Solo Travel in India Made Easy with Go Mowgli

Whenever I tell people that I travelled solo on India, their responses are always pretty much the same.

“Weren’t you scared”

“I’d love to see India but it’s too dangerous”

I’d never travel to a place like that on my own”

And while I personally don’t think India is as dangerous as people make it out to be, I can understand why people have their apprehensions.

India is completely different from any country you’ll probably ever visit and sometimes the unknown is a scary, scary thing. However, the fact that it’s different is reason enough to explore. It’s a shame that so many people will miss out on visiting this beautiful country full of kind people, amazing food, even better chai and a rich culture just because the thought of doing it alone seems intimidating.

That’s why I was so excited to hear about Go Mowgli.

Go Mowgli is tour company run by travellers for travellers and they are bringing a breath of fresh air to the travel industry in India. While most people associate organised tours with coach buses of middle-aged holiday makers, Go Mowgli have created their tours with the modern day traveller’s needs and expectations in mind.

They offer a variety of tours- from day tours to tailor-made tours and hop on, hop off bus tours. Better still, Go Mowgli take you to all the places off the beaten track so their tours are even worthwhile for the most seasoned traveller.

I was lucky enough to do a few tour with Go Mowgli on my last trip to India. Together we explored the vibrant city of Mysore, the multicultural port city of Kochi and the Hoysala Temple Trail . On each of these trips, I managed to heighten my appreciation of the places because I actually learned something! If you know me, you’ll know that I’m not exactly one for historical facts and rarely (ahem, never) take the time to read the plaques in museums and at famous sites. The guides explained the history with a dash of humour which kept even historyphobes like me entertained!

At the moment, Go Mowgli have tours in Karnataka, Kerala and parts of Goa. However, they are on the way to India domination and hope to offer services across the whole of the country soon!

So, if you’ve always wanted to go to India, but you don’t feel comfortable to brave it alone, here are a few reasons to take a Go Mowgli Tour.

It’s Budget Friendly

One of the things that always puts me off doing tours is that, well, I’m a cheapskate! Most of the time, I don’t want to pay someone to do something that I think I can do just as well myself.

Fortunately, Go Mowgli tours have a price tag which, honestly, is far lower than what it’s worth. If you decide to get a Hop On, Hop Off pass, you’ll pay around 2250 rupees a day. I should point out that this doesn’t include food or accommodation. However, since the guys have so many contacts and know all the best local places to eat, you’ll pay much less for these things than you would if you were on your own.

For an indication on how much things in India usually cost, I usually spend between 1000 and 1500 rupees per day for absolutely everything

If you do a Go Mowgli tour, I’d guess that you can expect to spend about 3,000 to 3,500 rupees per day. Yup, it’s more expensive than what I spent as a backpacker but let’s be honest- there are few countries in the world where you could travel for that little per day. Especially with the benefit of having knowledgable guides that know the area like the back of their hands.

Meet New People

Although I love travelling in India, one thing I will say is that it’s not the easiest place to meet people. Unlike the likes of South East Asia and Western Europe, India doesn’t really have a huge backpacker scene. While a lot of destinations these days do have hostels, the majority of accommodation is still guesthouses.  If you are an extroverted person who likes to travel solo but still be around people, this can make things difficult.

On the tours that I did with Go Mowgli, I made so many friends that I could share my experience with. Some of them, I’m still in contact with today. I didn’t do any multi-day tours so I can’t talk from experience but after you’ve spent days on end in a group, you’d be hard pushed not to make friends.

A Local Perspective

All the guys that run Go Mowgli are from the South of India so they know the places like the back of their hands. Thanks to them, I had some of the best masala dosas in Kochi, explored tiny local fishing villages, bought gorgeous clothes from an organic cotton mill and discovered Mysore’s best-kept secret!

As travellers, as much as we like to think that we know it all and can find everything we want on google, the truth is that we can’t! (Newsflash- the majority of the best, most authentic places aren’t even on google in some countries!)

When you have a local’s perspective, you have a much more enriching experience of a destination. Plus, locals always know where the best food is hidden which, let’s be honest, is the best thing about travelling anyway!

Go Off the Beaten Path

Not only will the guys from Go Mowgli take you to all the hidden places in their favourite cities, they’ll also take you to destinations that you won’t see in the guidebooks. Their tours in Karnataka are espcially offbeat and take you to all the places that you probably haven’t heard of yet! I would never have known about the Hoysala Temple Trail if it weren’t for them but it ended up being one of the best memories of my trip.

It’s Comfortable

I love getting sleeper trains and catching local buses in India. But I do enjoy a home comfort now and then, too. Getting chauffeured about in an air-conditioned car is a bit of luxury- and one that is very welcome in the Indian heat!

For the people who are worried about getting trains alone or catching diseases from the bus seats (don’t worry, you won’t), this is obviously a huge benefit. Plus, you don’t need to worry about buying tickets, sold on seats on trains or your bus not showing up. It’s completely hassle free.

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If you want to read more about Go Mowgli, check out their website to see what tours they offer and hear their story for yourself.

I’m obviously a huge fan of Go Mowgli and thoroughly enjoyed the trips that I took with them. I used to hate the idea of tours but I might even a convert now?  The only worry is that no other tour can live up to the expectation that they’ve set. (Just look at all the pics- I managed to see all of this in 3 days and we barely even rushed!)

If you want to read more reviews, fellow travel bloggers Rachel from Hippie in Heels and Anna from Global Gallavanting have also toured with Go Mowgli. Here’s a look at their experiences.

• Global Gallavanting: A Revolution for Backpacking in India- A Review of Go Mowgli
• Hippie in Heels: The Nitty Gritty- A Go Mowgli Review

Disclaimer: I reached out to Go Mowgli when I was planning my trip because I loved the look of their company so much. They then invited me as a guest on their tour. I obviously had an amazing experience with them and all opinions in this article are my own. Thanks again, guys!