Good visit to Kochi - 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. Kochi is a nice, smaller city. It was unseasonably hot and humid while we were there, but restricting our activities to mornings and evenings helped. The Kathakali dance and martial arts demonstrations were worth attending. Our 5 Senses ambassador helped us find a massage studio, in addition to the local sights. Don't miss the Ginger House Museum Hotel in Kochi. All the rooms are modern in function, but constructed and decorated with superb antiques. When we asked for a second bed to be added to our (huge) room, instead of a folding cot, they brought in a 120-y-o, disassembled bed and put it together on the spot, with a real mattress. Incredible service! 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.”

Nice tour throughout Kerala. - We had a good time on this quick trip around Kerala. We booked this at the last moment when we were trying to figure out some options and we had a good time. There was a little too much driving involved as going through the windy mountains was a little tough for motion sickness. We also would have liked some more activities planned as it was generally 1 activity per day which left us with a lot of free time. The boat tour in Aleppy was probably the highlight as it was a nice relaxing tour along the canals in a private boat. Manjunith was our driver and was always on time and very pleasant. Overall, we enjoyed our tour and would recommend it but would likely spend a little more time exploring the options and understanding the driving distances between locations.

Amazing Kerala - This tour is over 5 days and perfect to see the best of Kerala. We enjoyed the backwater houseboat immensely. The other big highlight was the wild life safari at Periyar sanctuary. We saw elephants for the first time! Mohan was an amazing host and driver. He made this trip very memorable. Very highly recommended.

A magical week in Kerala - The tour of Kerala organised by Five senses tours was simply amazing. Our guide Mohan was fantastic and he curated a magical week from us as we travelled to kochi, backwaters in Allepey, tea plantations of Munnar and wildlife safari in Thekkady. We will definitely explore more parts of India with this amazing company.

Excellent tour in Kerala - Excellent tour organized by 5 senses! We flew from Bengaluru to Kochi where we met our driver, Mohan, at the airport, who took care safely and efficiently of our transportation during our 5 day tour. In Kochi, we stay at the Ginger house, very nice hotel with excellent restaurant with backwater view. We then spent a day and night in a house boat in the backwaters of Alleppey. Again, very nice crew members and excellent food with fresh prawns from the lake. The scenery was amazing. Finally, we spent a day and night at Varkala in IndaHotel which has a lovely atmosphere and good restaurant. We flew back from Trivandrum with nice memories from the places we visited and people we met.

The ultimate chill holiday - Whenever you mention Kerala, everyone gets a dreamy expression and say - it's on may people's bucket list. Well, if it's on yours, do it. NOW! As I have a horror of group tours, my sister and I did a 8-day private tour with a driver with 5 Senses Tours. It was everything we'd hoped for, and more. A small, curated trip is absolutely the way to go. We expected beauty, history, great food, but what really took us by surprise was how totally lovely everyone was - from the tour operator to the driver, to every family we met on the way. We started in the very photogenic Kochi (stayed in the sumptuous Ginger House Museum Hotel) for a couple of days while exploring the area, shopping up a storm, of course! Then drove to Kovalam for a beach chill out at the Leela Kovalam. It is situated on a large piece of land overlooking the bay. Awesome service, fabulous food. We managed to fit in a cooking course with a lovely couple, to try our hand at authentic Kerala style cooking. Lots of laughs, awesome meal, and we learnt so much! And of course, you have to end in the backwaters. We We boarded a houseboat from the Kumarakom Lake Resort (which is spectacular, by the way) and spent 2 days and 2 nights on board. Loved every minute. It is an amazing way to see village life up-close, drifting down canals, watching the sun go down over the rice fields. The trip was impeccably organised. The pick-ups were on-time, clean, comfortable transport, and our driver Mohan was a delight. 5 Senses really made an effort to curate engagements for us that made it personal. Having people who live in an area tell you it's history and quirks, makes for a completely different travel experience. We would absolutely do it again.

Magnificent India and Kerala - Mt first visit to India turned out to be a magnificent tour of Kerala. Our guide was amazing as he made sure we had a wonderful cultural experience. Five senses tours had chosen wonderful hotels and the car provided was also excellent. The full day stay in a Houseboat was memorable. Overal, it was an incredible experience.

Beautiful Destination Undermined by Poor Communication and Organization - I recently took a multi-day tour in Kerala, and while the region’s beauty is undeniable, I left the experience feeling disappointed due to significant communication issues. Due to a flight conflict, I had to shorten the tour by one day. Viator was accommodating in adjusting the schedule over the phone, though no discount was offered for the lost day. My sister and I were excited about the adventure nonetheless. The overall experience had potential, but the lack of communication and planning was frustrating. The itinerary was presented in vague bullet points, and there was no proactive communication from the operator. Our assigned driver was kind and polite but did not speak English as claimed, making it difficult to learn anything about the landmarks, landscapes, or cultural nuances during our journey. For example, during our overnight stay on a houseboat and a visit to an eco-farm, we were simply dropped off without any introductions, explanations, or context. Similarly, on another day, we were driven from Kochi to Thekkady, which was a lovely four-hour drive. However, that drive seemed to be the tour for the day, and once again, there was no communication about the itinerary or the places we were passing. With an English-speaking driver or better communication from the operator, we could have learned so much more about the fascinating state of Kerala. Unfortunately, we missed out on what could have been a rich and memorable cultural experience. Each day, I found myself having to reach out to Viator for clarification, which became tiresome. While I appreciate that the driver was punctual and polite, the lack of guidance, leadership, and clear planning detracted significantly from the trip. I have used Viator many times in the past and have had wonderful experiences, so I will continue to use them in the future. However, this particular tour left a lot to be desired. Better communication, detailed itineraries, and guides who can share insights about the region would greatly improve this experience.