Thanks to Madi , Shiv and their Team we had an absolutely wonderful time in what is rightly called "Incredible India" ! All the Hotels that had been arranged and booked for us by your company were more than fantastic , Sanjay the driver was a real Gentleman and also very knowledgeable and really courteous and of super service ! We were also very happy with all the guides and most of all the super-efficient , professional and considerate services that you and your office colleagues provided at every destination ! Once more we want to send a big Thank You to you all for making us feel so special and VIP all the way , we simply cannot fault anything on this 14 day trip with Indian Excursions . We could not have booked this trip ourselves and getting the same benefits that your whole package provided . We got very good value for money , hassle-free travel and luxury treatment on every step of the way ! We have and will continue to recommend your company and we will be in touch with you in due time to arrange a similar 2 week trip to the south of India with a week of Ayurveda treatments included in Kerala ! We had the most fabulous time in Delhi and Rajasthan , all thanks to your expertise and faultless planning and we really look forward to see you early next year . Best regards Roland&Annie Switzerland

We had a great experience with Indian Excursions from the early stage of itinerary customization until the last day, Madeleine 360° support in the tour design was just priceless, she was extremely quick in responding to all our queries and always able to accomplish all our requests in terms of hotels and itinerary preferences. From the other side Shiv has been always available and ready to support us throughout the tour. He easily managed to make real time adjustments to the itinerary according to our requests. We have been also very happy of the driver assigned (senjay) who apart from being a great, reliable and punctual driver is also a very good person. Next time we'll return to India we will definitely go again with Indian Excursions, a reliable, serious, professional company which allows you to tailor your tour according to your needs and preferences.

We chose Indian Excursions to design a very special tour of Rajasthan for our 30th wedding anniversary. It combined a number of Taj and Oberoi hotels en route, plus The Leela Palace in New Delhi. The tour, which included our own driver for 10 days and 3 internal flights, went off without a single hitch. We enjoyed the flexibility and freedom the tour gave us - we could do as much sight-seeing per city as we pleased, or curtail the touring if we were tired and wished to return early to our fabulous hotels. I really do mean 'fabulous'. Throughout our anniversary we were showered with flowers, gifts and so many cakes we put on weight. It was an emotional and extremely rewarding experience. I would recommend Madeleine and Shiv at Indian Excursions to anyone who wants an independent, personal and well-organised tour of India. They remove all of the headaches and red tape, and leave only good memories.

They prepared an itinerary for us that covered all the places we wanted to see

I am very happy to recommend Madeleine and Shiv, they arranged a fantastic trip to Jaipor for us. We had our own driver Mohan who was an excellent driver. We stayed at all the Oberoi hotels which were fabulous and beyond luxurious. Our trip was arranged like clockwork I would love to do it again Indian Excursions

We had a great time in India, thanks to the meticulous, reliable and caring service of Madeleine and Shiv at Indian Excursions. We can honestly say that it was the best vacations we have had. Our driver: very polite, punctual, flexible and obliging with regard to our requests, to a certain extent knowledgeable about local points of interest and, above all, a very experienced and safe driver. The guides at the various locations were knowledgeable and courteous and explained everything to our satisfaction. Hotels, sightseeing and the entire route were planned to suit our needs, we saw and experienced many interesting places, but had always enough time to relax at the excellent hotels in the evening. Everything went smoothly and we always felt in good hands with Indian Excursions. Thank you again and all the best to both of you and your business!

This was a superbly organised tour. I was impressed from the get-go with your timely responses and your very professional communications. I felt so confident because of your excellent website, endorsed by your friendly, professional and speedy responses. Top marks for organisation and communication prior to the tour. We were very impressed all throughout the tour with the support at every stage. At no point did either an agent or a guide not arrive at the appointed time. All of the guides were very knowledgeable which was important as Bob is very interested in history so he asked lots of questions which they responded to very well. Hanuman was excellent too. When he discovered Bob was a professor at the end of our time at Jaipur he was overwhelmed and so humble. It was so humbling. Both Amir and Hanuman covered all the sites and experiences we would have wanted to see in the time. Jodhpur was possibly the highlight for us both. Vijendra was excellent. The afternoon visit to the desert and the Bishnois was amazing. We loved it. All of the accommodation was great in its own way but the Raas was very special too. Highly recommend it. The drive through the villages and countryside to Udaipur from Jodhpur we also thoroughly enjoyed. The Taj Lake Palace was a very special experience. It was fabulous for hospitality and the restaurants and of course the location. Mohan was an amazing driver and we had complete confidence in him. The agents were a good link to the guides but we only ever saw them for a very short time. The info included in the handout when we arrived, was excellent particularly the advice around tipping. This was seriously an amazing trip and I couldn't recommend your company more highly. Bob and Sharman Buckle New Zealand

