What our guests say

“There is something about Kerala — the greenness, the rain, the fishing community culture, the quiet dignity of village life — that felt oddly familiar to two people from the west of Ireland. Of course it is entirely different, but the spirit felt kindred. Our houseboat captain, whose family has worked the backwaters for four generations, showed us his grandmother's fishing technique. That conversation was worth the whole journey. The soft luxury throughout — not the grand hotels of North India, but beautifully maintained boutique properties with excellent food — was exactly what we wanted.”

“We have visited Patagonia, the Norwegian fjords and the Scottish Highlands. Pangong Tso at dawn — the improbable blue-green water at 4,350 metres altitude, rimmed by bare ochre mountains and perfectly still in the pre-sunrise calm — is the most beautiful landscape we have encountered in twenty-five years of serious travel. Our driver brought us to the lake at 4:30 am and we sat in silence for an hour. Leh's monasteries — Hemis, Thiksey, Likir — are extraordinary. The altitude medication Globalduniya provided and the two-day acclimatisation was well managed. A trip that takes physical preparation but delivers proportionally.”

“We went to Ladakh for the landscape and were equally astonished by the Buddhist heritage. Hemis Monastery's thangka collection is remarkable. Thiksey's location — a whitewashed complex ascending a hill above the Indus Valley — is one of the great monastery settings in the Himalayas. Our guide Stanzin, a Ladakhi Buddhist himself, brought genuine depth of personal faith to his explanations. The Nubra Valley camelback ride on the double-humped Bactrian camels at sunset, with the sand dunes of a high-altitude desert in the foreground, was wonderfully surreal.”

“Ladakh at high altitude as a solo female traveller required reassurance before booking. Globalduniya's team explained the acclimatisation protocol in detail, provided altitude medication, and ensured a local contact was available at every point. My driver Sonam was not just a driver but a knowledgeable guide to Ladakhi culture and an attentive travel companion for nine days. Pangong Tso's blue water under a sky at 4,350 metres altitude is something photographs cannot convey. The Magnetic Hill, the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers, the prayer flags on every ridge — Ladakh is extraordinary.”

“We moved to Canada from Brazil three years ago and had not yet visited Toronto. Globalduniya designed this short introduction perfectly. Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum is world-class — the crystal extension by Daniel Libeskind is extraordinary architecture and the collection is exceptional. The Art Gallery of Ontario's Henry Moore room alone is worth the visit. Niagara from above (Skylon Tower) and from the water (Maid of the Mist) gives you the full picture of the falls. The illumination at night — which our guide specifically recommended we stay for — was spectacular.”

“The drive over Khardung La (5,359 m) — listed as one of the world's highest motorable passes — in an open jeep with prayer flags streaming in the wind and the entire Ladakh range visible, is not something you prepare for emotionally however much you read about it. The scale of the mountains and the thinness of the air at that altitude is humbling. Globalduniya's altitude management advice — two nights in Leh before any high-altitude driving, proper hydration, the right medication — was practical and correct. We had no altitude sickness. The monastery visits added cultural depth. A remarkable experience.”

“We chose Canada over the United States for our first North America trip because of the warmth of welcome we had heard about. Toronto did not disappoint — the CN Tower sunset view over Lake Ontario, the Distillery District's Victorian industrial architecture converted to galleries and restaurants, and the St Lawrence Market on a Saturday morning were all excellent. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about Toronto's history and very accommodating of our interest in architecture. Niagara Falls exceeded every expectation. The sheer volume of water in motion is staggering.”

“At 3,500 metres in Leh, the sky at night is so clear and the air so free of light pollution that the Milky Way is clearly visible from the rooftop of our guesthouse. Our guide arranged a midnight walk to a high point above the town — the entire Ladakh range silent under stars in the windless cold. That hour was worth the long journey to reach Ladakh. The monasteries by day, the star-gazing by night, and Pangong Tso's colours at dawn made this a journey of pure beauty. Globalduniya handled the logistics of a complex region with complete efficiency.”

“We have stayed in luxury hotels on every continent. India's palace hotels — converted royal residences of Rajput and Mughal-era rulers — are in a category entirely their own. The Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur (where the Maharaja still lives in one wing) and the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur (floating in the middle of Lake Pichola) are two of the world's great hotels by any measure. Globalduniya selected the exact right properties for each city. Our private guide Arun for the full twelve days was exceptional — clearly briefed on our interests, extremely knowledgeable about royal heritage and courtly traditions, and excellent company. The birthday dinner arranged on the Taj Lake Palace terrace was a complete surprise and beautifully done.”

