I did a post to you regarding the India Tiger Trail a couple of days ago and it has not appeared.

To be fair I did get a bit "carried away" when writing it and asked you a few questions, some of which you may not be able to answer immediately. Certainly the question about "Holi"! I also realize that this is a new tour, the first group being in India at the moment, I think, and that with every new tour there is often some tweaking to be done after the first outing.

This will be my fifth JY Indian tour (7th visit to India in total) and I am really looking forward to it, so excited hence the waffle, but it will be enhanced once we know what we are doing on the last two days of the tour.

So if nothing else can be clarified at this stage, please, could you at least let us know who the TM, if one already allocated?

I have done almost 30 JY and TS tours over the years and don't normally ask/grumble about much.

Kind Regards

Di

You certainly didn't get carried away, not at all! 🙂 Apologies for the delay in replying, I'm just waiting on answers from the team.

Your Tour Manager hasn't been assigned yet for this trip, so I'm afraid I can't give you an answer, but I will come back with answers to your other queries ASAP.

Many thanks,

Vickie

I am also on the Tiger Trail holiday departing at the end of February 2020. 

Several queries have been raised about this stand alone tour and there have also been comments raised by Peter G who is on the combined tour "Iconic and the Wild". 

https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-88977.html   some of which were addressed thank you, but I have not yet had any response to the following............

"I booked the Classic Touring Tiger Trail holiday as it included a little classic sightseeing as well as 5 included safaris. Therefore I chose the stand alone Tiger Trail anticipating a tour in Dehli on arrival on Day 2 - this has now been moved to day three where a tour of Delhi and the step well has been shoehorned into an already full programme of travel and visits on Day 3. Now the anticipated tour of Mumbai at the end of the holiday has all but disappeared due to the late flight times.

I am concerned that the tour I have chosen has been compromised by becoming part of a combined tour. I am still hopeful that the Delhi/step well tour will be rearranged back to the original Day 2 of the tour for those arriving on the Tiger Trail. Having flown all that way I don't want to spend a day "at leisure" or indeed have to make costly private arrangements which may anticipate the tour on Day 3.

So - returning to the end of the holiday - anyone fancy a couple of extra days in Mumbai? It is a shame that this is not offered as an add on - but of course that would not work with the combined tour!!!!" ............

Since I wrote that it appears the internal flight from Nagpur to Mumbai is now confirmed as arriving late evening 10.20 pm - so no time to explore Mumbai at all - just another 'day at leisure'.

I am looking forward to reading the responses to all the concerns, comments, suggestions and questions raised by Di and myself.

Best Regards

Is this the 27 Feb departure? I'm booked on that one and hadn't realised it would coincide with Holi.

I was on the JY trip to Nepal a few years ago and we were lucky enough to be there for Holi, it was great fun so hopefully we get to experience this in India although looking online Holi takes place over 2 days with the second day (the day we fly back to the UK unless you are doing the longer trip) being the day everyone is covered in coloured powder.

Tim

Thank you very much for the response.

Have a good weekend

Di

Regarding a couple of the questions which you weren't able to give answers on immediately, I think that I have found the answers to now anyway.

I had asked about an earlier flight from Nagpur to Mumbai and also about Holi. So the flight: through the grapevine I heard that earlier flights do not cater for groups BUT I have also read in another company's brochure which dropped through my letterbox yesterday, that the driving distance from Kanha National Park to Mumbai is about 5 hours. I did double check it on google.

So Holi: following on from travel times from Kanha to Nagpur I cannot see that there would  be enough time to partake in Holi celebrations. However, I suspect travel times will be even longer because of Holi.

So from that point of view I am happy to go with the flow, in India expect the unexpected and when things go wrong in India as they quite often do it is all part of the experience which will always be remembered!

Kind Regards

Di

Apologies for the delay, I'm just waiting on an answer from the team to your questions.

I will double check the above for you, just to make sure.

Thanks,

Vickie

Thank you very much.

i think that must be a record for such a quick response.

Kind Regards

Di

Yes, it is 27th Feb. departure date.

I haven't witnessed Holi but have seen it on TV and it does look good fun.

Did you get covered in paint then in Nepal? Exciting stuff and very colourful.

I was going to do the combined tour with the Backwaters (Kerala, as you probably know) but cancelled that second part partially  because I would have been too nervous of travelling on any flights by myself, especially connecting flights in case anything went wrong.

Am really looking forward to seeing tigers again, saw them in Ranthambore on the Spirit of India back in 2012.

Will also look forward to meeting you, Kedi. Peter G and Angel again plus the others on the tour either in LHR or Delhi. Certainly Peter will be in Delhi.

Kind Regards

Di

I have just returned from the Tiger Trail tour and am delighted to say that all of our group saw tigers in the wild.  I only saw one but others in the group saw more and have some stunning photos.

We visited the step well on day 2 but it is not a particularly long visit, however the traffic in Delhi is very bad so all visits take a long time.  As for Mumbai, the journey from Kanha to Nagpur took approx. 7 hours and so an earlier flight would have been impossible.  Some of our group enquired about a tour of Mumbai but, with an arrival at the hotel at around 7.30pm, decided against it.  Evening traffic in Mumbai was very slow!

As with any new tour there are adjustments needed.  My comments to you are;

 There are a number of long road journeys and if your group is large enough to require a coach these can be slow at times.  

 You will need warm clothing for game drives as its cold at 6am.  

 Evenings at the game lodges were cool, we sat round fire pits, so be prepared.

 The tour manager travels from Heathrow so if you travel from a regional airport you may arrive before them and be met by the local guide.

