Taj Mahal and Wildlife with Royal Stay at Castles

Traveler Reviews

• CR

  Charles4.5•October 2026
  Comprehensive tour of the golden triangle - good value - single calm and helpful driver (Pradeep) drove us over the...
  Comprehensive tour of the golden triangle - good value - single calm and helpful driver (Pradeep) drove us over the full 12 days - he was on time throughout and went the extra mile in recommending restaurants and taking us to additional sights not on the tour itinerary, as as looking after us on the long drives (finding clean toilets and recuperative cups of chai etc, all much appreciated). Only disappointment was the safari in Ramthambore, where our 2 hour time in the reserve was far too short to have a realistic chance of seeing the tigers (or indeed anything other than varieties of deer) - we had expected a full half day in the reserveShow more
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  Traveled in October 2026
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  James4.7•October 2026
  The tour was amazing from start to the end. We especially loved the stay at Changes Fort it was very nice. Also the...
  The tour was amazing from start to the end. We especially loved the stay at Changes Fort it was very nice. Also the Sardagorh Fort was out of this world, it was like staying at a five star accommodation. At Rathambore we stayed in a tent like accommodation which was great as it set the atmosphere for the Safari to come. The Safari was very enjoyable and we saw Deer, Antilop, Monkey's, Pecocks and different birds. Didn't see the Tager. But we had a great day out 👌Show more
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  Traveled in October 2026
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  Barbara5.0•October 2026
  1.The Drivers (recommended with some improvement) Navigating over 1,000 kilometers across Rajasthan is incredibly...
  1.The Drivers (recommended with some improvement) Navigating over 1,000 kilometers across Rajasthan is incredibly demanding. Our three drivers dealt with chaotic traffic, unpredictable road conditions, and long hours, all while ensuring our physical safety. One annoyance was the volume of incoming calls and the potential for distraction from driving with full concengtration. Best to have them restrict receiving and making calls during stops. 2. The Guides (needs improvement) They did not in the main provide insightful commentary. Some were often on the phone making personal calls and those who did offer commentary, their accent and English language competence was so low, it was a strain to understand them. Others were more interested in hijacking us into side trips for shopping we did not ask for and in one case, a high end restaurant we absolutely had no need of. None impressed us with their knowledge of history or culture and were mostly disinterested. One spent more time meeting and greeting other guides. What was really useful however, was having someone navigating us around large sites and in some cases, answer general questions. Guides are really necessary and time saving as using QR codes takes time. We heard other guides for large bus groups offer really good commentaries in r4eally good English. 3.Accomodation (could make better choices) 8 out of 10 accommodations booked for were all quite inexpensive at around $40 AUD including if we had booked via Agoda or similar with breakfast for 2 people. We felt better choices could have been made with what we paid for the reasons given as follows with ranking. They are in order of stay. We would have appreciated accomodations everywhere in garden settings or overlooking the lakes with windows that can open and are screened against wildlife and a kitchenette or at least microwave. 1 Hotel Khumani Udaipur – 7th 3 Star - would pay more for better, this was too far from the Lake as it was near the bypass. No atmosphere. Construction noise. Fridge didn’t work. Nice rooms but open the windows and be attacked by mosquitoes – not a good idea. Slow breakfast. Went to Lake Pichola Hotel top floor for dinner - gorgeous – top choice any day at only $90 AUD per night over this one. 2 Sardarghar Heritage Hotel – 1st 5 Star - Superb – set in the countryside, all excellent meals personally served as if we were royalty- sunset safari, serene countryside, felt like a queen. Spacious elegant room with a lovely bathroom with full bath. A porch with a swing to catch the breezes. Would return to Rajasthan just to spend time here. 3 Luni Fort Chanwar Jodhpur – 2nd 5 Star - A very hot location and stifling, small old room but atmospheric as we stayed in the old wing. All meals - excellent. Enjoyed exploring it like Sardarghar though much smaller and nowhere near as classy or comfortable as Sardarghar. Room was nowhere near as spacious. 4 The Kothi Heritage Jodhpur – 8th 3 Star - a disintegrating property, tight, stuffy, surrounded by tall buildings with aircon – very noisy, horrid location. Ordinary breakfast. Would not stay again. 