Hello Madeleine, I wanted to follow up with a note to let you know how wonderful our trip was to India. All went seamless, the Hotels were wonderful, the Service couldn’t have been better, and our guides knowledgeable and courteous. Our Driver Mohan was a pro, I don’t know where he learned to drive so well, but we felt very safe and secure with him. It all was truly an unforgettable trip, thank to you and Shiv. Ilona Morvay

Visiting India for the first time was a little daunting for my travel companion and I but Indian Excursion Co provided a friendly and efficient advice prior to our departure and invaluable advice and guidance during the course of our travels. Nothing was too much trouble for our guides and drivers, from waiting at the airport for our lost luggage to helping us choose places to visit. The guides were courteous and Informed and made the visit even more interesting then it would have been. I would definitely use Indian Excursion Company again.

We did have an absolutely great time in India thanks to Indian Excursions Co - they did a brilliant job in organising everything and the correspondence and responsiveness before the trip was superb. We are now really keen to come back to explore other parts of India (and the rest of Rajasthan that we did not have time to see this time), so will definitely going to ask their help next time again. There was nothing we could complain about, we enjoyed all of the places and hotels very much and a particular thanks to our driver Gandhi who did most of the route with us and really was a superb companion & driver.

This note of appreciation will be short, but I can go on forever with regards to how wonderfully planned and organized our recent trip to Rajasthan turned out. Thank you to both you and Shiv for making it possible. You provided great attention to details, flexibility for last minute changes, a great driver and fantastic tour guides throughout the trip. I would like to make special mention of your tour guides and driver. Apart from their incredible knowledge, they always had our sincere interest and care for what we wanted to experience on the trip, including their concern for our overall welfare. It made our trip even more special. Since we arrived home, we have not stopped sharing our India experience with family and friends, and because of this, I am confident that you will be receiving a number of Filipino clients in the near future. Its the only way to see India! Once again, with many thanks, Emmanuel

If you are planning a trip to India then Indian Excursions is your first point of call! From the initial planning stages to the actual trip, Indian Excursions far exceeded my expectations and their professionalism in every single thing they did never ceased to amaze me. Madeleine's attention to detail in planning every detail of the trip was absolutely brilliant. When I couldn't decide whether to take an overnight train she actually sent me photographs of what the cabin would look like and described exactly how it would be which enabled me to make a well informed decision. On arrival, Shiv's warmth and hospitality made me feel comfortable and right at home and he went way beyond the call of duty in his endeavours to locate and return my lost luggage. The guides and drivers were all superb - especially our driver, Sanjay. What a gentle, soft-spoken and lovely man! I cannot recommend Indian Excursions highly enough.

