Travel Ark - Kolkata

After such a trip it's only natural to be overwhelmed. Mr. Pradip Mahapatra the owner of Travel Ark is one of those rare people who deliver the written word. I was impressed by the website in the first place, then met him after exchange of a few e mails at his Kolkata office. The Kolkata office is perhaps the only place which does not meets his usual class, hence was a bit apprehensive in the first place. Still decided to take the plunge as the route was exhaustive and unique. Also the cost at which it was being delivered was not possible to do personally. In between had a few doubts regarding clothing and medicines to take and the authority with which Pradipda cleared them gave me huge confidence. So after my wife opted out of the tour 10 days before, I found myself boarding the flight solo on 21st May geared with a few phone numbers provided by Pradipda. Pradipda actually managed to locate a room partner for me even at such a short notice. So monetary loss was avoided. The first surprise awaited me when I found the taxi driver ready to take me to my first stop in a swanky Innova with a huge grin and a complimentary refreshment packet. From thereon the list of pleasant surprises were endless. The most important aspect of this tour I found was that at each and every place of stay we were welcomed with genuine warmth and affection. Hotels were star standard, tents seemed like to have come out of Arabian nights pages - complete with modern toilet facilities, adequate space, and more than enough blankets to drown us in warmth even in sub zero temperatures. Though the zipoers of the toilet, mostly were malfunctioning. The ambience of the properties on which the tents were situated was exactly in the lap of nature, surrounded by huge mountains standing guard with their snow capped peaks, birds waking you up with their chirping, and sunlight luring you to come outside and brave the bitter cold in the early mornings. No where I found myself treated just as another guest with a number to be attended to. I felt the human touch everywhere I stayed. Accommodation, food, service, travel, schedule, everything was spot on. As if everything mentioned above was not enough, Pradipda came to visit each one of us daily to enquire if anything was amiss and embarrass us further, or to bask in the compliments which essentially followed after that. Our group of 11 members had 2 kids aged 6 and 9 years, and one of them required medical assistance. That too was arranged seamlessly (at Leh), car was arranged, doctor attended, oxygen cylinder was procured. So the trip went on smoothly. Lastly the driver who was with us from Day 2 to Day 11 was the epitome of silent efficiency. It was due to Rahulji that we were able to take endless stops on the way to admire the beauty, take endless snaps (at times irritating for a camera novice like me), spot rare wildlife species like Ibex, Blue Sheep, Wild Horse, Black necked crane, Marlot, Seagulls/Pelicans, Brahmi (golden duck) bird, etc., and all this without having to hear any of his (rahulji's) boastful stories which has been my experience (of other drivers). Even on Day 11 when the departure from Leh got chaotic due to a landslide on Kargil - Sonnmarg highway Pradipda maintained his usual calm, and efficient manner and arranged what ever was expected of him. Mr. Pradip Mahapatra being an avid traveller and trekker is able to anticipate the requirements of the travellers, and has nurtured excellent contacts even in the remotest corners of Ladakh. His bachelorhood also has contributed to the total commitment and quality time he can devote to serve his passion. It's satisfaction before profit for him, always. I thank my stars for locating him and taking the plunge. My best wishes for all of his future endeavour.

If I believe I have seen Heaven on Earth, I have the pleasure and pride of visiting MUSTANG in Nepal. My travel became many a fold happier because our benefactor cum tour leader is in fact a parental figure to us. He held my hand when I exhausted my last strength of breathing normally. My experience of traveling with these two adorable tour leaders Prodip Mahapatra and my beautiful Rupa Dey Roy are God sent Angels for travelers of all ages. My memories of traveling will live with me till I can recapitulate my memories. Traveling is my inspiration, traveling is my life. Please every one, start your day with a brilliant morning walk and finally start with short tours. Love you all my co travelers to Kathmandu and Mustang.

