The trip notes and reviews indicate that the overnight train journeys represent a low point. They do not, however, give adequate emphasis to the following:
the very uncomfortable conditions and absence of proper meals;
the sheer waste of time involved in spending 12-14 hours on board a train (during the hours of darkness) and several additional hours travelling and waiting time at each end;
the issues of security, necessitating all personal possessions of any value being chained and padlocked, according to the tour leader.
Road journeys and short train journeys (in daylight) undoubtedly offer a fascinating insight into life in India. But overnight journeys (2 on this trip) are, in my view, no more than an unjustifiable means of keeping the headline cost of the tour artificially low. Other tour companies seem able to use air and road transport at only a small extra cost.
Some of the accommodation on this trip was of of a noticeably lower standard than what is suggested by the trip notes/web-site. No doubt this would have been relegated to the level of minor inconvenience if the game drives had more accurately lived up to their billing.
Notwithstanding the above, there was a wonderful abundance of wildlife and birdlife on this trip. And India is a country full of magnificent sights - the Taj Mahal, in particular, is awe-inspiring, especially for anyone visiting it for the first time - jaw-dropping contrasts and a constant assault on the senses. It does, however, have an infrastructure which is capable of making the downsides far more palatable with only a relatively insignificant increase in cost.
from 72 reviews.
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