Truly a 5 star experience from start to finish. Communication both before and during our trip was top notch. While seasoned travelers, this was our first time to India and we weren’t sure what to expect as a female couple. We need not have worried as everyone associated with this tour welcomed us with open arms and treated us like family.
We toured three cities and went on a jeep safari in Ranthanbhore National Park. David joined us in Delhi and had the perfect blend of explanation while allowing us time to leisurely explore the sites. While the Lotus Temple is closed on Mondays, the behind the scenes look at the Sikh temple more than made up for that.
We then traveled 3 hours by car to Agra where we stayed the night before Vijay met us for a sunrise tour of the Taj Mahal. His amazing photos will be treasured memories for years to come. He knew all the best spots and moved us through the crowd with ease, making sure we didn’t miss out on the best views and photo opportunities.
Perhaps the one disappointment was the jeep safari. This was not with the actual tour company but with a separate group with a permit to run tours through the National Park. We were put in a 20 person canter for both safaris rather than in a jeep. Despite staying very close to the park, it took 1 to 1.5 hours after picking up all of the other groups in the canter before arriving to the park. Not so bad in the cool morning but brutal in the afternoon sun. The safari guides seemed to have a fair amount of information but it was all in Hindi so we didn’t get much from the safari. Perhaps we would have felt different if we had seen a tiger. Had we been given the option, we would have happily paid a bit more for a jeep with an English speaking guide and I recommend you inquire about this ahead of time to avoid this same situation.
Our final stop was Jaipur. Any expectations we had were easily surpassed as our guide Ashok showed us around his beautiful city. He went above and beyond to explain not just the sights but also the culture of Jaipur. This was perhaps our favorite stop which was a surprise given the beauty of the Taj Mahal.
All accommodations were excellent and the included breakfasts, lunch and dinner were all great. The Tiger Resort near Ranthambhore was particularly amazing- great staff, pool and meals. Despite the disappointing safari we would have happily spent another night here.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the very best part of our tour which was our driver, Kuldeep. He wove through the traffic (people, cars, scooters, dogs and oh so many cows) with ease, all the while answering our questions about the tour, sights from the road and life and culture in India.
Overall, 5 stars for this tour. A great way to see the golden triangle. While we did not see any tigers, many people did and this would just have been the icing on the cake. Don’t hesitate to book this while you are in India.