5 Chauhan Sherton Pushkar – 6th 4 star - this was too far from the lake and nothing around it. Fridge not working. It was quiet, big and empty and breakfast was great on the rooftop. Spacious comfortable room but Pushkar action is all about the lake. 6 & 7 Harnawa Haveli Jaipur – 4th 3 Star – the company owner’s heritage family property meticulously furnished and cared for. The first ground floor room offered had a nice sit out area but right next to the aircon motor. So changed to the third floor with a light and airy communal sitting room and openable doors to a verandah but room offered was tight with no openable window so stuffy, where other rooms have screened windows that open. Dining room is in an airless basement and not a place to linger for any reason. Very Good. 8 Jungle Cave Resort Ranthmabhore – 3rd 3 Star more like 4 stars. Excellent except none of the windows can be opened and there actually is fresh air in this place near the national park and a lovely open garden setting. The swiss tents were offered first but were a little too shabby and noisy so we chose the more contemporary spacious quiet units. Excellent meals. Attentive service. Loved the environment and garden setting hence the 3rd placing. 9 Surasena Regal Vista Agra – 9th 4 Star nice from outside but disappointing - not well maintained and no atmosphere -more like 3 star. Bed was comfortable but room small, airless, windows cannot be opened and view is a brick wall. Room had a musty odour from years of no circulation. Good selection at breakfast but wondered how fresh. Stale overall and poor location with nothing around but noise. Couldn’t wait to leave. 10 Avalon Courtyard Delhi – 5th 4 star -agent replaced The SM Hotel RMR as did not want to be in busy aerocity. It was a quiet oasis in an old neighbourhood servicing Japanese patrons and hence better in all ways including food and cleanliness than others on this list. A highlight was the small kitchenette and breakfast bar. Would that all hotels offered this and fridges that work like here. Though only a small courtyard, the entire place felt tranquil and calm, cool and restful with a spa and pool. Lovely. Would come again if in Delhi. Meals (prefer evening meal every hotel instead of two lunches we could not get to) All accommodations include breakfast in any case if making bookings online ourselves and were mostly good. The tour only included two lunches and dinners at the 5 star forts but due to necessary distances to travel, both lunches are impossible to get to as we arrive around 4 or 5 pm in the afternoon and leave early next day. I had to ask the operator to replace these meals and it took some effort where appropriate planning could have sorted it without the hassle arising. A better option is to have all evening meals included at the hotels if they were going to be so far from the main action and lunches in transit. The Sights (Recommended with a caveat) There is so much worth seeing in Rajasthan and this tour covered most of it but would probably add a visit to a campsite in the desert as we were close enough. A major glitch arose with the prime attractor on this tour and that is the Tiger safari in the national park and overnight stay in Ranthambore. It’s a great trip through interesting villages and countryside to get to. Beware a disclaimer however that says “subject to availability”. We took this to mean we would not be able to do a safari due to unforeseen circumstances like an emergency park closure, seasonal closures but not due to bookings not being secured in time due to oversight or someone not actually making the bookings or for some other reason that cannot be defended. Permits and tickets are available 90 days before day of Safari. About two months before departure, we received a request from Swastik to provide our photos and ID to get safari permits to make bookings which we did. We thought no more of it. Now we know to have requested completed permits and bookings soon after sending our ID. Advice to others booking this tour is to hold company accountable for making those bookings in good time and to question if they have to take alternatives like shortening the trip 100km and going to a much less crowded but also less desirable and cheaper park like Sariska. As it was the night before the scheduled arrival in Ranthambore and safari, we were shocked to be told we were not going at the last minute. It caused us stress and loss of sleep attempting to find a way around this. We refused the Sariska offer and informed Swastik we knew they still could secure last minute permits and safari seats by physically presenting at the Park permits office the following morning from 6am. We set off the next morning and arrived at 1pm in time for a 2pm safari only to be told again by Swastik, no places were available. More stress and disappointment. A quick internet search on GetYourGuide told me that there was no availability for 2pm that day as it was by this time, 1.30 but there was for 6am the following morning. I immediately called Swastik back and asked him to book 6am through this portal. He refused. I said I would book and he could reimburse me. He refused. I insisted then he asked to speak to our driver. He told him to take us to the ticket office, have our ID and a selfie ready and try our luck. We could have done this on our way into Ranthambore an hour before without the stress and inconvenience to us and the driver to have to backtrack some distance to the Parks Booking Office. We then had to rush into town, find the place and deal with officialdom. Finally the permits were released at 2.20pm then another mad rush to the Park entrance where many trucks were assembled. Apparently they do not depart at 2pm , more like 3pm, and surprisingly, most trucks and jeeps had one or more empty seats. The complaint in this review is that all this stress, rush and drama did not have to be put onto us. We were satisfied with our choice of tour and tour operator until this happened. It is not just