Behind the Taj Mahal with Sunrise or Sunset view by Tuk Tuk Ride

A scam - don't book with them

Nothing about this tour is as advertised. No tuk tuk. We were picked up in a car. Pick up time was supposed to be at 6pm for a sunset tour. They "forgot" that sunset was at 5:45. They called us at 5pm to tell us a driver would be at our hotel in 10 minutes. We rushed out, only to have to wait for him. Then we stopped to pick up a guide who was not at the pick up point. Realizing we would miss the sunset, I urged the driver to leave. Traffic at that time was horrible. There was a nine-day festival taking place. The tour operator failed to take this into account. When we arrived at the viewing site, the road had been barricaded by local ruffians and required a payment to allow us to proceed. After much shouting back and forth with our driver, we were allowed to proceed. Our driver parked blocks away from the entrance to the viewing platform. Another scam was a tram to take us from the parking to the entrance. He also demanded payment. To our surprise, we would not be allowed into the viewing platform unless we paid an entrance fee. After several calls to the tour operator, Salamat, the driver came running to pay the entrance fee. I asked Salamat why none of these fees had been paid for. He went around in circles with no clear explanation. So what did we pay for? The tour page on Viator clearly claims everything is included in the tour package. When we finally arrived at the viewing area, the sun had set almost 30 minutes earlier. This company robbed us of this special moment in our only night in Agra. The tour operator later sent us an email filled with inaccurate information, including a reference to "last minute booking" ( we booked almost a month ago ), and taking credit for having "paid" for fees. So again, WHAT DID WE PAY FOR? Don't use this company. It is a scam. You will be very disappointed.

Response from the operator: Dear Mr Orlando Thank you for your feedback. We regret that the experience did not meet your expectations, and I’d like to address the concerns you raised. Firstly, we provided a complimentary upgrade from a tuk-tuk to a car, as we noticed that a tuk-tuk may not have been the most comfortable option for you due to weight restrictions. This was done to ensure your comfort during the tour. Regarding the pickup, your hotel is located only 15 minutes away from the sunset point, and we arranged for your pickup 45 minutes prior. Unfortunately, traffic jams can happen unexpectedly, especially during festival times, which was beyond our control. Despite the delay, we ensured you arrived at the location as quickly as possible. To save your time, we also paid for your entrance tickets, which were not included in the package, as an extra courtesy. As per Indian Supreme Court regulations, cars are not allowed inside the Taj Mahal premises, and parking is located at a distance. Visitors must use non-polluting vehicles such as golf-carts or battery-operated rickshaws, and we provided this service free of cost, even though it was also excluded from the package. Our driver went above and beyond by accompanying you from the parking lot to the viewing point, despite not being allowed inside after parking, to ensure you reached the site without any hassle or delays. We hope this clarifies the situation, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our services in the future. Thank you for your understanding.

via Viator

Farid is the best tour guide

Initially disappointed that the promised Tuk Tuk ride was replaced by a car. Have been Tuk Tuking in India before and find them exhilarating amongst the traffic. Our guide, Farid explained that our hotel was situated on a road not accessed by Tuk Tuks. Then, a little disappointed that the boat ride promised in the description was also not available. Farid explained that the Government had brought in a ban on boats on that piece of water. But Saniya Tour and Travels should really remove this item from its description. The original booking time was changed from 6.00 pm to 5.30 pm to allow for a better quality of light. Now... I must say that Farid was excellent, and although we only had him for an hour and a half, he became our favourite guide of all the guides on our India tour. He had a great personality, a really lovely guy. And a very skilled photographer. Knowledgeable as well, and took time out to provide a brief stop to show my wife Agra Fort, which she had missed the day before due to being unwell. Thanks Farid

via Tripadvisor

Solo female tourist, if I could ratec10 I would, 100% recommend, Farid you are a gent!

Great communication for the time of booking. Farid and tuk tuk driver were spot on time. I loved every minute of the tuk tuk drive (felt safe despite crazy driving in Agra)...Farid was knowledgeable without being overkill..showed me the best photo spots, told me some really interesting facts, unfortunately no sunset due to fog but honestly Taj Mahal looked amazing anyway...Farid is a willing photographer (albeit I dont usually pose for photos, he took some great ones which I love...see pics I've uploaded). Went to a store for souvenirs on the way back, the sweetest man in there. So sales pitch whatsoever, quality of goods is unreal..I did purchase but it was cos I wanted the items and a great price too...In summary, trip is under priced for what you get and you totally should book...Thanks for a great afternoon /evening 😊

Response from the operator: Dear Ms. Clair, The credit goes to Farid for all your appreciation. He is a multi talented guy who can transform himself depending upon your requirement. Thanks you so much for such a beautiful feedback. We take pride to announce that we are one of the best and safest travel company for solo female traveler. Once again thanks a lot for all yo kind words and recommendations. Look forward to see you soon in Agra. Please take good care of yourself.

via Tripadvisor

What a great time this was! It was...

<p>What a great time this was! It was fun, crazy and overall fantastic. Our party of 5 was met in our hotel lobby by two guides and walked to our tuk-tuks. A mad dash through city streets brought us near the Taj Mahal, which we'd visited earlier in the day. A short walk brought us to our bikes !. The 2 ladies of the group went by cycle rickshaw the poor man had his work cut out for him!, but the gentlemen in the party along with the guides went to the river by bicycle. There was a little bit of a wait because the small boat captain was working with the police to free another boat that was stuck in the mud the river was very low, but we had a beautiful view of the Taj Mahal while we waited. Finally, a short walk down the embankment beware of cow patties and other debris on the banks, the Yamuna River and riverbank is very polluted, and onto a small wooden boat where we sat on the flat, wooden, open deck of the boat and were punted into the river by our captain as the sun was going down. It was definitely beautiful, see my photo. The boat ride was short, but we took as many pictures as we wanted and it was actually very serene. Back on dry land again, we reversed our trip and were soon back where we dropped the bikes off and walking to our tuk tuks. Our guide asked us if we wanted to stop by his uncle's shop on the way back to the hotel and we agreed. A VERY mad dash through the busy and crowded streets OMG, traffic is simply CRAZY in Agra!, and we were at the uncle's shop and enjoying the opportunity of a little bit of shopping such beautiful fabrics away from the crowds. Back in the tuk tuks soon after and back to our hotel just down the road. We had a seriously fantastic time, although at times we'd wondered what we'd gotten ourselves in for. I would highly recommend this trip, we were safely transported to and from and we really had a great time. It's one of the highlights of our big trip to India.</p>

via Viator