Frequently Asked Questions

Send us an inquiry — by form, email, phone or WhatsApp. Within 24–48 hours you'll have a draft itinerary and a price from the people who will actually run your trip. We refine it together — pace, route, hotels, what to skip — for as long as it takes. Only when you're happy do you confirm. You never pay for a plan you haven't approved.

Nothing is due while we plan. Once you approve the itinerary, a deposit — typically 25% of the trip cost — confirms the booking, with the balance due 30–60 days before departure. Payment via PayPal and/or Visa card and/or payment to a German bank account is accepted, so European guests can pay within Germany without an overseas transfer. Bhutan has a slightly higher upfront component because we pre-pay the daily Sustainable Development Fee.

Yes. We expect plans to evolve, and we'll work with you on changes right up until you fly. There may be small re-issue costs (flights, train tickets, non-refundable hotel deposits) but never a re-design fee from us.

We follow a graded scale, communicated in writing at the time of booking. Generally, the further out you cancel the more is refundable; cancellations close to departure may incur larger penalties because we've already paid hotels, drivers and operators on your behalf. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.

Yes. We're not a reseller passing your booking to an agency we've never met: our own team has run trips from our New Delhi office since 2008, and every guide and driver is personally known to us — many for over a decade. Throughout your trip you carry a 24/7 emergency number answered by someone who knows your itinerary, and our drivers and guides carry the same line. You can read more on our Why travel with us page.

You'll have a 24/7 contact in our Delhi office, in your time zone, every day of your trip — by phone, email or WhatsApp. Our drivers and guides also carry our emergency line, and German-speaking guests can reach our Berlin office for anything in German.

South Asia is safer than headlines suggest, but a few sensible precautions go a long way — and our guides and drivers are vetted, often female, and briefed accordingly. We've designed many solo and women-only trips and will tell you straight what's worth knowing.

Private. Your group is the people you travel with — a couple, a family, a circle of friends — with your own car, driver and guide. We don't put you on a bus with strangers, and each day is paced around you, not a schedule.

Your quote lists everything line by line before you pay — typically your hotels with breakfast, a private car and driver, local guides, transfers and the activities in your itinerary, plus 24-hour reachability throughout the trip. International flights are normally not included. If something isn't on the list, we tell you before you book — there are no hidden extras.

Yes. Every itinerary on the site is a starting point. We adjust everything — pace, accommodation level, interests, age range, and what to skip. We use our published trips as ideas, not as packages.

Yes — we routinely combine destinations. India + Maldives, Sri Lanka + Maldives, India + Nepal, India + Bhutan are common combinations. We'll plan flights and transfers as one trip.

Yes — vegetarian, vegan, Jain, gluten-free, allergies. We brief hotels and guides ahead of time. South Asia is one of the easiest regions in the world for vegetarians.

Yes — multi-generational trips are a big part of what we do. We pace itineraries for kids and grandparents, build in downtime, choose rooms that work for the group, and brief our guides accordingly.

Heritage palaces, boutique hotels, family-run guesthouses, and a small number of luxury properties when they truly add to the trip. We avoid generic chains and never accept commission, so what we recommend is what we'd book ourselves.

Yes. Most trips can be priced at three levels — comfortable, premium, and luxury. We're happy to mix levels (e.g. a luxury palace in Udaipur, a simple homestay in Kerala) — that's often the most interesting trip.

Every guide we use grew up in the region they show you — we work with the same network year after year, and many of them now feel like family. All our trips are run in English; German-speaking guides are available on request, and our Berlin office handles all German-language correspondence. Other languages on request — French, Italian, Spanish, Russian.

Yes. We send detailed, country-specific visa guidance with your booking: India offers an e-visa for most nationalities, Sri Lanka has an ETA online, Nepal issues visas on arrival, Bhutan is arranged through us as part of your trip, and the Maldives is visa-free for most. We also strongly recommend travel insurance — ideally covering medical evacuation for Himalayan trips — and can recommend providers.

Broadly: October–March for India and Sri Lanka, March–May and September–November for Nepal and Bhutan, year-round for the Maldives. Within each country there are regional differences (Kerala vs Rajasthan, north vs south Sri Lanka) — we'll match your trip to the right window.