Best of India Tour: Delhi to Alwar

My son and I recently completed an incredible three-week journey through India, Nepal, and Bhutan with Zicasso’s travel company, and I can confidently say it was one of the most seamless and enriching travel experiences I’ve ever had.

From the very beginning, their team demonstrated exceptional attention to detail and deep knowledge of the region. Planning a multi-country itinerary covering Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Kathmandu, Chitwan National Park, and Paro could have been overwhelming, but the travel company made the entire process smooth and stress-free. They were highly responsive, flexible with customization, and clearly experienced in handling complex itineraries. They checked in with us regularly via WhatsApp.

Each destination was thoughtfully curated. In India, we explored the vibrant contrasts of Delhi, celebrated Holi in Agra, and experienced an unforgettable sunrise at the Taj Mahal. Jaipur was equally special, where we stayed in a beautiful heritage hotel and enjoyed a memorable cooking lesson led by the current owner, the great-grandson of the founder. Exploring the colorful spice markets added another rich cultural layer to our time there. Another highlight was visiting an elephant sanctuary. We were introduced to a 52-year-old elephant named Pinky who was rescued from a circus. Feeding and bathing her was an experience I’ll never forget.

Varanasi was a deeply moving experience. The sunrise boat ride on the Ganges, watching locals and pilgrims perform sacred rituals along the riverbanks, was both peaceful and powerful. The travel company ensured we had knowledgeable local guides who helped us truly understand the spiritual significance of these moments.

In Nepal, Kathmandu offered a fascinating blend of history, culture, and personal connection. Highlights included a private meeting with a Buddhist monk, visiting stunning temples and stupas, and a wonderful hands-on experience making momos with a local family. What truly elevated our time there was our guide, whose deep knowledge and thoughtful explanations of both Hindu and Buddhist rituals and beliefs gave us a much richer understanding of everything we were seeing.

Chitwan National Park was another unforgettable highlight. During our time there, we saw an incredible variety of wildlife. Many of the animals were with their babies: rhinos, bears, gaur, deer, and monkeys. We even came across a wild elephant on our way out of the park! The jungle safaris were expertly organized and surpassed any expectations we had. The accommodations were both comfortable and well integrated into the natural surroundings.

Bhutan was the perfect finale to the trip. Paro’s breathtaking landscapes and serene monasteries were arranged flawlessly, and the logistics of entering and traveling within Bhutan were handled expertly, which is something that can often be complicated. My son was able to hike the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, which has long been on his wishlist and it did not disappoint.

What stood out most was the consistency of service throughout the trip. Every transfer, hotel, guide, and activity was well-coordinated. We always felt supported, safe, and well taken care of, no matter where we were. The guides were not only knowledgeable, but also genuinely warm and engaging, adding so much depth to the experience.

Overall, I highly recommend the travel company to anyone considering a multi-destination trip in South Asia. Their professionalism, local expertise, and commitment to creating meaningful travel experiences truly set them apart. This was a once-in-a-lifetime journey made unforgettable by an outstanding team.

Zicasso’s travel specialist delivered on everything we said we wanted to experience on this trip, including history, culture, food, architecture, and wildlife. I was very satisfied with the pricing, the initial planning, and the on-the-ground support we received from the travel specialist’s team.

We had a wonderful trip as a result of the care and attention to detail shown by Zicasso’s travel specialist and his team. We visited Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Cochin, and Munnar. We had a total of 17 days in India, which included three flights. For us, it was a stress-free trip. A representative and driver always met us at the airport, even if the flight was delayed. The drivers were amazing and always made us feel safe.

While on our trip, we requested a lunch reservation at a hotel that only allowed guests onto the property (we were not staying there) and we requested a tour of the Presidential Palace in Delhi. A reservation was secured at the hotel and we had a wonderful tour of the Presidential Palace. Both experiences went above and beyond.

We would highly recommend the travel specialist and his team to anyone considering visiting India. It will be a trip we will never forget.

My wife and I spent 18 days in India, nine in the north and nine in the south. We worked with Zicasso’s travel company on the design of the itinerary, which turned out to be great. The trip was spectacular. All of our drivers and guides were on time and at the correct location for meeting us. We never had to wait for them. All of the guides spoke English, some a bit better than others. The vehicles were air-conditioned and comfortable.

