Priya Dikshit

KimKim was great to work with to organize this tour. Priya, our local specialist was very helpful. Because of the time difference, it usually took 1 day to respond. My planning of this trip was revised (by me) many times, and Priya managed all of the changes easily. All of our transportation, accommodations, and tours was seamless. The guides were knowledgable and helpful. I most appreciated our driver, Puran. He was with us from the moment we arrived in Delhi, until we departed Delhi. ... read more

KimKim was great to work with to organize this tour. Priya, our local specialist was very helpful. Because of the time difference, it usually took 1 day to respond. My planning of this trip was revised (by me) many times, and Priya managed all of the changes easily. All of our transportation, accommodations, and tours was seamless. The guides were knowledgable and helpful. I most appreciated our driver, Puran. He was with us from the moment we arrived in Delhi, until we departed Delhi. I felt that he was always looking out for us - our experience and our safety. I also learned a lot about India from him. I will definitely be looking to KimKim again whenever I need help planning another trip. They have local specialists in many countries.
Thank you KimKim, Priya, and Puran for a great 4 day, whirlwind tour of the Golden Triangle.

Far beyond my expectations. It really brought me out of my bad mood. Warm welcome, quick response in WhatsApp group and considerate feedback calls en route, no harassment or traps. Thanks to my driver Mr Phrahalad, my guide Mr Verma and of course Mrs Priya, all excellent and professional. Overall, great trip, worth the price.

Great driver, guides were good , wonderful tour of interesting palaces, temples. Tag Mahal. Tiger safari

Priya, was the best agent who went above and beyond to help us with this trip. We had good car, great hotels, good drivers. Only in Goa ,we could not get English speaking driver due to driving company confusion. It was not a big deal because I speak there language. Every thing was on time and coordinated very well. Priya's work was very impressive. I will recommend this travel Co.. to all my friends and i will use the same in future also.. I appreciate them very much. Thanks to Ms Priya and Mr. Ravi Tikkoo

Must-do trip in north India to get to know important spots of Indian's history and get amused by the marvellous architectural accomplishments.
At the same time, it is a very touristic tour. One will be pushed to buy stuff by the guides (which for sure is normal and moves the economy but one should be given the option in advance).
Jaipur is a great city, walking around the city is an experience of its own.
Make sure to review (and change if you want) the hotels given by the agency before accepting the tour.
The agency provided a great driver

KimKim was fine as a tour company. I, however, found out I was not crazy about having a guide and using a touring company - though I do recognize that I would probably have had a difficult time without them. Perhaps it would have been better if I had had only one guide? Or if I didn't feel somewhat rushed from one monument to another and then was taken to tourist-trap type places to buy things at elevated prices? In any case, KimKim was very efficient - they got things together well and were... read more

KimKim was fine as a tour company. I, however, found out I was not crazy about having a guide and using a touring company - though I do recognize that I would probably have had a difficult time without them. Perhaps it would have been better if I had had only one guide? Or if I didn't feel somewhat rushed from one monument to another and then was taken to tourist-trap type places to buy things at elevated prices? In any case, KimKim was very efficient - they got things together well and were very attentive. Any problems or issues I had with using KimKim were probably more just personal preference than any inadequacy on their part - though I do think they could do a better job in terms of giving more 'local' experience.

The trip was fantastic and very well planned. Choephell, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive and thoughtful. The food on our trek was surprising and delicious; Maila is a truly amazing camp chef. One of the days of scheduled hiking was too long, almost more than we could handle, but we’d been warned about a long day and it was necessary because we had a shorter time than usual to do the trek. I guess the lesson is to make sure to ask questions and be clear in communication when planning. In any case, we definitely felt well taken care of.

