Devprayag Sightseeing Tour From Rishikesh

We booked this trip through Getyourguide, but it was provided in country by Amusing Destinations. The initial interaction I had with the Service Provider was very positive as they kindly agreed to pick us up from our hotel, which was located across the river from Rishikesh main town to save us walking around. The problems started when I was contacted by the guide Bhupinder the evening before our trip. He firstly insisted we changed the pick-up time from 0700 to 0600 "to avoid the heat' strange, I thought, given we were going to be out for 10 hours. Then, once he knew where our hotel was located, he tried to get us to meet him over the river in Rishikesh, which I refused given the Service Provider had agreed to pick us up from the hotel. The following morning, I received WhatsApp messages from Bhupinder at 0530 asking if we were ready yet, to which I replied we would be ready at 0600 as agreed. On pick-up there seemed to be an element of frustration on the half of both the guide and the driver. There were no introductions or chat about what our trip would entail, the usual things you would expect. Then, for the next 30 mins, we were subjected to aggressive, high-speed driving on narrow, twisty mountain roads, which nearly resulted in several head-on collisions, only avoided by last-minute breaking. On stopping for a cup of tea at a roadside cafe, I reprimanded the guide and told him in no uncertain terms to make the driver slow down telling him that the driving was not only making us feel sick but scaring us. To be fair the rest of the journey to Devprayag was a bit more sedate. On arrival in Devprayag, Bhupinder took us to the confluence of the rivers, which was stunning and to a small temple there. This was followed by a lovely breakfast in a roadside cafe. In total, we spent about an hour in Devprayag. Following breakfast, we got back in the xar and headed back in the direction of Rishikesh, with us assuming we were going to visit both the cave and waterfalls - not to be!! The drive back was again unpleasant, and while no near misses with oncoming traffic, the driver reverted to type, speeding again and overtaking traffic on blind bends, etc. As we neared our hotel, I asked Bhupinder if we were returning to our hotel, to which he relied yes. We asked to be dropped off near the old Lakhsman Jhula Bridge. On getting out of the car, I showed Bhupinder the online itinerary for the trip and asked why we were not visiting either the cave or the waterfall to which he looked confused as if he didn't know it was part of the trip. We just walked off, leaving the pair of them standing there, no doubt expecting a tip. I emailed the Service Provider to tell them what had happened, expressing my disappointment. They eventually replied after speaking to the guide and driver who denied driving unsafely as expected, but more annoying was that the guide told his boss that they had offered to take us to the cave and waterfall which we declined. The Service Provider didn't apologise. he just asked me not to leave a bad review as it wasn't deserved. Sorry, I disagree. I have since reported the issues to Getyourguide who are dealing with it. So, Devprayag is definitely worth a visit. It is beautiful, but be careful when choosing the trip provider and ensure you visit all the locations on the itinerary. I certainly wouldn't recommend Amusing Destinations.

The tour was very good. Gained useful insight in to Devpragyag, provided my guide Harsh. Good communication by tour company. Overall very happy with service.