Golden Triangle Tour

A Delhi company built around one circuit

Golden Triangle Tour India Private Limited is a travel company based in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, at G-09, Ashoka Pahari, near JVSD Girls School on Faiz Road. It sells tours of India built around the circuit its name refers to: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The homepage calls the Golden Triangle "one of the most popular and well-received tourist circuits of the country", covering "three of the most vibrant, beautiful amazing cities of India". On top of the core packages it offers a same-day trip from Delhi to the Taj Mahal and a menu of extensions to Varanasi, Pushkar and Udaipur, Orchha and Khajuraho, Bharatpur and Sariska, Haridwar and Rishikesh, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Mata Vaishnodevi, Kashmir, Shimla and Manali, Ranthambhore, Kerala, and Goa and Mumbai. Day trip prices are shown in US dollars.

The about page describes an agency that arranges the whole trip: "all the details bookings, reservations, travel plans, itinerary", plus car and coach rental from "a fleet of vehicles cars or coaches", and help at arrivals and departures. It claims "an experience base of many year in the tourism industry" without giving a founding date, and links an incorporation certificate for the private limited company. The footer carries a "Recommended on Tripadvisor" link, and the navigation includes a "What People Say" page.

The same-day Agra trip

The one true day trip on the site is the Same Day Trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, which the homepage calls "the hassle-free and comfortable way to visit Agra's Taj Mahal". It comes in 2 versions: by car at US$ 105 per person and by train at US$ 100 per person, each with a link to a detailed itinerary. Those itinerary pages are separate, so the start time, the stops beyond the Taj Mahal and the day's length need to be read there.

The site gives background a visitor may find useful. The homepage names the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the Agra page describes the city's rise under the Mughals and notes that Fatehpur Sikri lies "just about 40 km from Agra". It also mentions Mathura and Vrindavan as nearby excursions and the Taj Mahotsav held "between 18-27 February every year". The Delhi page recommends visiting in February and March or between October and December, since "the climate here is of extremes", and the homepage lists sights such as the Red Fort, India Gate, Chandni Chowk, the Kutub Minar and the Akshardham and Bahai temples. For Jaipur, the homepage points to Amber Fort, the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and the Hawa Mahal.

The Golden Triangle packages

The homepage sets out 4 sample programs with day-by-day outlines:

• Golden Triangle Tour with Taj Group of Hotels, 5 nights and 6 days, Delhi to Agra to Jaipur and back, with a night at Hotel Taj View Agra on day 3 and city tours of Delhi and Jaipur.
• Golden Triangle Tour with The Oberoi Group of Hotels, 6 nights and 7 days, adding the Akshardham Temple, a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, and a drive to Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri and Chand Baori.
• Golden Triangle Tour with Ranthambore & Udaipur with The Oberoi Group of Hotels, 8 nights and 9 days, with a morning tiger safari at Ranthambore, Pushkar, a city tour of Udaipur and a flight back to Delhi.
• Golden Triangle Tour by Train, 5 nights and 6 days, taking the Shatabdi Express from Delhi to Agra, an evening train to Jaipur, and a return to Delhi by train via Ajmer.

The menu also lists a Fixed Departure Group Tour, Rajasthan tours and fairs and festivals in Rajasthan. The homepage does not give prices for the multi-day packages; the about page says travelers can send "duration of stay, points of arrival and departure, approximate budget" and the company will work out a deal.

What is included, and the desert camp deals

The about page is unusually direct about inclusions. Breakfast is included for the whole trip, and transport prices include fuel, parking, road, toll and state taxes, vehicle insurance and driver's expenses. Two things are not included: "The entrance fee for monuments that you visit & the charges for professional guides are not included" in the packages. Other meals and personal expenses are the traveler's own. The page says all travel is in air-conditioned coaches, and that extras such as elephant and rickshaw rides and jeep excursions can be arranged, with jungle activities "under the supervision of qualified naturalists".

The Hot Deals page is given over to a separate offer: packages at Exotic Luxury Camps in the Sam Sand Dunes, about 37 kilometers outside Jaisalmer. The page describes 26 tents (6 air-conditioned with king-size beds, 17 non-AC with king-size beds and 3 non-AC twins), each with an attached washroom, and prices the stays in rupees: a 1-night package with camel and jeep safaris for Rs. 6,500 per couple, 2 nights all-inclusive for Rs. 9,500 per couple, a camping night with dinner for Rs. 3,750 per person, and a sunset camel safari with dinner for Rs. 950 per person. It advertises 25% off for booking 30 days ahead, and a 40% discount for defense personnel, doctors and senior citizens. The page does not state whether the camp is owned by Golden Triangle Tour or sold as a partner's product.

Booking, and what the site leaves open

Contact runs through an enquiry form and a phone line listed as "24x7": +91-9811337375. The footer links pages for How to Pay, Payment Methods, Terms of Services, a Cancellation & Refund Policy and a 24 Hrs Helpline, but the homepage and about page do not set out the cancellation terms themselves, and they give no deposit rule, the guides' languages or group sizes for the fixed departures, so those need to be asked before booking. Guide fees and monument tickets sit outside the package price, as noted, which is worth budgeting for.

Golden Triangle Tour suits first-time visitors to India who want a planned route through Delhi, Agra and Jaipur with hotels, a car and a driver arranged, and the option to add Rajasthan or other regions. Travelers with only a day in Delhi can use the car or train trip to the Taj Mahal.