Testimonials

Hi Nazir, This was the best vacation we could ever have hoped for. It was fabulous. The group was the best, we have made a lot of new friends. The service and the hotels were wonderful. Shah was the best tour guide we could have hoped for. This is the first escorted tour we have done but it exceeded all of our expectations. We have actually discussed with our group about booking another trip in 2020 with Shah as our guide to visit Bhutan, Nepal and Kashmir. We would like to discuss this sometime next year perhaps. Thank you for everything, we really appreciated the wonderful itinerary, the great hotels and wonderful food. We will be telling all of our friends about Explore India and what a great family company you have that makes us feel like part of the family. It was great to meet your brother as well. Thanks again for the trip of a lifetime !!!! Warmest regards, Evelyn and Roger Randhawa

It was AWESOME! I can't say enough good things about the trip and in particular about our guide Muzaffar Shah. Everything was well organized and ran on time, the food was great, I absolutely loved that water was always available on the bus, we saw enough sights to feel like we knew India, and had enough down time to recover and wander around a bit. The hotels and food were lovely and we saw THREE tigers!! Shah knew the absolutely perfect balance between friend/friendly, and tour guide. I have told several people to put India on their bucket list and when they decide to go they should book through you and ask for Shah!! Prior to the trip I found that both you and Mandira were extremely friendly and helpful and in fact I just got off the phone with her! Thank you for a wonderful experience! Janet

Dear Mandira and Nazir, We had a really wonderful time. Our guide was very professional, informative and warm which really makes a huge difference when going with a group..and we could not have been luckier group wise- everyone was friendly and engaged. The hotels were all extremely good. We really enjoyed the range of food, the optional cookery session was a real insight into family life- a most delightful family. We really enjoyed the performance in Kerala. It was such a pity the performers did not have a larger audience Thank you all at Explore India for such a professional and friendly service. We will most definitely recommend your company to anyone thinking of going to India. Kind regards Catriona

Thank you for enquiring how the trip went. It was an excellent adventure, so many wonderful places and monuments to see. India is a dynamic place to visit. For me, the trip to Jaipur was the highlight! The walls and the palace and the history were incredible. But the elephant ride! Such a thrill for a westerner to be that close to an animal that has been in books and stories we have all been exposed to all of our lives. I would have welcomed more time to spend with those animals when they were at rest and not working. A great opportunity. The air-conditioned bus was a god-send with the high temperatures and humidity at the beginning of October. Our guide was excellent, very knowlegable and personable. Overall, it was a memorable trip. This is not Explore India’s fault, but I would expect you would want to correct this little glitch. I would use Explore again to tour magnificent India! Sincerely, Carolyn Feldinger

Thank you to Nazir, Manzoor, Raj, Ravi, Niraj and the many other drivers and people who all worked so hard to make ths dream a reality. We had an amazing 14 days in India and Nepal. We were very fortunate that Nazir suggested we take a direct Air Canada flight from Vancouver. We got to Delhi in just under 14 hours arriving on Thursday which gave us an extra 3 days there before joining the tour group on Sunday. During that time we saw the Lotus temple, the Akshardam Temple, the Lodhi gardens, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi and the Qutb Minar as well as other temples and Mosques. These monuments together with seeing the Jama Mosque and the Chandni Chowk area on Suday were the highlight of our stay in Delhi, and suggest that these be included in all tours of the City. We also especially enjoyed our stay in the Suryaa Hotel, not just because of the wonderfull hospitality there, but also because it is located right in the heart of the local market. This gave us the chance to wander about getting to know how the locals live there without the distraction or the influx of tour buses. We also went to see the Nizamuddin Market and the Nizamuddin Dargah there, and had an awsome dinner at Karim’s on the day of our arrival. We were hoping to take part in the evening devotional music there, but that didn’t seem to work out. Maybe next time! There were many highlights throughtout this tour, not to distract from the Taj Mahal which was more stunning than I could have imagined when it first came into sight. All the accomodation, meals, transportation and the drivers, helpers and guides were all first class. Nepal was another high light, especially our stay in Nagarkot and the drive up there. Nires was a delight to have with us and very informative as was Ravi on our India leg of our journey. The only other suggestion I have here is that we would have liked to have arrived in Nagarkot early enough so that we would have had time to go on a short hike on the famous Panoramic Hiking trail I heard about. Over all I have no complaints and only good memories on our amazing journey in India and Nepal. What I would say in a short review, or you can post this entire e-mail if you want, are my comments below: This was a personal road trip Manzoor and Nazir would take their families on, Expect to expect the unexpected!You will be sirprized, delighted, amazed and even stunned, but never disappointed. Through out our journey eveything was so well thought out and perfectly executed. Thank you to everyone who worked so had to make this a trip of a lifetime. Our memories will be with us forever. Thank you so much. Rose and Jim

