Kimkim Trip Reviews for India

Three of us were traveling to India with little time to plan, so we have a few parameters to Kim Kim who connected us with Active India Holidays and our travel planner, Ravi and his team put together an excellent itinerary for a 3-week trip with 3 different people coming and going at various dates and times. The platform is easy to use, we had smooth communication throughout the planning and travel. We were warmly welcomed and cared for the entire trip from Day 1 all the way through departure, with guides meeting us at airports for transfers, safe drivers (with clean AC cars) for every destination, and knowledgeable local guides who showed us the local sites and were able to provide top notch information, history and local insight everywhere we went. Our hotels were lovely and exactly as we asked for (mid-range, clean and locally owned). Our favorite places were Amritsar and the Golden Temple, the border ceremony, hiking to local villages in Dharmashala, and the boat ride on the Ganges with the Aarti Ceremony in the evening with excellent viewing seats. Our guides were flexible, patient with all our endless questions and coconut water diversions, and we had an amazing time. I would highly recommend working with Kim Kim and their local in-country companies - you won’t be disappointed! We will definitely use their services again!

Our trip to India went very smoothly from the time of inquiry through our return home. Ravi was very responsive to questions and feedback as we finalized the itinerary, and the Active India team was responsive while we were traveling as well.

Our drivers were fabulous - kind, considerate, extremely safe. They went above and beyond to make sure our family was comfortable.

The guides in each city were knowledgeable and flexible to the interests and needs of my family.

Hotel Reviews

Houseboat

The houseboat facilities were not great - no hot water, wet bathroom, a/c only in bedrooms. When the boat wasn't moving, the heat was uncomfortable. Staff was very kind and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Better facilities - bathroom in particular

The Lalit Hotel, New Delhi

Delhi

Our family was amazed by this hotel - the buffet was extensive, the staff was helpful, and the rooms were wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not much in the vicinity to walk to

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The House of MG

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not a great neighborhood to be able to walk and explore

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cockroaches in our room.

Francis Residence

Location

Difficult to find, driver could not drop us at the door.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

A/C was only in bedrooms so the common space was not comfortable.

Fragrant Nature Munnar

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful location but not near anything else.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Greenwoods Resort Thekkady

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable to some stores in our downtime.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Mercure Agra

Agra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located - we were able to walk to a store for some shopping.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Taj Mahal at Sunset

Agra

Perfect timing for our visit - wasn't too crowded and the weather was perfect!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat cruise in the lake and experience the wilderness.

Periyar

Participate in Cooking demonstration activity at a Local Family House

Cochin

Great experience to cook with Rosy, but it was very hot!

Quality of Experience

Explore the marvelous and historic monument : Agra Fort

Agra

Half-Day Ahmedabad Tour 

Ahmedabad

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was so flexible to meet the needs and interests of our family.

Transport

Cruise through the backwaters of Alleppey

Alappuzha

Cochin sightseeing

India

Full Day Delhi Sightseeing

Delhi

Chandni Chowk - spice market was a bit overwhelming for our first morning. Restaurant for lunch was just ok.

Spice Plantation Walk in Periyar

India

Early morning Jungle Walk in Periyar National Park

Periyar

Experience a different world at Elephant Junction in Thekkady

India

India is a very interesting country, with lots of history and cultural traditions and also with extreme difference in social and economic classes.
The local representative from Active India Tour met us at our hotel in Delhi to greet us and provide us with paperworks for our tour. We visited Delhi for the day and the next morning we took a flight to Jaiselmar to start our tour through several cities including Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar, Jaipur, Agra and return to Delhi. Rahul was our driver for the remaining of the trip. Rahul was an amazing driver, very kind, patient and punctual. In every city we had a different tour guides. All were very competent, knowledgeable and very friendly. would recommend all of them. All the places we visited were very interesting, stunning and with history that exceeded our expectations.

