we asked the team to put together 2 days worth of a private itinery for 3 people. We did the early morning south walk, the evening north walk, dawn Ganges and Sarnath.
Each was amazing.
We could never have found what we were taken to- dawn wrestling match, flower market, private home in the backstreets, temples. And we would have never got such a mind-blowing view of the evening Aarti ceremony without Sud! (even if it did mean clambering from boat to boat). We were taken for a local breakfast which was one of the best meals of the holiday, and the most delicious Lassi.
Sud ensured we met him without any problems- sending us a photo of himself, and liaised with our taxi to be picked up afterwards (and checked we'd got back to our hotel),. Nothing was too much trouble. We learnt so much and had fun doing it. the highlight of our 2 week holiday. Worth every rupee.
I highly recommend this company- Varanasi is complex and it is well worth having a friendly expert explain the sights and rituals.