This was our second consecutive trip with Explore India. Our first trip with Explore India was in 2017 to the Rajasthan area. We loved our trip and really didn’t think any other part of India could be any better. We were wrong. Southern India blew us away. We combined stops to both rural & urban sights in India. We started in Chennai and departed in Bangalore. In between we had an experience of a lifetime. Nazir had arranged a driver for our trip of 25 days as we did not want to travel by plane or train. Our driver for 25 days, Rajesh, anticipated our every need, from beverages to laundry. He was outstanding & so very patient as we were often late meeting him. He would also offer up information on the local flora & fauna. We always felt safe with Rajesh. The accommodations booked by Nazir were outstanding. -We loved the Ocean view room at Radisson Blu in Mahabalipuram. The beach & grounds were incredible. The gym was an extra bonus. -The Maison Perumal in Pondicherry was wonderful. The hotel was in the heart of the city so we were able to walk everywhere. I loved the hotel cooking classes. Our room was a huge suite- we loved it. -The Hotel Svatma in Tanjore was outstanding. My only complaint is that we didn’t stay another night. I would go back to Tanjore just to relax there again & enjoy the food. -The Heritage Madurai was another outstanding hotel. The rooms were a little worn but the food & service were outstanding. -Periyar, The Spice Village was so beautiful. Again I loved the cooking classes, the nature ( complete with monkeys & Guinea Hens roaming on the property) & that our driver took me to shops to purchase local spices & shawls at a fraction of what I would have paid elsewhere. The trip up the mountains was beautiful. We were truly staying in the jungle. Our ride on the elephant was wonderful, the shower my husband had from the elephant was amazing. After we were able to wash the elephant. It was an experience of a lifetime! -Kumarakom Lake Resort was again amazing. We could’ve stayed there several weeks. It was so relaxing, the Lake serene. The service & food great. We also really appreciated the personal trainer at the gym. -Alleppey – the houseboat was good but not outstanding, but I think that was our mistake. We should’ve booked a higher end boat. However, the scenery couldn’t get any better. It was a relaxing trip down the waterways. We loved it and felt safe the entire time. -Mararikulam- Having travelled extensively I was surprised to see the beaches in Maraikulam match those of Hawaii, the Caribbean and South Pacific. The beach was unpolluted. There were a few fishermen & local dogs that were hanging out. -Cochin- This was an amazing city. We loved the history & energy there. The hotel was great. -Wayanad-Our stay at the Parison Tea Plantation was incredible. My husband & I got lost wandering in the tea plantation fields. We asked some locals to point us in the right direction. Our room at the Inn was amazing. The tour of the tea plantation & it’s history was great. we’re still enjoying the tea every morning back in Vancouver. -Kabani- where do I begin. This resort blew us away. The accommodations were outstanding as was the food. The staff made us feel like rock stars. However, it was the abundance of wildlife that left us speechless. It was stunning. The elephants, deer, wild dogs, birds, river otters. We felt like we were on a National Geographic expedition. We loved the ease of going on either a boat or jeep to see the wildlife. Sadly we didn’t see a tiger or leopard but we knew they were in the area as other tourists showed us their stunning photos from the day before. -Mysore- great city with many temples to see. The hotel Radisson Blu was lovely. I really liked the fact that leopards would hang out in the area we were staying! -Bangalore- fantastic hotel. I loved the historical tour and seeing the resident turkeys. Our suite was amazing, complete with flower petal designs outside our door. We were treated like royalty. Our only regret from our trip is that we will never have better food or service than what we had in India. So we’ll just have to book our 3rd trip with this outstanding company. Liz Legge