According to the pictures of the Hotels sent at the time we booked our tour, they all looked clean, beautiful and we agreed on all of them. To our surprise, the hotels were not what they looked like in the pictures. The room we were assigned at the Udman hotel in Delhi, was on a floor where there were several room assigned to a wedding party so the noise was annoying. After we complained they switched our room to the suite in the hotel. I guess that room had not been used in a while, I found a spider under the sheets and the sheets were not clean. (they changed them after I called to complain again. The bathtub was stained and everything was in disrepair. The Gulaal Hotel in Jaiselmar was a total disaster, we even found a bed bug, so we run out of that hotel as soon as we could. We were surprised, disgusted and appalled that, Active India who arranged our trip in India, would book these rooms in these hotels without checking and ensuring that the facilities were clean and up to standard to any passenger.
At that point, we decided to upgrade the rest of the hotels in our booking so we would not have any more surprises. We were charged extra for the upgrades and a card payment fee, again, for having to make another payment for the upgrades.

Apparently we visited India during "wedding season", which we had no idea, so please make sure that the travel agent books hotels that are not fully occupied by a wedding party. The Radisson Blu Resort, which was one of the hotels we were upgraded to, was almost totally booked by the wedding party, 210 of the 245 room in the hotels. We had to bear with loud music during the day and at night till 3am. At the Marriot Hotel in Jaipur, we could not use the pool area due to a wedding party.

Even though we had issues with our hotels, we tried to make the best out of our trip. Rahul, our driver, and all our tour guides made our trip to India great.

Logan our driver was great and our guide in Pondicherry was very knowledgeable. This was a fantastic trip with lovely hotels. We didn't need a representative to meet us at the airport hotel. We could have sorted this out ourselves and actually it made us think that there might have been a problem.

Everything from the start to the end of my trip was amazing!

The guides were kind, knowledgeable and helpful. My driver Puran was the best! The plan was well curated and all schedule was punctual. Everybody on the Active India team made sure my 5-day trip in India was perfect with high level of professionalism. I also had the lovely opportunity to meet Ravi and he is a genuinely kind, generous person and an excellent travel agent who went above and beyond to make sure my experience in India was spotless.

Huge thanks to each one of you for arranging a dream trip! I wish I had at least 7 days to enjoy on the Golden Triangle at a slower pace but Active India made the best out of my limited time and showed me the wonders of India! THANK YOU:)

Hotel Reviews

The Retreat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dera Rawatsar

This is a beautiful heritage hotel with great character and authenticity. Breakfast and food was great, all staff excellent and rooms are all uniquely decorated. This was definitely the best hotel on the trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Udman Ferns N Petals

New Delhi, Delhi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur

Jaipur is BEAUTIFUL. The architecture of the Mughals combined with Hindu elements was incredible. This was definitely the highlight of my trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Raj was great and he was energetic. He was very knowledgable and helpful.

Transport

Take a stroll through the historic garden for the most magical views of the Taj Mahal by TUK-TUK

Agra

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Heritage Walk through Lodhi Garden

Delhi

This was a great place to stop by in Delhi.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taj Mahal Sunrise Visit

Agra

My guide Ronit was knowledgable and kind. He made sure I had the best info out of Taj Mahal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the marvelous and historic monument : Agra Fort

Agra

This is such a beautiful heritage site. Please don't miss it out. I want to go back!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As always, Puran was great and punctual.

Transport

Our four local guides were excellent, each with the personality that suited the city. We cannot say enough nice things about Mr Pushcar, our driver! He was always on time, had water, hand sanitizer, wipes & candy. The car was immaculate. The Delhi local representative really made us feel comfortable & guided us through both the train station & the airport. Each one of the hotel properties were unique & very comfortable. Overall excellent trip!!

