Travel has been a constant aspect of Tara’s life, shaping both how she sees the world and how she helps others experience it. What began as early exposure to travel grew into a curiosity for new places, cultures, and cuisines, one that has never faded.
Today, Tara brings more than 20 years of experience to her work as a travel consultant, pairing industry knowledge with a genuine excitement for discovering what makes each destination special. She specializes in creating trips that reflect her clients’ interests, whether that’s a relaxed beach getaway, a romantic escape, a family vacation, a cruise, or an adventure-focused itinerary.
In this blog, Tara shares insights from her recent journey through India, a trip designed in two distinct parts. She began with G Adventures’ Journeys: North India Highlights, a round-trip tour from Delhi. Following the tour, she customized an extension with 5 Continents to experience tiger safaris! Keep reading to discover Tara’s firsthand take on the itinerary, the destinations, and why this type of trip works so well for travellers.
About G Adventures
G Adventures is a globally respected, Canadian small-group tour operator known for creating journeys that go beyond the typical sightseeing experience. Their trips are designed to connect travellers with local communities, cultures, and environments in meaningful ways. With a focus on responsible travel, G Adventures partners with local guides and small businesses to support economies and create opportunities that benefit the places people visit all over the world.
One of the standout offerings from G Adventures is their National Geographic Journeys collection. These trips are developed in collaboration with National Geographic experts and photographers to deliver deeper insights into history, culture, wildlife, and natural environments.
Across all of their itineraries, G Adventures prioritizes sustainability, authentic cultural exchange, and travel that leaves a positive impact, making them a trusted choice for travellers seeking more purposeful and memorable adventures.
Q&A With Tara
Q: Can you give us a quick overview of your itinerary and the destinations you visited?
A: My trip to India consisted of two parts. The first was G Adventures Journeys: North India Highlights. This tour was roundtrip Delhi and included the cities of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and the rural community of Pachewar. After the G Adventures tour ended, I created a customized extension with 5 Continents to go to Sawai Madhopur, which is the base for tiger safaris in Ranthambore National Park.
Q: What was it like to travel on a G Adventures National Geographic tour?
A: This was my 5th G Adventures tour but my first in the National Geographic style. It had everything I love about G Adventures: well-organized itineraries, a strong focus on local tourism, and immersive experiences.
The tour included two Planeterra stops, a visit with a local historian, a cooking class in a local home, and a community tour, which meant more chances to support local programs and interact with locals.
On a National Geographic tour, I also feel like they have guides who have a lot of experience. Our CEO (Chief Experience Officer) is so knowledgeable, and the best guide I’ve ever had on a small group tour (not just with G Adventures). Our local guides also had years of experience and so much knowledge!
Q: How did the local guides enhance your experience on this part of the journey?
A: G Adventures has a CEO – Chief Experience Officer, who is with you the entire journey and then local guides in each city that you explore. Our CEO, Abhi, was AMAZING. He was attentive from start to finish and beyond. He truly wanted to make sure we had the best and most immersive experience possible while we were in India.
I arrived the day before the tour started, and he had a letter waiting at check-in for me with tips for my day in Delhi and provided me with his WhatsApp contact in case I needed anything before the tour started. I had a question and texted him, and rather than messaging back and forth, he called me. Never have I had a tour guide at my disposal, even before the tour started! He was available on WhatsApp before, during and even after our tour!
He stayed with us during our free time, and if we wanted, he helped us arrange our sightseeing and transportation.
There was a festival that was happening while we were in Jaipur, and he made arrangements to take us. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain, but one of his colleagues went to the festival, took a video and sent it to us so we could still see it.
One of the highlights of the trip was actually a tour that Abhi added for us. He took us on a market tour where he stopped and bought us all kinds of fruits, pastries and local specialties that we could try. It was such an amazing experience and one of the highlights of the trip for me.
Q: How did the cultural interactions enhance your experience?
A: I truly believe that cultural interactions really help one experience and understand a destination. I loved how many interactions with the locals we had. These really had me coming back feeling like I experienced India and not just saw the sights.
Here are a couple of my highlights:
In Jaipur, we went to Shree’s Cooking School. It was an evening where we went to a local’s home to learn how to create a regular Indian home-cooked meal. We were welcomed into their home with tea. We learned about life in India and how the cooking school came to be. We were able to work alongside them to help create the meal. We had dinner in their home and returned with a cookbook, so we could try to recreate the meals in our own home.
