5 Senses Tours

This trip was phenomenal. Before this tour, I hadn’t really considered the age of the Indian culture. This tour takes you to a pair of temples that are 1,500 and 1,000 years old. In fact, Somnathpur, the older of the two, is part of an archeological site that has been covered by sand for centuries. This site is outside a small village, roughly a 2 1/2 hour drive from Bangalore. You do have a sense of having gone backwards in time. Also, please be aware that this is an active place of worship and the final destination of a pilgrimage for many. One of the charms though not for locals of this small village is that you will see monkeys running about. It’s also located fairly close to the Cauvery River, a place we also stopped and visited. You have the option there of going on the river in a small, circular shaped boat. Somnathpur is not quite as remote. It’s a youngster at a mere 1,000 years old. The architecture will remind you of Angkor Wat. As my guide pointed out, it was not unusual for the architects to move between palace/temple projects. You’ll find the detail in the temple’s friezes incredible. Regrettably, some of these were damaged hundreds of years ago during Moslem invasions. As a result, the site is no longer a place of worship.

This tour makes use of local guides. This means that you will be driven to the site and there meet a local person who will guide you through the site. This is part of the strategy of the tour company to encourage sustainable tourism. The company utilizes local people who are familiar with the site in their village and able to speak about the cultural and local significance of the site. This also helps to create jobs in that locale. This is a terrific strategy that we travelers should encourage. I’ve also posted three photos. One of each of the sites and one of the river. Please note that some parts of the Talakad have been restored, due to damaged sustained while they were embedded in sand. These restored sections are the lighter colored roofs of the building. I encourage people interested in learning more about Southern India’s history and culture to take this tour.

I traveled to South India with nearly 20 friends in February 2017. The purpose of our trip was a spiritual pilgrimage to Tiruvannamalai, but we wanted to add a little time in Chennai at the beginning of our trip and a little time in Pondicherry at the end of our trip. We also needed a way to get 20 people plus luggage to Tiruvannamalai. The idea came to hire a tour company. The first company we contacted seemed legitimate, although their prices were surprisingly low. However, when it came time to pay we got suspicious because they wanted us to wire the payment to a bank account in India, but the name on the account was a series of letters and numbers instead of their company name. I started looking for reviews on that company and couldn’t find anything about them. However, I did notice that lots of people had given 5 Senses a good review, so I decided to forget about the previous company and contact 5 Senses. So glad I did!!!

I worked with Narayanan to plan a few different day trips for our group. The prices were fair. They weren’t as cheap as the previous possibly-fake company, but they were very inexpensive by western standards. During the planning process, Narayanan answered every question I had promptly. He also stayed in touch during our stay in India to make sure we were satisfied with the tours, and we were.

Our tour guide was Satish, and he was incredibly caring as a guide. He watched over us like a father watching over his children making sure no one was lost as we walked the streets of India. He arranged local guides for us at Mahabalipuram and Kapaaleswar Temple to make sure we were properly educated on these magnificent sites. He taught us to participate in the puja ceremony at the Sai Baba temple, which was a highlight for most of our travelers. One friend on our tour said she noticed him give money to the beggars outside of a church we visited in Pondicherry so that the beggars would let us pass by without a hassle. Once a member of our group saw a coffee shop on the beach and spontaneously suggested that we stop there. Satish immediately agreed and we had a nice refreshing unscheduled stop.

Next time I go to India, I will definitely contact 5 Senses again. With them, I have found a tour company that I know I can trust from beginning to end.

I enjoyed my day of bargain shopping with guide extraordinaire, Ganesh. It was fascinating to travel the narrow roads of Bangalore where the recyclers and wholesalers do business and to make purchases in family run shops. Furthermore, Ganesh helped me find the souvenirs I wanted, all at reasonable prices. Everyone was so kind and helpful, and I was lucky to experience a slice of life that tourists rarely see. It was truly a five senses immersion into Indian life! The afternoon flew by quickly because it was so enjoyable! You are fortunate to have Ganesh as a partner with 5SensesTours–he was by far the best guide I had during my two week holiday in Bangalore and Kochi and truly an ambassador of Incredible India!

From Chennai, we booked a 1 day motorbike tour to visit Mahabalipuram. We were just two of us with Vijay, our guide for the day; Early Pick up, at our hotel, motor was waiting for us (great service), cool drive in the morning on a 350cc very pleasant and comfortable Royal Enfield. A delicious breakfast in a true Indian hype place and we visited two places during the day : a “rebuild village” illustrating the different area of Tamil Nadu (lot of Indians visiting, great place to go; interesting historical perspective) and the famous Mahabalipuram. 5sensestour booked a private guide for the site which is very convenient and valuable.

5Senses Tours care for everything during the day, we just relax and enjoyed. Delicious sea food for lunch along the beach. Definitively a best partner if you want to visit Chennai in optimal conditions, enjoyed great Indian food, meet true Indians and… ride a Royal Enfield. Colorful and living experience.

NB : despite some traffic in the evening, it remains very cool to drive. Lot of traffic, for sure, but low aggression. It is almost relaxing to ride in India, just go with the flow and take it easy

I always wanted to know more about the life of a Maharaja and see their palaces, but with the freedom of a customized trip. I contacted Five Senses Tour only 2 days before my travel date to Bangalore. I was worried a bit as it was really a short notice, but they were just great! We went to Mysore on a 1-day trip and had a wonderful time. The Palace was great and although it was crowded, we had our personal guide knowing many secret paths. After a lovely lunch to keep up the interest level of my 2 boys aged 5 and 8 they proposed to visit the Rail Museum which was good fun. Exposed there was the train of the Maharaja, of course, to fulfill my curiosity! Overall it was a forgettable experience, truly customized. We had a lot of fun! Thank you Five Senses Tour!