How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Pradeep was excellent. In addition to the spontaneous stops above, he also arranged for some of us to visit local schools, take part in a home cookery demonstration, visit a factory which made paper, etc. He was unfailingly courteous and friendly towards everyone.

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

I went in Dec/Jan, and the weather was colder than expected, with mist/fog in parts...not good for the Taj Mahal. It was also very wet...not good conditions for spotting tigers. So, my main advice would be to avoid the Dec/Jan months. With that proviso, this was an excellent trip, well organised with good leaders and, for me, an excellent introduction to the sights, sounds and people of this fascinating country.

What an amazing three weeks - from the Taj Mahal to the Tigers it was everything we expected and more. Be prepared for some long, bump bus rides thoug! Raf was a brilliant tour guide! (MGW - 15th January 2011).

It is impossible to experience all of India in just one trip, or probably even one lifetime. But I felt in the combination tour of Moghul Highlights and Tiger Trails and Temples, we got a pretty good taste of the country. In 3 weeks we did and saw so much. From the big, World Heritage sights such as the Taj Mahal, Jaipur and Khajuraho. To the peace and natural beauty of Ranthambhore and Kanha National Parks. But we also saw the local way of life too. On a number of occasions we stopped at the road side to meet people. Weather it was to see how they made clay pots or used buffalo to squeeze sugar beat, our tour leader was keen to show us the everyday aspects of life as well as the national treasures. (MGW - 2nd January 2011)

The trip was really well organised from beginning to end. We were met at the airport by Rafeeq who stayed with us throughout the trip and he proved to be a wonderful tour leader and really helped to make the trip a very memorable holiday. Being a wildlife expert he came into his own as we visited the national parks and was an endless source of information about everything we saw.  He also seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and if you had any worries they were sorted out instantly. The trip was full of highlights from the bumpy camel cart ride through Karuli, to the over exuberant farm singers in Orchha, the Taj Mahal was everything we expected and more. But for me the absolute best part of the trip was travelling through the national parks, hearing the animal alarm calls and knowing the hunt was on to find a tiger. The pug marks along the track let us know we were closing in and finally to see the tigers was so thrilling. The fact we managed to see any tigers was down to the skill and knowledge of Raf.  Another highlight was watching a pack of Indian wild dogs hunting and bringing down a chital. Meanwhile a jackal managed to sneak in on the kill and run off with a leg whilst vultures circled above. Go on this trip prepared for an adventure and you wont be disappointed. India is not for the faint hearted but you will be rewarded with some wonderful experiences and sights. Indian drivers are born to beep and sometimes it is better for your heart rate if you keep your eyes closed and put your faith in the skills of the driver so that you don't see quite how near the misses are! Take a spare bag for all the beautiful things there are to buy and get some tips from the tour leader on how much you can expect to barter down the price as it varies from place to place. Again Raf was invaluable in this regard. The national parks can be very cold in the morning and very dusty so take warm clothes and something to cover your nose and mouth. The guides that are assigned to the jeeps by the national parks had varying levels of knowledge and English but the drivers that Raf regularly uses seemed to be both very good at spotting wildlife and knowing what things were. But most of all have a great time - I can't wait to go back and find some more tigers. (MGW- 6th November 2010)