Hotel Review

Nahargarh

Ranthambore

Beautiful property which whisked us back to the time of the Rajs coming there for safaris. The service was very good & food was tasty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Udaipur Sightseeing

Udaipur

Wonderful experience at the Jagdish temple & Summer palace. He also went above & beyond to find a lady to do henna on our hands, something my daughter really wanted to do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class, and Dinner with Local Family

Jaipur

Loved spending time with the Singh family. They were so welcoming & food was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

Old Delhi Sightseeing

Delhi

Visiting Old Delhi & soaking up the sights & sounds & incredible food was a great start to our India tour. A visit to the Sikh gurdwara was one of the highlights of the day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taj Mahal Sunrise Visit

Agra

What can you say when you see one of the 7 wonders of the world when almost no one else is there? I can’t find the world to describe how beautiful this is & the testament to a great love

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur

Our guide Hans really exemplifies the vibrancy of this city! Incredible architecture! Elephant ride was so much fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon visit to Bagore ki Haveli and enjoy a cultural evening of Rajasthani Folk Dance

Udaipur

We only went to the dance & the event was so crowded we saw almost nothing

Morning and Evening game drives at Ranthambore:

Ranthambore

Park was gorgeous & while we did not see a tiger we did see a leopards as well as lots of other wildlife . Unfortunately our naturalist seemed tired & bored, not engaging us even when I have a science background & would ask questions. Morning driver did an incredible job getting us to the leopard sighting.

Bespoke India Holidays and specifically Jay were great to work with. During the planning process they had great communication both via email and phone to discuss our trip and achieve our budget. All tour guides and experiences were great, especially the food tour, night tour, and bike tour in Jaipur. The hotels they selected were amazing especially the SUJÁN Sher Bagh in Ranthambhore. When there was a mishap with one of the tour companies (out of their control) they more than made up for it by offering two private tours (vs. shared). One of the best parts of our trip was Mr. Kumar who took us around India for our 10 days. They also arrange people at each hotel and airport to help make the check in process seamless.

Two notes of improvement. The Samode Haveli, while gorgeous, felt a little dated and you are awoken each morning at 5:30am by prayers. Also there are swarms of little bugs by the pool making it unenjoyable. To be clear, this wasn’t their initial selection however based on the photos we choose this hotel over the Marriott. The other thing is I wish they were clearer with was the start/end times of the tours as that would make any activities you want to plan on our own (massages, dinner reservations), easier to plan from the beginning.

Overall it was an amazing trip thanks to Bespoke India Holidays and I highly recommend them!

Hotel Reviews

Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, Agra

Agra

Samode Haveli

Jaipur

SUJÁN Sher Bagh, Ranthambhore

Activity Reviews

Jaipur Food and Market Tour

Jaipur

Cycle tour in Jaipur

Jaipur

Walking Tour – Temples & Havelis of Old Jaipur

Jaipur

This was the second trip that I worked with Jay Kajaria with Bespoke India Holidays to plan. The first trip was to Delhi and various areas around Rajasthan. It went so well and I was so pleased that I booked a trip to North Eastern India. And this was also a remarkable trip. Simply tell Bespoke what you are interested in and where you would like to go and they will take it from there. You are assisted every step of the way, from being picked up from the airport and later being dropped at the airport and being assisted in checking in for your flight from India.

Many of the famous tourist areas of India were covered by the first trip and now I wanted something different -- and this is Northeastern India. It is a land of unusual tribes, different topography and different animals. Make sure you go to Kaziranga National Park -- and also take the elephant safari in the morning.

Also impressive were the lodgings in which I was booked and my guide and driver were top notch.

I am so pleased with this trip (and the prior one) that I am already looking talking about and looking forward to working with Jay on a third trip.

Thank you Bespoke India Holidays (and Jay and my guide "Dee-poo" and driver "Harem."

We used Active India to organize our trip to Kerala. The trip was wonderful. Ravi did a great job planning the trip to cover all the highlights of the area. Our driver, Pramod, was excellent. His expertise of the country and driving skills made the trip stress free. He coordinated all the guides at each location and made sure we met them at the appointed place and was always waiting for us when we were done. The car was roomy, comfortable and always clean. The accommodations' were top notch. Each destination had something special and unique to offer. In addition, Pramod offered additional suggestions of things to do in our "spare" time. We would highly recommend Active India.

