I traveled to India with Oscar Wilde Tours in February/March 2024 in a group of 14 gentlemen from the US. This is the 3rd tour I have taken with OWT, led by the irrepressible Professor Andrew Lear, whose deep knowledge of the history of art, culture, and gay sexuality continually enlivened the tour and educated us, without becoming in the least pedantic. He also has a delightful, even goofy, sense of humor! Highlights of our itinerary included: Delhi (Qutub Minar, Chandni Chowk); Agra (Taj Mahal, Red Fort); Fatehpur Sikri; Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary; Jaipur (Amber Fort, City Palace, and visit to the Hijra “third sex” shelter home); Deogarh (Heritage narrow-gauge railway trip through the ancient Aravalli hills); Udaipur (performance of Rajasthani traditional dance, puppetry & music, City Palace, boat trip on Lake Pichola to Jagmandir Island); Rajpipla in Gujarat (visit with Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil at his asylum for disowned LGBTQ youth, Queer Bagh); and the statue-encrusted temples of Khajuraho, about 25% of which were on erotic themes. A few of us continued on to Ranthambore National Park for 3 wildlife safaris. Hotels were of excellent quality, and 3 of them are converted palaces from former princely states — the Jai Mahal Palace in Jaipur, the Deogarh Mahal, and the Fateh Prakash Palace on the shore of Lake Pichola in Udaipur. As in my previous tours with OWT in Western Europe, Andrew has wisely chosen excellent local partners on-the-ground: in this case, Manu Singh and his associates from India Personal Tours. Manu is a terrific guy, with a buoyant personality and great charm. He was indispensable to us in navigating through a new and unfamiliar culture, providing practical advice, and shepherding us through the rigorous security apparatus at Indian airports. While my trip to India was by turns fascinating, exhilarating, and maddening (unbelievably awful traffic in Delhi, for example), I would highly recommend this tour as an excellent introduction — I am glad I stepped outside my comfort zone for this trip.

This tour surpassed my expectations. Our group of 14 were congenial and interested. The chosen destinations were a broad sample of North Indian history and culture, from magnificent historic palaces and temples to demonstrations at workshops for stonework, painting, and fabric printing. The meals were delicious, much of the food unfamiliar but delightful. I much appreciated the two visits to LGBTQ activities, which were eye-opening and fun. Well worth the looong trip. Jim Saslow NYC

This was a terrific tour - it exceeded my expectations in every respect. It was well planned, always relaxing, never rushed, only one early morning start, to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. The hotels were all fine and the heritage hotels beyond anyone's wildest dreams. The group was extremely congenial, and there was not a single participant I did not enjoy chatting with on the bus or during meals. Manu, our Indian guide, was the best of the best. I would have liked to go to more museums, but for that reason I stayed an extra three days in Delhi and went to all the museums.