“We asked Globalduniya to design a 30th anniversary trip that was genuinely special, not just luxurious. They delivered India's palace circuit — the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, the Samode Palace north of Jaipur (a 475-year-old haveli), the Umaid Bhawan in Jodhpur, and the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur. Each was magnificent in its own right and together they formed a journey through India's royal heritage that matched every anniversary aspiration. The Samode Palace was the surprise — smaller than the others, but the most atmospheric and the most exquisitely restored. The fresco-covered dining room was extraordinary.”

“We booked this trip specifically for the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur and the rest of the itinerary turned out to be equally remarkable. Arriving at the Lake Palace by boat across Lake Pichola as the sun descends behind the Aravalli Hills and the white marble of the palace glows in the golden light is one of travel's great theatrical arrivals. The hotel does not disappoint once you are inside. The private audience with the royal family's representative at Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort, arranged by Globalduniya, was an extraordinary addition — hearing the fort's history from someone whose family built it is incomparably better than a standard tour.”

“The warmth we encountered throughout thirteen days in Rajasthan — from palace hotel staff, from local shopkeepers, from camel drivers at Jaisalmer, from the family whose cooking class we attended in Jaipur — was genuine and consistent. India's reputation for hospitality is not tourism marketing. Our guide Surendar made introductions everywhere and the doors that opened because of his relationships were remarkable. The private haveli dinner on our last night in Udaipur, hosted by a family Globalduniya has partnered with for twenty years, was the perfect farewell to Rajasthan.”

“We planned this trip for the Goa beaches and discovered that Hampi was the highlight of our entire journey. The scale of the Vijayanagara ruins is genuinely staggering — over 26 square kilometres of temples, royal enclosures, elephant stables and marketplaces spread across a surreal boulder landscape. Our guide Prakash brought the 14th-century empire to life in a way no guidebook could. The contrast between the busy beach resort energy of Goa and the quiet, timeless atmosphere of Hampi was perfectly judged. Both were excellent in their own way. The heritage hotel in Hampi was basic but characterful and entirely appropriate to the setting.”

“We have taken luxury tours with various operators over thirty years. This India palace circuit with Globalduniya was, without question, the best organised and most consistently excellent we have experienced. Every hotel had been pre-briefed on our preferences. Every guide had been briefed on our itinerary and interests. Every dinner reservation was at the right table at the right time. The attention to detail extended to the private Jodhpur sunrise drive to the blue city viewpoint above the old town — the blue-painted houses extending to the base of Mehrangarh Fort in the early light is one of India's most beautiful urban views.”

“As Indians living in London who have visited India regularly since childhood, we were curious whether a luxury palace itinerary with a specialist operator would show us anything new. Globalduniya showed us an India we had not seen. Access to a private polo match at Jodhpur's grounds, a curator's private tour of the Mehrangarh Fort's textile collection, and a royal family tea at Samode — none of these are experiences available independently. The palace hotels themselves were extraordinary even by our standards. A wonderful and genuinely revelatory India journey.”

“We chose Toronto and Niagara as an introduction to Canada and it worked perfectly. The Maid of the Mist boat into the base of the Horseshoe Falls — spray, sound, scale — is an experience that photographs simply cannot prepare you for. The poncho is soaked within seconds. Our guide James timed the visit to arrive at the boat just as the crowds from earlier tours were leaving. Toronto's CN Tower and the waterfront Distillery District were excellent urban additions. The five days were perfectly paced and the organisation throughout was seamless.”

“The desert camp at Jaisalmer was the highlight of a trip full of highlights. We arrived at the sand dunes outside Jaisalmer by camel at sunset, watched the sky turn through orange to violet over the dunes, ate dinner around a campfire with traditional Rajasthani musicians, and slept in a well-furnished tent under a sky so bright with stars we could see our shadows. No electricity, no light pollution, complete silence except for the wind. Jaisalmer's golden sandstone fort — the only living fort in India, with families still residing within the walls — was extraordinary. Our guide's explanation of the Jain merchants' haveli architecture inside the fort added depth we would have missed entirely.”