Extension – Holy Ganges of Varanasi

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

Hello Nazir, It has been a week since our return from Impressions of India trip. We are slowly getting over our jet lag. I still find myself going to the gym at 4 o'clock in the morning (and not minding it).  This was my second time in India. The first time was in 1976 when I backpacked through large parts of India for about 5-6 weeks and then returned back again about a month later for four more months to do some work out of Mumbai. I often had a week or two off, which I used to travel further through India. First of all, I must comment on the excellent service that Sandeep has provided to our group. As I have discovered, all twenty-two participants are a well-travelled bunch. From my own perspective, Sandeep was the best guide of any we have ever had, anywhere. I would gladly go on another tour of India under his guidance again. Maybe Kerala one day. We have seen wonderful historical sites, forts and palaces, seen a tiger, experienced Diwali in Varanasi, etc. The hotels chosen by EI were excellent, the food was delicious and travel by bus was very comfortable. We will treasure our memories of India forever and will definitely recommend your company to our friends and relatives. Thank you and Namaste,

Namaste Nazir, Thank you for your email and welcome home.  My trip to India was " incredible" indeed!  It is hard to put the experience into words as it is another world there.  Explore India met all my expectations and makes it clear that they aim to please their guests. I would not hesitate to recommend your company to anyone.  Is it excellent value too. Keep up the good work. Best wishes,

I am writing to thank you so much for setting up a wonderful, magical trip for us to India. I cannot recommend all of your staff more highly. They were very professional and accommodating. We especially liked Yuvrage who is an interesting young man, our driver and our driver's assistant all of whom I thought were exceptional. On the other hand the staff at Le Meridien in New Delhi went above board in helping us when my son was feeling ill. They were very understanding and sympathetic. I would have no hesitation at all in recommending that hotel. Thank you Nazir. I am already telling everybody that they should contact you when they go to India. Until next time.

Hello Rajeev, Thank you for meeting us at the Delhi airport, for arranging some sightseeing tours on Day 1 and Day 2 (early arrival in New Delhi) prior to commencement of organized tour, for obtaining foreign exchange for the Canadian $ and for everything else that made our trip so enjoyable. The trip exceeded our expectations and we know that this is due mainly to the excellent service rendered in all fields of the tourist business. We wish you continued success and good luck in your role as Head of Operations at Explore India. Yours sincerely,

I never use travel agents, taking great pride in thinking I do a better job and I certainly hate group tours. However, when I decided to take my daughter to India, I felt that perhaps, just this time, it might be wise to seek professional help. I researched several tour companies and was about to book a bus tour accomodating up to 30 passengers, when I noticed Nazir's ad in the Vancovuer Sun. I telephoned and instantly took to this delightful man. His no pressure approach was certainly appreciated and I quickly realized he was an expert on India. To my delight, I also discovered his private tour for just my daughter and I, in a private car, in 5 star hotels vs the student type accomodations offered by GAP tours, was just a few hundred $ more than their huge group tour. We then began our planning which would drive most agents mad, with me hopping all over Rajastan now that I could pick my own itinery. After numerous changes, we were finally on our way. Nazir arranged the very best seat in economy on British Airways. The hotels were fabulous, the drivers and tour guides represented all of the various cultural groups of India. We were impressed to see Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus all working harmoniously together. They could teach the world a lesson. I must admit, I am a high maintainence client and had several demands, all of which Nazir completed graciously and efficiently. He phoned us along the way to ensure all was well and no demand was too much for him. I would and have, recommended Nazir to everyone and anyone. It was a trip of a lifetime and Nazir made it so.

Hi Nazir, It was good to finally meet you in Delhi. Thanks for the bag and the lovely gifts. What a surprise. We had a wonderful trip. We are still processing all the experiences and can't believe all that we crammed into our time in India. Rajeev did a great job of ensuring everything ran smoothly. An amazing trip!

Nazir,   Just back from our trip to India and I wanted to thank you for a wonderful tour. Everything was well organized and went smoothly. I would like to stress to you the exceptional service that we received from our guide Harry. His historical knowledge and love for the culture made the tour. Harry went above and beyond with his service to ensure we gained a clear appreciation of the beautiful sights and sounds. His personal added value experiences were irreplaceable and I thank him for these. Harry is an exceptional guide, Explore India is lucky to have him as he will definitely remain in our hearts. I look forward to travelling with him again.   I will be coming to the Mumbai are in the spring so will keep an eye on your site to see if there are any offerings.   Many thanks,

What a wonderful trip. It exceeded all expectations. My husband ,who was not too keen on going loved it. Everything was wonderful, no changes necessary to the programme. We just had a wonderful time. You need to advertise India more. It was unbelievable. Thanks very much.

Got home Wednesday night and recovering from the most incredible journey! Thank you so much for arranging everything so well! Yuvi is a great guide and companion. We had so much to talk about and had so many laughs together. He is a treasure in your organization and deserves to go far. The flight to Kashmir was his first time off the ground and he handled everything so well. From start to finish he was a wonderful companion and I am so glad to have had the same escort all the way. We got to know each other and to kid each other and I think I learned far more about India than I could get from books! Perhaps he learned a bit about Canadians too as he is in charge of groups after me. I must thank you too for the drivers. Kuljeet Singh is such a beautiful person. We three had wonderful experiences in Kashmir together. And what a skilful driver he is. I think of him as the terror of Srinigar! Everything just gets out of Kool's way! He was a better guide in the mountains than Asti was guide in Delhi! On the way to the airport for Kashmir, Kool answered questions I had for Asti who sort of didn't answer when he didn't know. Kool kept his mouth shut as driver in Delhi, but he is a great guide and very personable. Baluinder Singh is a great driver and very knowledgeable too. He is a great person to get to know and we had lovely chats with Yuvi of course on the drives from Delhi to Jaipur and then on to Agra. Balu surely knows great restaurants. I think it was K.R. Joshi who got me to give both a radio interview one night and a TV interview the next on the houseboat in Srinigar. So the Canadian writer, female, aged 92, gave K.R. a boost in his job. I wanted to get a white T shirt with Kashmir in big blue letters across the front but we couldn't stop on the way to the airport as there was a demonstration going on. If K.R. would like to thank me for those interviews, maybe he could send me a T-shirt size XL, white with KASHMIR in blue letters across the front! It's good advertising for him! In Gulmarg I saw the Tshirts in a window but it was raining in BUCKETS, so nobody stopped walking fast! I have emailed my son and daughter-in-law in England to advise them that not to get in touch with you for a mind exploding experience is to deny themselves a gift thatgoes far beyond money. I hope you hear from them. Shall I be recommending in my writing and in my lectures that to see India with Incredible India is the fabulous best cared for way to do it? You can be sure that I will. Thank you again for looking after all my doubts and questions. As for the train ride! Getting into a discussion of a number of things with an English professor, male, Muslim, a professor of psychiatry, female, Hindu, Yuri, a Brahmin and me while rattling along at high speed at night will always be one of my most wonderful travel memories of my life of many many travel memories!