Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The Taj Mahal in Agra was truly awe inspiring ! The overnight train journey was also very memorable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Balinder (Bali) Singh was exceptional-very sensitive,sensible with a great love and knowledge of his country with a wicked sense of humour !

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a "full on" trip-not for wimpish lie-ins-India is an amazing place full of paradox but unmissable. Expect to be tired but happy when you return home !

Suggestions

As the big man said "I'll be back"- to bag a tiger-with my lens !

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to choose......loved travelling through rural India......tigers were amazing........Taj Mahal extraordinary....people delightful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Harish Kumar was an excellent leader. He tried very hard to accomodate everyones wishes and mostly succeded. Apart from the odd misunderstanding, usually due to language difficulty, we could not have asked for more. He was good company and steered us through the travelling with ease. Getting us all on the train with luggage was quite a task which he managed brilliantly!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for extreme cold at this time of year. The suggested scarf, fleece and gloves were no where near enough to cope with the icy temperature in open safari jeeps at 5.30 in the morning! Thermal layers and warm coats/hats essential. Although we were provided with hot water bottles and blankets which helped. The food becomes very monotonous and is ,of course, very spicy! Meal times are quite eratic. Take biscuits/snacks and indegestion pills. Eat as little as posible for the first few days until you are used to the food. Use hand sanitiser constantly.Sheewee..(for ladies) available from camping shops invaluable when clean loos not available. Take travel disinfectant. Even the hotel loos are not always as clean as you might like.Be prepared to spend up to 12 hours a day in vehicles!

Suggestions

I wouldn't have missed this trip for the world. Excellent value for money. Although not 5* it was more comfortable than expected. All the guides and drivers were fantastic. Everyone tried SO hard to make us happy. Although very tiring and possibly too many game drives the trip was well balanced and even the overnight train was an experience not to be missed. Well done Harish and Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

The best moments of the holiday were when our guide decided to go it alone and we came across a tiger asleep on the road - it woke up, looked at us, yawned and wandered off, and of course, seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise (before the crowds arrived)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nothing was too much trouble for Krishna our goup leader.  He loved his country and shared his knowledge and enthusiam with us.  He worked very hard to get the group to where we were meant to be at on time - not an easy task!

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice for potential travellers:* It is very dusty in the reserves so take a scarf / hat for your head, a scarf for your nose and mouth and a cover to use to protect your camera* Nibbles (cereal bars) there can be very long gaps between meals at times* Warm clothes - it was freezing at 5.30 in the morning waiting to go into the reserves* Take a torch - power cuts....

Suggestions

When people asked if I enjoyed my holiday - my immediate answer was - it was an experience!- some to be repeated (tiger spotting) and others not (the overnights on the train)

Most Inspirational Moment

My second encounter with a tiger, at Bandhavgarh.   I was in a jeep with three others, the driver and a guide.   We were driving along a rough track when a tiger rounded the corner ahead of us.   We stopped dead whilst the tiger literally sauntered towards us;  when he got too close the driver backed up and then again.   Finally he veered to his right, scratched a tree and then strolled across the track and into the trees. The whole encounter lasted around 10 minutes.   While we were discussing it I became aware of two rangers talking to the driver and guide, turned around to see where they had come from, saw a motorbike parked at the side of the track and then saw an elephant coming down the track behind us.   The mahout directed the elephant close to the jeep and then turned it round close to the jeep, so close that I could have touched the elephant's eye, and then rangers climbed over the jeep and on to the back of the elephant and they all disappeared into the trees.   This was a magical encounter with just our jeep and the tiger and I have over 25 photos recording it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was an excellent guide, friendly and knowledgable and most helpful when I fell down some marble steps in one of the blackouts.   My only criticisms of him are his unwillingness to admit anything could be wrong with India so he ignored the slums, the poverty, the caste system, etc and evaded questions about them.   Whilst I admire his loyalty I do like to get to know the country I am in, warts and all, and have never encountered this attitude before, even in China.   His excellent descriptions of the sights tended to be a little long, and when we were with specialist guides he tended to let them finish their description and then embellish it which I found rather embarassing as it tended to highlight the inadequacy of the descriptions of the regular guides.   Nevertheless, he was excellent and coped well when the overnight train was delayed.   I have only once had a better guide - on one of your trips to the Galapagos Islands.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Game drives in the morning are very cold - much colder than you imagine before you go.   Take several layers, socks, woolly hats, the lot.   Evening drives can get cold before you get back, take a fleece at least.View the overnight train trip as an experience.    India is a third world country and that is what you get.   Go as a traveller rather than a tourist and you won't be disappointed.

