Maps of north and south tours

India tours for the season November 2019 to February 2020 - "Making India Accessible"

Jean-Philipe, a Canadian expat living in Tamil Nadu half of the year, offers personalized, introductory tours of north and south India during the season November through February. The dates and itineraries shown are suggestions, and can be adjusted and customized as desired.

India can be overwhelming for the first-time visitor, so travelling in a small group (maximum ten participants) with an experienced guide to look after all the logistics and minutiae allows you to enjoy the experience of India with no worries. Jean-Philipe and his associates will look after the details of where to go, how to get there, where to stay, how to get around, what to see, and what to avoid.

Jean-Philipe has been travelling and living in India for more than three decades, especially exploring the south extensively by motorcycle, car, train and bus. In his travels he has developed a network of friendships and valuable contacts, all to the advantage of the visitors he escorts each year.

The Great India Yatra

Spend up to three months in India, from mid November 2019 to mid February 2020. We are offering the North India Yatra (tour), mid November 2019 to mid December, and the South India Yatra, early January to mid February 2020.

You can combine the one month North India Yatra, three weeks in Goa for Christmas and New Year's, and the month-and-a-half South India Yatra for the Three Month Great India Yatra.

General Notes

For both northern and southern tours, minimum 4, maximum 10 participants.

$500 deposit to hold your place.

Full refund if we have to cancel your tour.

$250 refund if you cancel (full refund if you replace yourself).

You can earn a finder's fee for anyone who signs up due to your recommendation, payable in cryptocurrency, currently 0.5 LTC (Litecoin).

Early Bird Special

The first four participants to sign up will receive an Early Bird Bonus of 0.5 LTC, payable after arrival in India. The next four will receive 0.25 LTC.

North India Yatra 

mid November 2019 to mid December

Depart Canada/USA on Thursday November 14, 2019 to Delhi (DEL).

The tour is up to four weeks. You can book your tour for any length (15 days minimum) and we will work out with you the most convenient airport for your departure from India.

Options: return from Delhi, Mumbai (BOM) or Goa (GOI).

We travel by luxury a/c van or a/c train depending on the itinerary sector.

The detailed schedule and itinerary will be finalized in consultation with the first four participants to sign up.

The northern tour begins at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (airport code DEL), where Jean-Philipe will meet your incoming flight. We head into Delhi on the spanking new Delhi Metro, taking the Airport Express to New Delhi Railway Station. Nearby we settle into our base, the Ginger Hotel Rail Yatri Nivas.

We spend a couple of days exploring some of the main attractions of Delhi, such as the Red Fort, Qutb Minar, India Gate, Jama Masjid, the Baha’i Lotus Temple House of Worship, and the magnificent Akshardham Temple.

We have two options when leaving Delhi: to proceed directly to Agra by air-conditioned van; or to take a side trip by train to visit Shimla, the former summer capital of the British Raj. We then return to Delhi and continue to Agra.

In the morning, as early as possible, we visit the Taj Mahal, probably the most famous and iconic attraction in India. We spend the afternoon exploring Agra Fort.

Next day we continue to Jaipur, with a stop en route at the deserted capital of Fatehpur Sikri.

We stay three nights in Jaipur, affording us time to visit Amer Fort; Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory; the City Palace; and from outside only, the Hawa Mahal “Palace of Winds”.

From Jaipur we take a train to Udaipur, with its “Floating Palace”, now a luxury hotel; the City Palace; Jagdish Temple; and Bagore Ki Haveli museum.

We travel by van to Jodhpur, famous for the Mehrangarh hilltop fort; Umaid Bhawan Palace, now also a luxury hotel; and Ghanta Ghar clocktower and market.

If you have selected the 15 day tour, you return to Delhi for your flight home.

From Jodhpur we have the option of a side trip to Jaisalmer, a walled city in the Thar desert, then by train either to Mumbai or to Goa. The detailed itinerary for these options will be finalized in discussions with the tour participants.

The tour ends in Mumbai or Goa mid-December.

You have the option of staying in Goa for the last half of December (up to 3 weeks) on your own. We will help you find suitable accommodation, but there are no other tour services provided, nor tour charges.

