Thank you for visiting the India section of our website. All tours are not created equal, nor are all travel companies. In true luxury travel there is no ‘One Size Fits All’ and some travelers will not find us to be a good fit for their needs. Explorers who love our services consistently give us the following feedback:
1. You cherish learning about other cultures.
2. You value your time and don’t want it wasted because of poor planning and/or execution.
3. You appreciate guides with real expertise, intelligence, and passion for their nation.
4. Your most treasured travel memories include genuine interactions with locals.
5. You believe that great food is an essential part of travel.
6. Your idea of luxury is not a base room at a luxury hotel.
We use the word ‘India Tours’ for want of a better term. Since 2004 the Easy Tours family at the destinations we offer, and in the U.S., has worked tirelessly to design and facilitate authentic luxury experiences for our guests. About 70% of our guests today are Repeats and Referrals.
Almost every nation has lost its old way of life to progress, and ethnic attire and adornments, as well as original culture and rituals, are encountered primarily in carefully staged locales that are preserved solely for tourism purposes.
India is unique in that it has retained its original charm, as the majority of its 1.4 billion residents still inhabit rural areas, and the middle aged and older members of these villages still dress and adorn themselves just like their ancestors did many centuries ago. The best tours of India include opportunities to observe these lifestyles. Everyday rituals, ceremonies and festivals are vivid windows into India's glorious past, and anyone who has toured through India with us has enjoyed these wonders throughout their exploration.
Nowhere else will you find this fascinating fusion of the ancient and the modern; an elephant and his mahout walking down a street busy with vehicles and pedestrian office goers in suits teeming in and out of the surrounding buildings; pushcart hawkers still sing their way through real estate costing millions of dollars as they banter and negotiate with locals; villages and rural areas are full of cattle such as cows, buffaloes, camels, goats and sheep, all of whom are an integral part of everyday life, both as everyday labor, as well as a source of necessities such as milk. There is a lot of unique relevant information on India throughout this long webpage.
Easy Tours was born in 2004 with two guiding principles - to provide the best small group and private luxury tours for explorers from North America, and to always value our guest's time. We have not sacrificed these principles on the altar of growth - we still guide just a couple of thousand guests a year total in all the countries we now call home.
Please take the time to review one or more of our detailed itineraries, which are different from other tours, to determine whether we are a good fit for you. The best tour of India for you is one that touches your heart - your itinerary should make you really want it to start right now!
We know that the best India Tours should include experiences that delight and amaze you every day of your exploration. This can only be achieved by a boutique agency with local expertise and focus on the following:
1. Genuine interactions with locals, including options to visit village schools, rural homes, and more.
2. Great rooms at the best luxury hotels with excellent cuisine and service.
3. India's best Accompanying Guides (Tour Directors).
4. USA and India based Specialists with expert local knowledge.
Lodging options for travelers in India are unsurpassed anywhere on this planet, and we use only great rooms at the best luxury hotels.
Easy Tours is a preferred India tour operator partner of luxury hoteliers such as the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and the Taj Hotels, Palaces & Resorts. Ask someone who has stayed at one or more of these hotels and they will verify that the service, amenities, and luxury at these hotels is unsurpassed anywhere on our planet.
The terms 'luxury' and '5-star' are used very loosely in our industry. For example, a 5-star hotel room might cost $70, and another one in the same destination may cost $1500 - there are a lot of reasons for the difference in price. The hotels/resorts and room/suite types we use in India are far above what other travel companies offer.
We include great dining options at and outside your hotels, and the restaurants at our preferred hotels receive rave reviews from guests for both local and western cuisine.