When we were in Pachewar, we toured the local community and had a stop at our guide’s home, where his wife prepared us food on the outdoor kitchen over a fire. We met his daughters, and they told us about their education. The community tour was neat as we had people coming out to chat, we had kids running after us asking us where we were from and playing high-five with us. It really showed how the locals are just as curious about us as we are about them.
During our stay in Pachewar, we had the opportunity to put on traditional outfits from that area of India. We had a local lady come help us with our outfits, and though she couldn’t speak English, it was such a touching and enjoyable interaction with her. During the evening, we also had some locals come and perform traditional music and dance. We were terrible dancers, but we laughed and had a great time.
Q: Was there a particular experience or site that really stood out to you?
A: My favourite site was the Taj Mahal. I loved learning about what it actually was, the significance and the story behind it. Before, it was just a beautiful piece of architecture, but really learning about it was awesome. The building in itself was also really beautiful to see, with all the details and gems.
One thing that I really loved about my experience here was that I had gone and had a saree made before the experience, and it really made me feel immersed in the destination, and I came home with some really amazing photos.
Q: After your tour, you extended your trip for a tiger safari. Where did you go and what was the experience like?
A: After the tour, I took the train from Delhi to Sawai Madhopur, which is the town that is outside the Ranthambore National Park. I was there only two nights and wanted to fit as much in while I was there, so I did an afternoon safari after I got there and then a morning & afternoon safari the next day.
We often think of African safaris where you’re driving around, and there are animals everywhere. This isn’t the case with tigers. They are a lot harder to spot. Sometimes you will go out on a safari and not see any. I didn’t realize this before I went. They did tell me this when I arrived.
The safari is about 3 hours, varying slightly depending on hotel pick-up/drop-off.
On our first safari out, just before we were to come out of the park, our guide shouted “Tiger!” and off the trail we went, through the tall grass for our view of a tiger. I was so excited that I was shaking. The morning safari, after a rain, the closest we got to the tigers were paw prints in the mud. Third safari, we saw a male, a pair of females and then later on another male tiger. So I was very lucky to spot 4 tigers.
Even if you don’t see any tigers, the scenery is beautiful. I was told by some locals that Ranthambore is one of the most beautiful national parks in India. The park is split up into 10 different zones, and the scenery is different depending on which zone you are in as well. Apart from the scenery, wildlife is abundant. We saw antelope, spotted deer, crocodiles, peacocks, Kingfisher, monkeys and much more.
It was an awesome experience. If you have time and like wildlife, I highly recommend it. The only thing I wished was that I had another day. I loved the safaris and am glad I booked the three, but I wish that I had time to explore the town a little bit and have a little downtime to enjoy the pool at my hotel.
Q: What did a Safari day look like for you?
A: My second day, I had the morning safari. For this safari, I was told to be in the hotel lobby for pick up by 5:30 am. Pick-up times can vary depending on whether there are others in your vehicle and where you are in the pick-up order. While you wait for your pick-up, they have tea, coffee and cookies. I LOVED the Marsala Chai!
Your safari is approximately 3 hours. Once the safari is done, you are brought back to the hotel. Breakfast was served after we returned. At our hotel, there was an amazing breakfast buffet, followed by some time to rest and explore before lunch. Pick-up time for the afternoon safari was 2:00 pm. Once the afternoon safari was complete, my hotel had a social tea, coffee and appies included, with cocktails or beer for purchase. A buffet dinner was served from 7-10 pm. For me, it was dinner and back to relax in my room, and then prepare for the next day!
Q: What surprised you most about India, whether culturally, historically or day-to-day life?
A: I would say the sensory overload. Though you see the congestion and noise portrayed on TV and movies, it doesn’t prepare you for the experience. When we were in the cities, it was horns honking all the time. My transfer upon arrival from the airport to my hotel was at 10 pm, and the traffic and horns were unreal even at that time of night. You’d be in bumper-to-bumper traffic and hear horns constantly.
I had heard from people how dirty and smelly it was, and after hearing this, I was prepared. I was actually very surprised that it was less so than I expected. Now, don’t get me wrong, there was still garbage around, but less than what I was expecting. Our CEO talked with us about how they are making changes to try to make it cleaner, but it’s a work in progress.