Suggestions

If I was arranging this trip I would cut out the National Parks of Rahambore (driving around in a canter is a waste of time) and Kanha (the bathrooms were very sad and we had a rat come up the toilet in the middle of the night and had to find someone to deal with it, not easy).   Bandavgarh was a delight.   I didn't see many tigers but with one magical encounter I am still very happy. So I would concentrate on Bandajavgarh and leave out the overnight trains - and tell travellers on day trains that the food is included - we went unneccessarily hungry.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Taj Mahal was an amasing experience and of course the sighting of tigers, the main reason for our trip to India.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He had a good knowledge of wildlife but lacked a little in people skills. It would have been good to have had a written note of how much the extra game drives and tips were during the holiday rather than a brief list at the end of it.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If travelling in January take plenty of warm clothes, we had 5 layers on plus blankets and a hot water bottle when on game drives. Because the eating/communal areas in the lodges have no windows/doors we had our meal dressed in coats etc; and then went to bed as it was so cold.If you intent to do the extra game drives you will need approx. £500 - £600 which includes all tips.

Suggestions

This was definately a holiday we will remember especially the train journeys (not for the feint hearted) and the sights but think the standards do need to be better in general

Most Inspirational Moment

First site of a tiger when we where just driving through Bandhavgarh NP.Taja Mahal was an amazing sight and experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He couldn't have been better. Arranging activities (indian weddings, cooking in the hotels) above and beyond the call of duty. Sympathetic beyond expectation when we were not seeing any tigers. Joining in your joy and amazement when you did. Handling what could have been a difficult situation with professionalism when the train to Delhi was delayed by 8 hours, he kept us fully informed of what was happening from the moment he new there could be a problem - 3 days prior to the delay.

Advice for Potential Travellers

A very full on tour, lots of early mornings, and long days of travelling. Do not expect any luxury on the trains, they are very basic with little privacy, but are an experience not to be missed. Tigers are a rarity to be seen and expect to spend alot of time on safari not seeing much especially tigers. But when you finally see one it is well worth the effort as you feel so privaledged to see such an amazing and elusive creature and to spend time with them.

Suggestions

A very full on tour, lots of early mornings, and long days of travelling. Do not expect any luxury on the trains, they are very basic with little privacy, but are an experience not to be missed. Tigers are a rarity to be seen and expect to spend alot of time on safari not seeing much especially tigers. But when you finally see one it is well worth the effort as you feel so privaledged to see such an amazing and elusive creature and to spend time with them.

Most Inspirational Moment

Has to be our very own Christmas Day tiger at Kanha! He was well worth the long wait.After all our "almost-sitings" and lots of excited racing around the forests following alarm calls and distant growlings, he just appeared as if by magic and let us follow him along the road for a while. The Taj Mahal was stunning - and definitely worth a look from the peace of the botanical gardens on the other side of the river in the late afternoon sunshine.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krishna didn't always understand our jokes but was a good guide and let us into his world, giving us personal insights as well as professionally handling the 6 hour delay for our first overnight train!A serious tiger-fan and an expert in his own right - often better than the official park guides at sensing where the tigers might be and always letting us know what was going on out on the game drives - I think he was as thrilled as the rest of us on Christmas Day!His mantra (which we had all adopted by the end of the trip) that " tigers are everywhere.... they are just very difficult to see" - says it all really!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Thermals in winter for the morning game drives, v cold indeed at 5.30am!!Jeeps are open topped so hats and scarves are a must.For winter dates ask for hot water bottles for your bed - at Kanha they delivered them to our beds while we were having dinner and they were much appreciated!Lovely art shop (related to local Art school) on the main road close to the hotel at Bandhavgarh  - got a gorgeous tiger painted on silk there. They will sell with frames or without.Keep your receipt for changing cash back at the airport in case you don't have chance to spend it on additional drives and tiger-shows.Take advantage of any local events along the way - we walked to a local crafts fair which was justing setting up - an interesting little extra trip.

Suggestions

Interested to see how it pans out on the new itinerary this year starting at Pench N.P. - glad it still includes Kanha and Bandvargarh which are great parks.Nothing to do in the evenings but always too tired to stay up anyway, and 5am starts put paid to much evening socialising so don't take any evening wear."Tigers are everywhere....."

