Ravi Tickoo

We were already happy with the excellent communication w/ActiveIndia before our trip to India Jan.-Feb. 2026. Our confidence was reinforced when we met our local guide in Mumbai, Mr. Suraj and driver, Mr. Sunder and checked into the Suba Palace hotel. Our half day tour of Mumbai, which included seeing the Gate of India, the Victoria Terminus Rail Station, the Gandhi Memorial Museum (Mani Bhavan) on Laburnam Rd. and beautiful city parks, was just enough for us. The Suba Palace hotel was comfortable and accommodating. The next day we were taken to the airport on time & efficiently for the next leg of our India trip, in Delhi. Our IndiGo flight (arranged by ActiveIndia) was also comfortable and efficient. At the Delhi airport we were met by the Delhi ActiveIndia office representative, Adarsh, and our driver for the next week, Mr. Rajesh. Both were friendly and accommodating. We met our local Delhi guide, Nadim Akhtar, at our Delhi hotel, The Colonel’s Retreat, for a quick tour of the Lodi Gardens. Due to the very heavy traffic & our limited time, it appeared we did not see all the planned Delhi highlights, but we did see the most impressive Mahatma Gandhi memorial. As a gardener, I was most touched by the beautiful pollinator gardens and the thousands of bees and butterflies as much as the monuments!
We liked that all our hotels provided a delicious breakfast and most had a restaurant on site. The Colonel’s Retreat was able to accommodate our request for dinner even tho’ we returned from sightseeing after 8 pm.
The next day we got to know our driver Mr. Rajesh, as the trip to Agra was long. We appreciated his skilled driving and he and ActiveIndia selected the perfect places for refreshing rest stops (often with fun shopping opportunities!) In fact, we appreciated the quality and atmosphere of all the places our ActiveIndia guides took us to shop.
In Agra we met our local guide, Mr. Ajay Gupta, there at the hotel, Da Bungalow. Da Bungalow was a quiet and relaxing place to stay, even tho’ we stayed only one night. Mr. Gupta took us to the impressive Agra Fort first, from which we got our first breathtaking glimpse of the Taj Mahal. Mr. Gupta was a premier guide, showing us the detail of the artwork & craftsmanship with local pride and insight. Thanks to him we got lovely “sunset” photos at the Taj to send home to friends & family.
After breakfast the next morning we left Agra for The Abhaneri Stepwell. There, Mr. Rajesh handed us off to a cheerful and knowledgeable local guide for about an hour and we were mesmerized by both the well and the Harshat Mata temple a few steps away. The well, also called the Chand Baori, it was truly a wonder to behold. Then we continued on to Jaipur! In Jaipur, we stayed for 2 nights at the most charming Traditional Haveli, but as soon as we checked in, our Jaipur guide, Mr. Sanjay Safaya, whisked us away to the Laxmi Narayan temple to witness the Aarti ceremony. It was well worth the the rush! In fact, everything Mr. Safaya showed us and introduced us to was marvelous. We especially loved the Jaipur Flower and Vegetable Market in the old part of Jaipur, as well as the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar solar observatory. At the end of a marvelous day of incredible sightseeing, we said a fond “good-by” to Mr. Safaya. We ended our day with a cooking class & dinner with Usha & IV Inder Vigi Singh, a local family. It was really special to learn about their family history and current life in Jaipur.
Our drive to Jodhpur was long, but Mr. Rajesh was very capable and guided us to a good place for lunch! In Jodhpur we enjoyed the lovely Pal Haveli even if only for one night. Our guide there, Mr. Raghunath, was also personable, knowledgeable and easy to communicate with.
The next day we set off for Udaipur and another day & a half of wonderful sightseeing. We stayed 2 nights at the beautiful Karohi Haveli near Lake Pichola, and met our Udaipur guide, Mr. Gajraj there late Sunday afternoon. He & Mr. Rajesh were able to get us to the 6pm show of the Dharohar Dance company at another haveli, Bagore Ki Haveli. That was colorful, but I would have liked to see more of the dancers & marionettes and less of tourists dancing with them! The highlight of our next day in Udaipur was their City Palace & Museum, plus the Courtyard of the Maidens garden . We also liked the Jagdish Temple, where we could take photos & record a short segment of the worship service.
Finishing off our 2nd day in Udaipur, we took a boat ride on beautiful Lake Pichola. It was wonderful to view the city’s skyline from the water.
All in all, we really appreciated all our guides and ESPECIALLY our driver Mr. Rajesh from Delhi to Udaipur (Mon. Feb. 2 through Tues. Feb. 17). We thought all our hotels were a very good value and the personnel at each place were kind and super-hospitable. I appreciated having the written materials ActiveIndia provided. The only negatives we experienced were the heavy traffic and VERY long distances between Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Jodhpur-Udaipur. But that was our ignorance of India, not your agency’s fault. In fact, ActiveIndia provided us with a well-curated and sanitized journey overall. Please convey our appreciation to all your staff and participating businesses. We will refer our friends and family to ActiveIndia and hope to return to India someday, ourselves.

