The perfect Golden Triangle experience - Our three day trip has been perfect in every way. We cannot thank you enough for arranging such an excellent package. Special thanks to our guides Jabrin, Faisal and Soni. All were excellent. Kind, knowledgeable, informative and trustworthy giving us good information and taking us to quality vendors to buy amazing things (entirely optional. Everyone tried to sell you their work, you can always say no and walk away after the educational presentations). Many thanks to Pooran, our driver. He was exceptional; no easy task in India!! We found reasonable tipping amounts challenging in India. We did the best we could based on our experience and the value of services to us. We gave our guides 1-2k rupees and our driver 1-2k per day. For a safe, well priced way to see an amazing part of India; we can't recommend this enough. Please read on for detailed information about every aspect. We chose the three day, 5 star package. Every hotel was perfect with regard to service and room cleanliness. Only breakfast is included in the price however all of the hotel food was sensibly priced (about £25 for dinner, for two each night). Both breakfasts were great, catering for western diets and providing Indian food too. For us, the Mercure had slightly better food and a rooftop restaurant by the pool is hard to beat, however, the Indana palace had a better pool for my morning swim! Both hotels had spas where you could get treatments, however, the schedule is quite tight (at least it was for us!!) and we arrived/left too late/early to fully enjoy these. Pooran was on time every time even if we were a little late! He was patient, calm, helpful, smiley and nothing was too much trouble. We felt safe with him and he looked after our bags and valuables in the car each day without any issues. You only need to take a day bag out and about with you. Now for a day to day run down. As we started on a Friday, we had the following order: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur. Heads up, it's quite a brutal itinerary. Early mornings and late nights abound. Make sure you get your sleep in! Day one- Delhi First off, Jabrin was incredible. His English was spot on and we were able to learn loads from him. After a little sightseeing in the car (photo op at the Red fort and parliament buildings) we swapped to a tuk tuk and the fun really began! We went to the Jama Mosque which is beautiful and had a good walk around there, you do have to pay for entry and for slippers, but that's the case at most stops as the tour advertises. We headed to the old town (still tuk tuk) and went to an amazing spice vendor who taught us plenty. All his products were priced and we chose to buy a good stock for home, there was no pressure and it was by no means compulsory. We went to the first step-well of the tour, cool spots to see and historically interesting and well explained. We were taken to restaurant for lunch that catered for western tastes and was reasonably priced. After lunch, we headed off (by car now) to visit some incredible local crafts people. As the tour went on, we realised this was the pattern. You visit a local expert in something, they give you a little educational speech and then you are invited to buy things. In Delhi, we started with handmade carpets and clothes and followed that up with perfumes made organically and without alcohol. Again, we chose to buy things, but we could just as easily have walked away after the informational talks. At the end of the day, we said goodbye to Jabrin (we tipped him and advise you to do the same) and headed to Agra to get to our hotel for the night which, as mentioned above, was lovely in every way. Day two- Agra and the Taj Mahal. Our guide Faisal was excellent. His knowledge was incredible and I particularly enjoyed the fort with him. He contacted us the day before to arrange a pick up time for the Taj Mahal. We decided to take his suggestion for meeting at 5am. I’m not sure if this is compulsory, but it worked out really well. There were minimal queues and sunrise over it is a beautiful thing. We ended up taking a photo package from one of the photographers there (we paid £50 after haggling to the point of saying no). I wouldn’t recommend it. Though we got prints and digital photos, we went through a long photo shoot situation before actually getting to enjoy the beautiful monument and would have rather spent time enjoying the Taj. The photographer also chose an odd filter to ‘remove the clouds’. Afterwards, we returned to our hotel for a nap and a swim as well as to enjoy the view of the Taj Mahal from our hotel window! We reconvened at 11am after a rest to head off to the Agra fort and had a great time there. Our day ended with a trip to see some more local craftsmen, this time the descendants of the men who worked on the Taj Mahal. Their work was stunning and I highly recommend setting aside some money to buy their work if you can. It’s a long drive to Jaipur so, after saying our farewell to Faisal (and again tipping him); we headed off to our hotel in Jaipur with the ever present, efficient and wonderful Pooran. The Indana Palace hotel was gorgeous and we were in time for dinner before retiring! Day three- Jaipur The final day was spent with the equally fantastic Soni. I think his knowledge and passion for the material he spoke about may have been the best of all; especially in the observatory. Fair warning, Jaipur is a tough day (but our favourite)! After a lovely breakfast, we headed off to the Amber Fort (via another step well). It’s hard to explain how amazing it is and Soni’s tour of it was very detailed and informative. After a few hours there, the tour drives past the water and wind palaces for photo stops. They are both incredible monuments. Your next stop is the Jama Mata observatory; a truly fascinating and wonderful place full of astronomical instruments built for reading the suns and stars. Soni was particularly strong at this location and very passionate and knowledgeable about the science. We also took in a traditional puppet show in the grounds which was amusing and representative of an unfortunately dying art. Across the road from the observatory, we visited some galleries and museums showcasing all kinds of objects from the various rulers of the region. Our final craftsmen of the tour were block printers who make incredible patterns on various textiles followed by gemstone artisans and jewellery makers. The work in both places was astonishing. Finally, we managed to find time to get some shopping in, I wanted some traditional leather shoes, and our final stop was to visit an elephant riding spot. These things were added on just for us and we’re deeply grateful to Soni for helping us arrange them. Once again, we gave him a good tip and then headed off back to Delhi. It was a long drive, but as ever, the amazing Pooran got us there and we even had time for a dinner stop. We gave him a substantial tip, said our farewells and headed onto our next adventure. Thank you so much to everyone involved in such a smooth and activity packed tour; it was well worth the money and we can’t recommend it highly