Allan Blanchard fell in love with India whilst travelling the length and breath of the country for 3 months in 1997. From seeing his first tiger in Ranthambhore national park, to visiting the Lake Palace in Udaipur and then trekking in the hills of Southern India; every hour, of every day, provided a new intoxicating experience -until camels and elephants in the middle of the road became the 'norm' and the legendary hospitality of India warmed the heart and soothed the soul.

Two years later in 1999, he started his first travel company solely focusing on bespoke safaris and cultural tours in India called Tiger Trails and quickly gained a loyal international following; attracted by the ethos, that longer stays at locations and following the path less travelled was the way to go in India. Now called Wildlife Trails ( www.wildlifetrails.co.uk), it continues to use the same superb Indian ground agents and hand picked hotels chosen from Allan’s more than 30 recce trips to this amazing country in the last 20 years. On average, he spends 2 to 3 months in India each year and travellers can trust his straightforward reviews and be sure that he will showcase the very latest of what is hot and new in India.

To encourage independent travellers to book our favourite hotels at direct local rates he has just launched www.indiaunlocked.net and taken the approach to showcasing special heritage hotels and wildlife lodges to a completely new level. Packed with amazing 4K Drone Video and iPhone 7 stabilised shots, you will feel like you are actually there and with his honest, no nonsense reviews; be able to choose an India hotel with full confidence. You can also book your own transport, fantastic chai drinking friendly driver and expert naturalist or cultural guide, through our local agents in India.

At the moment, we are only showcasing the best hotels and wildlife lodges in Rajasthan, but in the next two years we will have the north east (we are spending a month there in April 2018), central India and south India covered on the website. We don’t want you to just book any hotel in India; we want you to book the right hotel for you and make your Indian holiday unforgettable.