- Organization and preparation was really excellent
- The trek was amazing and our guide very helpful and had a very broad culture on Buddhism
- Our driver (Ladakh) was excellent also, super kind , drove well and also very helpful
- The home stays were overall good, we were almost always alone with the families since not too many tourists so could enjoy cocking with them an choosing our rooms. The bathrooms were very irregular, some excellent and clean other really less. Not a big deal but... read more

- Organization and preparation was really excellent
- The trek was amazing and our guide very helpful and had a very broad culture on Buddhism
- Our driver (Ladakh) was excellent also, super kind , drove well and also very helpful
- The home stays were overall good, we were almost always alone with the families since not too many tourists so could enjoy cocking with them an choosing our rooms. The bathrooms were very irregular, some excellent and clean other really less. Not a big deal but worst to mention. Food was fresh and good, totally veg though which we were not expecting.
- Good surprise was that we did not need to carry our backpacks during the treks except for water and some basic stuff. I did not ask before but it would be important to let people know in advance, would not have bought so techy brand new backpacks
- Very disappointed with Singge Palace. First room we had was in the annex and very basic, second was nicer but we had a mouse in it. We claimed with management and they did not even bother to apologize. Buffet was good though. Overall people were not kind nor helpful specially at reception
- For all the Delhi connections, drives, Manish, keeping our bags,,, was really flawless (except the guy who asked me how recognize me but we already talked about it and by the way he ended being super nice)
I definitely would recommend the agency !

We’ve just finished our Indian Odyssey, all superbly organised by Priya from kimkim. Three perfectly coordinated weeks of travel adventure & Priya was with us all the way. It felt like she was constantly in the background ensuring everything ran smoothly, that we were happy & liaising with our driver & hotels to ensure we had the best of times. Priya put together a fantastic mix of travel, adventure, activities, & relaxation using a mix of hotels; some super luxury, some more basic, some... read more

We’ve just finished our Indian Odyssey, all superbly organised by Priya from kimkim. Three perfectly coordinated weeks of travel adventure & Priya was with us all the way. It felt like she was constantly in the background ensuring everything ran smoothly, that we were happy & liaising with our driver & hotels to ensure we had the best of times. Priya put together a fantastic mix of travel, adventure, activities, & relaxation using a mix of hotels; some super luxury, some more basic, some historical, some querky but all really good. We couldn’t be happier. For the full 3 weeks we knew Priya was working in the background for our enjoyment. She called us every few days for a chat & report on how we felt the trip was going. We thought this was really good and it gave us confidence in what we were doing. She made the whole planning of the trip easy. Prompt and polite and always on hand with solutions and suggestions during the planning stage. She asked a few questions as to what we enjoy doing and magically produced a great itinerary. The local agent she used to represent kimkim, Active India was fabulous and every member of that team punctual, professional & polite. Puran, our driver was superb, he kept us safe, got us everywhere without any issue and totally focussed on our comfort and enjoyment. Totally reliable - there every step of the way. If we did a train journey an Active India rep magically appeared at our seat at destination to assist with bags & getting to the car, they took us to checkin counters at airports - all making the trip totally stress free.
We highly recommend Priya from KimKim to plan your Indian trip & need to extend a big thank you to the whole team for enduring our trip was so fantastic.

Well to sum up our trip it definitely met the "Incredible India" tour. We found the whole trip to be wonderful. A few items could have been better but both my wife and I believe we truly got immersed into India, history, culture, cities, countryside and most importantly the wonderful people of India.

We were met at the Mumbai Airport at 3AM in the morning by a guide and driver who took us to a money exchange person at that time of the night and got a better rate than the airport exchanges.... read more

Well to sum up our trip it definitely met the "Incredible India" tour. We found the whole trip to be wonderful. A few items could have been better but both my wife and I believe we truly got immersed into India, history, culture, cities, countryside and most importantly the wonderful people of India.

