Popular holiday packages in India

We were travelling with The Indian Journeys for almost 2 weeks last September. They designed a complete tour around the South of India. The communication was really fluid. We were working together in the itinerary and New Mon suggested me new destinations and touristic attractions even during the tour. The hotels suggested by him were really nice and close to European standards. We used a car with chauffeur. Very professional and serious driver. Most of the time your life is in his hands. New Mon took care of us during whole the tour. No surprises, everything as planned. We took the decision of booking with them based on the reviews on TripAdvisor. It was safe and a successful decision.

We travelled to Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for four weeks in January and February 2018. Newmon at The Indian Journeys had been recommended to us by a friend here in Bedfordshire. Since this was our first trip to India, we were unsure of the best way to travel between different places of interest, and the prospect of Newmon’s air-conditioned Toyota Innova with our own driver - from start to finish - seemed too good to pass up on … and so it proved. It took us about four weeks of emailing back and forth to finalise our itinerary: we listed what we wanted to see and do, Newmon suggested some ideas of his own and what we ended up with was a truly splendid, unforgettable holiday: from the exquisitely carved temples of Belur and Halebidu to the mini-safaris in the wildlife sanctuary at Kabini (where we saw both a tiger and a leopard, as well as elephants, various deer, wild dogs and dazzlingly coloured birds), from the famously illuminated palace at Mysuru to the Poinsettia-bordered tea plantations of Munnar, and onwards to ride on the renowned Ooty Hill Railway, from the peace and tranquillity of the backwaters around Aleppey to the r and r of the quiet Marari Beach and finally to the spice capital of Kochin, everything was a highlight! Our accommodation was always first-class (though, at our request, not always 5-star!) and spotless, with food of the highest quality, whether we were in boutique hotels, such as Kaav (in Kabini) and The Leaf (India’s No.1 on Trip Advisor, Munnar), or in homestays – Stephen & Manjula’s “home from home” at the Mysore B&B, as well as Jacob’s hospitality at Kuriallacherry House in Kumarakom. Everyone we met was charming and welcoming: village children keen to try out their English-speaking skills and drinking chai masala with the locals at sunrise in the backwaters will remain long in the memory. A massive thank you to Newmon for organising our holiday and for his regular evening phone calls to make sure everything was running smoothly for us, and thanks also to our knowledgeable & friendly driver, Praveen, for whom nothing was too much trouble. I would recommend Newmon & The Indian Journeys unreservedly…we shall be back!

Dear New, Thank you so much for such a wonderful family trip!! Travelling with our children to India (Tamil Nadu & Kerala) was a great and amazing experience. Your constant attention throughout the trip was truly very reassuring. We could feel we had a very reliable “partner” before and during the trip. Everything was very well organised: hotels, driving, etc. and our children will never forget the elephant experience and the boat driving at the Backwaters. What a wonderful country and people! We all hope to go back soon and, for sure, we will count on you for organising it. Let’s keep in touch!

There is lots to recommend about experiencing Kerala through Newmon’s organization - the time he dedicates to tailor making the trip to suit your interests in the lead up to the trip, a helpful, understanding and experienced driver; his hospitality when you meet up with him in person; and more. The one thing that stood out for me, however, was his connections with great guides - among some of best I have had in all my travels - and delightful places to stay. I thoroughly recommend Kurialacherry house for a real sense of the backwaters. No big international companies involved - just getting to know Kerala through local eyes and supporting local businesses. And it works out economical too! So I have recommended travelling in Kerala with The Indian Journeys to all my travel-hungry friends. Thanks to Dad and Jeff for their 'pioneering' travels through Newmon in the first place! Go well all!

