A must book tour if you plan to visit India! - I traveled with Alison (who wrote an extensive review of our trip) and I cannot express how much we loved and appreciated this tour, especially Mr. Rampal. He took excellent care of us the entire 8 days and we’ve had many chats and laughs in the car together. Mr. Rampal is a true gem and made our experience in India 100x better! Sonia and her team were also super helpful and took care of everything, this trip felt like a true vacation as we were taken care of. Do not expect to do everything that is on the itinerary as is (e.g., we could not see the Taj Mahal at sunrise because there was too much fog), but we hit all of the major destinations and the itinerary was flexible to our needs. All of the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, I have a new love for art history because of their expertise and passion. We’ve made lasting memories because of this tour and I highly recommend booking Sonia and her team if you plan to visit India!

HOLY COWS AND TIGERS - Holy cow (there were lots of them)! What a trip! Usually I stay away from tours since I don’t enjoy being on a charter bus with a lot of other people and keeping a strict schedule, but my friend and I did a lot of research and realized booking a tour was necessary for foreigners in terms of safety and comfort. Luckily, this tour was a private tour where we had a private, air conditioned vehicle (which happened to be 4 months old with an English-speaking driver—we lucked out!). At each city, there would be a new English-speaking tour guide who would accompany us for the day (in our private car) and give us the history, background, and stories of places we would go sightsee. They were very knowledgeable, resourceful, and helped us take pictures. It was the nice to have a tour guide in each city since they helped with exchanging currency, translating, haggling, and explaining logistics and history of the cities we were visiting. The sightseeing was phenomenal, especially since it was paired with the tour guide’s knowledge of each place. Of note, the tickets to each place are out-of-pocket expenses (not expensive, mostly less than $7 per person at each place). We saw tons of animals throughout the trip, including a tiger in Ranthambore which we lucked out on! Not shared in the itinerary given online or presented to us when we arrived is that the tour guide and driver will bring you to see local artisans explaining the process of making a regional handicraft (e.g. rugs in Delhi, marble mosaics in Agra, miniature art in Udaipur, and jewelry in Jaipur). After explaining the process you’ll have an opportunity to purchase their art and you can customize as well (they all accept credit cards). It supplemented the trips to each city very well (and were some of my favorite parts of the trip) but I didn’t expect these stops, which took about 1-2 hours at each handicraft shop, so I wanted to be transparent to other potential visitors. Between each city during our transport days, Mr. Rampal would drive us to/from each place and we would take 1-2 breaks per journey for food and restroom stops. Tbh, he was the best!! Not only did he speak English but he was so kind and personable! During the long drives, he explained some Indian culture to us and sang some Indian songs which made us giggle!! The tour comes with unlimited bottled water but at one point he also purchased us some chips because he noticed we liked those snacks, which touched my heart and melted it!! This man deserves a raise and a good retirement plan!! We felt so safe, so taken care of, and so comfortable in his hands. Honestly, I wish I could book him as my private driver for the rest of my life any time I come to India. My friend and I will probably miss him the most from this trip! This tour is excellent, is pretty much all-inclusive, which alleviated our need to research safe places to eat (breakfast was included/paid for at hotels, lunches were chosen by Mr. Rampal during our driving breaks, and dinner was our choice but we usually chose room service or the hotel’s restaurant). We chose the 4-star option for hotels and I wished we would’ve chosen the 5-star ones. While the hotels are nice for India’s standards, as Americans the boutique hotels on our trip were a little bit of a culture shock (e.g. many showers did not have doors and shared the same space as the toilet and sink), and were as clean as possible but still not up to our personal standards. Overall, amazing trip with an amazing itinerary and team of people who made it a memorable and safe trip to India. Booking a private tour was the way to go because even though there were daily schedules for the 8 days, there was also flexibility in terms of side places we wanted to stop by, which saved us from ordering a taxi/Uber. I want to come back and tell others to book this tour group in the future because of how much I enjoyed the tour’s structure, itinerary, and services/amenities included. I’m a planner and it was so nice to take a break from planning a trip to somewhere intimidating like India. Thank you so much Sonia! You and your team (especially Rampal) are awesome!!!