We were met at the Mumbai Airport at 3AM in the morning by a guide and driver who took us to a money exchange person at that time of the night and got a better rate than the airport exchanges. We were driven directly to Hotel Godwin and got checked in with NO problems. We received our documents and vouchers for our whole trip. Hotel Godwin proved to be a very nice hotel at a great location near the India Gate in Mumbai. Since we got in so late we took the day off and just wandered around the area with no problems. Breakfasts were very good at the hotel but the restaurant in the evening (Cloud 9) was just so-so, not bad - not good.
Our tours were nicely timed typically our pickup was about 15 to 20 minutes after the agreed on time but considering the traffic we were not displeased. Elephant Island was very interesting and our guide was informative. The great thing was our guides were conversant in English and they were with us to make sure we got to the right spots, offered tips on how and what to do and gave us a very great analysis of what we were looking at. Victoria Train Station was fun and interesting as was the outdoor laundry amazing place. Bollywood was OK fun to learn about the filming process, the dancers were just students in a tiny stage versus a real Bollywood performance. Watching a 3 hour Bollywood movie got boring very fast as we did not understand Hindi, just an hour of so would have been plenty. I was nice to visit a movie theater and sample the snacks. The Dabbawallas were very interesting and it was great to learn how they perform their services. Fun little train ride and to buy tickets. Another outdoor laundry and we were driven to the airport with plenty of time to spare so we have no last minute hassles. Good Mumbai visit.
We were picked up at Delhi Airport and deposited at the Taj Princess Hotel. Hotel was good also breakfast was OK and the location was nice allowing us to wander the street. Old Delhi was a very good visit, riding in Rickshaw, visiting temples and mosques etc. Amazing place with animals in the streets and crowded bustling area. We were a little disappointed we did not get to sample "street food" as we were warned the water and oil used in the cooking process might not be the best for us. Probably good advice but it sure smelled good (we love Indian food of all sorts) The Gandhi memorial was nice but the real great thing was the Gandhi house with the little museum, learned a lot and it was very nicely done without hurrying us along. The New Delhi was very nice wide roads and modern government buildings. The annual independence day was coming up so we got to see preparations for the parade and a few groups practicing. The Qutab Minar and the Humayun Tomb was great and our guide very informative. The visit to the Delhi slums was interesting and we got to provide some bags to chips to the children again something you need to see. This tour was to a "newer" slum as the Indian government is trying to rebuild the area providing better housing. Our guide Samar in Delhi was very good providing us with a lot of information.

Our driver for much of our northern India tour was Ravinder Tiwani and he was excellent getting us thru unbelievable traffic without any mishaps. Our drive to Jaipur took us thru countryside. He took us to the Hotel Suryaa Villa which was a nice hotel good breakfast. My wife was not too happy with her dinner but I kind of liked my dinner at the hotel. The Pink City tour was great and the Amber Fort with the elephant ride was very good. We asked for some extra time to allow my wife to walk the Jaipur markets and our guide made sure we had the time we asked. Our tour of the Jai Singh II Observatory is not to be missed (I actually thought of cancelling it BUT am SO glad we did not cancel) I was very impressed. The Maharajah Palace tour was good as well. Our poor driver worked a long day as we did the evening Indian cooking class we love Indian food and learned so new tricks to making a great Indian dinner. Fun and Yummy at the Harsoli Haveli with Beena as our host.

Now on to Ranthambore a long drive but again we got to see the countryside stopping at the Om Rudra Priya Resort - what a great room huge. Disappointed at no wifi in rooms and one evening no hot water but a very nice place. We wandered out and took a tuk-tuk ride into town to wander around. Our tiger safari was wonderful. We made a mistake and did not have a blanket with us in the morning so we were extremely cold riding to the reserve BUT we had the great luck of seeing a tiger in the open and got great pictures of the tiger and the herds of deer, antelope, crocodiles, monkeys, birds etc. Wow was this fun!!! Breakfast was very good and our evening dinner was nothing short of excellent - do not miss the pre-fix dinner too much food but incredible veggies and a little butter chicken. We were so surprised and happy exactly what we were looking for.