My friends invited us to their wedding in New Delhi this past holiday season. We were overjoyed to go, so we began the planning process. We decided that after the wedding, we wanted to travel around India to see some of what it had to offer. A good friend mentioned a site called KimKim.com, which is a fantastic aggregator for vetted travel agencies. We were presented with ACTIVE INDIA. We were quickly introduced to Ravi. We were impressed with his constant professionalism, flexibility, and attentiveness. We changed our plans a few times due to changing circumstances and some indecisiveness, and everything was always handled graciously.

When we got to India, we attended the wedding, which was incredible! After the wedding, our adventure began with the help of Active India. We traveled from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur, then from Jaipur to Agra, and then back to New Delhi. Below is a partial list of everything we loved about our trip.

- The tour GUIDES were terrific! At each stop, we had tour guides who were extremely knowledgeable, courteous, and kind. They took pictures of us anytime we asked. We even became friends with one of them. (Some pictures above are with our guides.)

- The DESTINATIONS were well curated. We felt like we saw the best attractions in each city. India is so rich, so clearly, we couldn't see everything, but we didn't feel like we missed out on anything either.

- Our DRIVER was superb. Driving in India is daunting, and Mahesh was always professional, on time, safe, and caring. We liked him and were sad when we had to say goodbye. (He is also pictured above.)

- The HOTELS that were curated all had a unique flare to them and were consistently well run, safe, comfortable, and clean.

- There is MUCH more to list, but you get the idea. We highly recommend ACTIVE INDIA to anyone looking to adventure and experience India. They went out of their way to ensure we had a great experience and were warm and wonderful every step of the way.

We requested a whirlwind adventure, we only had a couple of days but Jay, of Bespoke India Holidays, managed to pack into those few days all we asked for and more. A day in Agra with tour guide Yogesh covered the important sites and was very informative and entertaining; the playboy emperor, the lovestruck emperor, the evil son and so much more. The following day Yogesh provided the low down on India's second capitol - Fathpur Sikri before he headed back to Agra and our driver - Raj, took us on to our next destination - Ranthambhore. A lot of driving over the five days but Raj was very good, considerate to our westernanity, one of us secure enough to actually sleep whilst he drove; the car was immaculately clean, comfortable and water and sweets were provided. Accommodation in Ranthambhore was six-star, two safaris into the national park resulted in two tiger sightings - luck I know but wow.

Hotel Reviews

Aamaghati Wildlife Resort, Ranthambore

Ranthambore

Green, spacious, clean, open, fresh, a little oasis in the hustle and bustle of Indian life. Location; Out of town so quiet but it meant that if you wanted to visit the village you had to book a ride or take a long walk. Authenticity & Character; This is a resort 'authenticity' is not relevant. And nor really is 'character'. Aamaghati Wildlife Resort is a resort and compares above western resorts that I have stayed at. The presence of local musicians to welcome guests and provide background to High Tea added character to the experience. Staff; There were sufficient staff that assistance was always available if required. The staff were, almost, overly keen to be of help, all those we encountered were respectful, well mannered and well presented, all spoke good english. Cleanliness and Comfort; The grounds were spotless, the public areas were spotless, the rooms were spotless. The room we had (T4) was huge and well laid out.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing can improve authenticity, Aamaghati is a resort, it is a very good resort but resorts are not 'authentic' Indian accommodation.

Location

Nothing could be improved as you can't exactly pick the resort up and drop it off closer to the town. We were only there for a day and only for the safari, the location was perfect for our requirements. If we'd been there longer then the isolation from the village may have been a point of concern. I do not know (I did not notice) if you offer a taxi service between resort and village which would overcome the isolation.

Staff

All of the staff we encountered were very helpful to the point of bordering on being too helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless inside and out

Clark Shiraz

Agra

We were in town for a day of sightseeing, we had a driver who dropped us off and picked us up. The hotel was clean, the room was clean, spacious and comfortable. The restaurant that we used had a great range of great tasting foods available.

