Bottom line up front: I am a dedicated Five Senses customer and a big fan!
Actually, I should say that I’m a repeat Five Senses customer, as I now rely on them exclusively to help me plan all my travel in India.
Most recently, I took a trip to Jodhpur. Now, I’m not the typical foreign tourist. First, I live in India six months out of every twelve, so I’m reasonably comfortable and familiar with things. More importantly, I love Indian food – all of it – from Andhra to Rajasthan to Goa, and everything in between. Next, I’m a huge history buff, and India’s history, its kingdoms and empires, battles and conquests, customs and innovations, are all fascinating to me. However, it’s difficult to find a tour company or a guide who in India who understand how to craft an experience for someone with my particular interests, both historical and gastronomical.
I should say it WAS difficult! Until I found Five Senses. All of my trips with 5 Senses have been carefully planned and curated to satisfy not only my historical curiosity, but also my culinary interests. On this trip, the Five Senses staff were experts in navigating around Jodhpur, explaining the significance of everything I saw, from forts to palaces to the stark beauty of the desert, all while making me feel less like a client and more like an old friend with whom they wanted to share their India.
In a nutshell – the tour was great, the city was great, the places they took me to eat were great, the guides were great…for what more could one ask?
The beauty of taking a private tour with 5 Senses is that you have total control over your time and experiences. If you read about something interesting you can add it to your itinerary. If you get tired of something you can leave early and do something else. This is impossible when you're on a group tour with a fixed itinerary and 10 or 20 people to negotiate changes with.
Often your 5 Senses host will suggest activities that aren't on the itinerary once they get to know your specific interests.
In our experience 5 Senses represents great value for money, and they are much less expensive than touring with international companies that have to recoup $$ spent on glossy brochures and promotion (Nat Geo, Smithsonian, etc.) They get great rates on hotels, so don't be afraid to ask for luxe hostelries if that's your thing.
This year we traveled for several weeks with 5 Senses, visiting Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, among other places. There have been too many great experiences to describe here; suffice it to say that we've enjoyed every day.
We were lucky in Rajasthan to have Balwinder as our host, and sometimes our hero. Example: I developed knee problems in Jaisalmer; Balwinder found a great private hospital where I could be seen by an osteopath, x-rayed and receive physiotherapy that got me back on my feet in two days (and at a fraction of what it would have cost back home).
He always looked out for our best interests and tried to anticipate what we would like. Clearly, to him "job one" was keeping us happy and safe.
Our advice? Don't think twice, book with 5 Senses. You won't be sorry.