If you want to continue your India adventure, on Saturday January 4, 2020 you can fly to Chennai to join the South India Yatra.

South India Yatra 

    early January to mid February 2020

Depart Canada/USA on Thursday January 2, 2020 to Singapore (SIN).

Sat 4th: assemble* at SIN airport, fly to Chennai (MAA).

* (If you wish to travel in southeast Asia, on your own or with Jean-Philipe, October through December, you can meet up with the group at SIN airport.)

Tour is up to six weeks. You can book your tour for any length (15 days minimum) and we will work out with you your most convenient departure airport from India.

Options: return from Trivandrum (TRV), Kochi (COK), Goa (GOI), Bengaluru (BLR), or Chennai.

Usually we stay minimum three nights each destination. Exceptions: Madurai and Kanyakumari are overnight stops.

We travel by luxury a/c van from Mamallapuram through Tamil Nadu and Kerala up to Fort Kochi, then by train to Goa (overnight), Hampi (day train) and Mysore (o/n), then by van in Mysore and to Ooty, then train (o/n) to Chennai.

The southern tour begins at Chennai airport (MAA), where Jean-Philipe and his driver whisk you to our first stop, Mamallapuram (also called Mahabalipuram), a laid-back beach area and stone-carving centre and former port city of the Pallava Dynasty a millennium ago.

We stay five nights at Hotel Mahabs Resort, an oasis of tranquillity in the centre of the town, to catch up on jet-lag and acclimatise to India. All rooms overlook the garden and swimming pool. Enjoy a breakfast buffet with both Indian and Western items, and poolside service from the restaurant and bar.

On day 3 we do a walking tour of Mamallapuram's main archaeological sites, including Arjuna's Penance, Krishna's Butterball, the Lighthouse, the Five Rathas, and the Shore Temple.

We travel by van to Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry), a former French colony which still retains a Gallic air. We explore the historic town, and visit the Aurobindo ashram. We spend a day at nearby Auroville, an intentional international community with residents from around the world.

Trichy is our base for four nights to experience the annual Pongal harvest festival, the most important annual celebration in Tamil Nadu. We make several excursions to smaller communities nearby, and visit the great Chola temple at Thanjavoor.

We make an overnight stop in Madurai, home of the Meenakshi Amman Temple and Tirumalai Nayak Palace as well as the Gandhi Museum.

Another overnight stop is in Kanyakumari, the southernmost point of India, where three seas meet: the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf of Arabia. We visit the Gandhi Memorial Mandapam and the Swami Vivekananda Museum.

From Kanyakumari we drive to Trivandrum, state capital of Kerala, and spend the afternoon at Kovalam Beach, before driving to our base for the next few days, Varkala, with its beautiful beach and clifftop, catering to Western and Indian visitors alike.

Our van takes us to Kollam where we board the northbound backwater boat trip to Alleppy, and from Alleppy takes us to our overnight stop in Fort Kochi. Alternatively, if you want to take the overnight houseboat trip at additional cost, the van will drop you in Alleppy to board the houseboat, and pick you up next morning to rejoin the tour in Fort Kochi.

We stay two or three nights in historic Fort Kochi, enjoying seaside walks, local ferries, and heritage museums, then take an overnight first-class AC sleeper train to Goa.

We relax for a couple of days of beach time in Goa, a former Portuguese enclave taken back by India in 1961, with a day visit to Old Goa and Goa's capital Panjim.

A day train takes us to Hospet, our base for visiting Hampi, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.

We take another overnight train to Mysore, city of palaces, and meet our new driver and van who will be with us for the next week.

During our stay in Mysore, we sample several of the main attractions of this fascinating city. We visit Mysore Palace, one of the most visited monuments in India; see the Chamundeshwari Temple on Chamundi Hills, and its great stone sacred bull; explore the nearby historic walled town of Srirangapatnam, capital of Tipu Sultan; and stroll through the Mysore City Market.

We drive through the Bandipur National Park and Tiger Reserve on our way to Ooty, Queen of the Hill Stations for our two night stop. We visit Doddabetta Peak (weather permitting) and a tea factory, and visit Avalanche Valley and Lake.