A list of India's most fascinating destinations where you can experience unique local culture, amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites, breathtaking scenery, and India's incredible colors.
| 1 | Taj Mahal and 2 other UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Number #1 because of the Taj |
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| 2 | India's Capital. Historical and Cultural Hub, plus 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites |
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| 3 | Varanasi (Benares) |
Oldest Continuously Inhabited City on Earth - the Holy Ganga flows through it |
| 4 | Lush Tropical Jewel of South India, completely different from North India |
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| 5 | A labyrinthine of interconnected canals, lakes, rivers, and inlets formed by more than 560 miles of waterways in a tropical setting |
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| 6 | 1 of 3 cities in the Golden Triangle - Amazing Color & Culture - 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites |
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| 7 | Hills, Lakes, and Amazing Palaces - Rajasthan's Prettiest City - Slower Paced Small City |
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| 8 | Mumbai (Bombay) |
India's Coastal Business Capital - Vibrant City - Beautiful Victorian Architecture |
| 9 | Ancient Cultural Capital of South India - Awe-Inspiring Dravidian Temple - True South Indian Colors and Rituals |
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| 10 | One of India's Premier Tiger Sanctuaries - Easier access than most National Wildlife Parks |
Most of our guests say that the highlights of their exploration included the rich ancient culture and rituals, the gracious and gentle people and their behavior and mannerisms (evolved over millennia), and obviously the incredible colors of India.
India has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than almost every other country on this planet. With Easy Tours you get to experience these with India's best guides and support staff.
But UNESCO Sites do not often become lifetime memories for true explorers. The memories you will cherish are interactions, with humans and others, including when you look deep into the eyes of a wise Elephant.
Nature is at its best on the Indian sub-continent. You can choose to explore the awe-inspiring peaks of the great Himalayas, enjoy wildlife safaris in the lush jungles that are spread throughout the country, and/or relax on the warm beaches that dot the southern coastlines.
What the best places to visit in India are actually depends on what you most enjoy when you explore, and what time of the year you will be exploring. Talk to us if you would like expert suggestions on what we would recommend based on your individual travel preferences.
Most North American explorers start their journey in Delhi, a city that has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC. The next destinations are usually on India's great plains (that spread outwards from Delhi), including Agra (Taj Mahal), stretching eastwards to Hinduism’s holiest destination, Varanasi (Benares), which is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.
Then comes the fabled desert that covers much of Rajasthan and encompasses the magical cities of Jaipur, Ranthambore Tiger Park, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Udaipur, as well as the famous Pushkar Camel Festival.
From Rajasthan most explorers head towards Mumbai and then South India, which begins from where the northern plains end, and the lush Deccan plateau takes over, dominating southern India. It is home to the unique Dravidian culture and its incredible Temple's. From the spectacular Western Ghats, the plateau descends to meet the mostly virgin beaches and warm waters of western coastal Indian cities like Goa and Kochi (Cochin), situated in a sub-tropical paradise. Here you will find the purest practitioners of Ayurveda, the forefather of all natural health and well-being sciences.
As the best tour company for India, we offer the option to add destinations such as Ladakh, the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Amritsar, Khajuraho, Mahabalipuram, various National Parks, and anyplace else that might interest you in India.
If your goal is to avoid higher temperatures, October to March is the best time to visit India. Our luxury small group tours of India operate during these months. But this is a subjective issue based on your preferences and so our escorted private tours operate throughout the year. Guests from the Southern United States can explore whenever they please, and September, right after the monsoons, has great values on luxury hotels.
Most of North India’s National Wildlife Sanctuaries are closed from July 1st until October 1st. South India has a couple of great Sanctuaries, such as Nagarhole and Bandipur, that are open throughout the year. Over 85% of our guests get one or more Bengal Tiger sightings at all our chosen parks, although the best time of year for multiple sightings of predators such as tigers and leopards is April through June, but it is extremely hot at that time.
October through March are the relatively cooler months, and temperatures can be fairly cold between mid-December and late January. The weather starts warming up in March, with the heat reaching its peak in June. The monsoon brings the rains to North India during July & August, cooling things down a bit. The rains no longer have the severity of past decades, and you can easily enjoy a tour during this period.
At South India's coastal destinations, such as Cochin (Kochi) in Kerala, Goa, and Chennai/Mahabalipuram on the east coast, temperature change throughout the year is minimal, and it is always fairly hot. The monsoon usually affects South India during June & July, and then a little again in September as it retreats from the Indian sub-continent.
