10 Day Colorful Rajasthan Tour with Taj Mahal and Wildlife

Great Golden Triangle

Joyful Holidays did a great job planning and delivering our trip to the Golden Triangle plus Ranthambhore and Jaisalmer. Our trip was in March 2026 and included 10 hotel nights (4 star), guides in each city plus some additional stops between destinations, cars with drivers, an airline flight and an overnight train journey. Parveen, who was our driver for most of the trip and Dinesh who was our guide in Jaisalmer were particularly outstanding! This was our first time in India, and Joyful did a great job of creating a comprehensive itinerary that included standard sites plus additional sites we requested and 2 specific hotels. Our drivers and guides provided lots of historical information and insights into everyday life. Perhaps even more valuable, they translated for us and guided us through complicated processes and admissions at the monuments saving countless hours and frustration. English not common outside major hotels and restaurants. We generally plan our own trips and travel on our own with limited assistance, but were glad we didn’t this time. We ran into a couple of minor hiccups, but they were resolved by Dinesh and quick responses from Sonia at Joyful. There were two things I would do differently. First, is time our visit to Jaisalmer while airline service was available to avoid an overnight train trip back to Delhi. Second, I’d skip the night at a “desert camp”. To be clear though, these were our requests and were not suggestions from Joyful. And Joyful was able to arrange a Private First Class, coupe compartment for the train trip which made it much better.

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Amazing trip around Golden Triangle and additional sights

With Sonia's help we adapted and extended the trip to include additional stops and sights. Sonia was incredibly helpful and flexible and even happy that we organised our own accommodation. Communication throughout our trip was timely and efficient, advising us of timings and details of guides etc. (special mention to guides Joggy (Bundi) and Dino (Shimla) who were fantastic). Everything worked like clockwork.

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Amazing. Fantastic customer service, flexible with itinerary and local knowledgeable guides

What can I say about joyful holidays and Sonia it's owner. If I could give 6 stars I would but have been limited to 5. I wanted to arrange a tour of northern India with my wife and 2 adult children. I found joyful via Internet search and from the start they were absolutely brilliant. Sonia asked what we wanted and what our budget was. Working with that she created a bespoke tour for us. 2 tours one south of delhi (agra and ranthambore)and one north and West of delhi (shimla, chandigarh, anandpur sahib, Ludhiana and amritsar). Initially all via email answering every question very quickly and advising on our choices and making recommendations. Week before departing for india Sonia provided her WhatsApp and the drivers WhatsApp. Once again all queries answered promptly. Our driver mr ram pal was fantastic. Never tired, always available, extremely calm esp in the chaos of delhi. He was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. If I wanted him, him his answer was always 'yes sir whatever you want'. Amazing customer service. Sonia gave us options of 4* and 5* hotels which we picked. We could.have picked others and she would have booked them for us, giving us price for each. Sonia also arranged, as part of the package, a tour guide at every site. Each was an extremely knowledgeable local guide who knew the site, its details and its history extremely well. Absolutely fantastic. Sonia would contact us regularly to make sure we were OK and then also advised of any upcoming issues ie crowds at the sites we were going to and gave tips on how to remain safe. So caring and considerate. Another amazing thing was that we could change our itinerary on the fly and Sonia would try her best to sort out. Everytime she came through for us. We decided last.minute to catch train from delhi to chandigarh instead of the arranged drive as it was 5 hours long. Sonia booked the tickets for us promptly and sent tickets via WhatsApp. How brilliant. Ram pal our driver took our luggage a day early by car and picked us up at chandigarh station the next day. We were also going to catch a train from.amritsar to delhi (6 to 7 hours). Decided 2 days before to fly. Sonia advised us we booked the flights. She cancelled our train and used that money to arrange pickup from delhi airport and then the next day ram pal picked us up to take us to delhi airport for flight back to London. He had driven 12 hours from amritsar to delhi. Was able to pick us up at 2.30am to take us to airport always with a smile. What amazing customer service. So if you want great customer service, amazing tours arranged, amazing tour guides, amazing drivers and with flexibility to arrange last minute things all with excellent communication then there is no one apart from joyful holidays and Sonia to contact. We as a family are more than happy to recommend. If we go to India again we will 100% use joyful. I have already recommended them to friends and family. Thank you joyful holidays, Sonia and ram pal for making our family holiday so brilliant.

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing such a detailed and heartfelt account of your family’s journey with Joyful Holidays. I am truly touched by your kind words and delighted that the bespoke tours — both south and north of Delhi — gave you such a rich and memorable experience. Your appreciation of Mr. Ram Pal means so much. His calmness, humor, and dedication, even during long drives and early hours, reflect the care we want every guest to feel. I am glad his attentiveness and flexibility made your travels seamless and enjoyable. I am equally grateful for your recognition of our guides, whose knowledge and passion brought each site alive, and for your kind words about the hotels and communication. It brings me joy to know that the flexibility to adjust plans — whether trains, flights, or last-minute changes — added to your comfort and peace of mind. Your recommendation inspires me greatly, and I am honored that you would entrust Joyful Holidays again for future travels. Thank you for allowing my team and me to be part of your family’s adventure in India. With gratitude, Sonia Handa

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INDA (Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Aurangabad, Mumbai)

One of the few companies willing to arrange travel to Ellora caves. The created a tour for us exactly as we requested. Excellent communication throughout the process.

