The cost of our upcoming 55 day private tour in India…

A dazzle of zebras in an open field, from one year ago post. For more, please click here.
Yesterday, we paid the balance of India’s upcoming 55-night private tour, which begins in Delhi immediately after the six-night tour on the Maharajas Express. This luxury train travels from Mumbai to Dehli.

Of course, the cost of this tour is daunting, along with the cost of the train excursion. We thought long and hard deciding if these decisions made sense considering our budget.

But, one thing we knew for sure. We had 55 days to spend in India until the cruise from Mumbai to London on April 3, 2020. There was no way it made sense to attempt to book this extended period when we knew nothing about the country.

Having a professional, highly experienced company making arrangements for all the hotel reservations, flights, and tour guides, made all the sense in the world. 

We specified what we wanted to see and do. The tour was arranged, including all those requests, such a staying in the beautiful lake town of Udaipur and embarking on a few tiger safaris in different national parks. 

We realize the possibility of actually seeing a tiger is relatively slim when there are only 3000 tigers in the entire country. But, we were willing to take that chance. Perhaps safari luck will prevail. Besides, there is other wildlife we’ll see in the national parks such as:

“Indian safaris are anything but tame. Elephants, rhinos, reptiles, bears, and wild dogs roam the lush rainforests, while snow leopards make lonely footprints in the Himalayan snow. Of course, the holy grail of any safari is in seeing the big cats, and in India, that means the elusive wild tiger.”

No doubt, we’ll be posting many photos along the way, not only of wildlife but also the sites we tour; the culture; the architecture; historic and significant buildings; exquisite scenery; local food, and of course, its people.

The magnitude of this tour is daunting. We never imagined being on a private tour for so many days and nights, staying in many hotels, flying on many flights to get from place to place. We’ll undoubtedly be busy and hopefully treasuring every moment.
 
Subsequently, the cost of the 55-nights tour is as follows:
US Dollars $9,765 Per Person US Dollars $19,530
Total US Dollars $19,530
Amount Paid US Dollars $9,765
Balance due 10 January 2020 US Dollars $9,765 (we paid this balance yesterday)
The average daily cost is $355.09, $121.75 more per day than what we usually spend to travel each month, not including cruises. Keep in mind; this also included being picked up at the Mumbai Airport when we arrived, a hotel two nights before the train, and transportation.
Most dinners, cocktails, and tips are not included. Breakfasts are included at all of the hotels. We don’t know what the cost of dinners will be and the tips will be paid based on performance.

In all, these expenses could result in an additional $4,000 to $5,000 for the entire period, which we’ll pay as we go. We have already paid in full for the train and will only incur additional tips and drinks.

We realize this is expensive, but, in essence, it’s no more costly than a typical cruise and, in many cases, less. It’s all relative. After the trials of this past year, we decided to take advantage of as many opportunities that appeal to us that we can afford. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Yes, we’ve said this before, the “once in a lifetime” thing. But, then again, our entire lives are a “once in a lifetime experience.” We are grateful, more than words can express, and humbled by the world and its people, places, and wildlife.

In a mere 20 days, the journey continues. Stay with us as you have during this quiet time. The adventure is soon to begin again.

May your day be purposeful and fulfilling!

Photo from one year ago today, January 9, 2019:

A hippo on a bit of island in the Crocodile River. For more photos, please click here.

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