India Tours
 

Our 50th wedding anniversary is 2024 and I would like to take my wife to India as it is on her 'bucket list'. I would be more comfortable with a tour group as I have been enjoying tour groups visiting Europe. So what tour company would be recommended.
We are healthy seniors and have no ambulatory problems. We also enjoy Indian cuisine. Thank you.

For your 50th anniversary, your better-half deserves a more exclusive experience than a Group tour will afford! India can boast of some most romantic destinations, not necessarily covered in a Group tour. The focus there is more on commonality of interests. Also the hotels arranged are such which can provide similar rooms to all members of the group. On the contrary, a Group tour is going to be cheaper, as compared to an independent travel. But then you have hotels in India to suit all budgets!

It all depends on your specific interests. You have great properties to choose from. You have fort-palaces, which I think are fairly exclusive to this region. You may experience festivals like Deepavali (festival of lights), while staying at one of these fort-palaces! The former feudatory chiefs to whom these palaces belong personally welcome the guests and participate in the celebrations!

You have great national parks to witness animals in the natural habitat. The birds are stunningly colourful and of a huge variety. There are several well-managed parks. Ranthambhore is the easiest to access, as it is just 115mi from Jaipur. There are several nice hotels to choose from but my personal favourite is a tented accommodation, to go with the tiger country.

There is unparalleled old-world charm in Rajasthan. You can live your own version of royal-romance with many options for an indulgent stay away from the crowds. A round of usual monument sightseeing can be rounded off by a candle-lit shikar-dinner on the sand-dunes, consisting of kebabs and barbeque and bonfire! Similarly, your day could begin with breakfast, sitting in an ancient fort surrounded by a pride of peacocks!!

Not to miss out on the eternal snowclad massif of the Himalayas! Nothing is more romantic then sitting on the deep veranda of a Dak-Bungalow, sipping your morning cup of tea and the rhodendron blooming on the slope of the hill below!

India has a rich & varied culinary tradition. Some cuisines may have sprung from local conditions, others have arrived from far afield, brought along by the invaders & adventurers who made India their home! I once heard a Nawab from Lucknow say that cuisine must have three important components – Zaika (taste), aroma and it should be cooked in such a way as to be light on your tommy!! It is not always and necessarily hot. Indians use spices and chillies sparingly or generously, as per their taste!!

Happy Travels!

We did decide to arrange for our own trip with Castle & Kings, a travel agency mentioned here frequently. We leave in one week so I can't yet report on the trip but I can report on my experience so far.
We researched several tours and just couldn't find one that met all of our needs so finally decided to take the advice of many here and arrange our own trip. Several agencies get good reviews on this site and I have been pleased with my communication with Castle & Kings' representative, Arvind. Arvind deserves a medal as he patiently has offered suggestions, responded to my questions and crafted a trip that my husband and I are very excited about. We will be met at the airport and have drivers and guides at all of our locations.
Good luck with your planning!