Whilst enjoying our 10-night stay in Agonda, South Goa, we looked into organising a similar length tour of Kerala. On the recommendation of a very detailed review on Trip Advisor, we contacted Indian Journeys. Within hours we had a reply from Newmon, with a suggested itinerary and recommendations for transportation from Goa to Kochi. Over the next couple of days we discussed by e-mail with Newmon various changes and alternatives, all of which were immediately carried out and with 48 hours we had a customised 10 day itinerary for our tour plus train tickets to Kochi. At this point we had not paid a penny! The overnight train journey of 14 hours was an experience in itself. We travelled 2nd class AC (all 1st class was booked as it was a public holiday), which if a little scruffy was clean enough and very comfortable. We ended up with 4 berth compartment to ourselves and slept most of the way. We arrived at Kochi station well rested and were met by Newmon. He then introduced us to Hari our driver (more about him later) then took us for lunch before transferring us to our hotel. After a city tour of Kochi we set off the next morning with Hari to begin our tour. Hari was an absolute delight. First and foremost (and essential on India’s roads) he was a very careful and steady driver. His seven year old car was immaculate and clearly very well maintained. Hari was a mine of information about the local culture, history, industry and much more. In particular he was an avid bird watcher and keen photographer and we learnt so much from him during our 10 days together. The tour cost covered all hotels with breakfast, plus full board on the houseboat. All tours and entrance fees were include, apart from two or three, which were clearly listed as options at our expense. Newmon contacted us almost every day, by phone or text, to check that we were happy and to deal with any issues that might have arisen. On our final day, a 4:00 start from Marari to get to Kochi airport, he met us on the road at 6:00 just to say goodbye! Apart from one hotel, where the food and service were somewhat lacking, everything about this tour well exceeded our expectations, not the least our wonderful driver Hari or Newmons’s attention to detail and personal service. At the end of the day, it is the people involved who make the difference between excellent and outstanding and that was certainly the case here. The overall cost of the tour was very reasonable and compared very favourably with tours that we had considered booking from the UK before leaving for Goa. Overall, we would not hesitate to recommend Indian Journeys and would definitely use them again in the future.

I would highly recommend using Newmon if you want to discover India. We were a party of six who came to Kerala from London, our trip was 13 nights in total over the Christmas and New Year period. Firstly, when organising the trip, Newmon was incredibly patient and accommodating with all my many changes and additions I had whilst creating our tailor-made itinerary. He always replied quickly and professionally to my emails. Using his local knowledge, Newmon was able to suggest and advise on certain areas to visit on the tour, without forcing anything upon us, truly creating our perfect trip. The tour itself was fantastic! Kerala is a beautiful state and the people are incredibly accommodating and friendly. The hotels we stayed in, especially the ones in the mountains, were fantastic with breath-taking views. Our driver, Mr Jerry George, went above and beyond his duty, being there for us whatever the need was. It was a complex trip Newmon had to organise, with two parties arriving on different days at different locations, which he managed very smoothly. There was a minor issue at the start, which Newmon resolved quickly in an expert manner. He also arranged a few surprises for us along the way! If anyone wants to contact me further regarding our trip, please ask Newmon for my contact details and I will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding The Indian Journeys. Thank you again Newmon, the trip was truly memorable.

We were recommended the services of Newmon and his company 'The Indian journeys' by friends who had travelled with him twice before. We have been on a number of tours, usually using the major travel agents such as Trailfinders etc. The care by the owner of the company before and during our holiday was outstanding, taking us out for a meal on our first night and ringing us nearly every day to make sure all was well was outstanding service. The combination of hotels and home stays was well balanced and without exception, good value, with wonderful food at all. Changes to our planned itinerary caused by a fire at one of the wildlife reserves was dealt with quickly and efficiently without any fuss. The driver we had for 3 weeks (Christo) made the holiday the experience it was . Driving us safely around the sights of Kerala, helping us to get cash from the ATM machines and obtaining beer from the state run outlets without spending hours in the queues........ At all times we felt secure in the knowledge that our tour had been organised by a professional and local company. I would without hesitation recommend The Indian Journeys if you are considering a trip India.

My wife and I have just returned from a sixteen night stay, including Leela Hotel Mumbai, Fortune Sullivan Ooty, Malabar House Fort Cochin and finally Leela Hotel Kovalam. All of our itinerary was organised by " The Indian Journeys" tour company to include accommodation, car driver and guide, excursions, domestic flights and Hill Station (Ooty) toy train, all very professionally. It was a pleasure to meet Newmon and felt like meeting and old friend. We hope to travel to North India next year and hope to get the same service from " The Indian Journeys". I`m more than happy to answer any questions.

Hi New Mon, Happy New Year! I owe you a long overdue note of thanks for our trip to Jaipur, Agra, and UP in November 2013. That was my fourth trip to India, and you made it by far the easiest. Things don't always run according to plan in India, but with your coordination we had no unpleasant surprises. We thoroughly enjoyed our guide Mr. Sharma in Jaipur, but the real star of our trip was our driver, Manoj. Not only an excellent driver, he was friendly, reliable, and always knew where he was going. (That last bit is extremely important - I've gotten lost in so many cities in India because of a lack of signage and/or addresses. The fact that it didn't happen while in his car was amazing.) Kudos to you and your team. On my next trip, New Mon & The Indian Journeys will be my first call!

The holiday of a lifetime, perfectly organised by Newmon who adapted the tour to take in all the places we wanted to visit and cheerfully accommodated us when we changed our minds about anything. Our driver, Santhosh, was great - very helpful, friendly and always on time. The hotels were superb. We would highly recommend The Indian Journeys.