Reviews

Great tour for first time visitors to India. Ample time spend at all the major sights and tour guide was very informative. Bus not of the same standard as what European travellers may be used to but still comfortable. Accommodation by and large average to good but meals very average at best with very little variation. Regardless we had a great time and can definitely recommend this tour.

We added an extra day cut out the,night flight which was a big start.
18 days of the best experience of India an a ton packed tour of life and history of this beautiful country.

However not for the faint hearted. A lot of walking and long bus rides so you need to fairly fit as the temperature was also around 33 degrees + most days.
Highlight. Varanasi where my father came from. To "To tread the boards" where he was born was magic.

Twilight. There really was not one in this vibrant land.

We saw some wonderful sights and enjoyed our adventure. You have to “embrace” India, it is very, very busy and lots of honking of horns!

We would rate the physical aspect of the tour higher than 2, at Jama Masjid in Delhi there were over 20 very steep steps to get into the Mosque, at Varansi the steps at the ghat again are very steep and you have to be able to get on and off a small boat onto mud banks, there is also a lot of walking. In addition you have to be able to get on and off very busy trains with your luggage that only stops at the station for a few minutes. Hemal our guide was brilliant with some less physically able guests and on two occasions sorted out for our luggage to be driven to the next hotel.

It is a non stop tour, lots of very early starts and late back to the hotel in the evening but we booked this tour as we wanted to see a lot of India and it didn’t disappoint.

Fab holiday except for trains number two and three. Dirty and very shabby ..
first and last train on itinerary were clean and comfortable .

This is my third trip to India and have done trains before but this was a different experience .

Toy train in Shimla is tiny and cramped .
Two seater seats suitable for two slim sized people .
Shabby interior .
Myself and four others from my group were put in a carriage with locals . they had luggage piled in every available bit of space . It was cramped , no room to move .
Man opposite me kept scratching his nether regions , I chose to stand !
No room in other carriages .
Other group members had a more enjoyable trip as they weren’t in a crammed carriage .
Train journeys are not romantic if that’s what you’re hoping for .

Taken to train Station at 6am for an 8am train .some stations are dirty with disgusting toilets ., very few seats .
26 people in tour group , far too big , tour guide could t cope .
Lack of porters . Had to cross and walk down railway lines with our luggage .
Not for elderly or unfit .

Horrendous early starts .and late arrival back at hotel in the evening ., 7pm ish .
Only had time to wash hands then go for dinner
. No socialising due to next morning early starts , usually around 6am .

Hotels were all really good with good Indian food . Don’t expect an English Breakfast .

Some wonderful restaurants for lunch , most memorable one in Shimla .

Jam packed itinerary , no free time for anything which was a shame , but what we got to see and do was superb .

Had a fantastic time but it’s full on .

I’d recommend this holiday 100% if the train was ditched .

Great insight to a totally different culture and see the great historical sights.

My wife has long tried to get me to go to India. I eventually agreed, and I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Our tour manager was very knowledgeable and guided us around the different sites we visited. We never felt threatened; in fact, people wanted to talk to us, and they asked if we liked India, and they were very friendly.
The Tour was hectic, but we would not have seen so much if we had tried to organize it ourselves. We enjoyed it so much that we are thinking about another tour of South India.

We had a fantastic experience and saw an incredible number of interesting and historic places. It was very hectic though and is not for the old or immobile.
Hotels and food were amazing but we did not have any downtime to enjoy the facilities.
To get a 5 star review the tour holiday should be a day longer with more downtime in the hotels and perhaps fewer very early starts.
Our group was of 26 people. Three needed assistance or wheelchairs at times. I would suggest a maximum of 20 people and the grade should rise from level 2 to level 3.

Saying all that we really loved the holiday and would recommend it to like minded friends.
Finally our guide Hemal was excellent as were the local representatives.

Fantastic holiday, great tour guide (Mr B). Overall good hotels and food. Very good flights with Virgin, recommend the upgrade as it is a long time in the sky. Coach transport throughout the three weeks was in a fully a/c modern vehicle with drivers mate keeping us well supplied with water etc.
If you wanted a relaxing break, this holiday is not for you but if you want to experience all India has to offer, sights, sounds, smells and everything else, GO!!

