This was my first trip to India and I am glad I went with Civilized Adventures. I was hesitant to go on a guided tour as I don't generally like to be herded in large groups. This was not the case with this tour company. Denell Falk, the owner, is a very experienced, no nonsense guide with the right amount of humour. Denell selected extremely knowledgeable on-shore guides who have had extensive training and years of experience sharing their knowledge and love of India. Groups are kept small and ours had 14 very enthusiastic and well traveled tourists. Many had gone with Civilized Adventures on several trips and rated this one as top notch. The accommodation was wonderful and food great, too. We saw all the major tourist attractions but the part I enjoyed most was when we went off the beaten path to see the real India. We saw craftsmen at work, the Sunset Ceremony and Sunrise bathing ritual on the Ganges. The Taj Mahal at sunrise and sunset. The rickshaw rides through the crowded streets of Delhi and the tuk tuk rides in Jaipur were not to be missed. We had lunch in a private home with a descendant of one of the Maharajahs. We visited the opium ceremony at Brahman village, as well as the Guda Bishnoi village who live in mud huts, practice sustainable farming and were the original tree huggers. We also searched for the elusive tiger at Kahna Wildlife Park. I am an active senior citizen and have traveled in South East Asia on my own back in the day, but at this stage in my life I was very happy to have a guide select the posh accommodations and wonderful meals to return to after a hectic day of discovering India. I was very happy to have experienced guides accompany me and explain the culture. One cannot say enough about our on-shore guide, Shaju Mohandas, who not only guided us safely but answered all our questions and gave us a very personal view of India. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who is reasonably fit and is open to the the sights and sounds of chaotic wonderful India.