+++ Overall organization: From the initial contact to you until the end of the trip, the organization of our trip was perfect. We highly appreciated all the detailed information provided by you prior to our trip. Also, we really liked your always very fast responses to our queries. The entire payment process was hassle free. The driver and the guides were excellent, communication with all of them was very easy. We will definitely recommend your company for anyone planning a trip to India. +++ Sanjay, Driver: Sanjay was an excellent driver. We always felt very comfortable and safe with him. His driving style was very defensive and safe, never rushing and always calm even in the busiest traffic. He was always very helpful and nice and we can only recommend him. The drives never felt long. Sanjay also shared a lot of interesting information on country and people with us. We truly enjoyed the drives with Sanjay. The car was always very clean, cool water was always available. Sanjay chose nice places for stops en-route. He also recommended nice restaurants for meals en-route and in the cities upon our request. ++ Singh, Guide Delhi: Singh was a very good guide for the different places we visited in Delhi. Very knowledgeable, very good english, explained everything in a very nice and detailed but never boring way. Visiting Delhi in just one day after a short night was intense, but we enjoyed it very much with Singh. +++ Anurag, Guide Agra and Fathepur Sikri: Anurag was an excellent guide for our visits in Agra and Fathepur Sikri. Very knowledgeable, very good english, very passionate about the different highlights he showed us. The two days with him were really interesting and also of great entertainment. He also gave us a lot of insights not just on the past but also on current India. +++ Vivek, Guide in Ranthambore National Park: Vivek was an excellent guide for our Safaris in Ranthambore NP. We were lucky enough to see several tigers. While we saw other guides/groups rushing through the park and really chasing the tigers, Vivek and our 2 drivers were very calm and relaxed and also showed us a lot of nice landscapes and animals beside the tigers. We highly appreciated this calm way of the safaris. + Madhev, Guide in Jaipur: Madhev was a good guide for the visit to Amer Fort and the City Palace. +++ Vijay, Guide in Jodhpur: Vijay was an excellent guide for the visit in the blue city. His explanations were really interesting, not just on the history but also on the current indian culture and people. Very good humour, good shopping tipps. ++ Lokendra, Guide Udaipur: Lokendra was a great guide for Udaipur. He gave us very interesting information on the palace and the other locations visited. We had a very relaxed and entertaining tour with him. ++ Guide Mumbai: (forgot the name unfortunately) Our guide in Mumbai was very good for the short sightseeing tour we did there. Since this was our last day, we shortened the program and left out the elephanta caves. He very well customized the tour to our wishes. ++ Driver Mumbai: Ashok Ashok was a very good driver for the busy traffic in Mumbai. He also drove us for dinner in the evening, this was appreciated. +++ Hotels: All of the chosen hotels were just stunning and we truly enjoyed them. We had very nice rooms along the trip and everything worked perfectly. Thank you again for proposing Devi Garh, a great place a bit off the beaten track. We can definitely recommend this for evtl. also a bit a longer stay. +++ Restaurants: Thanky you again for sharing the restaurant tipps for the different cities. 3 places to highlight: - Indian Accent in Delhi - Sheesh Mahal at Leela Palace in Udaipur (we went there by boat from the Taj Lake Palace) - Ziya at the Oberoi in Mumbai You also asked for things to be improved. Here we actually only have one minor point to be mentioned. The guide in Raknapur was not really of great value add. Beside buying the tickets and arranging the headsets of the audio guide, he did not do much. This visit could easily be done without a local guide, especially given the good explanations provided by the audio guide. Again, we would like to thank you for organizing this amazing trip. We truly enjoyed it and had a very relaxing and at the same time culturally highly interesting vacation. Elisa and Adrian

In 2015 my husband and I went to Rajasthan with Indian Excursions. It was one of the best trips we have ever had and the company exceeded our expectations. We spent a whole month traveling with Indian Excursions and everything went pretty well. We have absolutely no complaints. The trip was tailor made and Madeleine was very kind and patience to answer all my questions and make all the adjustments we would ask. I think we spent about 6 months exchanging e-mails. When we arrived in Delhi, Shiv was there to pick us up at the airport. Shiv is one of the founders of Indian Exursions and since we didn't know much about the company, besides what we could read on the internet, it made us feel very safe. At that point we already knew our trip was going to be wonderful. From city to city we could see that Madeleine and Shiv took care of every detail in our trip. The hotels were amazing — specially the Oberois. Till today we day dream about our wonderful stay in India. We spent holli in a small village and in a very cozy little hotel called Anopura. We loved that place. They only have two rooms and we were the only guests there. We could never have stayed there if we traveled with a big group. I would also like to mention our incredible driver, Sandjee (I am probably spelling it wrong). He was very kind and sweet. He would take us whatever we want to and he was always on time waiting for us. He made our trip even more special. I highly recommend Indian Excursions. We were very very satisfied with our trip.

We were apprehensive about traveling to India and were so fortunate to find Indian Excursions. Madeleine was so organized with her recommendations and itinerary that we learned to trust her implicitly and it paid off. The hotels were wonderful and the tour guides were always on time, knowledgeable and friendly. Also, Shiv was always available to assist with any additional needs that arose. Our driver was wonderful, easy to talk to, completely attentive and we felt totally taken care of. I unfortunately got ill during the trip and they arranged doctors for me, even in somewhat remote locations which made my wife feel less worried. I wouldn't trust a second trip to anybody else.

