“Here, ma’am, over here. Take your bag? Porter for you. I help you onto train …” A cacophony of voices ricocheted around Delhi Railway Station as we trotted down the stairs onto the busy platform. It was early morning and we were on our way to Kolka to join the Toy Train to Shimla. But first we had to navigate the chaotic melee that is to be seen at every big city railway station in India, find the correct carriage and make sure our luggage to on board with us. Fortunately I was on a Great Rail Journeys award-winning escorted tour and had nothing to worry about.
Our wonderful guide, Farouk, had everything organised and it was a seamless, if noisy, transition from our hotel to the station and the Shatabdi Express. A coach had taken us from the 5-star Taj Diplomatic Enclave Hotel in the heart of the city to the station entrance from where our suitcases had been whisked away. The next time we saw them was on the train. All we had to do was follow Farouk, wait on the platform til our train arrived and take lots of photos of the lively scenes all around us. This was just one of the many advantages of being on an escorted tour in India.
10 reasons to choose an Escorted Tour of India
1. Knowledgeable Tour Manager
Having a dedicated tour manager who speaks the language, knows the lie of the land and can smooth away all the hassle of travel, is a huge benefit. They ensure your trip is hassle-free from the moment you come through customs, throughout your trip until you check back in at the airport. Farouk, our escort, dealt with a myriad of issues, from ensuring our hotel rooms were ready, booking meals, handing out train tickets, answering questions about Indian etiquette, liaising with local guides and keeping us all together as we wandered the streets of Shimla and scattered around the Taj Mahal.
2. Smooth transitions from place to place
Agra street scene
One of the biggest time-consumers on independent travel is getting from A to B and on to C. Travelling around a foreign country can be stressful, especially if you don’t know the language. India has many pluses, but public transport can be very challenging for some visitors. On an escorted tour everything is taken care so you you can enjoy the journey, with transport, tickets and luggage all magically sorted.
3. Accommodation organised in advance
ITC Mughal Hotel Agra
With so much choice, choosing where to stay in India is a dilemma. Can you trust the web description? Is the Trip Advisor rating accurate? Where exactly is this hotel in relation to the sights you want to see. On a reputable escorted tour, this is all taken out of your hands. They will choose good hotels because they want happy customers. Great Rail Journeys only chooses the very top hotels so satisfaction is guaranteed. In Delhi we stayed at the excellent Taj Diplomatic Enclave Hotel. In Shimla we had two nights in the delightful Oberoi Cecil, renowned not only for its local heritage but also because Mohan Singh Oberoi, the founder of Oberoi Hotels, started work here, rose through the ranks and eventfully bought the hotel. The food, a combination of international, pan-Indian and local Himachali dishes, was superb and the service second-to-none.
The biggest Indian bread you ever did see
The uber-luxurious ITC Mughal in Agra was perfect. We each stayed in a gorgeous suite and were treated to a delicious Mughal Banquet which included the biggest Indian bread I’ve ever seen. (even bigger than the Bradford Naan!)
4. Value for money
Woman at Red Fort Agra
A trip to India is, for many, a once-in-a-lifetime holiday but, whatever your budget, you want to know you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck, if you’ll pardon the expression. Taking into account all your costs (see Point 5), an escorted tour can be the most cost-effective way of travelling. Whether you go for the lower end of the market, or splash out on top-quality company like Great Rail Journeys, you can be sure that you are getting excellent value for money.
5. Easy to budget
Closely linked to point 4, you can easily budget because just about everything is included. For example, on the Indian Golden Triangle Tour I sampled, scheduled return flights, 5-star hotel accommodation, superb meals and filling packed lunches, rail and coach travel, transfers and porterage, guided tours and dedicated Tour Manager are all included in the booking price. That meant we only had to pay for drinks, tips and souvenirs – which are a bargain in India.
6. Tailored excursions to make the most of time and place
The Toy Train in the Himalayas
Good excursions should be a winning combination of stress-free organisation combined with well-informed local guides who take visitors rounds sites, share fascinating stories and intriguing facts at a pace suited to the group’s level of fitness and interest. The major highlights of our trip included the Toy Train to Shimla, city tour of Delhi and to Agra for the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal, which was more lovely than I had imagined. That visit was enhanced by our tour guide, who brought the love story of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to life and increased my enjoyment with fascinating information about the building and significance of the architecture.
7. Bespoke experiences to enhance local knowledge
Raj Ghat – memorial to Mahatma Ghandi in Delhi
All good tours will have some unusual experiences to enhance their customers’ enjoyment. It might be a cookery lesson, wine-tasting, sailing on house-boat, wild-life photography or taking part in a traditional religious ceremony. On our trip, we watched locals taking part in a temple blessing, saw the sun rise over the Himalayas and heard an excellent talk on Shimla and the history of the British in India from charming historian Raaja Bhasin.
8. Relatively risk-free giving peace of mind
Fast food on a railway platform in the Himalayas
The best tour companies have fine-tuned their holidays to ensure that customers have a smooth and risk-free trip. India is a vibrant, colourful country with somewhat lazy approach to health and safety … With guides chosen for their attention to detail and drivers chosen for their experience of the crazy Indian driving habits, we were in very capable hands, even on the exciting journey back down the mountain road from Shimla. Advice on what food and drink to try ensured that I for one, avoided Delhi Belly and was able to experience superb Indian cuisine with no side effects.
9. Freedom and flexibility
Marble Sculptors – Agra Market
Select your escorted tour carefully and you will get both free time and flexibility in the programme. These trips are often packed with things to see and do, which can be tiring. With so many companies to choose from, you will find plenty of options to suit your own tastes. I need a bit of free time to just wander around on my own. On our trip, we had some free time in Agra and I went off with a couple of others from the group to explore a local market. Others relaxed by the pool, chatted at the bar, read a book, slept or had a indulgent Spa Treatment.
10. The company of like-minded people
At the Taj |Mahal
This is one of the biggest selling points of an escorted tour. Because everyone has chosen the same trip, you can be sure that you will find plenty of people who will share your own interests. On the Great Rail Journeys the common denominator is often, but not always, a love of rail travel, for which India is rightly famous. However, many people go on these tours because of their desire to see famous sights, learn more about the culture and traditions of India and to experience these memorable moments with others.
Selfie at Red Fort Agra
I travelled to India courtesy of Great Rail Journeys; I am grateful them for enabling me to fulfill a life-long dream in such a marvellous way. Special thanks to our guide Farouk for his unfailing care and good humour, to all the friendly staff in the hotels we stayed in and to all the wonderful people we met along the way who made this trip so special.
If you’d like to go on a similar trip, take a look at Great Rail Journeys escorted tours of India and start planning your trip of a lifetime now
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