The team at Varanasi Excursion are great to work with and really know how to look after their guests. My tour began with some additional time in Varanasi which they arranged at my request (see separate review for Tour Radar). The seven-day Buddhist Tour that followed was brilliantly organised to include all the major sites in the life of the Buddha, and the guides were all informative, although I struggled to understand some of their English. Special mention must go to T K Roy of Kushinagar, who not only had the clearest English but is a fascinating person who seems to have a high standing in his community, as he was greeted warmly wherever we went. Bablu, the driver for the whole tour, is another great character who navigates the hectic Indian roads with a level of skill that is almost superhuman. Nothing is too much trouble for him and he is great at engaging his guests on a personal level. Again, English communication was a challenge, but we overcame it with the help of translation apps. I didn’t meet Aamir, the tour organiser, in person, but he checked in regularly by phone to ensure that everything was going smoothly and arranged for some of my belongings to be couriered to me when they were accidentally left behind – very helpful. Overall, this was a great tour, and some of the hotels were first-rate, although I was disappointed to spend a few nights without hot water and often struggled to find staff who could converse in English. I was touring in the off-season, but I got the impression that many of the staff were not used to dealing with international guests.
Ballu is very helpful and knows Varanasi very well. He has a lot of local knowledge about the city and showed me some amazing sites. He also knows how to negotiate the best price and what the best time is to visit places. Thank you for all you help and kindness.
Excellent communication before and during the experience. We were able to see much of what Varanasi has to offer, all with a very knowledgeable guide!
We had a good experience on our 2 day tour of Varanasi. The evening aarti was wonderful and our guide Shanu made sure we had great seats. The Sarnath day tour was also very interesting. We got to enjoy great local snacks, but it would have been even better if our second day had included time for lunch. The one thing I’m disappointed in is that we were supposed to attend the morning aarti and unfortunately we didn’t get to, for reasons that were never communicated to us.
The driver that drove us from Patna to Rajgir and Gata, Mr Dukhan ji was nice person, very professional.
Hotel in Bodh Gaya was nice, their dining restaurant was awesome, very delicious food!
I want to thank Babu for an amazing experience. Along with being a fantastic driver, and tour guide a better person. When your 10,000 miles from home, you need someone you can depend on 24 hours a day, and that’s Babu. Babu was very detailed on your day, so you always knew what to expect, and his English is excellent.
The Cochin 5 day Kerala tour by Varanasi Excursion is very good and easy to enjoy. The trip starts from Kochi and everything is well planned. The houseboat in Alleppey is very nice, clean, and peaceful, and the food is tasty. The visit to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady is fun and you can see animals and nature. Hotels and travel are comfortable and on time. This tour is simple, relaxing, and good for anyone who wants to see Kerala in a short time.
This 6 days Kashi Ayodhya journey was really peaceful and well organized btw. All places like Varanasi, Bodhgaya, Prayagraj and Ayodhya covered nicely without any rush. Sunrise boat ride and Ganga Aarti was highlight for me. Hotels and travel were comfortable. Little tired because full schedule but overall very good and spiritual experience. Recommended for anyone planning this route.
