Overall we loved our tour of Northern India. A positive feedback for this tour would be please check the itinerary and take control of what you are comfortable with. We found sightseeing all day followed by a 5-6 hours of driving is exhausting arriving at your hotel at 20.00-21.30 at night is far to late. We actually shortened some of the days visits to get to those times.
Allow yourself some downtime in between days.
The guides were first class and knowledgeable and really looked after us. Sharing their knowledge and going over and above to deliver an excellent experience, right down to taking us to our seats on the train (Sandeep).
Viator’s should rate their tours with an intensity value to allow you to make informed decisions.
Other improvements should be, have all your hotel booking references as we had to wait ages while the tour company had to be contacted for confirmation of our bookings which can be frustrating after a long day.
Hotel standards were good
Safari24493685647
18 Jan 2025
Overall very well organised, I could easily call or contact you and sort out stuff, e.g. when I could not find the driver, changes in program
Driver (Delhi - Jaipur - Agra)
Driver was nice, although his English was not the best, we could still easily communicate
and he was doing his best that everything works!
You could see he is an experienced driver - I always felt very safe even with Indian traffic :)
I has some changes in the plan - asked to stay at my friends place and next day we woke up early to do some private sightseeing. We also changed the place where we wanted to meet to be picked up. I got impression that this was a problem and I felt that he was quite unhappy - I didn’t understood why.
I also had a feeling that he was quite pushing to finish Jaipur sightseeing fast as we need to go to Agra on the same day. This I understand, but this was planed so why pushing.
Guide Jaipur
Really great - he spent a lot of time giving proper explanation and adjusting to my question - he was really knowledgeable and provided very good context
Guide Agra
Good but at the beginning everything felt very fast - we kind of rush through Taj - also here I had a feeling that it should be done fast
When we started discussing it actually got very interesting and also here I got a lot of interesting insights, especially around history of Agra.
Agra overall
Everything was done by lunch
Then I spend time in my hotel and there was no plan until the train comes (luckily I could stay there until 3pm)
I was sent in a restaurant, saying - we have time - but there was no other plan. I think either telling upfront or providing additional options would be nice. I suggested something but everything was apparently closed etc. Overall, this part can be done better.
At the end I was 2.5 hours earlier at the train station and was waiting there.
Train to Varansi
Great, all worked well
Thanks for answering my question, I was a little worried as I was having quite big luggage.
If I had more time, I would have taken the train from Varanasi to Delhi as well, but my travel schedule was quite tight.
Varansi
Both Sundeep and Gaurav were great - I was very happy and would 100% recommend them.
Gaurav is very knowledgeable and has great local experience
Sundeep was taking care of me last day, we had some time before my flight. In the hotel he suggested to visit a village outside Varansi which was great idea. This was a good way how to bridge the time. Also here, tbh. more clear plan for the gap between tour and travel would be nice.
Delhi
Guide was again great - very experienced and knowledgeable
At the beginning it felt like he his also rushing through the "standard" stuff but then it got much better - visiting Sigh temple was one of the highlights for me.
Overall:
Well organized and I am overall happy
Sometimes I had feelings there were "blocks" when nothing was planned which felt a little weird
Furthermore, when I had some changes to the plan - it felt it's a bit more complicated but at the end we have managed.
It would be good to "warn" people that you will need to tip everywhere - maybe the guides should provide guidance how much to tip
I would recommend the tour for sure! Although with all the tips etc. it felt at the end quite expensive.
We recently completed a tour of the Golden Triangle and Varanasi in India, and it was an enriching experience overall. The Golden Triangle, which includes Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, offered a fantastic introduction to India's history and culture. The visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra was a definite highlight, and Jaipur’s Amber Fort and vibrant markets added to the excitement. Delhi, with its mix of modern and ancient attractions like India Gate and Qutub Minar, was also fascinating.
The tour guides in each city were knowledgeable, offering insightful commentary on the architecture, history, and local traditions. We would also like to give Amit, our driver, a special shout out as he was always looking out for our safety and was accommodating along the road. He was always willing to make small stops for us for breaks to use the restroom or to buy fruits and snacks along the road.
However, we felt that the preset itinerary of each day was not always followed and wished that there was better communication among all parties. In addition, we felt like some marketing activities to advertise regional products took up some time from our sightseeing, though it did somewhat add to the experience overall. As the itinerary was always evolving, it was a little bit unclear about which sites and monuments we were hitting each day. Another aspect that was hard to predict was the cost of each monument. Some monuments accepted card, some only cash, and some were pre-purchased by the tour guides of the city. More transparency into the price of each monument and expectations in regards to how to purchase these would be beneficial to help financially plan and budget for the trip overall, especially in regards to how many rupees to have available on hand.
That being said, we did appreciate the company’s flexibility and preemptive efforts to rearrange the activities for us to make it to Taj Mahal (it was originally scheduled to be on a Friday when Taj Mahal is always closed).
The journey to Varanasi was certainly a memorable part of the tour. Witnessing the evening Ganga Aarti on the ghats was a deeply spiritual experience, and our guide did a nice job explaining the cultural significance of the rituals. However, the atmosphere in Varanasi can be overwhelming with the crowds and constant hustle, which may not be for everyone.
Overall, the tour provided a well-rounded experience, blending iconic landmarks with unique cultural encounters. While some moments felt hurried with lapse of communication, especially with the travel distances, it was a great way to see some of India's most famous destinations in a relatively short time. I would recommend it to those looking for an introduction to India's rich heritage and diverse landscapes.