My husband, daughter and I had a most superb and memorable trip to India thanks to Indian Excursions Co. Madeleine, the tour organiser, spent many weeks patiently answering my questions and tailoring an itinerary to meet our interests, then making all the reservations for internal flights and hotels to suit our tastes and budget. The selection of hotels was wonderful – we so appreciated the creature comforts and attractiveness of decor and environment. Nothing was too much trouble for her and her knowledge of the country is awesome. Shiv, the tireless operations manager, made it all happen so seamlessly. He welcomed us at the airport on arrival, presenting us with a floral wreath, birthday card for my husband and a lovely folder with our itinerary. All the arrangements fell magically into place: The guides were on time and well presented and the drivers were most helpful and pleasant. We would like to pay special tribute to the driver Keshav who conducted us safely from Agra to Udaipur. He was always punctual and immaculately dressed, polite and a most conscientious person, always remembering our water, cleaning the car at every stop and driving with the utmost care for our safety. He was also sensitively aware of our interests and would advise us well in advance when there was an opportunity for a good photo by slowing down and saying, ‘Get ready your camera, a colourful village on the left...’ or whatever. He was very knowledgeable about the Rajasthani environment, answering questions and volunteering information about places we passed through. And he had the patience of a saint, always waiting for us when we did a tour with a guide. We appreciated Shiv's regular calls on the supplied mobile phones to make sure we were happy and that everything was in order. We were so touched by his invitation for a drink and snack before our final departure and then seeing us off personally at the airport. Nothing that Shiv and Madeleine had control over was left to chance. They are both perfectionists and we, their clients, were the beneficiaries of their excellent organisation, knowledge and planning as well as receiving value for money. We are missing the marvellous mayhem and madness that is India and haven’t stopped talking about it. We heartily recommend Indian Excursions Co. to anyone who is looking for a well planned and enriching cultural experience!

More than most countries, standards in India are variable: hotels, mode of transport, places to visit—and travel agents! Planning my tailor-made trip to India was fraught, until I got in touch with Indian Excursions. Madeleine and Shiv advised and organised every detail according to my detailed requirements, with prompt, reliable and efficient replies to my many emails and phone calls. Their detailed knowledge and expertise saved not only time and costs, but enabled me to get all of the "photo-ops" that I had requested and hoped for. Meticulous planning is half the pleasure of a trip, the other, more important, half is the actual trip! Again, every detail was spot-on: the vehicles, drivers and guides were all as good as could be hoped for, and made each portion of my tour simply wonderful and worry-free. The thoughtful (and as it turned out, necessary) provision of a mobile phone throughout the trip, and bottles of mineral water in the vehicles, were some of the little details that I appreciated. But even the best laid plans can go awry: and was I glad to have Shiv on call when my flight from Chandigarh to Delhi, (on my way back from the spectacularly lovely Oberoi Wildflower Hotel, near Shimla), was cancelled, after I'd checked in! A driver and car was immediately laid on, and I made it to my hotel in Delhi that night! Then again, when I suddenly decided to make a visit to see and photograph the fascinating 4,ooo-year old Harappan artefacts in the National Museum, on my last, "rest day", before leaving India, Shiv sent a car and driver, on the spur of the moment! I am extremely grateful for the quite exceptional and detailed help, and the efficient organisation, that went into making my trip so wonderfully enjoyable.