I got the information about Travel Ark from one of my school friend who travelled to Ladakh just 15 days before I did. My Ladakh trip was from 11th Sept to 19th September 2021. I would like to first like to mention how very patient and professional this team is in organizing this tour. I started planning this trip with a group of 8 members initially and with an itinerary for 5 days which later changed atleast 5 times until we finalized on one which comprised a group of 4 people and extended for 9 days covering Srinagar - Kargil - Leh - Nubra - Pangong - Tsomoriri - Leh. Travel Ark's Rupa and Pradip never once complained and provided us with updated itinerary each time within couple of hours !! The entire trip was seamlessly arranged even if we finalized the trip some 6 days before the date of travel. All accommodations, drivers were very good. All their local contact are worth mentioning. Not to forget they are all up and about to help in any emergency situations too, one of my friend fell prey to AMS in Nubra, and we were at the verge of cancelling the rest trip when Pradip came up with a revised itinerary so as not to miss anything and yet handle the situation cautiously. He even suggested on how to handle the situation with our friend. When we were stable enough and capable of continuing our journey, we called Pradip to inform so and he quickly mentioned "Ami jantam, khub bhalo kore ghurun and enjoy korun !!".......(Meaning - I knew you all can do it, now forget all and Njoy". Pradip and Rupa not only helped us fulfill our dream Ladakh Trip in the best possible way but also kept inspiring us with all their suggestions and enthusiasm. Thank you and also thank you for putting up with us :) .

Have already been to Zanskar before, thought that the other portion of Ladakh wont be interesting at all after completing Zanskar, but TravelArk gave me a new reason which made me love the other portion of Ladakh more than Zanskar. Mr.Pradip Mahapatra hats off to you for arranging such an awesome trip. Was always of the idea that tour operators are pretty much monotonous so I always used to opt for personal travel, but TravelArk again proved me wrong, again hats-off to Mr.Pradip Mahaptra. TravelArk is love <3 Yes, looking forward to plan a trip with TravelArk again. Ladakh 2018 <3 Abhik Saha Chowdhury, 64/65 Jelia Para Lane, Salkia, Howrah - 711106

Ladakh was on a bucket list for a long time but was unsure if I would be able to do it on my own. That's when I came across Travel Ark who were planning a 8 day trip in Aug 21 and I jumped in. It was one of the best decisions and didn't realise how the 8 days went in a jiffy leaving me wanting for more! Pradip Da who was on the trip with us ensured each of our minutest needs were catered to, always checking on us right from our flight from Kolkata till we reached back to our homes safely . During the entire trip, I didn't ever have to bother about anything else but to just go along with meticulously planned itinerary (with extremely comfortable hotels, tents and resorts with great food, hassle free transport arrangments (the bullet ride was an icing on the cake :)) and rest was handled by Pradip Da with Rupa Di constantly supporting from the back office in Kolkata.I look forward to more such trips with Travel Ark to other destinations in India (and international too once this virus give us a break) Thank you Pradip Da and Rupa Di!

We had our lifetime experience when 6 of us visited Ladakh with Travel ark. The best part of travelling with Travel ark is that all the places where we stayed were very homely with luxury side by side. The owner Pradip da looked after each and every matter starting from our health issue to sim card and really we never hesitated to call him even in any trivial issues. Thanks Pradip da for making our experience more sweeter and memorable.

We had our most awaited trip to Ladakh last month with Travel ark. 6 of us. A trip full of fun, experience, lovely places and lovely people. The trip was nicely planned and all our requirements were taken care of. We enjoyed the beauty of nature and explored places that are very different from one another. Thanks for planning such a lovely trip and making it an experience of life time for all of us.

We had a 11 day trip in June 2018 with family and friends and travelled extensively across Ladakh. The whole trip was meticulously planned by Mr. Pradip Mahapatra of Travel Ark and thus we did not face any difficulty throughout the trip. The hotels and the vehicle were excellent. We also liked the way the team took care of our well being during the trip. Because of the overall care taken by Travel Ark, we could enjoy the trip hassle free in a difficult terrain like Ladakh.