Hotel Review

Hotel Suba Palace,

Mumbai

Although the photo provided was NOT at all like the urban gem we encountered, we liked the location, service and amenities provided. We enjoyed viewing the harbor from the roof top restaurant during tea time.

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable.

Location

Close to the Gate of India and incredible street-level shopping.

Staff

Recommended a good local restaurant with lots of character.

Cleanliness & Comfort

This was a good introduction to Indian hospitality.

Activity Reviews

Old Delhi Sightseeing

Delhi

We only wish we had more time to view monuments and less rime in traffic!

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur

Really enjoyed the Jaipur Flower (& Vegetable) Market.

Quality of Experience

Local guide’s perspective, knowledge & warm enthusiasm.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very patient with heavy traffic. Selected great places for rest stops.

Transport

Comfortable car w/ AC and USB for charging our phones!

Guided Half Day Tour of Mumbai

Mumbai

Standing on the balcony where Mahatma Gandhi stood, at his friend’s house on Laburnum Rd., was quite profound.

Quality of Experience

Great local guide. Very knowledgeable and fun.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was skilled and made us comfortable.

Transport

Good AC!

Cooking Class, and Dinner with Local Family

Jaipur

Very gracious welcome by a local family who shared both their home and family lore/history in Jaipur.

Quality of Experience

Listing to IV’s family stories!

Food

Really enjoyed watching Usha in her kitchen and asking her questions about the ingredients and cooking methods.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

New Delhi Sightseeing

India

I really liked the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial. The pollinator gardens there were a moving tribute to Gandhi’s work with rural honey production.

Quality of Experience

Getting to spend thoughtful time at the memorials.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ac & USB charging capacity.

Explore Agra Fort in the afternoon and see sunset at the Taj Mahal.

Agra

We really loved seeing the Taj Mahal with a local guide who could take us to good spots for fantastic photos. His knowledge and pride in the workmanship was inspiring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

AC & USB charging capacity.

Spiritual Walk in Jaipur

Jaipur

The Spiritual Walk in Jaipur was a truly unique experience. The tour guide, a local with excellent English and deep knowledge of the area, provided an incredible amount of detail and fascinating insights. The highlight was undoubtedly our visit to the flower market, where we were showered with flowers. Having experienced markets worldwide, India's public markets were a vibrant and special experience, leaving us with delightful memories.

We had a fantastic trip organized by Ravi and Idityah Tikoo with Active India Holidays. This was our second Kim Kim trip, and we are heading on a third next month. We so appreciate the Kim Kim platform for ease of communication in planning and for their excellent vetting of tour providers. The trip Ravi planned was excellent. The coordination and local knowledge at every stop was really impressive. I remember at one point, stepping out into the wonderful chaos on the street outside of the Taj Mahal and our driver, Mr. Singh, zooming in to pick us up without missing a beat. The traffic is absolutely insane in India and our group marveled at how all our guides coordinated with Mr. Singh for inexplicably perfect transfers. Mr. Singh was a hero -- an impressive, friendly and safe driver (not to be underestimated with the traffic. I might also add that he was brave!). Other guides and helpers that we appreciated were Adarsh in Delhi (who in our last hours in India, late at night, made sure we caught showers and dinner as we were heading to the airport for our long flights home), Dharmendra (we loved Delhi with the Sikh Temple as one of the highlights), Gaj in Udaipur (a master of tricky Udaipur traffic along with Mr. Singh), Sanjay (for a wonderful time in Jaipur, including a wander through the flower market), Ronit (so knowledgable about Agra and the Taj -- not to be missed!) and finally, Mohan in Varanasi (what a great tour of a mind-blowing city). We really wouldn't have changed anything in our itinerary. We really enjoyed all the historic hotels. Restaurant choices were really good and we all stayed healthy. Thank you so much, Ravi & Co! All your choices were spot on. Five stars!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Pride Plaza Aerocity

Delhi

We arrived late at night and stayed out near the airport for convenience on the first night. This hotel worked well for that purpose. After breakfast, we headed to our historic Delhi hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing to improve. Good choice for an airport hotel.

