Our wonderful experience in the north of India was mainly due to the care and communication of Intense India Tours. Anil (the owner) was in prompt contact before the trip to answer all of my questions and to make updated suggestions regarding the currency situation at the time. We didn’t use their accommodation services, as I prefer to do that myself. But he did make some excellent suggestions to our itinerary, including staying at a gem of a palace converted to a hotel in Narlai, Rajasthan (called Rawla Narlai).
We had our driver, Anand, throughout our time in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan (about 3 and a half weeks), and we could not praise him enough. He was a very safe driver, never taking any risks, not speeding. He even pulled me out of the way of a tuk tuk when walking through a crowded section of one of the old towns.
Anand would make suggestions regarding what we might like to do each afternoon for the following day. When we thought we might want to change one or two things (such as the order of visiting certain sites), Anand would listen carefully and then explain the reasons he thought his itinerary would be better – and he was right every single time. There is nothing like local knowledge. When we wanted a particular thing sourced or wanted a particular experience, Anand would know exactly where to get it. And if he wanted even more specific local input, he would contact someone in his network of friends.
I was also impressed that when we needed to use a tuk tuk driver, such as in the old towns of Bikaner or Udaipur, Anand arranged a good price with an older driver – often the younger tuk tuk drivers were less cautious (we introduced Anand to the term ‘hoon’ – someone who tears about in a vehicle with little care for safety). When Anand dropped us at the airport, he insisted on waiting until we had checked in and sent him a text that all was well before he left the airport. He even gave us Christmas presents!
Anil would contact us through Anand every few days to check that all was well and that we were happy with the service being provided, which we were. In our first few days in the country, Anil invited us to his home in Delhi for a meal, which was very kind and very much appreciated by us…and the food was delicious – his wife is a wonderful cook.
I know that competition is very fierce in India for such tour services and drivers, but we were very happy with all of our dealings with Anil, and make sure you request Anand as your driver.