INDIA GRAND TOUR

31 days from GBP2,799 to GBP2,959 including flights
Tripcode: AII

Countries Visited: India

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Our Clients’ Reviews

Average Review Rating: from 14 reviews.

paul stevens

INDIA GRAND TOUR

Written December 2011
First half of the trip is fantastic - Delhi, Varanasi, Jaipur, Agra all amazing. I very much enjoyed the overnight trains - i slept ok on them and its a great way to cover the distances. However some members of the group struggled to sleep and them found the sightseeing the days after the trains hard going. The reason i'm not putting 4 stars or more is bceause the second half of the trip didn't quite live up to the first half. Going from Mumbai to Ellora, Ajanta and Hampi involved some fair travelling on buses and the roads are not good. Still these sites were great and worth seeing. The last week of the trip was far less fun. Very long road trips on bad roads and in a bus with poor suspension. Made worse by the fact that our hotel in Goa was truly terrible. I'd been very impressed generally with the hotels prior to this. All the group mentioned this to the guide and i'm told Exodus will not use it again. However a bad experience in Goa meant that the following two longs days on the bus were hard going. Overall the last week has 4 days on a bus for only 3 days of sightseeing and wasn't really worth it in my opinion.In summary:First 2 weeks - incredible, 3rd week - good, 4th week -poor.Still you do see a vast amount in a vast country in a relatively short space of time all considered.Our guide was very good too.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The Taj Mahal is one of the few places i've been that can live up to it's own hype.
Varansasi was fantastic and were very lucky to be there during a large festival.
I very much enjoyed the overnight trains, although not all the group found them as pleasant.
What did you think of your group leader?
Brilliant. Very organised, reliable, made everything run smoothly.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Do not underestimate the travelling, especially in the second half of the trip when you have long days on the bus on poor roads. All the buses seem to be made by Tata who appear to have used the same suspension on these that they use on their lorries, which doesn't give a very smooth ride.
John Walker

INDIA GRAND TOUR

Written December 2011
I have travelled widely, over 4 decades. This was the most extraordinarily good trip, of this length, I have ever undertaken
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
This is impossible to answer: the artistic and creative genius at the caves of Ajanta and Elora, the magnificence of the Taj Mahal and Red Fort, the spiritual wonder of Varanassi, the awesome tigers in Ranthambhore, colonial grandure and poverty in Mumbai,exceptional beaches in Kovalam, wonderous antiques in Fort Cochin, amazing discoveries at Hampi, wonderful food, on a daily basis, cultural delights in Fort Cochin, extaordrinary travel possibilities (Indian trains! and a fantastic house boat in Alleppey). Wonderful, welcoming, curious local people met on a daily basis. A fine range of local hotels and experiences, good, well-informed local guides. Impossible to pick out a moment from a fantastic month.
What did you think of your group leader?
Excellent, well-informed, ever helpful, nothing too much trouble, friendly and accommodating
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Be prepared to have your eyes opened on a daily basis. There is a great deal of travel - but India is a big country. Go with an open mind, and you will come back a changed person!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Anyone with the time, and money to afford this trip, who is genuinely curious about other cultures will find this a trip of a life time
Kate Kenlock

INDIA GRAND TOUR

Written December 2011
Wonderful trip filled with different experiences every day. Very varied with a lot of travel including long days in a car and fun overnights on the train. The food, people, language and culture changes every 200 miles!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Spotting a tiger in Ranthambore, chatting with tiffin-whallas in Mumbai, wandering around the market and shops in Kochin, joining the dancers at a wedding party in Jaipur, picking tea with the ladies in Ooty, playing with a baby elephant... there are so many so it is difficult to pin down the most inspirational moment.
What did you think of your group leader?
I thought he was very good. It is a difficult job touring for a month especially with a small group but he rose to the challenge.
He was better when following a set itinerary and seemed a bit flustered when deviating from the list however he was constantly cheerful, helpful, attentive and informative.
We had two drivers who were both excellent too.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Throw yourself into this trip - don't just follow along.
Don't just eat at the hotel, try new foods and explore the amazing variety of food on offer which changes with each area. Your guide will help explain each dish.
Take light clothes including a scarf but remember clothes are really cheap in India.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
The hotels are really mixed - going from super posh to very basic road motels. All are clean and safe.
Everyone in India (with the exception of Goa) is keen to be helpful and provide good service. People are very friendly and open. I never once felt scared or threatened however, sometimes people can get too close and the children like to come up and touch you. I found the staring too much at times and people constantly wanting photos, when I wanted to absorb my surroundings. Wearing modest clothes and a headscarf reduces this.
Go for this trip... it's amazing!
Mike Ford

