TransIndus Avis 387

After our trip we wrote to our contact in TransIndus as follows

Hello Hari

We are safely back from our thoroughly enjoyable trip to Sri Lanka.

 
We want to thank you again for all your efforts to quickly secure direct flights for us early morning on 1st March. If you had not been so proactive on that day we would probably not have been able to go on this holiday at all.

All the arrangements you made for us went very well.

We have a few points that we would like to bring to your attention to help you to continue to offer great itineraries to your guests.

 

Our driver & guide Thush was excellent throughout the trip. We liked him & he was knowledgeable & helpful throughout the trip. He drove safely & often took photos for us at each location. He is highly recommended for future trips. 

 

The Corolla Axio car that was provided was just OK. Joan found the seats too hard & uncomfortable & we had to buy a soft cushion to improve the ride. Looking at the itinerary the car is described as a "sedan". We asked our driver Thush whether there were alternatives & he stated that we could have requested a comfier SUV. Is that option open to future travellers?

 

The Galle Face Hotel, Cinnamon Lodge, Theva, 98 Acres, Buckingham Place were all very good hotels and it was great to have the last four nights at the beach.

 

The Jetwing Kaduruketha was in a stunning location overlooking the padi fields but the quality of the hotel was not as good as the others.

 

We had a bad experience at the Flameback Eco Lodge. The staff were helpful & we met a nice English couple that we befriended & met up with again in Galle. The food wasn't brilliant & there were swarms of flying ants which congregated on the doors of our tent which bit us multiple times making it very uncomfortable. They also flew into our food & drinks. I think that when we booked you tried to get us in Cinnamon Wild but there were no rooms. If this occurs again we would recommend that you find a better alternative to the Flameback Eco Lodge. (Maybe we were just very unlucky that the flying ants hatched at that time?)

 

98 Acres, Buckingham Place & the KK Beach House were all exceptional & highly recommended.

 

We hope these suggestions help you in the future.

 

Thanks again for everything.

 

Best Regards

 

David & Joan

We have just returned from a 16 day trip to SriLanka on TransIndus' Emerald Isle tour. What a fabulous experience! The tour was so varied - culture, tea plantations, high altitude walks, safaris, and all topped by a few days at the beach to relax! Hotels were excellent and all this was topped by a fantastic guide/driver who did everything he could to ensure that we enjoyed ourselves. Thank you TransIndus.

Our third holiday with Transindus, and another wonderful trip. Thanks to Roop for the pre trip planning and advice, all the arrangements and guides were excellent. We loved Vietnam.

Thank you Roop for organising a brilliant trip round Rajasthan. TransIndus made all the difference , with seamless organisation, good guides, and a superb driver for the first part of the journey. There were many highlights but the two standouts were the visit to the family in DevShree, and of course the Taj Mahal. Pictures just do not do justice to its sheer majestic beauty. A couple of minor aspects that they could have improved on, but overall no hesitation in recommending TransIndus - a trip of a lifetime.

We’ve travelled many times over the years with TransIndus and have always had wonderful experiences. Our two-week Spirit of Vietnam trip was no exception. The hotels throughout the trip were well equipped and comfortable, all with friendly and efficient staff for whom nothing was too much trouble.

We had a slight problem at the beginning of our tour when our guide wasn’t there to meet us on arrival at Hanoi airport, but after 45 minutes or so of scouring the arrivals hall I phoned TransIndus in the UK and we were advised to take a taxi to our first hotel. We were subsequently reimbursed the cost.

Apart from that glitch, everything else worked like clockwork – guides were there when promised, cars were clean and comfortable, and the drivers were very skilful when making our way through heavy traffic.

I was particularly taken by the 2-day Orchid Classic cruise around Halong Bay; I’d never particularly fancied a cruise, but this one was a revelation; a huge cabin (and even huger bed), with friendly and accommodating crew, and such beautiful scenery around Halong Bay. When the dining crew realised we were vegan (plant eaters) they catered for us separately at dinner time, which was wonderful. Breakfast and lunch weren’t a problem as there was such a wide range of options available on the buffet.

Another wonderful highlight for us was the food tour by scooter, with Vespa Wanderers, around Ho Chi Minh City. They were a lovely, friendly bunch of riders who took excellent care of us, and we experienced the best vegan food of our holiday. We’d do it again in a flash.

We have recently returned from our Vietnam trip and can highly recommend Transindus. Everything went like clockwork. The guides were all pleasant, professional, punctual and easy to get to know. We had such an amazing experience in a wonderful country full of friendly people, culture, history, and delicious food. We were kept up to date with plans and felt we learnt a great deal whilst in the company of our guides. 100% recommend

Thank you Roop for organising such a wonderful trip for us in rural Rajesthan & Kolkata Jan/Feb this year. We had a wonderful time. Accommodation excellent (combination of home stays, 5 star hotels & heritage hotels). We were very pleased with our car & driver Mr Vishal. All the guides were first class. We would have no hesitation in recommending TransIndus. This is our first time travelling with you and it won't be the last!

