seriously. I understand that our leader, on this occasion, has underperformed for this group which is hugely dissapointing. At Exodus, we pride ourselves in having the best tour leaders in the business, so it was very disappointing to learn that you felt Avtar didn't do a good job on this trip. We were surprised to read your feedback as he has led Exodus trips for over 5 years and he usually receives excellent feedback from clients. I have previously been on a trip with Avtar and found him to be very informative, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. In our 2010 Leader Awards competition he was in the top 25 Exodus leaders worldwide, in 2009 he received a high number of votes and we cannot recall receiving feedback previously to suggest that he is patronising or obnoxious. We have carried out a detailed review of this trip with the leader and please be assured that we will continue to closely monitor feedback about Avtar to ensure that he is meeting our expected high standards.

  I also appreciate the feedback regarding the itinerary. I understand the point about three overnight trains however the only route on which a flight could be used would be between Varanasi and Kolkata and whilst we realise that some clients may be happy to pay the additional cost, we feel that this may make the trip prohibitively expensive for the majority of our clients. However I will continue to monitor feedback very closely and review the design of the trip accordingly.

  Katherine Tory, India Product Executive

  
  

  - Exodus Staff

   
• 

  Clare Ransom

  GANGES EXPLORER

  

  Written October 2011

  This is a trip of contrasts giving the opportunity to experience some of the rich variety of life that  India offers from  the foothills of the Himalayas at Rishikesh, through remote villages, riverside camps , overcrowded backstreets in Varanasi to the silence of the Bay of Bengal.   

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  We had so many wonderful experiences, from visiting a Sikh temple in Delhi, watching the early morning pilgrims at Haridwar, to exploring the eerie, tangled, muddiness of the Sundarbans but the highlight of the trip was definitely sailing down the Ganges.  I had expected the river bank to be much like the Nile, canalised and populated, so was astonished at how completely empty it is – just the wide muddy bank of the flood plain and the complete silence only broken by the splash of an occasional dolphin.   It was truly unforgettable and the most relaxing experience of my life.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  We were extremely lucky to have Balvinder Singh as our group leader,  but to be fair, his task was made easier by there only being six experienced travellers in the group who knew what to expect from India.    Ours was the first time this trip had run and we were expecting teething problems but Bali anticipated anything and everything and ensured that all accommodation, travel and transport links were trouble free.  We all enjoyed his company appreciated his inside knowledge and willingness to discuss all aspects of life in India – he made the trip such a great success.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Be prepared for the heat.  It was hot and extremely humid when we went in October, so becoming dehydrated is a serious risk.    Don’t worry about the boat trip or the camping, everything is clean and very comfortable.    

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  This trip is an opportunity to visit places that are either hard to get to on not on the usual routes – particularly the site of the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad, somewhere I never thought I would go to and the remote Sundarbans nature reserve.   Although I was lucky enough to catch a very brief glimpse of a tiger, this is completely unlike the ‘land-based’ nature reserves and is not the place reliable sightings.  Having said that, our visit to the Sundarbans was one of the highlights of the trip, with a huge variety of bird life.  The boat crew who sailed us along the Ganges were an absolute pleasure and they anticipated our every need and really couldn’t do enough for us.  I’ve never been so well looked after or so well fed while travelling on a boat.     

   
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  Frances Harrington

  GANGES EXPLORER

  

  Written October 2011

  A trip of a lifetime to the real India 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The river trip down the Ganges.  The small boats were so comfortable, the fact that they were rowed rather than motorised meant the trip was completely relaxing and peaceful.   We spotted rare gangetic dolphins.  The kitchen boat produced a series of unbelievably tasty meals.  The camping was very comfortable and waking up with a cup of tea at sunrise on the banks of the holy river was an experience I will never forget.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Balvinder Singh is an amazing guide.  He managed to absorb all the stress which I normally associate with travellling in India - he anticipated and dealt with every eventuality - usually before any of us noticed what was going on!    His insights into life in India made me feel like I was really travelling and experiencing rather than being a tourist.  

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  3 overnight train trips might seem like a lot of travelling - indeed it is - but the experience of people watching on the station, ordering a hot chai first thing in the morning and chatting to ordinary people travelling from A to B is a great experience.  However some ear plugs will help you sleep!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  If you want to get off the beaten track, to see lesser known parts of Incredible India and see ordinary people going about their everyday lives then this  is the trip for you.  

   
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  Suzanne Dawson

  GANGES EXPLORER

  

  Written October 2011

  Wow! This is India at its most colourful, spiritual and food loving best! An assault on all the senses! This trip will stay with me for ever. It really was a once in a lifetime experience.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Floating down the Ganges was one of the most serene experiences of my life. It was so peaceful and relaxing. Yes there are sights that might upset people (cremations etc) but this is the Ganges. To quote that TV advert - 'you get what it says on the tin'.

   

  What did you think of your group leader?

  I've travelled on a lot of group holidays and have rarely had a problem with the guides. However, Bali makes them all pale into insignificance. He was 'Mr Fixit'. Nothing was too much trouble - from buying snacks for the journeys to finding a Sikh tailor to make up our shirts during the busiest time of the year - wedding season! It was quite a struggle to leave him and learn to problem solve again.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  This is the real India. If you've never been before, or have only been to Kerala this is totally different, and may not be the trip for you. You're throwing yourself in at the deep-end.

  You will be witness to and mingle with real people living their real lives. What a priviledge!

   

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The boat crew were amazing. I never expected to enjoy this part so much. The mattresses were so comfortable I slept like a log. The food was delicious. I still do not know how they knocked up those meals on one gas stove, whilst floating along. The doormat to keep the sand out of the dining area when we beached was inspirational!

  The lodge in Sunderbans was so quiet, and peaceful. Birdlife incredible. 

  Witnessing peoples religious ablutions so up close and personal was a real priviledge. A very spiritual moment. 

  The yoga class was an experience. I do a class every week but I still grew 6inches in that one!

  The train journeys were incredible. The people watching is endless. The sound of 'chai chai coffee chai' will never leave me. If you want unbroken sleep this is not the journey for you BUT if you want a slice of life this is the trip for you. 

  I could go on and on. I think its one of the best trips I've ever done, and certainly my favourite in India. I could never have done this in 2 weeks independently, and if you have a guide like Bali you'd be missing out so much by doing that anyway.