Thanks for your note. We had a wonderful time with Ravi and a real nice bunch of fellow travellers who all became friends. Ravi's knowledge base and teaching background really made it perfect for me I am nearly impossible to information overload. We were very impressed with the details and attention provided to even the smallest things, like the return trip to the airport, someone loading us on the bus, driven to airport then someone there making sure we got the 60 feet to security, very comforting and part of the Explore India service we will point out to our friends as we talk about our trip. The hotels were all superior quality and the destinations were well selected. There is likely no way to reduce the hours on the bus with the current itinerary, it may have seen a bit much at the time, but there is no real alternative in order to get to the selected destination, having been back for a day I actually enjoyed seeing the landscape. If you have anyone asking for a previous travellers recommendation you are absolutely free to give them my cell number, I promise I will give you a 100% positive recommendation. From start to finish this was a first class operation and we found it to be super value for money. Torben

Dear Nazir, It’s difficult to put into words what we experienced in India! My husband (who was a last minute replacement) and I absorbed the sights, sounds and smells of this fascinating country and came away with completely different attitudes to it. You delivered on every promise. The hotels were excellent, the food choices met all tastes and the itinerary was full of surprises and extremely interesting. There is one person who deserves much praise and that is Ravi, our tour guide. He was the person who kept us informed and safe. His professionalism and his knowledge are to be admired and it is obvious that he is very experienced at his job. I won’t hesitate to recommend Explore India to all my friends. As far as I am concerned the secret for a successful trip to a country such as India is to engage a reputable company and I knew that I had done that from the very beginning. Thank you. Gemma Brooks Montreal QC

My apologies for the delay in writing, but I had a rough re-entry to Canada. This was the worst case of jet-lag I’ve ever had, and also a number of things demanded my attention upon our return. I don’t want to let any more time go by before saying, though, that India exceeded our expectations on all fronts, including the service of our tour guide, Raj. Over the years we’ve been to many countries and this was by far the richest travel experience of our lives. India's diversity of religions, languages and cultures is unparalleled in any other part of the world we’ve visited. The people were gracious and the sights amazed us everywhere we went. A lifetime would not be enough to scratch the surface of this ancient land. One day we would love to return. Thank you again for all you did to organize such a never-to-be-forgotten journey! Best regards, Ted and Anita

A Journey of the Senses and it was! I don't believe I could have found a better way to see this part of India, thanks to Explore India. It was an absolute adventure and I didn't want to miss a thing! The tour was very well organized, safe and educational. Tour guide Ashiesch Korana was excellent as was our guide in Nepal - Sanjay Nepal. I learned so much from these 2 special people. The hotel accommodation was excellent as was the bus transportation. All in all this trip was an experience of a lifetime for me and many thanks to you Nazir and explore India for enabling me to visit India and Nepal - 2 countries on my bucket list. Sincerely, Barb Schimpl

Hi Nazir, Just wanted to let you know how much Maggie and I enjoyed our tour. I have to admit that India wasn’t high on my bucket list and that Maggie was the one who was really keen to visit. I’m now a convert and was overwhelmed by the history, culture and the teeming life of the country. The organization of the trip could not be faulted, the quality of hotels exceeded my expectations and our tour guide Rajeev Sharma was the perfect host being informative, entertaining and attentive throughout the visit. The entire experience was excellent value for money. My only complaint is that I now have several thousand photographs to sort through. Kind regards, Rod and Maggie Pye

Hi Mandira, this trip, as you may recall, had been planned and revised over the past year. Thanks to your and Nazir's efforts, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to India and Nepal. Nazir's suggestion of finishing our trip in Nagarkot was especially appreciated, we viewed the sunrise over the Himalayas from our balcony! Our guide, Mr. Mustafa Shah, made our visit to Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore and Jaipur a very relaxed and pleasant experience. He included our entire tour group to partake in a very colourful Holi celebration, something we'll never forget! Our private tour in Kathmandu was great! Our Kathmandu native guide, Deepak, was very welcoming and we enjoyed our time learning about Nepal, past and present. Everyone we met, associated with Explore India, was professional and very courteous. Our return flight from Kathmandu to Delhi was delayed yet Deezam (sorry if misspelled) was there to pick us up and got us back in time for our flight home later that night. There is so much yet to see in India! Jeff & Deborah