We wanted to go on a special two week holiday to southern India experiencing culture, history and nature. But apart from wanting to explore the Keralan backwaters we had no fixed ideas of where to go and what to do. We found TransIndus through some web based research. A response was rapid (as has all communication been with them) and after providing a brief of what we wanted, a detailed itinerary was put together for our private tour. We particularly liked the fact that TransIndus knew the places and people involved personally. We signed up and the processes involved prior to our departure were very well managed and advice very helpful.
The tour itself was more than we could ever have asked for. India lived up to everything we wanted. So many special memories but too many to write about here. We wanted character rather than opulence and we got it. But more than that the tour logistics (drivers, guides, hotels, meal etc) were high quality, friendly and without hiccup. Knowing support was just a text away was always very reassuring.
It was our first trip to India. With luck we will return again soon. When we do we will be booking with TransIndus.

This was my fourth trip with Trans Indus. The service provided by the company was excellent although some of its agents overseas do not live up to the standards one expects.

Well drawn up itinerary, fantastic drivers..Baldev Singh in particular, comfortable hotels in the main. Achieving our aim.

Transindus was a knowledgeable and reliable company which facilitated a very individual trip to India for us. As a specialist in early Indian history, I had a list of relatively unusual places to visit in a single trip, and this formed itinerary for a private tour. Since it was quite remote in parts, the company kept in touch and we felt supported throughout.

Two trips to India and now to Vietnam. Great communication- especially when I messed up and needed help.
I’ve had the same rep in England, Hari, and he saved the Vietnam trip when Qatar and I messed up
Thanks a million, Hari

Our recent two week Vietnam holiday was truly wonderful. The itinerary and planning was excellent. All excursions were just what we were looking for. The tour guides were polite and very accommodating. We will certainly choose TransIndus again. Many thanks.

We have used Transindus on multiple occasions and have been very happy with them.
They are very knowledgeable and thorough (explaining when certain ideas are not practical or possible).
I would happily recommend them to anybody looking to tour India.

It’s always a risk using a company you have never heard of, however based on their Trustpilot reviews, I organised a holiday in Tamil Nadu.

I can only describe their service as excellent +

From my first contact with them to get a quote for a solo holiday tour from Chennai to Madurai, I could not fault the service. Quick response to emails and showed a lot of initiative. For example, my plan was to fly from Heathrow, but on learning I lived in north England, Hari suggested I moved my dates by a couple of days and fly from Manchester on Christmas Day - saving me £1,000 ! Very impressive.

Travelling solo can be daunting, but at every single stop, the local guide was there to meet me, and all of them, without exception were knowledgeable and friendly.

I have to say a special thank you to Pramod, my driver for almost 2 weeks. We spent so much time together it dawned on me how important it is that you have the right driver. Not only was he an excellent driver, he spoke good English, was almost as knowledgeable as the local guides, was friendly and all round a really decent guy. Had I had someone I couldn’t communicate with or didn’t gel with, it could have ruined the holiday, but Pramod was absolutely spot on, and enhanced the trip.

Will definitely use Transindus for my next Asian holiday as I couldn’t fault anything about their meticulous organisation. Thank you so much for giving me a great trip and lots of happy memories.

Our call of the wild private tour was excellently organised, the ground staff in India could not have done a better job, they were superb. Of the various places we stayed King’s Lodge and Earth Lodge were exceptional, we were disappointed to have to leave the latter.

A holiday of three parts….
week one was a bespoke itinerary with excellent guide and driver visiting requested sights in Kolkata, Kalna and Murshidabad. Hari suggested staying at Bari Kothi and Rajbari Bawali, restored palaces where we were entertained and treated like royalty. Both supported their local village with employment and were a highlight of this part of our trip. Definitely take the village walk and sundowner river trip organised by the hotel staff at Rajari Bawali but suggested by Hari.
Week two was a cruise on the Brahmaputra River and week three was a land expedition up to Kohima in Nagaland. This was managed and organised by Pandaw Cruises but booked through TransIndus who made all the necessary arrangements to get to and from this. Small first class cruise ship with only 24 passengers, attentive staff and interesting shore stops and very good food. Trip up to Nagaland only taken by 16 passengers motivated to go by the inclusion of two day visits to the Hornbill tribal festival as well as five days exploring the local area. Excellent Naga guides passionate about showing off their beautiful landscape and culture as well as WW11 historical sites. We loved the fact that this area of India is seldom visited by foreigners so still unspoilt by mass tourism but be warned that visitors at the time of the festival require a special entry permit to the area and accommodation is limited. Pandaw booked the best available but it was very basic - more like a b&b - and unheated. Fortunately TransIndus warned us about this so we knew what to expect and had taken warm clothes for the chilly evenings and nights.
All in all a deserved 5 stars to TransIndus and to Hari for his help organising and keeping us informed about obtaining permits enroute to Nagaland.

We have traveled with Transindus for over 20 years. Hari is a star. He is very easy to deal with, responds promptly, does not argue and offers advice only when requested. Better still, he is very helpful when something goes wrong, even if it is not part of his itinerary.

This year we had our 7th trip with Transindus but our first group tour to Nepal and Bhutan. As usual the service was exceptional ... I am not sure the Transindus team ever sleep they answer queries so promptly. The trip was fascinating with an extremely knowledgeable guide who looked after us from arrival to departure. We have already booked our 8th trip with them!

We have used Transindus for a number of years and find them a most professional organisation. Their in depth knowledge and personal experience is second to none. Our trip to the Deccan Plateau in early 2025 was expertly crafted with local representatives and guides ensuring that we had a truly memorable experience. Thank you Hari for all you did in arranging such a wonderful holiday. Peter & Helen