Authenticity & Character

This was a hotel, it was an authentic hotel but not authentic Indian accommodation. The hotel had an abundance of services and facilities.

Location

We were there for a day and had a driver who picked us up and dropped us off at the hotel so location was not an issue. Had we no driver and had we been there for more than just a day's sightseeing the distance to the centre of Agra may have been a concern.

Staff

All very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room, the public areas and the grounds were all very clean.

Activity Reviews

Agra - Sightseeing and Mughal Heritage Walk

Agra

Agra Fort was an impressive structure and, courtesy of our guide, had an interesting, colourful and rich history. The size and scope of the buildings was hard for our 20th century minds to fully grasp. Taj Mahal. What can you say, even in the fog the building had a presence that you could literally feel. The detail work of the decorations, the design of the structure rivals any christian structure I have seen. Mughal Heritage Walk was probably a bit too much for our western sensibilities, it was certainly a bit of an eye opener to us to see village life up that close and personal. To be honest, we were a bit uncomfortable - rich westerners walking around a place where there was not that wealth.

Quality of Experience

It goes without saying, a visit to the Taj Mahal is Amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver for the whole tour - Raj, was great, a good driver (he didn't hit anyone) and very considerate. Our guide - Yogesh, was awesome, knowledgeable, entertaining, perceptive.

Transport

We had a private car with driver, the driver was good and the car was comfortable and clean.

Agra - Ranthambore via Fatehpur Sikri (296 km- 5 to 6 hours by car)

India

It's a long drive, the break at Fatehpur Sikri made it a little more bearable. The break at the level crossing did not - we had a twenty minute delay getting out of Agra while we waited for a train. Fatehpur Sikri is an interesting site and well worth the detour if you are in the area. The architecture is typical and impressive, the story behind is interesting and to link the structure to the story is great. A drive is a drive is a drive, there were sufficient interesting sights along the way to keep the mind from boredom.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, Yogesh was informative, knowledgeable and entertaining. Raj was a very good driver.

Transport

Raj drove a very comfortable car that was immaculately clean.

Morning and Afternoon Safaris in Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambore

We were lucky, two trips into the park - morning and afternoon, two tiger sightings. If we hadn't seen a tiger the rating would be a bit less but still up there. There were other things to see and the park itself was scenic.

Quality of Experience

We saw tigers, what more can you say

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were told a 6:30-7:00am pickup, the driver arrived at 7:30am. The driver we had didn't highlight or really point out the other animals we encountered and he certainly didn't give us the opportunity to photograph any of them, he seemed to be single mindedly intent on spotting a tiger, and to his credit he found us one. A close up and personal sighting, one that no other group got to see. We were told a 1:30-2:00pm pickup, the driver turned up after 2:30pm. This driver was a bit more informative about the other animals sighted and was also a bit more sensitive to our being tourists and interested in more than just the animals. And he got us a tiger.

Transport

We had jeep tours, two two-and-a-half person benches across the back of an open jeep. Comfortable for two (afternoon), bit tight for three (morning) persons. The roads in the park are, as you'd expect, rough.

Some comments on the trip to India planned by KimKim:

- overall, a very mid-level plain vanilla touristic itinerary
- guide (who was very nice and friendly) was not knowledgeable and added no real insight or value to our destinations
- itinerary was over-crammed, included nothing but visits to most prominent tourist sites of historic monuments.
- no culture, art, connection to local life
- forced stops on selected tourist shops where we felt like we were held hostage and exploited
- several of the hotels were sub-par. these may have been the only options available, but full disclosure and explanation would have helped us lower our expectations of promised "5-star hotels". several did not meet international standards for five star hotels.