I loved the mixture of sight seeing and wild life and seeing a more remote area of India.  It was my 4th visit to India and I enjoyed it immensely but I did need a few days rest when I got home.

Liz

Having been to Delhi before I remember the traffic, and sitting in the traffic, well. That's why I am hoping the Delhi tour will be re-instated on the arrival day. I haven't seen the step well and am particularly looking forward to that. Not having any time in Mumbai is very disappointing - our proposed flight, the last from Nagpur, is later than yours - not arriving til 10.20pm - let's hope it is not cancelled at the last minute!!!!

Your tips are useful - I remember how chilly the early mornings were in Ranthambore (and other safari trips) but a really early start is best for spotting the wildlife. A pair of gloves as well as a fleece helps. Were you in open jeeps for the safaris? 

Also - I saw that horse riding was available at one of the lodges - did anyone try this out? 

Hope you are now fully recovered from the trip and adjusting to the temperature change - frosty here today!

Thank you so much for doing a review. Am pleased that you enjoyed your holiday and that you all saw tigers. Am appreciative that seeing wildlife can't be guaranteed. 

It sounds as if the journey to Nagpur took a couple of hours longer than I had read. Our flight doesn't get into Mumbai until 22.20. Like you, I have already been to India a few times so I am always ready for long bus journeys. Yep, traffic can be horrendous.

A couple of us are a bit disappointed about probably not being able to see Mumbai and Holi, especially when the website for day 12 specifically talks about Mumbai.

Our  step well visit is scheduled for day 3 so we are hoping that it can be pulled in then. Our day 2 in the afternoon is free.

The tips and advice are very useful, much obliged to you for sharing. I am sure that I will enjoy sitting round fire pits in the evenings as I have done so on previous trips.

I am really looking forward to this tour, not only for the tigers, but like you for seeing more of rural India.

(I went on the first Darjeeling Tour with the Invitation to India in October and the scenery in  Darjeeling and Gangtok was stunning).

Kind Regards

Di

When I queried the flight times to Mumbai on March 9th on the Iconic and the Wild holiday you stated that those on my paperwork were incorrect and that I would be arriving in Mumbai at 1840. It now seems that those on the Tiger Trail holiday on the same day have been told their flight is now arriving in Mumbai at 2220 (my original time given). Which is correct? Am I on a different flight.?

Thank you LizzieK for your comments. I did not appreciate it would be cold on the early morning starts on safari.

I did not know that the holi festival was taking place at this time. I have not heard of it.

Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Peter

To see Mumbai, you really have to spend a day or more there due to horrendous traffic. When I did the Kerala trip, sightseeing in Mumbai was included but due to the fact I knew about the traffic and the early dark evening, I decided to go straight to the hotel and another lady joined me. We made the best decision as all those who went hardly saw anything as most of the time was spent in the traffic!

Jaya

You will arrive in Mumbai at 18.40.

Many thanks,

Vickie

Hi Peter,

You will arrive in Mumbai at 18.40.

Many thanks,

Vickie

Sorry Vickie - can you clarify please? Does that mean the group will be split for the flights from Nagpur to Mumbai? I certainly don't want to be waving off part of the group and sitting around in Nagpur airport for hours waiting for the 20.40 flight.  :huh:

Hi Tim

Yes, it is 27th Feb. departure date.

I haven't witnessed Holi but have seen it on TV and it does look good fun.

Did you get covered in paint then in Nepal? Exciting stuff and very colourful.

I was going to do the combined tour with the Backwaters (Kerala, as you probably know) but cancelled that second part partially  because I would have been too nervous of travelling on any flights by myself, especially connecting flights in case anything went wrong.

Am really looking forward to seeing tigers again, saw them in Ranthambore on the Spirit of India back in 2012.

Will also look forward to meeting you, Kedi. Peter G and Angel again plus the others on the tour either in LHR or Delhi. Certainly Peter will be in Delhi.

Kind Regards

Di

Di

Look forward to meeting you at Heathrow, I did spirit of India in 2015 so like you know what the roads and traffic are like

In Nepal we were away from the centre for holi and everyone was good with the paint, you were not bombarded with it which was good, so hopefully we will get to experience it in our final day even if we have to travel home wearing paint

Tim

Hi Peter,

You will arrive in Mumbai at 18.40.

Many thanks,

Vickie

Vickie

If some in our group arrive 4 hours earlier in Mumbai what does that mean for the rest of us?  Hopefully not 4 hours waiting at an airport.  When I did spirit of India in 2015 we had a similar late transfer back to Delhi on the last night only to rush off early back to the airport making it a waste of time when if it’s too late to do anything an airport hotel would have been more appropriate.  Our tour manager did not disagree and many of us fed this back in the feedback form

Given holi is such a big festival it would be disappointing not to get the chance to experience it even if only briefly before rushing back to the airport

Tim

Sorry for the confusion with this one. I hope I have now got to the bottom of it.

So looking at your bookings on the system, you are all on the the 5pm flight to Mumbai, which lands at 6.40pm. So both groups will meet at the airport and get on the same flight.

If your paperwork is showing the incorrect flight times (anything different to the above) this will be corrected in your final documents.

Many thanks,

Vickie

..........Hi Peter & Di

If I've read the system correctly (and it's been awhile) I believe you will have the same Tour Manager throughout this trip, and it looks like the lovely Kim Clark has been provisionally allocated this tour. 

Di with the above, it means that Kim will be travelling out with the group that departs on the 21st February and will meet you in India.

Warmest regards,

Julia.........