My husband and I booked this tour to squeeze in all of the major destinations in our short time frame. We were initially hesitant to book this tour because it had not been reviewed yet, but after doing our research we saw that Raj Sharma's company that organizes this tour Nikita Holidays has done similar Golden Triangle tours, just not in this order, and they all have good reviews. This is honestly the BEST THING we could have done for this trip. There is nothing like waking up every morning and having the day laid out for you and knowledgeable tour guides that get the tickets, navigate around the spots, and can translate between any guards etc that come your way. We were picked up promptly the first day from our hotel in Jaipur by our driver Sanju and the tour guide for that city. This tour has the same driver for all 3 days, but a new tour guide local to each city every day. Our guide in Jaipur was probably our favorite, super knowledgeable, willing to answer every question, and had a way of setting up each scene for us in such a way that we felt kind of enchanted. After that day, Sanju drove us to Agra and took us to our hotel. It was similar the next day as we went to Delhi.
Our driver Sanju was nothing short of amazing. He was extremely accommodating, making sure we always had cold water when needed, stopped for bathroom breaks, lunch breaks, etc when needed. And if you've never driven in India before, an excellent driver that knows how to navigate the cow and monkey lined streets is 100 necessary. Sanju kept us safe, fed, and on time and we loved our time with him.
Overall, for a first timer in India, this is the way to go. For someone on a time crunch that wants to see the Taj Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, and modern New Delhi, this is the way to go! Just a warning, the tours in each city will take you to shops to see how certain handicrafts specific to India are made i.e. rugs, gemstone cutting, marble inlays, etc. You'll learn really, really interesting stuff. They go through each step with you and you walk away with a real appreciation for the time and effort put into the works of art by each craftsman. You will also meet some of the nicest and most convincing sales people you've seen. Smile and say you're not interested but you appreciate them showing you their craft. This was the only downside to this tour for us even though we bought a rug ha!. But on the upside, we learned a LOT about the handicrafts and culture, and appreciated that aspect.
I also want to give a quick shout out to our tour guide Dillip I am not sure how to spell it and Sanju. Our last day in New Delhi the road to the Presidential Palace was completely closed in preparation for a parade. They improvised and took us to the largest Sikh temple in India. It was probably the highlight of the day for us. Consider adding this for other groups, it was a great way to be exposed to other religions found in India! Thanks again and a special thanks to Sanju! In his words, a driver in India needs 1. Good Brakes, 2. Good Horn, and 3. Good Luck.