INDIA GRAND TOUR

Written March 2011
A trip with so many highlights. Each day was so action packed with new sights, smells and experiences. The month seemed to fly by and at the end you looked back and could not really believe you had done so much.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
It would have to be watching the sunrise on Varanasi from a boat on the Ganges. It was so quiet, beautiful and serene on the river; I will never forget that morning.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our leader Gopal was organised, helpful and always acted to give the whole group a positive experience of India. He supervised the cooking in lunchtime restaurants and on one occasion cooked lunch by the side of the road when there was nowhere suitable to stop. He took us to see local produce being made so that we were sure that anything we bought was genuine and directly supported the local economy and people. He was always on hand to give advice and help and explain over and over again the various Hindu gods! It was a pleasure to spend a month in the company of such a great guide.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
There is a lot of travel on slow roads, consider it as part of the experience of India. Given what you see from the window I don’t think you will be bored. Treat any Indian Railway’s timetable as a work of fiction and just go with the flow.
Take money in Pounds to change and use ATM’s as a back up, we found that in some towns all the money machines stopped working at the same time (we assumed all the phone lines went down). Take a torch and know where it is so when the power goes off, a frequent experience, you are not in the dark.
Almost all the hotels we stayed at were better than we were expecting with some excellent food. Family commitments in the UK required me to keep in regular contact with home; almost all the hotels had adequate or good wi-fi connections.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A really great trip that gives you a comprehensive introduction to India. In the beginning the sights, noise and traffic chaos of the north seem overwhelming but the south of India is gentler and the backwater cruise in Kerala is a fantastic end to a super trip.
Martin Robinson

INDIA GRAND TOUR

Written February 2011
Fiona here - I feel Exodus should have been more realistic about their promises of free time, none of which happended on our trip, and was one of the reasons we chose Exodus. Each promised free time, came after a long train or bus journey, that was ALWAYS late, thus making the free time just a buffer enabling the tour to stay on time. As far as we can gather, these journeys always take longer, especially in January because of the fog. Now where is this mentioned before booking. Indian trains are NOT efficient, that is a myth.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Obviously the Taj Mahal was stunning, as was the summer palace at Jaipur, sighting the tiger in the wild was amazing.
What did you think of your group leader?
Sanjay was great, and dealt with a few very demanding clients with infinite patience, we enjoyed his company, and he was incredibly knowledgeable all through the trip.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Be aware that the journeys always take longer than stated, the trains are terrible, the roads are even worse, 125 kms can take 8 hours by road if not longer. One 25kms stretch took 2 hours to complete. Some of the hotels are very basic, mainly the 1 nighters. The free time never happens, it is a very intensive tour. We have been home a week and are still recovering.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would just like to reiterate that I do not feel Exodus have done their job of describing the itinerary in a true and honest manner, we were very disappointed to lose our free time, and to arrive in Agra on a Friday when the Taj Mahal is closed seemed frankly stupid. We also arrived or left two towns where big festivals were about to be held, as they do on the same day every year, either too late to see them, or travelling on before they started. Very disappointing. I'm afraid I will not be recommending Exodus to friends.
andrew beauchamp

INDIA GRAND TOUR

Written December 2010
Good in parts
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Is there anything else you would like to add?
The first part of the tour in the north was excellent,

Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Mumbai. train journeys, forts, history, culture and tigers.

The second part in the south was equally memorable Ootacamund in the hills and the back waters of Kerala especially.

However several consecutive twelve hour days of being driven from north to south with its very bumpy pot holed roads interspersed with only the most basic petrol station toilets, and then late arrival at substandard damp and dirty hotels, one with an old toilet on the landing another which was undergoing refurbishment and was covered in building dust, was also unforgettable.

I have traveled extensively in the past and don't mind "roughing it" but this was not a cheap bargain bucket holiday

It is a shame that exodus could not get the basics right when planning the middle of this tour.
Andy Stevens

INDIA GRAND TOUR

Written March 2010
This was much more than a holiday for us. We found India to be a magical place (after getting over the culture shock that is Delhi). The sights, sounds and culture we experienced will stay with us forever. The people and wildlife were the stars of the show and we can't wait to get back to India and experience it some more.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
We were lucky to visit Varanassi on a holy day when thousands of pilgrims decended the steps to wash in the Ganges. It was a spectacle of colour and devotion. The wildlife was fantastic. Seeing a tiger in Ranthambhor National Park, seeing a leopard up a tree from the coach on the main road and loving the birds on the backwaters of Kerela.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our tour leader ensured things ran as smoothly as was possible. We had a couple of snags with the trains but he dealt with them. He was friendly and ensured that everyone was enjoying their time in his country. The kite flying lessons he gave were a bonus!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
You need to get over the shock of the poverty, accept that cleanliness is not going to be what you are used to and ensure you use your common sense. Ensure you anti -bac your hands regularly and be careful what you eat and drink. Listen to the tour leader, he gave us sound advice on what to eat and drink.
Take a decent camera, spare batteries and plenty of memory cards.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
This was our first experience of "travelling" rather than "holidaying". It was refreshing and we can't wait to repeat it.