Most Inspirational Moment
Aside from the Taj Mahal…the lakes of Udaipur at sunset are absolutely stunning. As well as experiencing Holi festival in Jaipur was a really great experience.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Got us through the trip, however other members of our group had to look out for slower members of the group. Sent my sister and I to a jewellery shop that didn’t stock the item we had asked him where the best place to buy it was. Although we appreciated the help he seemed disinterested when members of the tour asked questions. It also felt like he had a very close relationship with the owners of the restaurants we ate at and many were low quality with poor service which led to us walking out of one much to his discomfort.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Requires meticulous packing and organisation due to the amount of moving around. Be aware of what prices you are paying as were paying 2x to as much as x6 local rates and on at least one occasion were given a different tourist menu with English pricing.
I would also recommend getting a SIM card although advised we didn’t need one by our tour leader, the long bus journeys and non or low -
quality wifi at the hotels certainly warranted one.
Reply from Exodus
We really appreciate Surinder’s review, and are glad she enjoyed the sites she visited on her trip to India with us. We’re sorry that a couple of aspects gave her cause for disappointment, though.
Many restaurants in India have different rates for local Indian people than they do for foreign tourists, particularly tour groups. This is particular true for restaurants which cater towards tourists, which are generally those recommended by our tour leaders, as they have good hygiene ratings. This is similarly why we don’t include trying local street food, as while our clients are free to do this in their own time, it is simply not something we would recommend given that it could lead to a very upset stomach. We are, however, sorry that some of the establishments Surinder’s group ate at were not to her liking.
Surinder’s tour leader has explained that he recommended a jewellery shop that he was sure was reputable, and regrets that it didn’t stock the item she wanted; he didn’t, however, feel comfortable recommending other nearby stores which he was aware may have stocked fake items.
Surinder’s leader receives very positive feedback from clients overall, so we were regretful to learn that she didn’t have a similar experience with him on this departure. We would mention that clients in Surinder’s group rated her leader at 4.33 out of 5 overall, which is a very good score; however, we have spoken to him about aspects of his performance which could be improved in the future.
We’d like to thank Surinder for detailing her experience, and hope to be able to welcome her back on another Exodus trip when she travels again.
– Sarah Puttnam, Exodus Product Manager