Great tour of Kolkata and Bengal This visit was part of our third private tour with 5 Senses (first tour, So. India for a month; second No. India for 5.5 weeks; third East and South India, one month). You might have guessed that we are very happy with the company. All three tours were fantastic, this one no exception. Kolkata is a vibrant city and worth a visit. In addition to the normal tourist sites, local guide Dev also helped us find ayurvedic massage studios. Like all major Indian cities, air pollution is a real problem--consider wearing a good mask when outdoors. Bishnupur is an interesting site with terra cotta temples, and is often paired with a visit to Kolkata. It took 3.5 hours to drive there, but 5.5 hours to return because we got back to the outskirts of Kolkata after 19:30, when they let the trucks in and traffic becomes miserable Try to get home before that happens.The Sundarbans--the largest mangrove forest in the world--are a couple of hours outside the city. We spent two nights there. It was a nice break from the urban environment. There is wildlife, but don't count on seeing tigers.The primary strength of 5 Senses is its people. The owner, Mr. Narayanan, is a great travel planning partner (he’ll work with you to craft exactly the trip you want) and he is super-responsive during trips if any problems arise. I am confident that Narayanan will fix it if it needs fixing—he has helped us several times in that way, and he has done it quickly. The state-based “cultural ambassadors” he has recruited (the guides who accompany you for days, across multiple sites) are excellent and soon become friends. For this month-long tour, I’d particularly like to call out Kannan (Tamil Nadu) and Mohan, and Chandra Shekar (Karnataka). If you are touring other parts of the country, we highly recommend Balwinder (Punjab and Rajasthan) and Vivek and Ram Sewak (Varanasi, Khajuraho and environs). It is basically a fool’s errand to try to price shop local tour operators—there are too many variables, including the type of accommodation, the quality of guides and the quality of transport (both of which can’t be assessed ahead of time). That said, over the course of the three tours, we feel that 5 Senses has been very good value for money. And I can say for certain that you would pay three times as much for the same Smithsonian or Nat Geo or other corporate tour, plus you’d be on a bus with many other folks and stuck with the group schedule. With 5 Senses you’re in your own car deciding where and when you want to go, where you want to eat, and when you want to take it easy.My advice to friends looking for a private tour in India is “don’t bother contacting other companies, just talk to 5 Senses. You won’t regret it.”

Discover beautiful Kolkata under guidance On arrival warmly welcomed, the guide and the driver first brought me to my hotel to refresh. Then the 4-day Kolkata city tour started. The old cemetery was the first of the series of sights I visited. Personal highlight is Mothers House, every attraction however big remains in the shadow of the simple Mothers House. Have had several guides, all equally enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. In short, visiting Kolkata with a guide is highly recommended.

Excellent tour. Brilliant guide. Had a great guide ( Mr. Parmananda )with historic knowledge of city Kolkata. A senior citizens who knows history in and out @ the back of his mind.

Take a day off and get to know Kolkata A full day might be long however the city is big and places of interest are plenty. Small walks in between refreshing and boat tour lovely but short. I recommend 45 min. Delicious lunch. Professional and friendly guide.

Excellent Experience! The tour was great! Param was very informative and an excellent tour guide! We enjoyed the whole day!

5Senses does it AGAIN! I had a long layover in Kolkata and 5Senses worked with me to arrange a tour that would fit my schedule. My Cultural Ambassador Anirban (“tour guide”) met me at the airport, we hopped in the car and it. It takes about an hour to get into the city so this definitely beat taxi or Uber. Anirban took me to several locations of cultural significance and I truly got a feel for Kolkata, the cultural capital of India. Anirban was clearly knowledgeable and personable. I would definitely do this if you want a guided way through a very complex city.

Mesmerizing Kolkata We booked the the full day tour of Kolkata and Sauvik was our guide. It was an amazing experience as we learnt about the colonial heritage and influence of East India company. The Bengali lunch was amazing. The tour ended over a nice boat ride on the Ganges River. A fitting end to a fabulous day.

Great day seeing the sights of Kolkata Anirban was a fabulous host and we saw many of the attractions of Kolkata. The flower market was beautiful and we also took a ferry ride across the Ganges. The india national museum and St John's church. We had a delicious lunch and then the Victoria monument. Just a lovely day, highly recommend!!

City tour of Kolkata with Guide Our Kolkata experiance was conducted by a very engaging young man Abhishek Roy whose knowledge of the area and command of English was excellent. We started quite early and finished, at our request, around 4:30. Our tour included comercial district, St Johns church, various monuments, museums always with good detailed history. Lunch was at local restraunt with a varied choice of regional food. It was only my wife and self running out of steam that prevented more being revealed. Overall a very interesting tour. Alan & Mo Keal