We loved South India a bit more than the north because it was much cleaner and greener, with more wildlife. Cochin, Munnar, and Periyar National Park are beautiful! In the north, we went to Ranthambore National Park and did see a tiger, leopard, and sloth bear in three safaris. It is worth it to go to Delhi for a day, as well as the Taj Mahal and Agra, although these cities are very crowded and dirty. It is cool to see all the cows in the streets. We also recommend Keoladeo National Park for birds and other wildlife. If there was a destination that we would avoid if we had to do it all over again, it would be Jaipur. The city is huge, grimy, and loud, with not much greenery or trees.

Zicasso’s tour operator was a great planning and execution partner. Their guidance during planning was spot-on and the trip plan they created for us was almost exactly what we were hoping for.

During the planning, we had a lot of unknowns and imprecise aspirations. The tour operator always offered informed observations and our trip plan was modified as a result, always for the better.

During the execution of the trip, the tour operator was in constant touch to ensure any glitches or changes were being addressed and managed. They were completely supportive, available, and helpful.

The arrangements they made for us met all our requirements. The accommodations met our standards and the guiding and escort services were exemplary, with very capable, caring, and informed guides at each location. The travel-support services, cars, drivers, and welcoming representative at each arrival point were far better than we expected or hoped for. The travel execution team we had was just great.

The tour operator was very mindful of delivering to us an experience that reflected the Indian culture and the full Indian experience, both today and historically.

In our opinion, we do not think that they really could have done anything better than they did. As a result, we give them a full five-star rating, with no hesitation in any respect.

Zicasso’s travel specialist and the tour company were terrific! They made the process very easy and in every city we were welcomed by a representative from the company.

The overall trip was fantastic! Our driver was excellent. His driving skills were masterful and made our journey very comfortable. The overall traffic in India was overwhelming and while we've heard stories about it, it is something you need to experience for yourself. Our driver did a great job of navigating the traffic in an efficient manner and we always felt very safe.

Agra was amazing. Getting up before sunrise to see the Taj made the experience even more memorable. Thank you for arranging that. Compared to some of our friends who have gone, the lack of significant crowds at that time made a big difference to the overall experience. I was not as impressed with our hotel in Agra. It felt more like a large chain hotel and lacked the five-star luxury that I would have expected. The visits to the marble factory and tapestry collective were excellent. We really enjoyed the visits and ended up with amazing souvenirs. We loved our guide in Agra. He was by far the best one we had on the trip. He took the time to learn all of our names and was very engaging during our day together. We asked him a lot of questions about the culture and lifestyle in India, and he was great.

Jaipur was great. The Amber Fort and elephant ride were definitely the highlights in that city. The large cannon we could have done without. It didn't really add anything. We enjoyed the City Palace and the astronomic gardens as well. The hotel was fabulous and truly a five-star experience. Our rooms were very spacious and the food was great. We had an outside dinner planned at a restaurant in Jaipur (one of your recommendations) and our driver was so helpful in getting us to and from the restaurant. Our guide was good, but less friendly and more transactional. One of our group felt like he was more of a professor lecturing to us. Nonetheless, the information was very good.

Jodhpur was probably the other major highlight for us. We loved the city. The stay in the old city and our hotel in Jodhpur was excellent. The restaurant on site had amazing food and the rooms were again very spacious, with amazing views of the fort. Another five-star luxury experience. We were amazed by the beauty of the fort and impressed with the way it was built on top of the mountain. Amazing! We also enjoyed the City Palace and, in the future, would suggest arranging a dinner or lunch at the hotel there so we could have gone to see what the rest of the palace looked like by visiting the hotel.

The drive from Jaipur to Jodhpur was very long. Not much to do about that. It was obviously very convenient to have all of our luggage with us in the van between cities and doing flights may have taken the same amount of time. We also really enjoyed our guide here. He took us on tours of the local areas in the old city, including the stepwells, market, and blue city. While it was very enjoyable, it was also a little overwhelming for some of our group. Probably one of them would have chosen to stay at the hotel rather than walk around the blue city, but everyone else had a great time on that tour.

Udaipur was lovely and we really enjoyed the City Palace tour and the boat ride on the lake. I would have suggested staying at one of the hotels on the lake there as an option. Had we not been at the wedding, I would have loved the experience of staying at one of the hotels on the lake. Our hotel in Udaipur was nice, but far from everything. Obviously, we had no choice, as that's where the wedding took place.

Overall, an amazing trip. Once in a lifetime. I would love to go back to India and focus on other parts of the country.