Ravi, Aditiya and his team made our 2-weeks in India fantastic. After my husband was injured a few weeks before our trip, Ravi helped to accommodate us with a wheelchair and reassured us the trip was still possible. Thanks to our great guides and expert drivers, we still did almost all of our original itinerary. Communication was great in planning and while in the country. We visited 6 different cities and every staff, guide, and driver were great. Particularly, our driver Sachen in Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur was fantastic and a joy to spend our vacation with. Everything felt very organized except for some hiccups in Mumbai at the end of our trip, which seemed to lack some communication and foresight. All the hotels were very nice. We especially loved Udaipur and the beautiful location of the hotel right on the lake.

Hotel Reviews

Marine Plaza

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard By Marriott

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Amet Haveli

Gorgeous location and rooms. Was a dream eating meals at dawn and dusk outside. Walls in the room were a bit thin so could hear lots of outside noise.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful location right on the lake, but a bit inconvenient as cars cannot access the hotel so must transfer to tuk-tuk.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Suryaa

Delhi

Somewhat outdated and the rooms, hallways, etc were a bit roughed up with scratches and chips. Great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Jaipur City Center

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, but very strong perfume scent in our room which would not dissipait

Ramada Varanasi

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Set back from the bustle of the street, so very peaceful

Staff

Restaurant staff was very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunrise River Trip Over Ganges and walk along the historical Ghats of Varanasi

Varanasi

So unique and a great way to experience the traditions

Evening Aarti (Prayer Ceremony) in Varanasi

Varanasi

Very memorable and wonderful to experience the spiritual nature of Varanasi. Our guide Mohan took us to chairs on a balcony overlooking the ceremony which was much more comfortable, especially to be away from the crowd.

Taj Mahal Sunrise Visit

Agra

Went mid-morning as the guide Povin advised there would be a lot of fog during sunrise. So glad we went later just as the fog broke so we could marvel at the beauty of the Taj Mahal in all its grandeur. Lots of crowds, but our Povin did a great job of navigating around them and taking great pictures still.

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur

Amber Fort and Palace were so beautiful. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was amazing to walk around and see the grandeur that still exists and imagine what was. Jantar Mantar (the astrology instruments) was very unique and fascinating. Our guide Ahjay did a nice job explaining all the instruments.

Guided Half Day Tour of Mumbai

Mumbai

We really enjoyed our tour with Shilpa. She had great insights about the interesting architecture of Mumbai, and we learned a lot about Gandhi and Indian history. She also took us for a food tour which was a big highlight of our trip to try different dishes at the spots locals enjoy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostly great
Couple of the hotels were a little short of what we wanted but given I chose them , then no fault of agent
Everything was smooth
Transport was good and the two main drivers we used very courteous and safe and reliable
Communication with agent via WhatsApp was also very good although difficult when away from
WiFi

We, a family of 4, had an amazing experiences with Kimkim/Active India.
Ravi was our specialist. He amazingly organized a custom trip for us to see the highlights of Rajasthan.
I can't believe how well organized the trip was, not a qlitsch. We really had a VIP experience, that we never experienced before.
Ravi listened to what we wanted and was very quick in putting the trip together.
Airport rep met us at the airport in the middle of the night when we arrived. The driver, Josie was very nice and drove well, and had good recomandations. Guides were very punctual and knowledgeable and made the whole trip flow great. I would recommend to my friends and family to travel with Active India because it's just a much much better experience than trying to do it on your on, or with a company less experienced. The hotel selection and activities were great, too. Thank you Active India

This is the best company to use when planning a trip for India. From planning to execution. Very easy to text Ravi, Priya, and Aditya with quick response time before and during trip. They provided an excellent driver Sukhjinder, who was always on time and showed up magically when done with our tour stop.
The tour guides provided Gary Julka (for Agra) and Lovjeet (for Jaipur) were amazing for families of all ages. I will definitely use them again when planning another trip to India and will refer to all my friends.

Kim Kim/Active India Holidays lead by Ravi Tickoo put together a great 10-day trip in the Golden Triangle Area of India for my family of 6. The trip was a big success. We had representatives meet from Active India meet us after each flight and always felt cared for and supported on the trip. Our hotels were top notch and our guides were friendly, knowledgeable. This trip would not have happened without them!

