Thewanderingpeacock
30 Sep 2022
This tour by Agra Taj Visit was my first time ever in India. I wanted to choose something (among the 1000s of yours offered) that would give me a good mix of Indian culture, history, nature. I am pleased that this tour offered all of these and much more!
My experience started in Delhi when I was picked up by my tour guide for that city and my driver for most of my journey, a wonderful man named Mr. Akhtar Ali. The journey around Delhi was made in comfort, using an air-conditioned car. I had requested some slight changes to the itinerary and the tour group was more than happy to accommodate, allowing me to see everything I wanted in Delhi.
Towards evening, I parted ways with my tour guide and Mr. Ali then drove me to Jaipur where I stayed the night, then met with another tour guide the next morning. We toured the sites of Jaipur, and then it was on to Ranthambore National Park!
The resort at Ranthambore that the tour group booked for me was exemplary in its comfort and service. The staff was very kind, especially the kitchen staff, offering to make custom foods and even preparing a breakfast package since I was supposed to check out too early for breakfast on my last day. The safaris themselves allowed me to see some great wildlife (although the park’s tigers refused to make an appearance).
After Ranthambore, it was another car ride to Agra, city of the Taj Mahal. I had about 3/4 of a day in Agra, which is the perfect amount of time in my opinion. Along the way, we also stopped at the ruined fort of Fatehpur Sikri, a gorgeous UNESCO site.
From Agra, Mr. Akhtar Ali made sure I boarded a train and found my seat and then we parted ways as I headed to Varanasi. The train accommodations were as comfortable as you can reasonably expect for a sleeper car and I got off at Varanasi and met my next tour guide, Mr. Varun and our driver. Varun was great as well, showing me the city, with its labyrinthine layout and the masses of worshippers waiting to purify themselves in the holy waters of the Ganges River. We saw the Ganga Aarti ritual, a truly magical experience. Unfortunately, the waters of the Ganges were too high and the current too dangerous for us to go on a boat ride, perhaps my biggest disappointment, but these things cannot be predicted and I instead got to do a sunrise walk along the river. From there, it was a ride to the Varanasi Airport to Delhi and the end of a magical, unforgettable tour of India.
Pros:
Great service - I mentioned before that Mr. Akhtar Ali, my driver in Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambore, and Agra was great and I want to re-iterate that here. He was kind and professional and he helped me feel at ease in this intimidating country I fell a little sick during my visit and he gave me valuable recommendations on how to feel better. He also was great at explaining different things about India as we drove. You should definitely try to have Mr. Ali as your driver!
Tour guides - They were all professional and accommodating to whatever I wanted to see. They would interceded on my behalf with the locals and they were quite knowledgeable
Hotels - The hotels booked by the tour group were quite comfortable and helped put my Western mind at ease. Ranthambore Regency in particular is a standout example
Experiences - From tigers to the Taj, this tour gives you a variety of things to do and you will not be bored on this tour!
Cons:
The pacing can be fast, but that is to be expected on a tour of India, particularly the one I chose. Tours are customizable, though.
Sometimes, the tour guides will take to specialty shops where merchants will try to get you to buy things. It wasn’t as bad on this tour as others I have been on, but after a while I did get a bit tired of that. The shops are very high quality, but sometimes I did not want to sit through a 15 minute sales pitch for something I could not afford