for either Swastik or Tour Radar to say to us that we got to Ranthambore and went on the safari after all and therefore there is no problem. Swastik may have forgotten to book us and so failed to secure the permits in time, or be practising a well-documented tactic among tour agencies of “bait and switch” – attract customers with the lure of Ranthambore NP safari, a well-known tourist attractor, add an ambiguous disclaimer “subject to availability”, not book , and last minute inform the customer they are not going and make an offer of a less costly, unknown, less attractive option leaving the customer frustrated, disappointed and dismayed, thus clouding any positive experience they might have had with the tour to date and feeling a keen loss of trust. No accountability adds insult to injury and to discount the stress we and the driver had to endure, is a further omission of duty to deliver what was paid for. Hence why I called it a breach of contract and why my husband who had to do much of the work at the ticket office himself, sent a message to Swastik saying he wanted compensation. I would like this not to happen to other people . What was even easier for Swastik was that they could have got us into the quotas either as foreign visitors or nationals as we both have OCI cards and foreign passports. We know very well Ranthambore Tiger Reserve permits are strictly regulated by the Rajasthan Forest Department. Vehicles (Gypsys and Canters) and daily zones are capped with tight quotas. For popular peak dates, bookings open up to 90 days in advance and sell out quickly. The request for our "Selfie" and ID 2 months before is the Red Flag. The requirements were known to Swastik as the government strictly mandates a valid passport or government ID number for every single person tied to a permit. We paid in full and sent the necessary IDs weeks in advance so to drop Ranthambore last-minute, raises that red flag. The defensive pivot to the cheaper, less well-known Sariska National Park and a much less attractive accommodation offer with a change of route shortening the trip by over 100 km, certainly did not seem like a fair option for us and Tour Radar’s response that he offered this citing the disclaimer of a safari being “subject to availability” was even more invalidating. We paid a 100% up front and have every right to hold both Swastik and Tour Radar accountable. Swastik’s showing us proof of booking attempts when I requested it was a message saying he tried that day but there was a glitch but he supplied no proof of attempts 90 days ago. There would be a system rejection receipt from the Rajasthan Forest Department portal showing exactly when the attempts were made well before the day of departure attempt. If he cannot provide a time-stamped receipt or system error showing a genuine effort much earlier than the day of departure, then we cannot simply accept he ever did it. Regardless, me booking with GetYourGuide would have secured the safari in a private 6-seater Gypsy for sure the following morning at 6am which I would have opted for making our arrival into Agra only 1.5 hours later than our scheduled arrival. Swastik refused this option and it would have been more expensive. If others take the Sariska option, they should know there would need to be an itemized partial refund for the more expensive cancelled Ranthambore entry fees, safari costs, reduced mileage and cheaper hotel. My intention in taking the time and trouble writing this review is to help others and prevent the possible practise of bait-and-switch among tour operators. We are presenting Tour Radar with the facts of what happened and our attempts to make sense of it. Agencies guard their digital reputations fiercely and public exposure is often the only way to get a defensive operator to apologize for the stress occasioned and or issue a fair and appropriate refund. Poor administrative skills should not cost any traveller their hard-earned vacation experience. The “subject to availability” disclaimer needs to questioned. It is legally invalid and actually illegal when used to mask administrative errors or omissions or to execute bait and switch tactics. If the agent knew Ranthambore slots were tightly capped and likely unavailable weeks ago, but took our money in full weeks ago, neither the tour operator nor Tour Radar, can use that disclaimer as a shield. There is a provable breach of contract contrary to Swastik telling me there is no such thing due to the disclaimer. Physically going to the ticket window and seeing open bookings on GetYourGuide proves there was actual availability. The claim of unavailability on Swastik’s part was not genuine and absolute across the market. Booking a specialised safari tour in a world famous national park is a core purpose of the contract. Sariska or any other alternative, changes the very nature of what was purchased. Had we not secured the permits and tickets by our own persistent efforts, there would have been a breach of contract. Tour Radar and Swastik need to be aware of this and vigilant as there could have been grounds for legal action. As such we would have been entitled to a full refund and material damages for disappointment. Hence not surprising my husband was seeking monetary compensation. As it is, we have been stressed , we lost sleep, wasted time, and now put further effort and time into writing this review and left with a shadow over our travel experience.Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
• SH