enough. Golden Triangle tour review Our three day trip has been perfect in every way. We cannot thank you enough for arranging such an excellent package. Special thanks to our guides Jabrin, Faisal and Soni. All were excellent. Kind, knowledgeable, informative and trustworthy giving us good information and taking us to quality vendors to buy amazing things (entirely optional. Everyone tried to sell you their work, you can always say no and walk away after the educational presentations). Many thanks to Pooran, our driver. He was exceptional; no easy task in India!! We found reasonable tipping amounts challenging in India. We did the best we could based on our experience and the value of services to us. We gave our guides 1-2k rupees and our driver 1-2k per day. For a safe, well priced way to see an amazing part of India; we can't recommend this enough. Please read on for detailed information about every aspect. We chose the three day, 5 star package. Every hotel was perfect with regard to service and room cleanliness. Only breakfast is included in the price however all of the hotel food was sensibly priced (about £25 for dinner, for two each night). Both breakfasts were great, catering for western diets and providing Indian food too. For us, the Mercure had slightly better food and a rooftop restaurant by the pool is hard to beat, however, the Indana palace had a better pool for my morning swim! Both hotels had spas where you could get treatments, however, the schedule is quite tight (at least it was for us!!) and we arrived/left too late/early to fully enjoy these. Pooran was on time every time even if we were a little late! He was patient, calm, helpful, smiley and nothing was too much trouble. We felt safe with him and he looked after our bags and valuables in the car each day without any issues. You only need to take a day bag out and about with you. Now for a day to day run down. As we started on a Friday, we had the following order: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur. Heads up, it's quite a brutal itinerary. Early mornings and late nights abound. Make sure you get your sleep in! Day one- Delhi First off, Jabrin was incredible. His English was spot on and we were able to learn loads from him. After a little sightseeing in the car (photo op at the Red fort and parliament buildings) we swapped to a tuk tuk and the fun really began! We went to the Jama Mosque which is beautiful and had a good walk around there, you do have to pay for entry and for slippers, but that's the case at most stops as the tour advertises. We headed to the old town (still tuk tuk) and went to an amazing spice vendor who taught us plenty. All his products were priced and we chose to buy a good stock for home, there was no pressure and it was by no means compulsory. We went to the first step-well of the tour, cool spots to see and historically interesting and well explained. We were taken to restaurant for lunch that catered for western tastes and was reasonably priced. After lunch, we headed off (by car now) to visit some incredible local crafts people. As the tour went on, we realised this was the pattern. You visit a local expert in something, they give you a little educational speech and then you are invited to buy things. In Delhi, we started with handmade carpets and clothes and followed that up with perfumes made organically and without alcohol. Again, we chose to buy things, but we could just as easily have walked away after the informational talks. At the end of the day, we said goodbye to Jabrin (we tipped him and advise you to do the same) and headed to Agra to get to our hotel for the night which, as mentioned above, was lovely in every way. Day two- Agra and the Taj Mahal. Our guide Faisal was excellent. His knowledge was incredible and I particularly enjoyed the fort with him. He contacted us the day before to arrange a pick up time for the Taj Mahal. We decided to take his suggestion for meeting at 5am. I’m not sure if this is compulsory, but it worked out really well. There were minimal queues and sunrise over it is a beautiful thing. We ended up taking a photo package from one of the photographers there (we paid £50 after haggling to the point of saying no). I wouldn’t recommend it. Though we got prints and digital photos, we went through a long photo shoot situation before actually getting to enjoy the beautiful monument and would have rather spent time enjoying the Taj. The photographer also chose an odd filter to ‘remove the clouds’. Afterwards, we returned to our hotel for a nap and a swim as well as to enjoy the view of the Taj Mahal from our hotel window! We reconvened at 11am after a rest to head off to the Agra fort and had a great time there. Our day ended with a trip to see some more local craftsmen, this time the descendants of the men who worked on the Taj Mahal. Their work was stunning and I highly recommend setting aside some money to buy their work if you can. It’s a long drive to Jaipur so, after saying our farewell to Faisal (and again tipping him); we headed off to our hotel in Jaipur with the ever present, efficient and wonderful Pooran. The Indana Palace hotel was gorgeous and we were in time for dinner before retiring! Day three- Jaipur The final day was spent with the equally fantastic Soni. I think his knowledge and passion for the material he spoke about may have been the best of all; especially in the observatory. Fair warning, Jaipur is a tough day (but our favourite)! After a lovely breakfast, we headed off to the Amber Fort (via another step well). It’s hard to explain how amazing it is and Soni’s tour of it was very detailed and informative. After a few hours there, the tour drives past the water and wind palaces for photo stops. They are both incredible monuments. Your next stop is the Jama Mata observatory; a truly fascinating and wonderful place full of astronomical instruments built for reading the suns and stars. Soni was particularly strong at this location and very passionate and knowledgeable about the science. We also took in a traditional puppet show in the grounds which was amusing and representative of an unfortunately dying art. Across the road from the observatory, we visited some galleries and museums showcasing all kinds of objects from the various rulers of the region. Our final craftsmen of the tour were block printers who make incredible patterns on various textiles followed by gemstone artisans and jewellery makers. The work in both places was astonishing. Finally, we managed to find time to get some shopping in, I wanted some traditional leather shoes, and our final stop was to visit an elephant riding spot. These things were added on just for us and we’re deeply grateful to Soni for helping us arrange them. Once again, we gave him a good tip and then headed off back to Delhi. It was a long drive, but as ever, the amazing Pooran got us there and we even had time for a dinner stop. We gave him a substantial tip, said our farewells and headed onto our next adventure. Thank you so much to everyone involved in such a smooth and activity packed tour; it was well worth the money and we can’t recommend it highly enough.

