Testimonial
Testimonial From : Neerisha Maharaj & Dr Bill Nortje 
Planning a trip to India for 10 people, with different ideas about which places to visit and what they each wanted to see, can be quite a daunting task. Thanks to Sharad from Indian Wildlife Adventures, our programme was finalised to keep everyone happy and achieve the common dream of seeing tigers in their natural environment.
We purchased our flight tickets in October 2009 and spent the next 6 months, planning the itinery, which if I say changed over a dozen times, is actually an understatement. We approached many tour operators via their websites, but none were as accommodating as Sharad in giving us what we wanted. Sharad was available 24 hours a day via e mail, sms, and telephone to throw around ideas and advise us how we could organise this complicated-sounding trip. He was most knowledgeable on how to maximise opportunities so that we experienced as much of India as possible.
In the short space of 2 weeks we used every mode of transport available in India and Kathmandu: the metro, rail, autorikshaw, taxi, horse drawn/bicycled rickshaws. One shouldn’t attempt driving there themselves, special training is required in my opinion. The roads are something else, but despite the road congestion, there is no road rage and hardly any accidents. Despite the things you hear about train travel, first and second-class train travel was quite comfortable and we experienced no problems.
Sharad travelled with us whenever he could and we felt in good hands all the time, even when he wasn’t around. He went out of his way to make sure everything went smoothly and bent over backwards for any last minute special requests.
The downside to the trip was the heat, which was between 38-40 degrees most days. Having said that, it was probably the best time to see tigers since they come out quite often looking for drinking water. In Bandavgar National Park, we saw between 12-17 per person, of these magnificent animals, much more than we expected. We even witnessed a kill, which we have never seen living all these years in Africa. The open jeep safaris were exciting overall, with much other wildlife that we spotted. There is also over 250 species of birds.
In Kathmandu we took a flight over the Himalayas and Mount Everest. It was spectacular and an awesome feeling flying over these snow capped mountains.
Despite this trip being more of a wildlife/adventure holiday, we visited most of the tourist sites, like the Taj Mahal, Red Forts, Akshardham, Quatab Minar, Jaipur palaces. These attractions are like going on an adventure anyway. There was enough time to shop as well and we returned home with lots of treasures. I am quite sad to have left, and many more trips to India will need to be made to see it all and experience it all. In fact, I am busy planning the next one with Sharad’s invaluable assistance.
Planning a trip to India for 10 people, with different ideas about which places to visit and what they each wanted to see, can be quite a daunting task. Thanks to Sharad from Indian Wildlife Adventures, our programme was finalised to keep everyone happy and achieve the common dream of seeing tigers in their natural environment.
We purchased our flight tickets in October 2009 and spent the next 6 months, planning the itinery, which if I say changed over a dozen times, is actually an understatement. We approached many tour operators via their websites, but none were as accommodating as Sharad in giving us what we wanted. Sharad was available 24 hours a day via e mail, sms, and telephone to throw around ideas and advise us how we could organise this complicated-sounding trip. He was most knowledgeable on how to maximise opportunities so that we experienced as much of India as possible.
In the short space of 2 weeks we used every mode of transport available in India and Kathmandu: the metro, rail, autorikshaw, taxi, horse drawn/bicycled rickshaws. One shouldn’t attempt driving there themselves, special training is required in my opinion. The roads are something else, but despite the road congestion, there is no road rage and hardly any accidents. Despite the things you hear about train travel, first and second-class train travel was quite comfortable and we experienced no problems.
Sharad travelled with us whenever he could and we felt in good hands all the time, even when he wasn’t around. He went out of his way to make sure everything went smoothly and bent over backwards for any last minute special requests.
The downside to the trip was the heat, which was between 38-40 degrees most days. Having said that, it was probably the best time to see tigers since they come out quite often looking for drinking water. In Bandavgar National Park, we saw between 12-17 per person, of these magnificent animals, much more than we expected. We even witnessed a kill, which we have never seen living all these years in Africa. The open jeep safaris were exciting overall, with much other wildlife that we spotted. There is also over 250 species of birds.
In Kathmandu we took a flight over the Himalayas and Mount Everest. It was spectacular and an awesome feeling flying over these snow capped mountains.
Despite this trip being more of a wildlife/adventure holiday, we visited most of the tourist sites, like the Taj Mahal, Red Forts, Akshardham, Quatab Minar, Jaipur palaces. These attractions are like going on an adventure anyway. There was enough time to shop as well and we returned home with lots of treasures. I am quite sad to have left, and many more trips to India will need to be made to see it all and experience it all. In fact, I am busy planning the next one with Sharad’s invaluable assistance.
"Neerisha Maharaj & Dr Bill Nortje"
