Flavours of the South: Karnataka & Goa

Reviews from other tours by Taj Holidays

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  Timothy5.0•September 2025
  The overall tour was very good. Vishwanath was our driver the entire trip and from meeting us at the airport to...
  The overall tour was very good. Vishwanath was our driver the entire trip and from meeting us at the airport to dropping us off on the last day, he did a fantastic job and made sure that we were taken care of, providing water before tours and taking us to places on the journey. All of the tour guides spoke English very well and provided a lot of information about each sight. They all also did a great job of taking photos at each place and making sure that there were as few people as possible in them. Our trip was August 20th through the 27th and due to heavy rains the road to Ranthombore was closed, so we did spend an extra day in Jaipur and did a leopard safari there. Communication with the tour operator was good and we would look at them for tours if we return to India. In Delhi, we stayed at the Suncourt Hotel Yatri for two nights, if you would like to see reviews online. The second day we started around 9 and spent most of the day out. The India Gate and Red Fort were both drive-bys, and the Lotus Temple was just on the outside. Overall, the day was good, not too long and we didn’t feel that we spent too much time driving. I would recommend that you make sure you have some small bills/coins, as Jama Masjid and the ride through Old Delhi will require some tips (person watching shoes, the rickshaw driver). The second day we left Delhi right after breakfast. In Agra we stayed at the Hotel Maple Grand. This was better than the stay in Delhi, the room felt cleaner. After arriving in Agra, we met our guide, checked into the hotel, and departed for Fort Agra. The Fort was nice to visit, however make sure you bring water and something for the sun (Vishwanath let us borrow his umbrella to help with the sun). After the Fort, we had the rest of the day to ourselves and met early for Taj Mahal the next morning. Our guide gave us a great tour of both and helped us get great pictures at both without having too many people in them or waiting too long. After Taj Mahal, we had breakfast and started the trip to Bharatpur. On the road to Bharatpur, we stopped in Fatehpur and Sikri for a 90 minute tour. The area was nice, just be sure to bring some small denominations of rupees with you as once again you will be having someone watch shoes. Wearing socks might also help, as the rocks do get pretty hot there. In Bharatpur we stayed at Regenta Resort. The hotel was fine and the restaurant in the hotel was ok. After check-in, we had the rest of the night to ourselves. The next morning we went to Kaleodeo National Park and spent the morning with a guide pointing out birds. This was a nice change of pace, since it was out of the city and quiet. Afterwards, we ate breakfast and checked out, making our way to Jaipur (the tour would usually go to Ranthombore, however due to rains we were unable to go). In Jaipur we stayed at the Rime Vesta. This was the cleanest of the hotels we stayed at and the location was alright. The first day in Jaipur we only did the Leopard Safari (did not see any, hope you have better luck if you go). The second day was a tour of the city, with scenic stops throughout including the Lake Palace. We did also go to Elejungle to see the elephants and one of the highlights of the whole trip was feeding them (7500 INR for rides for 2 people, 2000 INR to feed per person, the feeding is the better option). I appreciated that the tour had a different guide in each area, as it felt they had expanded knowledge of the sights in their area (even though most travel) as it was mainly close to their homes. Be prepared for lots of tips though, as each day you will have a different guide. We did get a lot of great pictures without having to spend too much time ourselves finding spots, as the guides all knew good areas. The drives were sometimes long and Vishwanath did a great job of planning stops along the way. I would recommend this tour if you would like a private tour that is not too rushed with decent hotels (I think you can upgrade to 5-star throughout and my partner said she would do that if we did it again).Show more