A great introduction to India - I booked this tour with Joyful Holidays using a different booking engine. However, that site limits the length of reviews. I thought this 8-day tour needed a longer review. Also, I'm more active on TripAdvisor and I thought this review may be of help for the TripAdvisor community. Overall, an excellent experience. The staff at Joyful Holiday responds promptly on WhatsApp chat and is very accommodating. We made a few changes and were charged a small upgrade fee. We had the same driver, Rampal Singh, for the entire week. He was extremely kind and skillfully drove through the crazy India traffic. We had the same vehicle - Kia Carens - which is equivalent to a mid size SUV in the US. It was a newer vehicle in excellent condition and very comfortable for the two of us. In each city, we had a different local guide. Be aware, each guide will offer to take you to see local artisans at work (and purchase their wares). You can, of course, decline. However, some of the artwork was incredible and made for good souvenirs. We booked the 5 star hotel package, but in my opinion, the hotels are 4 stars by US standards. Nevertheless, the hotels were clean, comfortable, and more than adequate. Day 1 - 1/2 day Delhi tour of the major highlights. We arrived in Delhi one day prior to see a few other minor sites on our own. 4hr drive to Agra. Clarks Shiraz hotel was a bit dated and the AC didn't work well in our room. Day 2 - Viewing the Taj Mahal at sunrise was magical. Awesome guide (Dilip). 5hr drive to Ranthambore. Serai Bagh hotel was excellent with super attentive staff. This was easily the best hotel of the week. Day 3 - Morning and afternoon safari. We were lucky to see two tigers in the morning. We were booked on the 20 seat "Canter". If possible I recommend the 6 seat "Gypsy". There was a problem with the computer system of the park rangers in the afternoon, so we had to get our tickets re-issued. The delay resulted in shortening the afternoon game drive. Day 4 - 7 hr drive to Udaipur. Free evening. Parallel Hotel is a newer western hotel. The room was small, but otherwise a nice hotel with panoramic views from the rooftop restaurant. Day 5 - All day Udaipur sightseeing. Awesome guide (Ronit). Day 6 - 6 hr drive to Jaipur. Free evening. Jaipur Marriott was typical of Marriotts in the US. The breakfast buffet is extensive. Unfortunately, it was wedding season and Diwali, so there were many large, noisy groups and loud music late into the night. Day 7 - All day Jaipur sightseeing. Day 8 - We added Jhalana Leopard safari in the morning, but were booked at neighboring Amagarh. Didn't see a Leopard, but it was fun riding in the open air "Gypsy". 5 hr drive to Delhi and end of tour.

Wonderful Tour, Great Driver, Amazing Sightseeing - Great experience! Our driver for the entire 8 days was Ajay Kumar and he was brilliant, taking care of our every need and ensuring the trip was efficient and safe. The drives were comfortable and informative - also an enjoyable part of the tour. The city guides that were arranged were very informative and did a great job of highlighting the unique aspects of each location!

Excellent - We're Really thankful for the Joyful Holidays 8-day Golden Triangle Tour with Ranthambore we had with them. Everything fell perfectly into place - the local guides, drivers, and hotels were all beyond fantastic. Ms. Sonia, our driver, stood out remarkably, ensuring safe travels while considering our every need. The guides were top-notch, adding immense value to our experience. Right from the start, we felt secure in their hands, anticipating and savoring every single moment. For anyone considering a trip to India, reaching out to World Travel Experiences Joyful Holidays is an absolute must, I highly recommend their services.

Excellent - We're Really thankful for the Joyful Holidays 8-day Golden Triangle Tour with Ranthambore we had with them. Everything fell perfectly into place - the local guides, drivers, and hotels were all beyond fantastic. Ms. Sonia, our driver, stood out remarkably, ensuring safe travels while considering our every need. The guides were top-notch, adding immense value to our experience. Right from the start, we felt secure in their hands, anticipating and savoring every single moment. For anyone considering a trip to India, reaching out to World Travel ExperiencesJoyful Holidays is an absolute must, I highly recommend their services.

Excellent - We recently went on the Golden Triangle Tour with Ranthambore with Joyful Holidays and it was an amazing experience! The tour was well-organized and the itinerary was perfectly planned. We got to see some of the most iconic landmarks in India, including the Taj Mahal, the City Palace, and the Qutub Minar. The highlights of the tour was the Taj Mahal and definitely the visit to the Ranthambore National Park, where we saw two tigers, a leopard, and other wildlife in their natural habitat. The hotels we stayed in were comfortable and clean, and the food was delicious. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly, and he made sure that we had a great time throughout the tour. I would highly recommend the Golden Triangle Tour with Ranthambore with Sonia’s Joyful Holidays to anyone who wants to explore India’s rich cultural heritage and wildlife. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you won’t forget!

My Indian Adventure with Joyful Holidays - Joyful Holidays made organising my Indian tour easy and stress free. Sonia took care of all my needs before and during the tour. Excellent communication and prompt replies. Highly recommend.

Joyful Holidays is a must when booking your tour in India!! - Excellent travel tour. We were able to book the trip very easily from Australia and Sonia was so helpful every step of the way to customise the tour. Our driver Ajay was also especially helpful and great throughout the tour. We highly recommend Sonia and Joyful Holidays!!

Amazingly excellent Service - We Just came back from the tour of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh with Joyful Holidays. We were collected from the airport and then began an excellent tour. Our chauffeur was always on time and went out of his way to accommodate whenever and where ever we wanted to go from or out of the schedule. We decided we wanted to visit the few temples. I found him and all our guides without any problems. An unforgettable experience. Kapoor is an excellent and safe driver. We are so glad that on many occasions that he was driving and not me given the chaotic nature of India's roads! We did the trip in great order. This ensured we got back to Delhi on time. Highlights of the tour was Ranthambhore Safaris. Taj Mahal ,Temples and many many more seen two tigers as well as seen many other animals like Leopard ,bear ,deers and so much more. Ranthambore is a great national park. Great guides were provided specially Delhi Agra Jaipur these three were best. We would not hesitate to recommend Sonia and Joyful Holidays and his team to anyone planning a trip to India and we will certainly use her for any future trips.