Frequently Asked Questions - Alkof Holidays

You must posses a valid passport with minimum 6 months validity from the date of entry into India.

Yes. It is recommended to buy a comprehensive medical/travel insurance in advance from your country before traveling to India.

Many of our travelers join because they are traveling solo. At the time of booking, please consult with your tour manager to discuss the best destinations in India to travel solo. As a solo traveler, you have to pay single supplement charges. Please let us know at time of booking and we’ll arrange the rooming configuration accordingly.

India is generally considered safe country for travelers for any corner of world. We will always be there to take care of you every step of your tour. In addition to this their are certain basic precautions to be taken during tour like it is a good idea to lock away your spare currency, travelers cheque, passports and precious jewellery in the hotel safe. Try not to walk around alone late at night, particularly in deserted areas or small towns, where everything closes early. To the possible extent, avoid traveling on the roads after dark. As anywhere else, never leave your luggage unattended or in custody of unknown person at an airport, train station, bus stands etc. Do not disclose your travel plans to strangers. Keep pretty cash in separate to meet frequent small expenses, tips etc.

In India, scope for tourism activities prevails through out the year. The best time to visit India depends on your tour theme or purpose of visit, however Winter (October-till-March) is the most preferred time for tourists to visit India. Tours for Heritage tourism, cultural tourism, wildlife tourism are mostly organized during this time. The Central India & Southern regions are good destinations in the winter months (October to March), as temperatures are mild and game viewing in the national parks is at its best. Winter temperatures in the north can be harsh, but this is an excellent time for bird watching, as migrant species arrive. Winter is also the breeding time for big cats. Summer weather (April to June) in the south is mild and this is the ideal time for beach holiday or cultural tours in this region. In the north, summers are an excellent time to visit the Himalayas. Although hot, summer is considered a good time for wildlife photography and safaris in the interior, as the jungle thickets dry out and game becomes concentrated at watering holes. Summers are good for adventure tourism and hill station visits of North India and North East areas. For trekking it is the ideal time. North & Eastern regions like Leh-ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim etc are the mostly visited states & regions during summers.

Although tipping in India is not compulsory, doing so is a nice gesture. In some circumstances, a small tip is expected. The rules of etiquette for gratuity in India are a little muddled as a colonial past, tourism, and cultural influences clash. We do recommend tipping at various instances, but tip higher only when you are very happy with the service. Tip can given after completion of the services from 5$, 10$ or more as per your choice and depending on how much satisfied & happy you are with the service provider?

Standard tipping that travelers provide to different service providers:

• Pickup & Drop - 2$ to 10$
• Waiters -1$ to 5$
• Drivers - 5$ to 10$
• Managers & Tour Guides - 10$ to 50$ or it totally depends on you.

Our tour cost usually includes hotel accommodations with breakfast, all transfers, sightseeing and excursions by private air-conditioned Car/Mini-Van/Coach depending on a number of persons on the tour, local English speaking guide, any train (If applicable), personal assistance on arrival, on departure and during the tour and all applicable taxes including 5% GST. We can also include lunch, dinner, domestic flights, and other services on request at an additional cost.

The check-in and the check-out timings in a majority of the hotels are 1400 hours and the 1200 hours respectively. However, these timings are flexible and thus, can be made early or late as per the convenience of the guests, but the flexibility is highly dependent upon the number of rooms available when you will be arriving at the designated hotel. It is not guaranteed that the rooms for your complimentary late or early check-ins shall be kept on hold for you, thus we suggest that there must be the reservation of your rooms from the previous night itself.

We provide 3 star comfort hotels in our standard tour packages. However, we can upgrade all your accommodations to 4 star hotels, 5 star luxury hotels, heritage properties, castles or any special hotel of your choice at an additional cost.

Alkof Holidays is committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability. We ask that you carefully consider whether you are physically and mentally able to complete the itinerary. We will make reasonable adjustments to the operation of our trip to facilitate the requirements of disabled travelers – such as booking ground floor accommodation or having your tour manager communicate important directions in writing as well as verbally. Further please let us know at the time of booking and we’ll arrange your tour accordingly.

At the time of your arrival in India, our local representative will be there at the airport to assist your. He will be holding a placard of your name for identification. We shall also provide you list of emergency 24 hours contact numbers for any emergency.

With Alkof Holidays, you get 24X7 personal assistance from your dedicated tour manager over Phone, WhatsApp, Skype, or Email. Our office is open 24 hours a day to give you unmatched support anytime you need.

YES. You can surely custom design the holiday packages as per your preferences.

If you are interested in booking any of our tour listed on our website, you may simply click on the "Enquire Now" button and fill the enquiry form or just send us an email with the tour name along with your personal contact details. We normally need an advance amount, once we confirm the the tour. Client only requires a deposit of 10% of the total amount of the tour to confirm their booking. The remaining balance is then payable 30 days prior to the departure date. For any tour departing within 30 days the full payment of the tour is necessary. This can be paid through bank transfer, credit/debit card, or cash. After receiving the payment, a receipt will be sent directly to client's registered email-id and the final tour documentation will be emailed out approximately 1-2 weeks prior to departure.

If you want to change anything on your tour plan, just let us know. We will try our best to customize the itinerary as per your requirement, unless there is any penalty charged by hotels/flights for making these changes.