The UNESCO World Heritage Nilgiri Mountain Railway narrow-gauge "Toy Train" takes us down to Mettupalayam, where we take our final overnight train journey back to Chennai, from whence you can catch your flight back home. 

Depending on your travel plans, we may have time in Chennai to visit:

- DakshinaChitra, a cross cultural living museum of art, architecture, lifestyles, crafts and performing arts of south India.

- San Thome Basilica, with the tomb of St Thomas, one of only three places in the world which is the known burial site of one of Jesus' apostles (the others are St. Peter in the Vatican and St James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain).

- Amir Mahal Palace, home of the Prince of Arcot and his extended family. Depending on their schedules, the Prince, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, or his Dewan (heir), Nawabzada Mohammed Asif Ali, may be free to greet us.

Costs, Bookings and Flights

All prices are in Canadian dollars.

Tour costs are $200 per day, twin-share basis, for tours up to 15 days.

10% discount for days 16 through 30 (i.e. $180/day).

20% discount for days 31 onwards (i.e. $160/day).

No charge for day of departure from India.

Additional 10% discount for booking the entire three month tour.

Single room supplement 25% (includes Enhanced meal plan).

Deposit of $500 to hold your place. Full payment is due three months before departure date from Canada/USA.

Tour price includes:

- All ground transportation and transfers (train, taxi, van, autorickshaw)
- Semi-deluxe accommodation, twin-share basis (single room option at extra cost)
- Six breakfasts and six vegetarian lunches per week; one non-veg dinner per week
- Guide fees and most admission fees (see Own Cost Options below)
- Tips and gratuities

Not included:

- International airfare (approx $1500 to $2000)
- Travel and health insurance
- Visa

OCO / Own Cost Options

Excursions and admission fees noted as OCO, or not listed on the itinerary.

Examples:

Taj Mahal entry fee

Overnight houseboat ex Alleppy

Paid sites at Hampi

Mysore bird sanctuary (entry Rs400, group boat 400, own boat 3000 up to 4 pax)

Personal excursions on Down Time Days

Personal expenses such as alcohol, laundry, shopping, snacks and beverages other than at meal times.

Standard meal plan includes:

6 breakfasts, 6 vegetarian lunches per week

1 non-veg dinner per week

Enhanced meal plan option at $25/day extra:

All meals (3 x 7), including non-veg choices (chicken, mutton, seafood)

One alcoholic beverage per day

Occasional snacks and specialty coffees

Other perks to be determined

Other notes

Usual mealtimes:  breakfast 8am, lunch 1pm, dinner 7pm

One designated Down Time Day per week with no scheduled activities. We can suggest side trips, excursions and activities for these days.

Tours can be booked through our travel partner Maritime Travel, Attention Hana Talimalo. 505 Bute St at Pender, Vancouver. 604-681-6212.

You can book your flight to Delhi (airport code DEL) or Chennai (MAA) yourself, or through Maritime.

Several routes are available to both Delhi and Chennai:

- Air Canada over the North Pole to Delhi

- Air Canada/Lufthansa via Frankfurt

- British Airways via London Heathrow

- Eva Air via Taipei

- Air Canada/Cathay Pacific via Hongkong

Visas, insurance, contact info

All visitors to India must have a valid visa.

e-Tourist Visa (eTV) (valid for 30 days)

India Tourist Visa (valid for 6 months)

Travel insurance is highly recommended.

Consult with a travel clinic for advice on vaccinations and other health issues.

Photos: instagram.com/ #focusonindiatours

Facebook: FocusOnIndiaTours

Please contact Jean-Philipe via email at indiajp@gmail.com for further information.