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your appreciation of Joyful Holidays. I am delighted to know that we could create a tour to the Ellora Caves exactly as you requested. It brings me joy that our communication throughout the planning and journey felt clear and reassuring, as this is something I value deeply. Your recognition inspires me to continue offering unique and flexible itineraries that allow guests to experience India’s treasures with ease and confidence. I am grateful you entrusted Joyful Holidays with your travels. With gratitude, Sonia Handa

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Colourful Rajasthan

This trip was organised as a Birthday Trip for my Wife. The Tour of Rajasthan was amazing with amazing places that we visited from the Taj Mahal, Red Forts, Temples, visiting the blue city and Havelis. Coming face to face with those amazing craftsmanship is beyond real. Staying in a really nice Haveli at Chobday was really a nice experience which we both very much enjoy. Everyone who visit India should at least one time stay in one of the haveli. We also had an amazing driver (Mr Ram Pal) who stayed with us from Day 1 to day 14. It was like having another guide with us, he was very knowledgeable by pointing out places when driving, attending to our last minute request straight away and he was very friendly. Joyful Holidays are very lucky to have him. The downside of the tour was that at each places we visited, we had a different tour guide, some were very good while others not so much. Some tour guide will take us to Artisan shop which are not on the Itinerary, there we got pressured to buying expensive items (Carpets, Jewelleries, old artifacts as well as decorations made out of precious stones). No matter what we said ( cannot afford it, do not have money) was not enough to stop the hassle. We even had 2 tour guides who made us give large donations. One of them informed us that we could make any donation at the temple if we wanted but it had to be done at the donation office. When at the office, we were informed that there were 4 types (amount) for the donation and nothing else. We agreed to make a $100 donation but the guide started pressurising us to make a higher donation. When we stood our ground and paid $100, he informed us that we only paid for rice pudding! he was a tour guide and he told us that he only work at the temple but informed and showed us that he had the latest and expensive phone on him (Samsung s25 Ultra). The other one asked us to make an offering at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah which we agreed for a small one but he organised the offerings which was expensive and later on collected the money from us. Most of the hotels were Vegetarian only and not Licenced. I wished that we had been informed of this as we would have made the necessary arrangements. As Foreigners, when we go on holiday, we want to relax , enjoy ourselves and have a drink or too! My wife's birthday was a sober one, which we were not too happy. One hotel that we believe that all visitor should avoid will be Hotel Tokyo Palace. The hotel closed their restaurant when we were there so we could not have any meals on the day. Thanks to our driver, Mr Ram Pal, he came immediately when we called him and he took us to this amazing restaurant (1156 Ad Jaisalmer). we loved it so much that we had Lunch and dinner there. At night around 11pm, we were disturbed by loud shouting, screaming and door banging as if there was a fight outside our room. we did not sleep at all as the noise continued all night and morning. The next morning again the restaurant was closed thus no breakfast. When checking out , we asked the manager of the hotel about it and just told us that there were few drunk people on both side of our room. They advertise as having a swimming pool but it is next the entrance door, near the reception and the water is very dirty.

Response from the operator: Dear Kailash Sir, Thank you for sharing such an extensive and honest review of your experience with us. We're delighted to hear that you and your wife enjoyed the tour of Rajasthan, with its stunning landmarks like the Taj Mahal, Red Forts, temples, and the enchanting blue city. The craftsmanship and historic charm of the Havelis truly do make for an unforgettable experience, and we're thrilled you enjoyed your stay at the Haveli in Chobday. A special shoutout to Mr. Ram Pal for going above and beyond throughout your trip—it’s wonderful to hear that he played such an integral role in making your journey enjoyable. He is indeed a valued member of our team, and we’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to him. We were also happy to upgrade your vehicle to an SUV at no extra cost to make your travel more comfortable. We truly appreciate your constructive feedback as well. We deeply regret that some aspects of the trip fell short of your expectations. The issues with certain tour guides about the pressure for donations are unacceptable, and we will take immediate steps to ensure that such practices are strictly addressed. To clarify, we had informed you in advance, multiple times, not to give donations at religious sites—such practices occur globally, and we strive to ensure our guests are well-prepared. We also apologize for the challenges you faced with some of the hotel accommodations and for the lack of advance information regarding vegetarian-only options. Your input will help us ensure better communication and planning for future travelers. We are particularly disheartened to learn about your experience at Hotel Tokyo Palace and the distress you endured there. This feedback will be addressed promptly with the management to prevent such incidents from happening again. Thank you for highlighting both the positive and areas for improvement in your review. We value your insights and will strive to provide an even better experience for our guests in the future. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back and make your next journey truly exceptional. Regards Ms. Sonia Handa

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