Wonderful private, customized trip to Ladakh with Bout India

I found Bout India through a Google search after a travel agency that I had worked with in the past never responded to my inquiries about planning a private trip to India for my family of 4. From the start, Nitesh at Bout India was responsive and timely to my inquiry, worked with me to tailor an itinerary to visit Delhi/Agra and Ladakh to my family's liking. We initially worked off of the Heavenly Himalayas itinerary but as we wanted to trek for a few days, Nitesh included a few days of the Sham Valley Trek and eliminated some other elements from the itinerary. He was able to get the trip within budget with a good mix of 5 star hotels and home stays at a price that I thought was terrific value for the money.

There was constant communication before the trip and we were prepared for who our drivers were picking us up in Delhi and Leh. Chahat was a great trip coordinator and helped us along the way, however the logistics were all excellent and the hotels and guides were generally top notch. (Highly recommend The Imperial in New Delhi, Lchang Nang Resort in the Nubra Valley, and Pangong House at Pangong Lake - really impressed with those selections.) Our main guide in Ladakh was Tundup and he has to be one of the best guides we've ever traveled with. He adjusted the itinerary a little, even changing the date of our visit to Thiksey Monastery so that we could visit for morning prayers. We had a separate guide for the Sham Valley Trek who was also very patient with us. We enjoyed Harry Singh for our brief time in Delhi - I wish we could have spent more time in Delhi. Himanshu, one of owners, even met us briefly in New Delhi to welcome us to India and they sent Kunal from the sales team up to Ladakh for the time we were there - we enjoyed his company as well.

I've traveled the world extensively and Bout India may be the best travel agency I've worked with when you take into account communication, logistics, quality of the guides and drivers, and value for the money. My family and I were extremely happy with the trip - my children were skeptical about India at first but were thrilled with the experience and what we got to see. We felt safe and cared for at every turn. I can easily recommend Bout India without reservation to anyone planning a trip to India.