Lovely tour with Riyaz - Riyaz was an excellent tour guide, he explained us everything and was very patient to our requests and questions. We loved the places and people we met with him. If you are looking for someone who speaks english with a non difficult accent, Riyaz is your man!

Amazing experience with street food tour - Riyaz was very nice guide tour, he explains a lot and give us interesting details about the street food. We took tuk tuk, and tried a different type of foods and drinks, he is very nice person. Very good English and we felt comfortable and took care of us. He makes you feel good all time :)

Amazing tour with Riyaz, highly recommended! - We had a wonderful and very educational tour with Riayz in Delhi, where he took us to very unexpected spots in the city and showed us the market, where we could try some true street food. Thanks a lot!!!

Wonderful informative tour with Riyaz - Our guide Riyaz was very knowledgeable and friendly. He explained us a lot of details about the history of India and about Delhi. He is also very savvy of all the religions and their teachings. The tour is well structured and shows all the interesting spots in Delhi.

Highly Recommended - We had a great time in Jaipur guided by Sony. We learned a lot about the culture and the history and visited some beautiful and interesting places.

Day in Jaipur - We had a great time in Jaipur, walking around in Sony was great , we learned a lot of interesting facts. I can highly recommend him as a guide

Amazing tour, excellent tour guide - Our tour guide made our day. Isha is a very kind person, she provided very insightful information about monuments and went further by providing detailed context which helped us to have a better understanding and could grasp better history. Me and my wife enjoyed our time, walking, taking pictures and asking questions to Isha. She encouraged us to raise our hands when we had a question and took the time to explain. Moreover she took very nice pics of us. I believe her deep knowledge and warm conversation kept us engaged throughout the tour. We had a blast, kudos Isha for the amazing experience.

Best days in India - Our Guide Ali was very friendly and knowledgable about all the places and we could enjoy a relaxed day with him in our own pace. Highly recommended. Also the Driver was great and safe!

An amazing tour in Delhi! - the tour with Shamin was amazing! Every little bit of Delhi was grandly explained. We went to a lot of beautifull place. I'm impressed! I recommend it!