On to Agra with a stop at the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. We had been told to see the Bird Santuary from an Indian ex-pat here in the US but I was kind of skeptical about seeing birds. Once again I was totally wrong what a great stop our guide was Krishna was excellent. We learned a lot and got to spend some time walking the park with him. He was an enthusiastic Indian tourist supporter and made our visit great. Also he found a few Indian Rock Pythons for us to view.
Our hotel in Agra was the Howard Plaza The Fern. A very nice modern hotel with a great breakfast. Our tours of Agra were also very good with of course the Taj Mahal being the star. Our guide suggested a few tour modifications since the Taj in winter is hidden in early morning fog so we took his suggestion and visited the Red Fort first - as interesting as the Taj in my opinion. We saw the exterior of the Taj and then early the next morning we visited the interior. Our guide was great. He allowed us time to explore the town on our own where we walked and rode tuk-tuks. Fun to visit the local market place but watch out for the open sewers.

Our driver got us back to Delhi with plenty of time to spare to catch our flight to Varanasi. As usual we were met at the airport and escorted to our hotel the Temple on the Ganges. Although the location was very good on the Ghat Assi it was certainly the worst hotel of our stay. Our room was not cleaned although we were there three nights we just asked for fresh towels. The bathroom was tiny so when you showered the whole place was wet. Small room and the breakfast was so-so. I ate dinner there one night and it too was OK but nothing special. Varanasi is a very special place not to be missed. Our guide did a great job getting us to the right places and explaining the city with its temples, Hindu and Buddhist, Ghats in the morning and at night. At the end of our temple tour they dropped us off to allow us to wander the streets and Ghats. We spent a lot of time watching the cremations and walking the streets. We finally took a tuk-tuk ride back to our hotel but then stopped at a restaurant called Diyva near our hotel. Again we ended up with a spectacular vegetarian dinner so good I asked our waiter to write down the names of what we ordered so we could try to make some of these items at home. Lots of open sewers, animals of all sorts wandering the street, traffic and blowing horns but we got the full immersion into India. We were driven to the airport with plenty of time to get our flight back to Delhi. Once back in Delhi we were met at the airport to be transferred to the International Terminal for our flight out of India.

Spectacular trip which we will never forget. By and large the hotels were good with amazing wifi access except for Ranthanbore. Our Varanasi hotel left a bit to be desired. I think the location of all of the hotels were located in almost perfect spots to allow us to walk the streets. We had no problems in the streets and never felt unsafe. There was enough English speaking available for us to get around and purchase what we wanted. We were very pleased with the drivers and guides across the board. Having our "own" driver and guide made the trip extra special as we could make minor changes along the way. We recommend Kimkim and Active India if you want a tour tailored to your specific requests.

All our guides were informative, polite and eager to make our experience memorable. However, each guide was also eager to take us to a particular shop, each saying there was no pressure to buy.
Both our drivers, Vinod and Thaslim were most accommodating, and Thaslim often suggested places we could look at, or that we might find interesting. This added to our experience. We appreciated Vinod's driving skills, which were exceptional but unfortunately we also found it a little difficult to... read more

