Best of Northern India Tour: Jaipur to Varanasi

 My adult son and I just returned from a 12 day trip to India arranged by this travel agent. 

New Delhi - Agra - Fatehpur Sikiri - Chand Baori - Ranthambore National Park - Jaipur - Jodhpur - Jain Temples at Ranakpur - Udaipur - Mumbai

 I requested the step well, Chand Baori.  It should be on all tours driving the road between Agra and Jaipur.  It's not far off the main road and well worth the short detour.

 We were met by tour reps at every stop, every train station, and every airport.  Someone was always there to either meet us upon arrival or to see us off.  The guides were all very good and the drivers were excellent.   

 This agent planned our trip from start to finish and we had a wonderful time.  I'm returning to India next year and she is now making all the necessary arrangements for what will be a  much longer trip.  There's  so more much I want to see.

We just finished a 40 day trip to India (February 2017) visiting Delhi, Bharatpur, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar, Varanasi and Kolkata along with eight National Parks (Keoladeo, Ranthambore, Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Sunderban and Kaziranga) and traveled by either car or rail (we had five separate nights on a train plus one evening train ride). We had spent a couple of months in early 2016 planning this trip with this travel agency and all we can say is that everything worked out perfectly.  There was someone to meet us at the Delhi airport and there was always someone to take us to the train and to meet us when the train arrived.  The drivers and guides always showed up on time as planned/or as agreed.  The drivers were outstanding. They were safe drivers and also polite, courteous and informative. The guides were also outstanding, friendly, polite and very, very knowledgeable.  The hotels chosen for us with the exception of one were excellent although in the National Parks the accommodation may run out of hot water.  We are extremely satisfied with every aspect of this trip and would definitely use this company again.  We were in contact via e-mail as well as phone and I always up to date as to the status of the trip. 

Our accommodations were excellent. We had a fantastic time in Rajasthan and Agra. Our travel company exceeded our expectations of the trip. Everything was well planned from start to finish. We were received at Delhi airport; and until we reached our departure airport at Jaipur, everything was taken care of. This allowed me and my family to just focus on having fun. At every hotel, we had a local representative from the company receive us and take us to the lobby, while the bags were being sent to our rooms. Th prep also arranged our check-in into the hotel while we sipped our welcome juice in the beautiful hotel lobby. The rep also explained our itinerary for the next 2 days there. The guide would arrive promptly as per the time decided. The guides selected were great; gave us information while in the car and at the site; and even took us shopping to the local stores. Having a personal guide throughout allowed us to just enjoy our sightseeing. The guide took care of our tickets, and entry into the very crowded monuments. We had a 11 stare tempo traveller with us during the entire trip; this was extremely comfortable and my kids had flexibility of walking around in the tempo on long rides. It was also good on the bumpy roads between Agra and Ranthambore. Our accommodations were excellent too. The hotel in Agra and especially the hotel in Ranthambore were gorgeous. The people were extremely friendly and accommodated us very well. The hotel in Jaipur was beautiful; they even allowed us late check-in during this busy time free of charge. Our hotel rooms were upgraded by our agent in 2 of the 3 hotels, which were just beautiful. Our tour designer and his team were very responsive to our needs right from the time we decided to go with their company until our trip was done. Someone would call me at least every other day to check and see if everything was going ok. I even changed my itinerary a day before and our tour designer not only made the change, but also arranged for a guide to go with us at our recommended time. All in all, it was truly a luxurious experience. We felt like the Rajasthani royals!!

Outstanding! We had a wonderful experience from beginning to end! The price was very reasonable and everyone we toured with was very professional- furthermore all spoke fluent English for us. Our agent did a great job meeting us at the hotel the first day and giving us an overview of our trip- as well as checking on us each day. Our guide did a great job taking us around Old/New Delhi, introducing us to Indian foods and helping us shop for souvenirs, in addition to general sightseeing of forts, museums, mosques, and temples- we really enjoyed Akshardham. My wife got a nice sari and I bought some bronze statues. Our next guide also did a great job showing us The Taj Mahal and Agra, injecting humor whenever possible- a real showman. He also took us to a nice shop where we bought an inlaid marble table, and I appreciate him carrying the camera when I wasn't feeling good. Our Jaipur guide was also wonderful, giving us great insight into his city; we appreciate his in-depth explanations, especially at the Jantar Mantar observatory, and helping us buy authentic jewelry- a very nice Star of India ruby. He also took us to a nice restaurant before departing, where we shared personal stories. Though we did not spend a lot of time with him in Ranthambore, we appreciate the availability and assistance of our guide- thanks again for help with shopping. Last but not least, we are very, very thankful for our dear driver- he was so gracious and professional. Our spotless vehicle was always close by, and well-stocked with refreshments for the long drives. He and the guides were so nice with the frequent stops for photos- thanks for taking so many pictures. We appreciate our driver giving up a week with his family to take us around India and really enjoyed our talks with him. Oh, I almost forgot- we appreciate that Indian Vistas arranged our safari drives, too. Our guide was a wonderful guide/naturalist, and we are so thankful that he got us to see a tiger, in addition to all the other interesting animals.