Highlights Of Northern India & Nepal

Guide

A locally qualified, English-speaking Indian leader will guide the trip from Delhi to Kathmandu with a local driver. Local guides will also be used at various sights in India and Nepal. Our Indian team of leaders are very popular with their incredible knowledge, passion and hospitality adding greatly to your experience. There is no better way to experience Indian culture than letting an Indian guide, who also knows a lot about Nepal, show you around their country.

Meals

All breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners are included. You should allow the equivalent of US$24 per day for other meals. You can eat out very cheaply in India and Nepal, but if you go to more expensive restaurants, you will spend more than the suggested amount. In most towns there is a good choice between Indian, Chinese and Western food. If you are a vegetarian, India and Nepal are probably two of the best destinations you can visit. Tea and soft drinks are very cheap. A (large!) bottle of beer is approximately US$4.80. Drinking water will be provided in large containers in our vehicle, so please bring a refillable water bottle with you. Where meals are not included, the leader will encourage people to try certain restaurants and street food vendors. They can make recommendations that will boost small businesses and celebrate local specialties. In India, we can even see how some food and drinks, such as masala chai (tea), samosa (mashed potato snacks), jalebe (Indian doughnuts) and lassi (yoghurt drink), are made.

Transport

We use air-conditioned private minibuses in India and Nepal. The journey between Agra and Varanasi is on an air-conditioned overnight sleeper train where the seats turn into single beds. Linen and pillows are normally provided, though you may like to bring your own sheet-sleeping bag. If you intend to book the optional Everest sightseeing flight please refer to the following information about flying in Nepal. Flying in Nepal The mountainous terrain in Nepal is often subject to changeable weather, which makes flying conditions complex. In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Nepal does not operate to the same standards as those of Western nations. The EU chose to highlight the poor safety record in Nepal in December 2013 by including all Nepalese registered airlines on the EU ‘banned list’ preventing them from flying in EU airspace. While no Nepalese-registered airlines currently fly within the EU, the EU instigated this ban to highlight the risk of flying in Nepal to EU citizens. Flying within Nepal is, therefore, a known risk and we encourage you to consider this carefully. We suggest you refer to the following sources. The current travel advice for Nepal issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Air Safety Network entry for Nepal In response to concerns over this safety record, Exodus arranges for independent air-safety experts to visit Nepal annually on our behalf to assess the suitability of the available carriers. We then restrict our use of airlines to only those approved in this audit. In emergency situations, we will need to use helicopters and we also have a list of approved helicopter carriers. Please consider all of the information above when deciding to book an optional Everest sightseeing flight.

Accommodation

We spend 11 nights in hotels, two nights in lodges and one night on a sleeper train. The hotels are a mixture of standard and comfortable hotels. In Jaipur and Varanasi, we stay in heritage hotels In Kathmandu, we stay in a hotel close to the centre In Chitwan, we stay in a comfortable jungle lodge in twin-bedded huts Hotels in India usually do not have heating as there are only a couple of months in the year when the weather gets cold. You can, however, request more blankets or the hotel may be able to provide a standing heater for your room. Please talk to your tour leader if you need help in this matter. Overnight train journey The overnight sleeper train from Agra to Varanasi will be booked in two-tier rooms (four people to a compartment) or three-tier (six to a compartment) if two-tier is unavailable. There are many excellent trains in India but the standard is not in line with European or US standards. Seats are allocated when the tickets are issued, meaning we cannot guarantee the whole group is together in the same carriage; your leader will manage this as best as possible and will always check on you during the journey. Indian trains are safe but we recommend you keep valuables with you at all times. Snacks are often offered on board (at an additional cost) but you may wish to purchase your own food before the journey. While some trains have Western-style facilities, the majority of services are equipped with squat toilets. Please note, trains are sometimes delayed for reasons beyond our control, but we endeavour to minimise the impact of these delays on the overall itinerary.

Others

— Travel insurance — Visas and vaccinations for India & Nepal — Single supplement