Background. Husband and wife in 80's - wife uses walking stick -thought our travelling days were over. This is the third time we have used Trinetra tours in India while trying to travel whilst festivals like Pushkar Camel Fair and this time Holi are on.I designed a private tour giving suggested itinerary to Trinetra who gave wonderful adjustments and suggestions. We arrived in Delhi and onwards to Agra, Ranthambore,Jaipur (Holi festival at Diggi Palace hotel, Next -return to Delhi.
Chanigarh, Kalka toy train to Simla Paragpur, Palampur, Dharamshala, Amritsar, Haridwar and Rishikeh. We had a car and driver who did everything he could taking me as close to the v enue as possible. We had guides in most cities and were impressed wirh things like tuk tuk rides to help me get around. Trinetra felt like family. Any questions received prompt replies. Just goes to show you are never too old to travel
What follows is a lengthy review of Trinetra Tours, covering a bit of ground—in particular, lessons learned about the expectations (and differences) between group travel and bespoke private itineraries.
We first started thinking of visiting India nearly six years ago. During that time, we had many discussions with Mahendra and several proposed itineraries. But it wasn’t until November 2022 that we finally arrived.
We made a last-minute decision to head to India when invited by a friend leading a small group two-part tour—north India and then south India.
The chance to join our friend’s tour group seemed like karma and so we signed on.
Because the tour was in two parts, there was a week to fill between the two. I knew we needed Mahendra’s help to tailor that “gap” week.
However, given the amount of time he had invested in us—I wasn’t sure how he would take the news that much of our tour in India would be in the company of our friend’s group tour.
I shouldn’t have worried—Mahendra is a consummate professional—and a genuinely kind person. He expressed his sadness we wouldn’t be making the entire trip with Trinetra but thanked us for thinking of Trinetra to put together our “gap” week. He suggested we fill our “gap” week by visiting Kolkata and Kaziranga National Park.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit (three nights) at Kolkata. Our guide and driver are clearly the best in the business.
Our guide, Mr. Sumit, made us feel so welcome. In a leisurely and almost scholarly manner, he shared his personal history with the city—he’s been sharing his city with visitors for the last 30 years.
As a younger man, he taught computer literacy. Fortunately for us, his love for his city led him to change professions, following in his father’s footsteps to become a certified professional guide.
Besides visiting monuments, we also visited several markets—including a flower market catering to shops—and another, a vegetable market for commercial buyers.
We weren’t there on a shopping excursion, we were there to learn. However, given these were wholesale markets, I doubt I would have ventured in without Mr. Sumit as I probably would have felt it was inappropriate. To say they were busy would be an understatement.
We were reassured by Mr. Sumit’s presence—everyone knew him, and, in his company, we didn’t feel like interlopers. The visits were interesting and informative. The pace was set by us, and I could ask as many questions as needed and also was introduced to vendors who were pleased to spend a few minutes showing me their products.
I’ve toured markets in a number of countries, and I have never felt as welcome as I did when in the company of Mr. Sumit. This is clearly his city. It shows.
One amazing thing—Mr. Sumit wanted to show us how the goods make it to the market. You can’t bring forklifts in there—space is at a premium. Instead, small trucks pull up outside the building housing the market, and teams of four to eight men unload and carry huge bundles inside.
On one occasion, we witnessed an eight-man team unload an enormous bundle from the truck bed to their shoulders and then walk lockstep, carrying their burden to it’s allocated location inside the crowded market. Amazing to witness.
Mahendra choose “Calcutta Bungalows” for our Kolkata lodging. This hotel is an upper mid-range accommodation in a lovingly restored 1926 (4-story) building with an open interior courtyard, and complete with period furnishings. Comfortable, spotless, with all amenities, and offering attentive and competent service. There is an intimate open-air restaurant on the roof serving a great breakfast and other meals.
From Kolkata, we flew to Guwahati to meet our driver for the four-hour drive to Kaziranga National Park. I cannot recommend this national park enough. Our lodgings (Infinity Resorts Kaziranga) were again thoughtfully chosen and our stay very comfortable.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the lodge and visits to Kaziranga. Felt rather sad when we had to leave. Three nights were not enough!
Our driver was excellent. They were comfortable stopping wherever we needed for photographers (that’s our passion) and good at spotting animals. When we were in a tiger zone, we were assigned an armed ranger guide. He was an excellent spotter!
While we didn’t catch a glimpse of the Bengal tigers, we certainly saw plenty of the wild Asiatic elephants and the amazing one-horn rhinos. (We weren’t there during the best tiger-viewing season, so we weren’t too surprised to only see lots of paw prints.)
The park offers the option of participating in an elephant-riding safari to view the rhinos without disturbing them. This option can be a subject of controversy as to whether it is appropriate for the animals. We decided to participate after researching the practice at Kaziranga.
I can report I observed no indication of mistreatment. The elephants appear healthy and there was no evidence of abuse or sores due to hobbling. The elephants were allowed to amble along with only gentle direction by the mahouts.
I’ll take a moment now to say just how glad we were that Trinetra “had our back” during our travel.
We arrived at Guwahati airport (state of Assam) and collected our bags. We proceeded outside the airport, looking for our driver.
No driver…after waiting about 15 minutes, we enlisted the aid of an English-speaking airport security officer. (Once you go outside the airport proper, you cannot re-enter unless you have a departure ticket. Hopefully you don’t need a toilet!)
Fortunately, we had an unlocked iphone and had purchased an Indian SIM when we arrived in Delhi from Canada (highly recommend you get one when you first arrive in country.).
Our tour package provided the phone number of the local contact and a 24/7 number for Mahendra. The security officer called the local representative first. Then Mahendra was notified. He quickly sorted the matter, explaining what had happened.
Our driver was employed by our Kaziranga lodging and somehow wires got crossed. He hadn’t been informed our flight was changed and we were arriving on an earlier plane. Fortunately, he had left early to be sure he met our flight on time (the original flight, that is…), so we didn’t have too long to wait. He stepped on the gas to get to us as soon as he could!
Once we arrived at our Kaziranga lodging, we were met by the manager with profuse apologies and genuine concern. No one tried to shuffle the blame off on the driver or anyone else. Refreshing honesty.
Bottom line, Mahendra and Trinetra had our back. Things happen. We knew everything would be sorted and it was. This is the kind of travel agency you want to deal with.
So, if you are hesitating about visiting India—go. You will be truly amazed. I can’t tell you how kind and friendly we found the people.
We found ourselves in numerous selfies and appreciated the interactions and conversations that followed.
Perhaps that’s why we are going back. We rarely return to a location twice. But we are not done with India—or perhaps, India is not done with us?
About that lesson “learned” I mentioned earlier—the group tour lead by our friend was interesting. However, I knew early on we should have stuck with the original plan to go with a bespoke tour planned by Mahendra.
Our passion is photography, and group tours do not work—they are too regimented and move too fast. Second, we like the ability to customize according to our interests and pace.
So, we’ve learned our lesson the hard way—and we’re looking forward to traveling with Trinetra this coming spring where we’ll concentrate on wildlife viewing and photography. Can’t wait!