Tribes Travel

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Tribes Travel, 12 The Business Centre, Earl Soham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 7SA, UK

Tribes Travel

The art of travelling with respect

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    Review

     

    1. Caroline Reid - UK
    2. 27/03/2010
    3. 2
    4. India

    5. Overall level of satisfaction

      • Excellent

      Excellent

    7. We had an excellent holiday, we got to see what we wanted to see from some very nice lodges and the guides provided were helpful and informative.

    8. Tribes service

      • Excellent

      Excellent

    10. In general the organisation of the holiday was excellent and we have no major complaints about this. The service of Tribes in the UK was brilliant, Paul was exceptionally helpful at all stages even the difficult ones. We were slightly less impressed with the Indian ground handler however
      - They had changed our itinerary when we arrived. It was only a minor change that meant we spent our last night at Dhikala rather than the second to last, however this meant we had to travel out of the forest, to the airport and home in the same clothes rather than having a chance to change at Tiger Camp. Our final itinerary that came with the bill had different details to that we were given on arrival.
      Tribes Response: This change was forced by an overbooking at the government-run lodge inside Corbett National Park, requiring the dates to be changed by our ground handlers in India at the last minute. The government-run lodges are the only ones inside Corbett, so we do use them for their location, but we are aware they do have problems with their organisation.
      - Also in Delhi we were dropped off at the station early by the driver and left, there was no-one to guide us into the station and make sure we got onto the train. The porters at this station were very insistent and I am sure the lack of a guide meant we got ripped off and even then he wanted more money from us. (The driver at the other end stayed with us until we were on the train and in the correct carriage which was more acceptable).
      Tribes Response: This was a mistake by our ground handlers - our passengers should be taken to their seat on the train.
      - Finally as detailed in the travel section below we weren't booked into the same compartment on the train from Katni to Agra.
      Tribes Response: The allocation of berths on the train is handled by the bureaucracy of Indian Railways. While couples should be allocated berths together, we can not guarantee this as it is out of our control.

    11. Expectations

      • Excellent

      Excellent

    13. We got to see India in all it's glory, the main areas of our interest were obviously the national parks with the tiger watching experience and Agra with the Taj Mahal. But we were also got to experience the driving!, areas of countryside while we were travelling from Katni to Bandhavgarh and back and also Delhi and Agra town.

    14. Guides

      • Excellent

      Excellent

    16. The guides were knowledgeable and easy to communicate with especially the man in Agra explaining everything in exceptional English. The only downside in Delhi was being taken to the (very expensive) retail outlet when actually all we wanted to do was go to lunch. I know this is the Indian way but the sales people were quite forceful even though I told them I did not need a 'cheap' 810 ruby necklace.
      The driving was an experience, how we got out with the car in one piece I don't know but all the drivers were very competent.

    17. Social & Environmental Responsibility

      • Good

      Good

    19. I think the lodges we stayed in Bandhavgarh and Corbett both had the environment in mind with employment of local people and tiger conservation high priority. I also understand that every penny we give to them is helping the local economy so I think the level of this was good.

    20. Other comments

    21. Most of the hotels we went to advertised themselves as serving Local, Asian or continental cuisine however in most cases there was a set Indian menu with no choice. We found that the selection of food was very samey and would say very little continental food on offer at all. Tiger Camp did go out of their way to cook me a western, non-spiced dish when they realised I was jaded with the choice of Indian food on offer, for that they get extra recommendations.

    1. Experiences

    1. Agra and the Taj Mahal

      • Don't even think about missing this!

      Don't even think about missing this!

    4. We thought the Taj Mahal was absolutely stunning and seriously believe that it is the one monument in the whole of India that you can't afford to miss. The Red Fort was also stunning and the Baby Taj a spectable in itself. We were surprised at the poverty around the Taj - you only had to travel 2 streets away and the standard of living was very basic to say the least. It was hard knowing that you had just spent more in admission fees than they probably spent in a year.

    1. Travelling in India

    2. Travelling in India
      • It was OK

      It was OK

    4. The trains were not the best standard that you would wish for, obviously the first class compartment was better than the 2nd but neither would pass for luxury in the UK. It was a bit difficult in that my husband and I had been booked into separate compartments on the 2nd class sleeper carriage which meant we were separated by two curtains, I would have thought that the booking company would have made sure the booking was made for the same compartment.

    1. Wildlife viewing in India

    2. Wildlife viewing in India
      • Had a whale of a time!

      Had a whale of a time!

    4. Tigers (the main focus of our trip) were not that easy to see but all in we did get glimpses of 9 - and when I say glimpses some were just a rustle in the grass. Non-predator wildlife was there in abundance though and the birdlife was stunning.
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