All our guides were informative, polite and eager to make our experience memorable. However, each guide was also eager to take us to a particular shop, each saying there was no pressure to buy.
Both our drivers, Vinod and Thaslim were most accommodating, and Thaslim often suggested places we could look at, or that we might find interesting. This added to our experience. We appreciated Vinod's driving skills, which were exceptional but unfortunately we also found it a little difficult to communicate with him to his lack of English and our lack of Hindi. The guide which met us at Cochin airport was very informative and spent the time talking through the itinerary - we really appreciated this and would have like this to happen in Delhi.
Transitions from place to place and guide to guide was flawless and very well managed.
It would be hard to write about the most memorable place as every place we went was fantastic. Each of our family members liked something different. My husband particularly enjoyed the Ranthambore National Park, spotting 2 tigers and 2 leopards, as well as the boat ride on the Ganges. I loved the Mehrangarh Fort.
We were a little bit sad that our organiser had written on our form that we were to visit places that weren't actually open on the days we were there. Such as Cochin - Mattancherry Palace and the Jewish Synagogue. Also in Jaipur the bazaars weren't open as it was a festival. The tea museum was also closed. Checking the timetables against opening times and special days etc is not difficult. Unfortunately when you arrive somewhere and are told that it is closed can be disappointing especially if you have been looking forward to it for a very long time.
All hotels were good, whilst some were fabulous. Unfortunately our first impression of India was not good with our stay at the Taj Princess - we arrived late evening and was put into a room which was not nice - it was dirty and the bed was very soft and uncomfortable. We asked to be moved and the staff were happy to do this. Unfortunately this room, whilst looking better, had electrical sockets hanging off the walls and the toilet seat was not attached. At this point both my husband and I were very apprehensive about our choice to go to India for our holiday of a liftetime - this was not a good first impression and we would recommend that you do not use this hotel anymore (I also feared for our safety). However, the food and people were wonderful. We had an issue with some chocolate that we had bought for our grandchildren was stolen at Clouds Valley Hotel - we reported this and the chocolate was replaced but we weren't really happy with how it was handled.
Whilst a lot of this sounds negative. I have written about the hotels as feedback so that you can do something to improve this and perhaps consider their selection in the future.
I would thoroughly recommend Active India to everybody and have already done so to a family member. We loved our time in India and will start saving to come back in the next couple of years. Thank you.

Great trip all in all.

First, our driver Ravi Kumar was excellent. A very kind man, attentive to our needs and a very good driver in India traffic. Most memorable was the Jain temple and of course Agra Taj Mahal, but many of the other sites were also amazing. We had a lot of fun and made great memories. The tour was well organized and Ravi was always very punctual for our outings. The choice of hotels were adequate, of course a few were 5 star and extremely modern and comfortable. All of our city guides were knowledgeable and performed nicely.

Priya quickly understood what we wanted and arranged everything very well. She was also flexible with some changes we made, and was gracious.
All of our drivers showed up and were very courteous. The hotels were very good, no complaints there.
The best tour was to the Elephanta Caves. The guide was a local, very knowledgeable and sweet.
The weak part was that one day in Mumbai was overloaded. The guide for the day was late in the AM. We had to beg for lunch after the Elephanta Caves, which... read more

Priya quickly understood what we wanted and arranged everything very well. She was also flexible with some changes we made, and was gracious.
All of our drivers showed up and were very courteous. The hotels were very good, no complaints there.
The best tour was to the Elephanta Caves. The guide was a local, very knowledgeable and sweet.
The weak part was that one day in Mumbai was overloaded. The guide for the day was late in the AM. We had to beg for lunch after the Elephanta Caves, which we ate in the car on the way to the "Bollywood tour." Looking back, we should have had a longer tour on day before and less on that day. Also the Bollywood tour, as it was called, was inadequate. It was a dusty old set and there was no demonstration of a shoot-out as described. The dancers were good (just three) but we had no interest in the karaoke. The tour guide there was nice enough, but the place was practically empty and it took over an hour to get there from our hotel. We didn't watch the whole Bollywood movie because it was so late by that time. I would not recommend that studio tour, and especially not during Christmas vacation when hardly anyone is working there.
We liked going to the Hanging Gardens. That day the guide was going to take us somewhere far away, I can't remember where, but we were tired of traveling in cars so we said no. I think overall in Mumbai attention must be paid to the travel factor. It's not something I had thought to ask about.

Thank you very much for arranging my trip to Kerala in India.
Over all the experience was very good and I had an enjoyable time.
My driver was very nice and keen to please, his English was sufficient.
I thought The Brunton Boat Yard was very good as were the staff.
The Flamingo Marari was also very nice, loud speakers broadcasting a religious festival made sleeping a little tricky! The hotel was also not exactly on the beach which was a little disappointing but not disastrous.
The boat house... read more

