sueblue

I am planning a 3 week trip to India with a friend in January, 2012. We are looking to customize a trip using private guides and drivers and would like to stay in upscale hotels. Our roundtrip international air is booked in and out of Delhi, and we are planning to focus on the North and/or the Golden Triangle. Can anyone recommend an EXTREMELY reputable local tour operator? The most important considerations for us are the quality of the guides, a strong customer service orientation and strong execution on the details. While we would like to capitalize on the lower cost of using a local operator, we do not wish to sacrifice quality and are therefore looking for a "sure thing" even if it costs a bit more. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!

sueblue

Thanks very much, Travbull. Mr. Gupta certainly got rave reviews. However, because our trip is going to cover a lot of ground (probably from Rajasthan to Varanasi), we will need someone to coordinate the entire 3 week trip. It sounds like Mr. Gupta focuses solely on Delhi and Agra. Is he associated with an Agency?

Kathie

sue, do note that the post from travbull has been removed because he was advertising. He probably also advertises on TripAdvisor as well.

Do a search here - there are plenty of recommendations from regular posters here.

Craig

sue - I just read about the experiences you had in Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos. Your expectations for India may be too high. Things will probably go wrong at some point. A good agency will likely correct any problems but there are no sure things in India. A Delhi-based travel agency will likely be best for handling Delhi and will contract out for Jaipur, Varanasi or wherever else you wish to travel. That being said, Castle and King and VP Singh at legendsandpalaces.com get good recommendations on this forum. A little more expensive but perhaps more of the type of agency you are looking for is yatrik.com. Good luck and post a report when you return.

rhkkmk

in october i will be going to india for a 2nd time... i have used castle and king both times for helping me with some of my planning... avrind, the owner is a very capable man and offers great services and assistance. his fees are reasonable comparitively.

his driver on our last trip was the single best part of our golden triangle experience... he made the trip for sure. the guides provided were 110%, except for one who was only 90%. the driver was totally flexible and could adapt to changes easily. make sure you request an SUV as smaller cars are uncomfortable sandwiched amongst the trucks plying india's highways...

google his company or contact him at:
[email protected]
or
[email protected]

tell him bob and karen suggested him to you.
he books at all levels of travel...

a one night stop at neemrana fort palace hotel for your last night on the way back to delhi or your first night away from delhi is fun.

sueblue

Thanks everyone! I had been checking out Castle and King and found a few negative posts . . . perhaps they were isolated instances. Bob, I believe you were also happy with Tonkin? As you may recall, my experience with them was awful and that is why is I am looking for more of a sure thing -- particularly with the guides. Did Castle handle all of your trip? Craig, I will check out legendsandpalaces and yatrik. Thanks again, everyone.

Kathy, are you an avid traveler to Asia? I remember you helping me with Southeast Asia and perhaps even Africa at an earlier date . . .

Kathie

Sue, I'm an avid Asia traveler. I've been to a few places in Africa, but I don't hang out on the Africa forum.

Sue, given how critical you were of Tonkin (and I do remember your report), I would forewarn you that things are likely to be less smooth in India than they were for you in VN. Not even the best tour operator can guarantee you a smooth trip. Allow time for glitches and delays in India.

Good luck - and do let us know how it goes for you.

rhkkmk

kathie is right... things often go off in another direction in india...

craig reported several serious problems on his trip but they were able to be fixed finally.... it is not uncommon to arrive at a hotel (lux) only to be told the special suite you reserved months ago is not available....

i do remember your report on tonkin now that you mention it...
perhaps it is best if you do not mention my name to arvind.
asian travel is not like usa or european travel--things are far less certain.

Jaya

January is the coolest month and therefore, fog occurs almost daily and can interrupt travel and interfere with sightseeing. It's the Indian way to take it all in stride. Planes and trains are not allowed to depart if the fog is too thick and visibility too little. Driving is not safe in the fog either.

JerryS

Another strong recommendation for VP Singh, Legendsandpalaces.com.
He does more than just show you the sites; he will make India come alive, for better or worse.
Have a great trip.

sueblue

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

By the way, I very much understand that third world travel is fraught with inconvenience and plans that don't work perfectly . . . I have traveled many, many places so I have no problem when things don't go as planned. I do have a problem when the guides are completely uninformed or don't speak English, the hotel is dumpy when we request something upscale (if there are options available at the location),or the hotel is not centrally located if promised.

lcuy

Sue, I think you should check out the Oberoi Hotels' tours. They will likely be your best chance to have a fairly trouble-free trip. Plus their hotels are wonderful.

lcuy

Sorry, here is the link:


http://www.oberoihotels.com/special_offers.asp

Jaya

Republic Day is January 26, 2012. If you'll be there at that time try to take in some of the festivities.

CaliNurse

I've used Faith Pandian at Indianpanorama.in twice now, and was very happy with their services. Tow folks on Fodors (Lipgirl and Rinda)that i recommended them to were also happy with the trips planned by Faith . Do check tripadvisor also, for other reviews. I think most are positive.

mkulove

Hi Sueblue,

I am in the travel industry and although I am NOT advertisng my company in any way, I had a pleasure of meeting the owner/manager of World Wide Adventures India P Ltd. based in Delhi this summer in DC. http://www.worldwideadventuresindia.com/
His name is Mr. Balu Menon and I met him for lunch as I plan to extend my work into India. He came highly recommended from one of the US Marketing companies and all my contacts with him since then have been 100% satisfactory. I will hopefully be travelling to India with his comopany next April.(first trip to India).

Good luck and happy planning.

dgunbug

Hi Sueblue,

I know Bob is a big proponent of Arvind from Castle and Kings. We are following his recommendation and will be leaving for India in only 3 days. We will report back and let you know what we think when we return, or from the road. From my experience so far, Arvind is extremely professional. We are hoping that his drivers will be the same caliber.