Riding
Some of the bikes needed a little TLC, although I believe these are going to be changed. Be prepared for some busy traffic, especially on day 2 and 3, but its all part of the fun, and makes you feel part of the whole flow of everything, but after a few days the noise gets to you a bit (horns+++) so you are very glad to get into the countryside, although there is still some traffic on these roads. Don't be put off by the long distances quoted on some of the days if you are fairly unfit as in actual fact the longest day for us was 72Km, and the actual distance each day was dependant on several factors including daylight length, heat and overall speed of the group - you to stop at each junction to regroup (despite having a map of the route which seem a bit of an overkill as some of the junctions were only 6km from where you had regrouped before), so if you are a keen cyclist and particularly wanted to complete the full distances quoted you may be disappointed. Some riders also had problems with over enthusiatic children in the villages and we were urged to try and ride as a group but this was virtually impossible to do effectively as of course everyone rides at their own speeds and to forcably ride slower or faster than your comfortable pace would have spoilt the enjoyment. Perhaps a better option would have been for the bus boy to also ridden with the group meaning there would be 3 guides in total actually on the road. Having said this though there were some incredible moments, fantastic chai stops and a great sense of freedom and enjoyment which only can be had on 2 wheels.
Sightseeing
If you are a history fanatic, and love the intricate detail you are given by the local guides on the guided tours round the various monuments. For us as a couple we felt 'overguided' and prefer to have a 10 minute introduction and then be left to wander around by ourselves and soak up the atmosphere. I did ask the local guide on a couple of occasions if he minded us wandering round by ourselves and this was fine (although I felt quite embarrassed having to ask), so consider doing this if you become bored with dates and details as we did. You also got taken to the usual carpet sellers and also a marble workshop after the Taj Mahal visit which was on Thursday evening as the Taj is shut on Friday - a lot of the group had had enough by this stage (6.30pm when we got to the workshop), so I think visits to these Emporiums should be made more optional - not part of the tour, but the marble workshop was right by the hotel so we just walked back so consider doing this if you would rather a beer after the Taj visit than marble shopping. If you want to browse round the little shops by yourself there is very little opportunity for this as the only viable free afternoon was after the game drive, and you are in the middle of nowhere unless you get a ride to the local village. If this is something you really want to do consider missing the Observatory visit as the coach is centrally parked in a town so you can wander off for 2 hours and then meet the group back at the coach.
Overall a great trip with many special moments, but more options needed particularly on the sight seeing days.
from 30 reviews.
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