Testimonials

"The time I spent in south India with Jean-Philipe as my guide was one of the best experiences of my life. He handled everything so competently, hotel reservations, train travel, money exchange, and so on. This was very important to me because I was in my 81st year. I was always positive that whatever emergency arose, he could handle it. Thank you JP for wonderful memories!"
Mary B, Kemptville ON

"JP will organize your trip to the last detail and you will not need to worry about transportation, accommodation or anything else. Just relax and enjoy your ride. However, make sure to discuss in detail your travel preferences (i.e. visit beaches or temples, travel by train or airplane, etc.)"
Jan K, Vancouver

"Please accept my confirmation and approval of Jean-Philipe as an excellent tour guide. During my six-weeks in southern India I found him to be very knowledgeable, well organized and efficient – just what you need when travelling in India. I highly recommend Jean-Philipe as an experienced, pleasant and intelligent tour guide!"
Sheila F, Vancouver

"Thank you JP for a lovely tour. It was way more than I expected. I look forward to travelling with you or your assistant at another time."
Amelia C, Surrey BC

"I traveled with JP in India in 2010 for a month. He made my India experience completely seamless so that all I had to do was enjoy getting to know some of the many new things and experiences India has to offer. His local knowledge is extensive and his wide acquaintance of people in the travel industry in India made his help really valuable. Please consider this my warmest recommendation to take advantage of his personable and thorough approach to travel planning."
Alex G, Burnaby BC

See also this great article:

10 Best Places to Go in India

https://www.smartertravel.com/2016/05/24/10-best-places-go-india/

India tours for the season November 2019 to February 2020 - Outline

Hi

Thanks for your interest in Focus On India Tours on Meetup. Here is our program for the 2019 - 2020 season.

Jean-Philipe
indiajp.ca

The Great India Yatra, up to three months, mid November 2019 to mid February 2020

This season we are offering the North India Yatra (tour), mid November 2019 to mid December, and the South India Yatra, early January 2020 to mid February.

You can combine the one month North India Yatra, three weeks in Goa for Christmas and New Year's, and the month-and-a-half South India Yatra for the Three Month Great India Yatra.

General Notes

For both northern and southern tours, minimum 4, maximum 10 participants.

$500 deposit to hold your place.

Full refund if we have to cancel your tour.

$250 refund if you cancel (full refund if you replace yourself).

You can earn a finder's fee for anyone who signs up due to your recommendation, payable in cryptocurrency, currently 0.5 LTC (Litecoin).

North India Yatra

Depart Canada/USA on Thursday November 14, 2019 to Delhi (DEL).

Tour is up to 4 weeks. You can book your tour for any length (15 days minimum) and we will work out with you the most convenient airport for your departure from India.

Options: return from Delhi, Mumbai (BOM) or Goa (GOI).

We travel by luxury a/c van or a/c train depending on the itinerary sector.

The detailed schedule and itinerary will be finalized in consultation with the first four participants to sign up.

Delhi

Option: Simla

Agra

Option: Fatepur Sikri

Jaipur

Option: Pushkar

Udaipur

Jodhpur

Option: (15 day tour) to Delhi, return to Canada/USA

Option: to Mumbai or Goa

Option: return to Canada/USA from Mumbai or Goa

Option: Goa last half of December (up to 3 weeks) on your own. We will help you find suitable accommodation, but there are no other tour services provided, nor tour charges.

Option: Sat Jan 4, 2020 to Chennai to join South India Yatra.

South India Yatra  

Depart Canada/USA on Thursday January 2, 2020 to Singapore (SIN)

Sat 4: assemble* at SIN airport, fly to Chennai (MAA)

*  (If you wish to travel in southeast Asia on your own or with Jean-Philipe October through December, you can meet up with the group at SIN airport.)

Tour is up to 6 weeks. You can book your tour for any length (15 days minimum) and we will work out with you your most convenient departure airport from India.

Options: return from Trivandrum (TRV), Kochi (COK), Goa (GOI), Bengaluru (BLR), or Chennai.

Usually we stay minimum three nights each destination. Exceptions: Madurai and Kanyakumari are overnight stops.

We travel by luxury a/c van from Mamallapuram through Tamil Nadu and Kerala up to Fort Kochi, then by train to Goa (overnight), Hampi (day train) and Mysore (o/n), then by van in Mysore and to Ooty, then train (o/n) to Chennai.