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many.  I loved getting close to the real India.  We were taken on an unscheduled walk by an off duty Park guide.  He even took us to his own home where we were made most welcome by all the family.  We crossed over a river where ladies in saris were doing their laundry, passed a 'pet' elephant kept in someone's 'back garden'  viewed and discussed the rice , lentils and many other foods being grown and saw village life at really close quarters. We saw tigers on 4 occasions, a relatively low number of sitings for our group.  We watched a male tiger stroll down the dusty road towards us, our jeep backing off every few minutes to keep a respectful distance.  He sniffed at trees, stood on his hind legs to scratch one and then caught the scent of some wild boar we had just seen and prowled off into the undergrowth in persuit.  Just then a mahoot on his elephant approached from behind.  Two park officials had joined us in our jeep.  The mahoot brought the elephant up right close, perofrmed a sort of three point turn by tapping the elephant's neck with his bare feet so that he was so close to me in the back he could almost have sat in my lap (elephant not mahoot)  I had to resist the temptation to pat it! then the spare guides climbed up from the jeep onto the elephants back and off they all went tracking the tiger we had been watching.  The there was the wedding party we got invited to one evening.  It was just such a marvellous close welcoming experience not withstanding limits of language. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krishna was marvelous, more of a friend then an employee.  He was always ariound to sort out difficulties and smooth our passage; managing us onto and off the trains with all our baggage was his special skill.  He worked so hard.  We were a group of 13 with quite a wide age spread.  He was so good at tactful group management so that no one person or couple was allowed to dominate.  In fact the togetherness of the group was one of the nice things about the holiday.  He kept surprising us with little add-ons such as a cookery session one night in the hotel preparing our own supper!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a torch; my head torch was in valuable.  My next most prized asset was my special'toilet' bag which went round my shoulders to leave hands free but provided accessible requirements such as toilet paper, gemicidal wipes, hand sanitizer, a cake of soap, tissues.  Whenever I went to 'mark my territory' all I needed to do was grab that bag and I knew I would be well provided for.  There were a few bad loos, some very good loos, one attended by a lovely lady in her sari and of course some 'au naturelle'  Ladies, get used to the idea of squat loos, easy if you are wearing a skirt and often with less of a queue and cleaner than the europen variety.  Next time I will take some Gaviscon tablets with me; I needed to borrow some when large late suppers and early bed produced indigestion and heartburn towards the end of the trip.

Suggestions

Despite complaints in the reviews I read before I went, I found the guide amounts of money were more than adequate.  Possibly this is because i don't drink very much. We bought all our rupees at the airport on arrival and had some left to cash back before leaving.  I liked wandering into the local village to buy a few souvenirs rather better than the laid on visits to craft centres where I felt under obligation to find something to buy.  Language was a bit of a difficulty when Krishna wasn't around, indeed even with official guides one needs to concentrate and listen carefully because the accent is strong and the phraseology can be unusual.  I feel Exodus' policy of using local people and produce is excellent.  it gives this tour a particularly genuine feel, to have seen parts of the real India.  It was a wonderful experience.  As long as you are fit enough to climb into a jeep and withstand a couple of hours bumpy drive, early mornings and packed days GO FOR IT.  I took a couple of breaks when I got towards exhaustion by staying in the hotel for a rest whilst others went on extra trips.  I loved the overnight trains, being rocked to sleep by the gentle rhythm, though one has to be prepared to see an unknown gentle man in the opposite bunk! but Krishna kept an eye on us and we were always fairly near others in our group. I suffered no 'Delhi-belli' possibly because I was fanatical about hand hygiene.  I also took some 'biobalance' tablets before and during the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

The one meaningful tiger sighting (during a total of 17 game-drives in 3 different national parks).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Harish was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the wildlife and birdlife, and he made considerable efforts to ensure everything ran as smoothly as possible. Communication and sensitivity to the feelings of ALL group members were not always up to the same standard.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip notes and  reviews published on the web-site do not make it clear that it is extremely difficult to sight tigers in October, when the rainy season has only recently ended, foliage is lush and there are many sources of water for the wildlife. This difficulty is further reinforced by the often unhelpful (positively obstructive?) approach of the park authorities and officials, apparently for political reasons. And running the trip during the Diwali holiday period, with its consequent large numbers of local tourists, is an additional disadvantage. A significant body of anecdotal evidence made it apparent that the far more regular sightings virtually promised by the tour leader are much more likely at the end of the dry season in March/April.

Suggestions

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. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing a tiger getting ready to pounce!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take snacks and get plenty of sleep beforehand.