A most interesting tour which delivered what the brochure promised. The Wendy Wu pre-tour information, however, was out of date with reference to some tour experiences, eg. no food available on the 9 hour train journey north from Kolkata - we were provided with lunch boxes and food could be purchased from vendors who walked through the carriages. Our national guides were very informative, though the India guide was lax in his management style - however, he did put in extra visits which we all appreciated and enjoyed.

This was our first experience of using Wendy Wu. From the first point of contact with the company we received excellent customer service and this was reflected throughout our booking and during the Tour itself. The Tour was an amazing experience which we will never forget. The quality of the Hotels and food was excellent. Our guide was first class and ensured all the arrangements for the tour went smoothly and was extremely knowledgable as were the local guides in certain locations. The tour was full on with a lot of travelling, early starts and long days. However without this we wouldn't have had such a fulfilling experience. Would definitely recommend this tour to experience India joanna.solanki@n-compass.org.uk

Good tour, a lot of sightseeing, a lot of travelling

Enjoyed this holiday very much. But I've been quite unwell since I got home.

Excellent tour, well organised, brilliant guide that made everything so easy and enjoyable. The hotels were mostly good quality although some needed a bit of investment in staff training and fixtures. The only criticism we have is the talk by the farmer at the cookery demonstration- not relevant. The drivers were excellent.

It was a bit full on and tiring but we'll worth it.

Utterly Superb. I've wanted to visit India for many years - was planning on 2020 but we all know what happened then! - so finally got around to booking. I expected India to be a complete assault on the senses and it delivered in spades. Colourful, noisy, fast moving, in your face and unlike any country I've ever visited. It was a little bit crazy in the best possible way - I loved the sights, sounds, colours, the smells (OK not so much those of Indian Train toilets LOL). I don't think I'll ever quite get used to cows ambling along wherever they please ... including the middle of the road but thats just part of the local colour.

This was my second Wendy Wu Tour - I came back as the first was superb in every way and this one delivered again. Thats twice now that WW has knocked it out of the park. Ive just booked another tour for 2025 to Japan.

1) The itinerary was comprehensive and varied - the pace a little relentless at times as we crammed in as much as possible but worth it totally. We visted all the major "bucket list" sights of Northern Indian from New & Old Delhi (such a contrast), to Taj Mahal and Agra (Taj is every bit as magnificent as imagined), Varanasi (the 5 am start to see the sunrise and Ghats on Ganges was well worth it to see such an incredible site), the Khajuraho (with the Kama Sutra carvings) temples, the night, time jeep ride and magnificent sights of Jaipur, the very macho military city of Jodphur complete with jet fighter fly-overs and the magnificent hotel, the lakes and water palaces of Udaipur and the Tigers at Ranthambore and the superb Shergarh Hotel. Wall to wall palaces, forts, temples, rickshaw rides, Tuk Tuk, jeep rides, coaches, flights and train - you name it we did it.
2) The National guide Vishal was an ever smiling guy who sorted out any minor issues along the way and was a fountain of knowledge on his country as well as being very proud of it and eager to share with visitors. The local guides and coach drivers/assistants were also excellent but special mention has to be given to the superb driving of the cool, calm Mr Singh who Id trust to drive me anywhere and the ever smiling assistant Krishna.
3) The Hotels were all of very good quality - two of which where utterly superb in Jodphur and Ranthambore. The Udaipur Hotel had issues - which the hotel did sort out rapidly but they shouldn't have needed to have the issues pointed out... the other hotels didnt.
4) Food was plentiful and good quality. Generally I would have liked it spicier as I like my food hot and flavourful but appreciate that the hotels and restaurants needed to cater for the wide range of palates of the group. Shergarh was very accommodating in making mine spicier when I asked.
5) Excellent value for money - a lot of bang for the buck.
6) An absolutely superb group of people to travel with - 28 of us from various parts of the UK, Ireland, some Aussies and Kiwis. Everyone seemed to get on really well and the WhatsApp group set up by our guide Vishal was great for sharing photos, schedules etc. The group I travelled with made an already amazing holiday into an incredible experience I will never forget.
Absolutely no hesitation in recommending Wendy Wu Tours - Ive already booked my third tour for 2025!