We had a large group with diverse interests. Ravi did an amazing job all through the planning and execution process. He was very patient during the planning phase offering many options. He then worked to fine tune the itinerary and respond to many change requests. During the trip itself he was always connected with us to ensure everything was going smoothly.

Ravi was not only a trip planner, but a partner during the entire process. I recommend him without reservations.

Hotel Reviews

The Oberoi, Mumbai

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shiv Niwas Palace

Excellent location and service - but extremely old and dated room facilities. Bathroom fixtures were also at least 20+ years old. Given the opportunity - the management should spend the money to upgrade the rooms and bathrooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, Kences Palm Beach

This hotel has huge potential given its location and the amazing beach. But they need to spend some money to upgrade their rooms and bathrooms. Also - there were a lot of mosquitoes in the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais de Mahe - CGH Earth

Pondicherry

Everything about this hotel was amazing. Compared to the 10 hotels on our itinerary, it was the best place we stayed at.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

RAAS JODHPUR

Jodhpur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jaisalmer Marriott Resort & Spa

Jaisalmer

Hotel was good, but not great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Suba International

Given it is a budget oriented hotel for local travelers, it is a great hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Svatma

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Madurai

Huge potential, they need to spend some money to upgrade their facilities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour of Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada

Jodhpur

The Mehrangarh Fort is an exceptional experience.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Walking Tour of Pondicherry

Pondicherry

Puducherry is an amazing little town

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Brihadeeshwara Temple, an architectural masterpiece and Thanjavur Palace

Tanjore

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very good

Transport

Udaipur Local Exploration

Udaipur

Guide was exceptional - knowledgeable, articulate, eager to share information.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided tour of Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is one of the best places to visit in India

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide's English was not so good so it was hard for many in the group to understand him

Transport

Because of a diplomatic situation, we were unable to obtain required visas and didn't think that we were coming until about 4 days before our trip. Ravi was able reorganize our entire trip on very short notice. We were very thankful.

Our guide in Jaipur was outstanding! He knew and shared all sorts of information but also when we asked questions where he didn't know the answers he was honest and said that he didn't know -- rather than make up something. In addition to the regular sight-seeing destinations, he helped us navigate buying a replacement phone charging cord and work out a place to go running the next morning. Our driver was also terrific although at times we felt a little too pampered. At one point he wanted us to get back into the car to drive about 300 metres down the road. I was so tired of sitting (5+ hours already that day) that I insisted on walking. And it turns out that I was faster on foot than he was in the car.

I was less impressed with the other guides. In particular, the guide from Delhi shortened the days from what was promised then asked, "if there's anything else you want to see?" but because we had just arrived, we didn't know what to suggest. So we ended up dumped back at the hotel early and feeling a bit trapped. By the end of the trip, we were more comfortable taking a Tuktuk or the metro on our own, but we needed more structure on the first few days.

I was also particularly unimpressed with the guide from Agra who asked if we wanted to see how the marble inlay work was done by craftsmen and then took us to what was essentially either a tourist scam or abusive labour practices. They told us about how many hours went into creating these beautiful tables (all supposedly by hand by workers from the families of the original crasftmen) and then wanted to sell them to us for quite low prices. They had a huge showroom of tables which would have represented millions of hours of work so either this story was untrue or they are paying some huge number of people inappropriately low (slave labour) wages. When I refused to buy anything at all, the sales pitch ratcheted up a notch and in order to leave we were led through more and more showrooms of items for sale. I would not have agreed to go to this place except that I misunderstood and thought that it was a museum where we paid for admission (not a sales scam).

The safari guides at Ranthambore were ok. The morning guide was great, but in the afternoon the guests in the front seat were from India and we were in the back seat. The guide didn't speak English well (or at least he chose to speak to them in a local language) and the Indian guests ended up translating for us. But they only translated about half of the information and we missed a lot. I kept having to ask what the guide was saying. My advice to other safari riders is to sit in the front seat and ask questions.