  Simon5.0•October 2026
  Tour was very well planned. Hotels were excellent, especially the castle stay, which was a unique experience. Guides...
  Tour was very well planned. Hotels were excellent, especially the castle stay, which was a unique experience. Guides were very helpful and knowledgeable.Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
• CD

  Cheryl4.2•October 2026
  Overall this tour was good. The driver Dhalip was exceptional. The guides at different stop offs, were well spoken &...
  Overall this tour was good. The driver Dhalip was exceptional. The guides at different stop offs, were well spoken & knowledgeable. The tour only lost a star due to a few things missed from itinerary. Jeep in Jaipur...Itmad-ud Daulah & a change of safari times from pm to am. Could of easy have included another safari. Overall the 3 star accomadation was good, clean & comfortable. There is a lot of driving on this tour & the driver went above & beyond to deliver a safe drive. Would use the same operating company again.Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
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  Dianne4.2•October 2026
  My rating goes for our driver Ram, who deserves the 5 stars - he picked us up from the airport (and dropped us off at...
  My rating goes for our driver Ram, who deserves the 5 stars - he picked us up from the airport (and dropped us off at the end of the tour) and took care that we enjoyed every moment of the tour. If there were minor communication issues, he actioned Google translate immediately, plus even researched the odd attraction to help us gain understanding and knowledge. His driving skills were outstanding as he 'patiently' navigated the pot holes, cows and roads. We would have liked to spend more time in Pushkar, with its smaller population, Brahma temple, sunset over the lake and large bazzar. The guides we had were quite good, with Udapair and Agra being more personable. We upgraded to 4 star hotels before we left, and were extremely disappointed in the location and the hotel in Delhi, and there was an issue with the safari placement (but that was rectified after discussion with Swastik). Overall, we enjoyed our time and were very pleased that Ram thought of us as 'his guests'.Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
• JS

  Javier5.0•October 2026
  One of the best tours we ever booked. Whole team did their best to make sure we were enjoying the tour. Highly...
  One of the best tours we ever booked. Whole team did their best to make sure we were enjoying the tour. Highly recommended. 👍Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
• CB

  Christian3.0•October 2026
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  The tour with “Swastik Tours” was, on the whole, well-organized, varied, and enjoyable. Our driver, Himmat, not only...
  The tour with “Swastik Tours” was, on the whole, well-organized, varied, and enjoyable. Our driver, Himmat, not only drove us safely through India—which is no easy task—but also resolved any problems that arose. Specifically, I’m referring to the start of the trip: We were picked up in India, but the booking department had booked the wrong hotels (based on the dates), and Karni—with whom we’d had a detailed travel discussion beforehand—was unreachable. Suddenly, we were told: “Great, you can stay at this hotel near the airport; we’ll just wrap up your tour toward the end.” It turned into a two-hour nerve-wracking ordeal, with arguments, everyone in a terrible mood, and the Delhi sightseeing tour was canceled without a replacement. Fortunately, our persistence paid off, and we were able to start as planned and as we’d paid for… but to this day, not a word of apology? Except from our driver, who was in absolutely no way to blame? Not a chance. Even a visit to the “Wildlife SOS Elephant Care and Rescue Center” (highly recommended), which had been specifically included in the tour itinerary, wasn’t arranged properly. At our request, Karni and his “team” then arranged an appointment on their own—one that didn’t work at all. They had four months to sort this out. In the end, we had to handle the communication ourselves; otherwise, we would have found ourselves standing in front of closed gates. At least the hefty additional fee of €28.00 for an email (!) was refunded without any fuss. This definitely needs to be improved; otherwise, you might as well book it yourself. We usually do just that, and will likely do so again in the future. It’s mainly about the details here, but they can make a significant difference. The Indian attractions, tour hotels, and local guides offered good value for the price—mostly good, though not always. We wasted quite a bit of time on unnecessary, pushy, and overpriced shopping stops along the way. However, the country is far too large to even begin to explore it in eleven days. We knew that beforehand, though ;) Still, we’re left with a strange feeling… it’s a shame, but even with the best will in the world, it doesn’t quite merit five stars.Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
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  Buffy5.0•October 2026
  Excellent itinerary covering historical sites, both the usual ones and the more diverse and different. The royal...
  Excellent itinerary covering historical sites, both the usual ones and the more diverse and different. The royal stays were comfortable and delightful, giving insight into the rich heritage of India I had known nothing of. Our local guides gave a comprehensive cover of their respective locations and answered questions as they came up. Our driver, Pradeep, was incredibly attentive to our needs and went well beyond our expectations of a driver. He was always prepared to put himself and showed initiative and forethought out to supply whatever was needed. All round an informative and enjoyable tour.Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
• YH

  Yamile5.0•October 2026
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  Great—everyone was very friendly.
  Traveled in October 2026