Rajasthan Oberoi Tour - Nov 2015 I looked at the above tour, initially through a large bespoke tour operator in the UK who l have used before but had a few issues. I wasn't impressed again with them and began to look at alternatives. I found Indian Excursions on the web and requested a quote, although I will admit a little reluctance to trust a company on the web based outside the UK. I spoke to Madeleine who made some great suggestions and was very professional (turned out she had been to university in my home town) and decided to go with it. Money was paid into a UK bank avoiding any exchange charges. I needn't have worried. On arrival in India (around midnight) we were met by Shiv and taken to our hotel at the Oberoi Gurgaon (fabulous room) and again Shiv came the next morning, gave us a mobile phone with his and our drivers number and told that our driver was available 24 hours.Everything went perfectly, we were met at every stage of tour, every guide was excellent and we had the most fantastic holiday. The hotels were beautiful and exuded a romantic and charming ambience infused with local culture. Our favourite hotels were the Oberoi Gurgaon and the luxury tent at the Oberoi Ranthambore. We especially loved our room at the Oberoi Gurgaon- it was a huge and tastefully decorated apartment with 2 bedrooms, study, fully equipped and stocked kitchen, living and dining area and a dipping pool! The cooked Indian breakfast there was among the best we had eaten (the food throughout the trip was great) and the tea was absolutely perfect, fresh and steaming hot and poured with the right touch of steamed milk. At the Oberoi Ranthambore, the service and food were great too, loved the Akha Palak - spinach with a savoury tomato base, it was light and tasty, and the delicious crusty roll at the open air courtyard dining area.The tour guides especially Dave at Jaipur were very friendly and knowledgeable and seemed more like local friends sharing their city with you. We travelled by private van most of the time which was clean and comfortable except for the train ride to Sawai Madhopur to get to Ranthambore which was great way to experience travelling as the locals do. A large group of local students about ages 8-10 were in our carriage and they sang and danced and played drums and invited everyone on board to join in, what a great atmosphere! I will go to India again and I will use Indian Excursions. The arrangements and itinerary by Shiv and Maddy made the best of our time there and gave us a wonderful experience of Rajasthan. The holiday exceeded our expectations - can't recommend highly enough.

Madeline and Shiv could not have been more helpful in putting together a fantastic trip in India. We wanted to see India, not just luxury hotels, and they made some excellent choices of places for us to stay and things for us to do. The whole thing was superb and I couldn't recommend them more highly!

Indian Excursions is the best! Initially we sent inquiries to two companies when we were planning our trip, but Madeleine won us over with her quick responses and enormity of information. She even helped me fill out my e-visa application! She quickly and easily sent us a suggested itinerary for the dates and types of hotels we wanted to stay in. She sent us more itineraries when we considered adding an extra city to our trip. No request was too much for her. Once we arrived in India, we were taken care of from the moment our plane touched down until we took off again! You receive a welcome pack with your itinerary and lots of helpful information. It was very useful. We also appreciated having the cell phone. Every person we encountered associated with Indian Excursions was kind, knowledgable, and very helpful. Shiv met us at the hotel, and checked in many times throughout our trip. He made sure we knew he was only a phone call away if we needed anything at all or had any issues. Our driver, Thaman, was fantastic. He was a wonderful, safe driver, and so kind. He would inform us of nice sites as we were driving and provided a very high level of service, always having water ready, always making sure we knew he was available if we needed anything. I would highly recommend him for future tours. He apologized for his limited English, but we understood him fine and never had a problem. He has a lot of helpful knowledge to share. He was available to take us around after our scheduled itinerary to take extra photos, and even warned us to not overpay in certain touristy spots for souvenirs. I can't recommend him enough! All of our tour guides were great. They spoke very good English, had vast amounts of knowledge, and were very patient with us as we're very into photography and wanted to pause and take lots of pictures. Each would walk us through the sites, give us history and background, and would answer any questions we had. We highly recommend Aamir and Dev in Agra and Jaipur! The itinerary created for us was perfect. We loved having free time because we wanted to enjoy our hotels, but if you want to squeeze as much out of every moment, Madeleine can organize an itinerary to fit your needs. Our itinerary included some shopping stops. We picked up some nice souvenirs. We never felt pressured to buy, but we honestly did end up purchasing at least something at most of the places. I should not call them shopping stops as they're stops to show you how many of the amazing local crafts are made such as rugs, marble inlay, embroidery, and more, but of course they sell their crafts as well. It was amazing to see the craftsmen and resulting products. For the record, we had many souvenirs shipped back to the US and they arrived in impeccable condition and in a timely manner. You can indicate to Madeleine if you don't want to visit any of these places, but we highly recommend them! Indian Excursions could not have done anything more to make our trip better than it was. We actually weren't expecting to enjoy the trip as much as we did, but it ending up being one of our favorite trips we've taken (we're huge travelers) and oh so memorable, and we know that was in large part because it was so easy and exactly how we wanted it to be thanks to Indian Excursions!