Experience the colours, culture and unforgettable moments of India on my escorted tour from February 2025. From vibrant cities to sacred temples and breathtaking landscapes, this journey captures the heart and soul of India while offering comfort, insight and memorable travel experiences.
Indira Gandhi International Airport
We arrived in New Delhi early, but for some reason had to wait for a gate to be assigned to the plane, and then we waited what felt like an age before we were finally allowed to leave the aircraft.
At the plane exit, there was a long queue for first‑time visitors to register their biometric details. Many people seemed confused by the vast blue signs telling newly arrived passengers where to go, and they stood around muttering about the lack of instructions. The signs were so big and clear that some of the people on the plane would probably have gotten lost leaving their own homes.
I joined the queue and scanned my passport. I gave both my thumb and fingerprint scans before being told everything was in order. Then I moved on to fill out the usual immigration form that you seem to complete everywhere in the world these days. I made a mistake on mine by entering the wrong flight number; I had written down yesterday’s BA flight instead of today’s Virgin flight details. The immigration officer asked me a couple of standard questions and then sent me on my way.
After collecting my case and walking through Customs, I exchanged the $291 I had for ₹23,800, then made my way to arrivals, where I met some of my new travel companions for the first time.
We had to wait a while until everyone managed to navigate the Indian airport bureaucracy. Once our guide, Digambar, had checked that everyone was accounted for, we walked out to the car park to board our coach.
The first thing I noticed was all the stray dogs lying in the road and around the airport car park. They were stretched out in the sunny spots, enjoying the warmth and ignoring everything and everyone around them. I wondered if this was where the saying “it’s a dog’s life” originated. When our coach arrived, we had a 45‑minute drive to our hotel. The roads were hectic, and I couldn’t help noticing the dogs, cows, and occasional monkeys along the roadside.
I found the stalls selling crash helmets along the road quite strange and a little morbid.
Eros Hotel.
Our hotel for the night in Delhi was the Eros Hotel. It was beautiful, and my room was very nice. The window faced west, and I watched the sunset over Delhi. Looking out, I could see a lovely garden on the roof of part of the hotel.
I had a beer in the hotel bar, not cheap at ₹1,375 for two bottles, but it was welcome after a long day. I tried to get a couple of hours’ sleep in the afternoon, but was woken several times by guest services checking on me. Without realising it, I had been pressing the room‑service button instead of a light switch.
In the evening, I met our guide for the arranged pre-dinner meeting. Digambar walked us through the following schedule, and then we enjoyed a beautiful buffet.
After the meal, I chatted with a few of my travel companions before heading back to my room at about 21:00. I typed up some notes about my day and went to bed around 22:30.
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