(Draft dates subject to refinement)

Jan 4-9 Mamallapuram

10-12 Pondicherry / Auroville

13-16 Trichy for Pongal festival

17 Madurai (overnight stop)

18 Kanyakumari (o/n)

Via Kovalam/Trivandrum

19-22 Varkala

23 Day backwater boat trip Kollam to Alleppy  (option: overnight houseboat ex Alleppy)

24-26 Ft Kochi

Train Ernakulam (ERS) to Goa (MAO) with 1A
Su #12977 Maru Sagar 2025/1120
WSu  #12224 Duronto 2130/0845
TThSa #12431 Rajdhani 2315/1200

28-30 Goa

31 or Feb1 Trains MAO to Hospet (HPT)
TThFSa #18048 VSG HWH Exp 0750/1450
Fr #17420/17022 VSG TPTY /VSG HYB Exp 0935/1745

1-4 Hospet / Hampi

4 Train HPT to Bengaluru (SBC) to Mysore (MYS)
D #16591 Hampi Exp 2115/0910

5-9 Mysore

10-12 Ooty

13 Nilgiri Mountain Railway narrow guage "Toy Train" Ooty (UAM) to Mettupalayam (MTP)
D #56137 1400/1735

Overnight train MTP to Chennai (MAS)
D #12672 1945/0505

14-15 Chennai

Prices

All prices are in CAD.

$200/person/day, twin share basis, for tours of 15 days.

10% discount for days 16 through 30 (i.e. $180/day).

20% discount for days 31 onwards (i.e. $160/day).

No charge for day of departure from India.

Additional 10% discount for booking the entire three month tour.

Single room supplement 25% (includes Enhanced meal plan).

Deposit of $500 to hold your place. Full payment is due three months before departure date from Canada/USA.

Tours and flights can be booked through our travel partner Maritime Travel, 595 Bute St, Vancouver, attention Hana Talimalo. You can book your own flights if you prefer.

OCO / Own Cost Options

Excursions and admission fees noted as OCO, or not listed on the itinerary.

Examples:
Taj Mahal entry fee
Overnight houseboat ex Alleppy
Paid sites at Hampi
Mysore bird sanctuary (entry Rs400, group boat 400, own boat 3000 up to 4 pax)
Personal excursions on Down Time Days

Personal expenses such as alcohol, laundry, shopping, snacks and beverages other than at meal times.

Standard meal plan includes:

6 breakfasts, 6 vegetarian lunches per week
1 non-veg dinner per week

Enhanced meal plan option at $25/day extra:

All meals (3 x 7), including non-veg choices (chicken, mutton, seafood)
One alcoholic beverage per day
Occasional snacks and specialty coffees
Other perks to be determined

Other notes

Usual mealtimes:  breakfast 8am, lunch 1pm, dinner 7pm

One designated Down Time Day per week with no scheduled activities. We can suggest side trips, excursions and activities for these days.

Open House and planning meetup

Please join us on Sunday July 29, 2018, at 11:30am, at Desi Rosa Madras Restaurant, to co-create the detailed itineraries for this season's tours.

https://www.meetup.com/Focus-on-India-Adventure-Travel-Vancouver/events/253053028/

Announcing our tour itineraries for 2018/19

- North India Yatra (Delhi Agra Rajasthan Goa), depart YVR Friday November 16, 2018

- South India Yatra (Chennai Mysore Hampi Goa Kerala), depart YVR Friday January 4, 2019 

for 15, 22 or 29 days. Return to Canada on Sunday 2, 3 or 4 weeks later.

Tour Maps

Goan Goan Gone -- the Ultimate India Travel Adventure

I will be giving a talk on India travel on Thursday June 23rd, 7 to 9pm, at a Meetup group event, at The Cranium Group, 308 East Fifth Ave, Vancouver.

Goan Goan Gone -- the Ultimate India Travel Adventure
http://www.meetup.com/Focus-on-India-Adventure-Travel-Vancouver/events/231812547/

Three Reasons You MUST Visit India
http://www.meetup.com/YVR-Travellers/events/231778962/

(It's the same event, promoted by two different Meetup groups.)

Hope you can join us.

See also:

10 Best Places to Go in India
https://www.smartertravel.com/2016/05/24/10-best-places-go-india/


Facebook

http://travelwonders.ca/south-india-tours/