Thank you very much for arranging my trip to Kerala in India.
Over all the experience was very good and I had an enjoyable time.
My driver was very nice and keen to please, his English was sufficient.
I thought The Brunton Boat Yard was very good as were the staff.
The Flamingo Marari was also very nice, loud speakers broadcasting a religious festival made sleeping a little tricky! The hotel was also not exactly on the beach which was a little disappointing but not disastrous.
The boat house was fine for what it was.
Cardamom County was very good and the entertainment on NYE was also good, they tried hard to make it special.
Rivulet Resort I did not like, I the room was basic and a little run down, I found the restaurant staff awkward and not particularly friendly, there was no atmosphere, the hotel did not have a swimming pool which I expected.
The guide in Thekkady was good as was the guide in Fort Cochin. The guide in Munnar was not that good.
With kind regards
Jason

Very professional, a great itinerary and we had an excellent time.

Overall we had a fantastic time and the help Priya provided was great. We changed our minds a few times and Priya was more than happy to accommodate which we appreciate. A few of the hotels were slightly out of date but that was our only gripe. Driver Gopal was amazing, and all guides provided were good fun and very interesting. Thanks again.

Priya was very responsive to my questions and guidance. 2 days before we plan to book the trip the floods hit Kerala and we had to significantly change the whole schedule. Priya was very creative and responsive. My wife and I were very pleased with the tour. we were dependent on her recommendations to guide our experience

Everything was excellent, from the drivers to the guides to the welcoming reps at every place. Especially wanted to thank Mr. Sahil Singh in Amnitsar for his excellent services as a guide. He was patient and knowledgeable of the places and culture of his city. Made every effort to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. Every guide and driver was good, but Mr. Sahil went the extra mile. As a whole this was an excellent trip to an amazing destination. Every place was very special, and it is... read more

Everything was excellent, from the drivers to the guides to the welcoming reps at every place. Especially wanted to thank Mr. Sahil Singh in Amnitsar for his excellent services as a guide. He was patient and knowledgeable of the places and culture of his city. Made every effort to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. Every guide and driver was good, but Mr. Sahil went the extra mile. As a whole this was an excellent trip to an amazing destination. Every place was very special, and it is very difficult to select the most memorable. If I had to mention a few, I would select The Golden Temple, Udaipur, Agra Fort, Jaipur, and obviously the Taj.

I was quite exacting in my trip planning and Bhupendra was with me all the way in the planning process. I asked for something specific and he made it happen and was checking in with me along the way. The places I went and the places I stayed were as expected, and I always had at least one person responsible for my well being at all times. I can't ask for much more than that.

That being said, know what you're getting into with a trip to India. Guides tend to have a bit of a routine with the... read more

I was quite exacting in my trip planning and Bhupendra was with me all the way in the planning process. I asked for something specific and he made it happen and was checking in with me along the way. The places I went and the places I stayed were as expected, and I always had at least one person responsible for my well being at all times. I can't ask for much more than that.

That being said, know what you're getting into with a trip to India. Guides tend to have a bit of a routine with the tourists. Including showing you the designated landmark of the day, but also taking you to the shops and restaurants where they have an "arrangement" with the owners. Or riding in their friend's rickshaw. These are not bad places, but it's difficult to get anything you might call authentic when you are doing this. Unfortunately I got the impression that I was either going to be in the standard segregated tourist experience or that I was going to be really far off the beaten trail, perhaps to the point of feeling uncomfortable or unsafe. With no possibility for anything in the middle. The tipping culture is also very unsubtle and in your face. This is just the reality of tourism there right now.

I had the most relaxing time outside the big cities. On safari looking for tigers was so pleasant in February. As was looking for birds in Bharatpur; that was one of my favorites and both my guide and driver went walking with me.

As an aside for kimkim, I was given no indication whatsoever as to when my payments for my trip were due. Accepting payment is about 50% of its purpose so I'd expect better. I also was conversing with someone different from my assigned "local specialist" 100% of the time. So perhaps make the assignment for a company instead of a person.

Overall this was an intense, exciting, overwhelming, exhausting experience. I got what I wanted and I suggest you be sure what you want before planning your trip.