India's Golden Triangle with Kathmandu Reviews

Again, the tour was well organised and executed. I experienced no problems at all. The group was small, the coach was very comfortable with reclining seats and the air conditioner kept things very cool. The tour director was a local, loved his country and was knowledgeable about the sites we visited. He was also happy to answer questions we asked about ...read more the culture, politics and past history of India. He was very calm, relaxed and was not flustered by anything. The driver and his aide were separated from the director and passengers in their cabin, which cut out potential distractions. One really needs to be concentrating and focused when driving around the busy city centers of India. Every tour day we received a bottle of water from the driver's aide.

I thought it was great that during the day all tour members were in the coach together or touring sites. We all had lunch together at mostly restaurants, which had good selections and environments. During the evening and night we had our free time. We visited and toured all the sights that were listed in the brochure plus one more. The attractions were nearly always immaculately maintained. There are plenty of hidden gems in India and the architecture of buildings reflected a glorious past and one hopes that the people can resurrect that somewhat in the future.

The hotels we stayed at offered quiet, large rooms and felt very western. The included breakfasts had large varieties of food and drink. We lived in very luxurious environments considering the average standard of living for the locals. Each hotel offered complimentary bottled water and along with what we received on the bus was sufficient for my requirements. One has to be firm with the street sellers and exercise vigilance with people wanting money. It was necessary for me to wear long sleeve shirts, pants and a hat to avoid sunburn. We often had to tip but relatively speaking it represented small amounts. Security was tight at the major sites so expect to be scanned and frisked on occasion. Overall, I was very pleased with the tour and glad to have participated and would recommend it to anyone who would like to experience different sights and smells that are normally present in western nations.