There are thousands of festivals, fairs and celebrations in India each year. All the major festivals of India are fascinating for the locals, but our experience has taught us that some are much more interesting for a visitor to experience, while other festivals, although extremely important to the natives, do not offer much of an opportunity for visitors to really experience the actual celebration. As an example, India's biggest festival, Diwali (unlike Dev Diwali in Varanasi), is primarily celebrated by families in their homes, just like Christmas. We highlight the most interesting of these festivals on some of our luxury tours of India.
Our Luxury Festival Tours combine our India tours with the country's most important and interesting festivals. Dates for 2022 Festival Tours will be announced in June. Offered once every year, these tours are an opportunity to experience India's incredible colors and unique culture in conjunction with its people's biggest celebrations. Since India's festivals are based on the lunar calendar, dates change every year. Availability is extremely limited.
India is home to tens of thousands of animal & bird species. They all play an integral part in Indian society, history, and day to day existence. Enjoy an escorted tour of India with Easy Tours and experience Wildlife Parks & Sanctuaries that are home to many of these species, including almost two thirds of the Earths remaining Tigers, roughly half of the planets Elephants, the rare one-horned Rhino, and the world's only surviving Asiatic Lions.
Just as with the rest of our India tours, our unique Wildlife Safari Tours possess the same qualities that have established Easy Tours as India's Premier Boutique Travel Facilitator. These exceptional wildlife tours are designed and facilitated with a level of personal knowledge and experience unmatched in our industry.
Our founder started visiting Indian wildlife parks in the early 70s, and these sanctuaries soon became a passion for him. The India Specialists at Easy Tours love to hear him recount those days, when the infrastructure for both travel and lodging was primitive compared to today, yet the experiences were, just like today, unforgettable. We hear of bareback elephant rides into remote parts of the jungle, and of chance tiger encounters while on foot! He has enjoyed hundreds of safaris in India over the past four decades and personally designs each of our wildlife itineraries.
India requires visa's for almost all foreign visitors. Although Easy Tours does its best to provide the most current information on our site and in our correspondence, we do not guarantee the accuracy of such information and it is solely the traveler's responsibility to acquire their visa for India. Charges for the India Visa, are not included in quoted tour costs.
Please make certain that your passport has over six months of validity remaining at the time of travel. Also, your passport should have at least two blank pages upon entry.
The e-Tourist Visa offers 3 lengths of validity options - a 30 Day Visa with Double Entry (non-extendable and non-convertible), a 365 Days (One Year) Visa with Multiple Entry, or a Five Years Visa with Multiple Entry, all from the date of issue. We recommend at least the 1-year visa. Turn around is usually within 3 to 4 business days. Please apply anytime 30 to 60 days in advance before your arrival date in India: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html
Having facilitated the top-rated escorted tours of India for North American travelers since 2004, Easy Tours knows what makes for a truly memorable exploration. We believe that the three most important parts of the best India tours are well planned itineraries, great guides, and boutique luxury hotels.
We are able to offer the best small group and private tours of India for upscale explorers because we understand what our guests enjoy. Our guests like a diverse mix of culture, local colors, history, and insights into the everyday lives of the locals. Easy Tours focuses on providing such experiences.
Because we know great food and a good night's sleep are an integral part of the best India tours, we offer options between gourmet regional cuisine and fine western fare. We use upgraded rooms and suites in the best hotels in India as we don't like small base rooms.
We feel that the most important facet of the best tour packages in India is your guide's and chauffeur's passion for, and knowledge of, their homeland. It is human interactions that make up a discerning explorers' fondest memories, not how many sights, or cities, they visited while touring. Our guests tend to wax poetic about our colleagues, and write many paragraphs about them in their reviews!
Passion leads to excellence, and our guests interact with people deeply committed to your satisfaction all through the reservation and travel experience. This is a key reason why about 70% of our guests are repeat and referral travelers today, and our reviewers consistently state that we are not just the best tour operator in India, we are unmatched in the world! Please take a minute or two to read some of our guest reviews. You will notice that almost all our guests, during their exploration, develop relationships with Easy Tours' guides, chauffeurs, and travel facilitators. We have many guests from over a decade and a half ago that, even today, maintain relationships with our India based colleagues.