All the hotels on the trip were great. The one in Ranthambore and the one in Jaipur were particularly lovely and the staff were pleasant. The food was yummy. We ate most dinners in the hotels and almost always had too much food.

One of my favourite parts of the trip was the cooking class with a family in the Jaipur area. It was very special to be welcomed into someone's home and spend time together. We didn't do the market or henna (as advertised in the itinerary), but I didn't care because instead we spent a long time cooking and talking and then eating together. During our conversations, they gave us instructions and encouragement to take the metro and tuktuks ourselves to explore Jaipur that evening. We followed their advice and found our way.

All in all, it was a great trip and while I've provided some negative feedback (in hopes of helping Active India improve), I am very satisfied. I would recommend Active India to other travellers who (like me) didn't have the time, experience, or confidence to arrange all the details of their trip on their own.

Hotel Review

Dera Rawatsar

Very impressed. The owners were particularly welcoming and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

We had a lovely big room with a seating room and our own balcony.

Location

close to the metro and easy to take a Tuktuk from the bus station.

Staff

Friendly. I felt a bit smothered though. I don't need 3 people to show me to my room and carry up our two small cases.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Heritage Walk through Lodhi Garden

Delhi

It was a bit too short. The guide skipped the bonsai garden and I agreed to skip it thinking that there were more other things to see. But then when we got to the other end of the garden, he said, "well that's it we'll take you back to the hotel" even though the time wasn't up. We didn't see the Lodi Colony at all either. It just felt like he was keen to dump us and be done.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

car was always clean and driver was terrific.

Taj Mahal at Sunset

Agra

We didn't go at sunset as promised. We went earlier and were there for much less than 3 hours.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It wasn't clear what choices we had about timing etc.

Cooking Class, and Dinner with Local Family

Jaipur

This was the best part of my trip although we did not go the market at all. But having the time with this family was wonderful.

Food

It was delicious. She said she would send the recipes on WhatsApp and we have already been in contact.

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur

Guides, Drivers and Staff

guide was terrific. Best one of the trip.

Overall, we felt the trip was fine. It was nice to use a platform like Kimkim to make life easier, but for the price we paid, we did not feel that we received the quality we were expecting from the drivers & the tours. This is compared to a similar trip taken in the North of India with a different operator. The main highlight was Raj - the tour guide in Munnar. His quick thinking and adaptation honestly made the whole trip worth it. The driver was nice, but we were told that we would have full use of the driver, and it felt like each time we asked for him to take us somewhere e.g. a restaurant for dinner - there would be resistance.

Hotel Reviews

Viceroy

Not a 5* as advertised. 45 minute drive from Munnar town. Would not stay here again! To its credit, it was very clean & functional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eight Bastion

This was a really great hotel. It fit our criteria of a design led hotel. Great location, decent breakfast, comfortable beds. We loved the bathrooms too. Staff were friendly and welcoming!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival Cochin

Cochin

We were so confused by the arrival greeting. The gentleman did not seem to know much about our itinerary or plan - he initially also only addressed the only male traveller in our group and the three female travellers had to directly ask him questions in order to get any acknowledgement. It was truly a very strange experience as we weren't sure who he was / if he was the guide for the whole trip, and it did make us very worried for the rest of the trip.....

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise in Cochin

Cochin

This was a nice trip on a boat. It was massive boat, and privatised for us. Took us up and down the river, and through some of the fishing areas to see the nets. We enjoyed this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cochin sightseeing

India

A nice opportunity to explore Kochin. The guide was knowledgeable and kind. Note, that the sightseeing tour that was written in the itinerary was not what happened in reality.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Trek through Munnar Tea Plantations , Tea tasting and Tea Factory visit

Munnar

The guided trek (that nearly didn't happen) was the best part of the trip! A massive highlight for us to hike through the plantations - so beautiful & peaceful. A massive shoutout to Raj who was instrumental in making this trek happen for us after there was poor communication between the agency and him. We wished we had more days to do more trekking. The tea factory was an interesting experience and was nice to see the production.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport