We took a private tour through the Sita Company and would highly recommend that idea. We are older seasoned travelers and throughly enjoyed absorbing the culture, people, food, country side, villages and the National Parks. India is not for everyone, but it was one of our favorite countries. It's hard to over look the poverty, traffic and sanitation without feeling blessed with what we have in the USA. It is an eye-opener and a truly wonderful experience. A person should try to prepare themselves by reading as much as possible before traveling to any country to benefit the most, but India is a must. A suggested book that I truly enjoyed reading while there and completing upon return was A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It is a novel, but really helps give a person an understanding of the Cast System and how people lived. A good resource book to read before traveling there is The Rough Guide to India, written and researched by Abram, Sen, Edwards, Ford and Wooldridge. Be a serious traveler and learn as much as you can before and while you are there. You will enjoy the country so much more. It is different, and to me that is part of what traveling as a tourist is all about. I loved absorbing everything I could and found India an inspiring country. We toured a variety of sites including nine game drives in reserves that were wonderful. Our guides and drivers were great. We experienced two train rides that definately were an experience, and several six hour drives from one location to another. That was the best way to see the country side and villages, cows, children and the way of life of these people. We were protected at all times and felt safe. The food was wonderful and the hotels and lodges were satisfactory. Some were better than others of course. It isn't fair to compare what the USA has and how we live. We have education, money and so many opportunities these people don't have. Population control and sanitation is very necessary, but takes a long time to ch