Crossing the street in India is an experience. There are cars everywhere and no crosswalks. You walk into the traffic and hold your hand out, and wait until the cars stop. I was thankful that Abhi was there to help us cross the street. About halfway through the trip, during our free time, I went out to the market, had to cross the street by myself and lived to tell about it!
Cows! Cows everywhere. Because they are a sacred animal, they have the right of way. You’ll find them on the road, both standing and lying down, or walking down the middle of the road. It’s the responsibility of the driver to go around them and not hit them. I was very surprised that we never saw any that got hit.
Q: How did you find the food and culinary experiences throughout your journey?
A: Before I went to India, I always thought that “curry” was that yellow Indian curry we see here. In India, curry refers to anything with a sauce. I loved trying all the different types of curry and all the different types of bread you can order with the curry.
Our tour did include meals. For the times when we didn’t have them included, our CEO gave us the option for a group dinner. Our group always chose this as Abhi picked restaurants he knew and would offer his recommendations for things to try. He also would share his food so we could always have a variety of food experiences, which is awesome.
I mentioned our market tour, where Ahbi gave us lots of local specialties. He also had bought some local treats that he brought and shared with us on our longer drives between cities. In Delhi, he took us to a local dessert place and both times got us specialties to try.
There were so many great food experiences throughout this trip!
Q: What would you say to someone who’s curious about visiting India but feels a bit hesitant or unsure?
A: I think it would really depend on what is making them hesitant or unsure about going.
But without knowing what makes them hesitant, I would say book a tour. I would never want to do India on my own. With a tour guide, they take care of everything. I was well taken care of from the moment I arrived in Delhi to the moment I was taken back to the airport. With our tour, the CEO had a welcoming brief the first evening with tips and tricks for the tour. You have their contact; they are there to help you with anything that arises. When I couldn’t figure out how to wrap my saree, my CEO even offered to help with that!
I know a concern with travel often comes from the worry about tummy issues. If this is what is making people hesitant, our guide told us “do not drink or use tap water. Only drink bottled water and do not eat street food, as you do not know how it’s been prepared”. We did eat from the market, but he told us he would take us to one he knew where the food was prepared safely, or as safely as can be.
Q: What are some top tips for first-time visitors to India?
A: The biggest thing I would say is go with an open mind, be willing to try new things even if outside your comfort zone and really immerse yourself in the culture. If you’re on a tour, take full advantage of the opportunities that are offered to you by your CEO/tour guides.
Q: Is there anything you wish you’d known or packed before going?
A: Honestly, I feel like I was very well prepared for this trip. I think the only thing that I wasn’t prepared for was the adaptor. I took my adaptor kit without checking and was surprised that the one I needed wasn’t in there. Though I did learn partway through that you could use one of the European adaptors, though it was missing one prong, it worked most of the time.
India was my 39th country, which included Morocco and Jordan. I feel that these prior trips helped me figure out what clothing to pack, clothing that is respectful but also light to help deal with the heat.
G Adventures did provide us with a packing list prior to the trip, which also served as a good guide. Though there were things on the list I didn’t necessarily need, it was a good guideline.
And just with self-research and preparation, I did up my emergency kit with a few extras like antibiotic cream, pepto and Imodium “just in case”. Thankfully, I didn’t need them, but I didn’t want to have to find them during the trip.
Q: Who do you think this trip would appeal to?
A: I think India would appeal to a variety of travellers.
People who are culturally curious and want to experience something very different.
Foodies. I can’t say that I had a bad meal the entire trip. And though we were just in the North, even between the few areas we were in, we saw the food change between the areas.
Architecture lovers. The buildings were so fascinating, with the various architectural styles. Some buildings even featured multiple styles within one building. The details from tile work, carving, gemstones and the red sandstone made the buildings so much different from what I’ve experienced in different parts of the world.
Wildlife lovers. To see the animals, especially the tigers in the national park, was incredible and I would say a must for an animal lover.
Photography lovers. From people, architecture and wildlife, there are endless photo opportunities.
If India, or another destination, is on your travel wish list, reach out to Tara to help plan and book your next adventure. With firsthand experience and a personalized approach, she can help design a trip that matches your interests, comfort level, and travel goals, whether that’s a guided tour, a custom itinerary, or a mix of both.
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