Location

Just a few minutes from the airport.

Staff

Staff was kind and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Good, modern hotel.

Haveli Dharampura

Delhi

LOVED this hotel. Building is absolutely gorgeous. Head to the rooftop for kite flying and monkey watching -- magical. Restaurant was excellent and the staff could not have been more helpful or kind.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Amet Haveli

Beautiful hotel, worth taking the time to wander around. Sunrise over the lake from our room was really special. I feel like we had particularly good rooms for that (thanks, Ravi!). The restaurant patio is lakeside and stunning. We enjoyed watching the early morning bathers and swimmers while eating breakfast. Good breakfast buffet with made-to-order dosa. We had the craziest, most memorable tuk tuk ride through the narrow streets to get back to the hotel one evening. Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Really charming.

Location

Beautiful!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alsisar Haveli

Jaipur

We ended up at a different hotel (Shahpura House) for some reason. We had no issue with the change. Shahpura House was a lovely heritage hotel in a great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

ITC Mughal

Agra

This hotel was excellent for us and a departure from the heritage hotels to which we usually gravitate. Air quality in December was challenging, and we welcomed a very up-to-date hotel for its modern HVAC system. We didn't have a problem with air quality in the other hotels over the course of our trip, but it was nice to have a bit of a modern reset at this hotel. It's big, it's shiny, it has a huge breakfast buffet. Good choice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Brijrama Palace

Dashashwamedh, Uttar Pradesh

Absolutely stunning. Loved everything about this hotel. Amazing location in a gorgeous old palace. We couldn't get enough of watching monkeys scale the building across from our room window. This was our last hotel of the trip and we highly recommend it. Great restaurant. Varanasi was perfect as the last stop -- top India!

Authenticity & Character

Central position, completely historic, beautifully restored, a literal palace on a ghat. The best views. Wow!

Location

The absolute best!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free Time in Delhi

India

New Delhi Sightseeing

India

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Old Delhi Sightseeing

Delhi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

d

Street Food Tour

Delhi

Our group of 5 stayed healthy on this trip, and we attribute that to being directed to reputable restaurants and sticking to the advice on how to eat safely as a tourist. It was really nice to be able to try some street food that we would have avoided without a guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon visit to Bagore ki Haveli and enjoy a cultural evening of Rajasthani Folk Dance

Udaipur

This was fun. We got up and danced.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Udaipur Sightseeing

Udaipur

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Jagmandir Island and Sunset Boat Ride On Lake Pichola

Udaipur

We were not able to do this activity due to crowds. It was busy! Our guide Gaj suggested an alternative and we were happy with the change.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Chittorgarh

Udaipur

Chittorgarh was very interesting but also very crowded. Traffic was tough. We had fun and even enjoyed the traffic jam from our tuk tuk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jaipur - Half Day City Tour

Jaipur

Flower market was awesome! Great city tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bathe, Paint and Feed- A life-time experience with elephants at Elefantastic

Jaipur

Quality time with elephants. Our group loved this. The elephants are well cared for and loved.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jaipur - Half Day Sightseeing : Amer fort

Jaipur

Beautiful! Loved all of it, especially the Mirror Palace. It must be incredible to see at night.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Cooking Class, and Dinner with Local Family

Jaipur

What a lovely, kind family. This was a really interesting evening that we all enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the marvelous and historic monument : Agra Fort

Agra

So impressive. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Take a stroll through the historic garden (Mehtab Bagh) for the most magical views of the Taj Mahal by TUK-TUK

Agra

The Taj Mahal was jaw-dropping. We weren't prepared for how impressive it actually is in person. You really have to see it to believe it and appreciate it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Aarti (Prayer Ceremony) in Varanasi

Varanasi

Our guide Mohan took us to a great viewing location. Afterwards we laughed at where we would have ended up without him. The crowd at the nightly ceremony is huge. We had a perfect, comfortable bird's-eye view.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise River Trip Over Ganges and walk along the historical Ghats of Varanasi

Varanasi

A must. Defies explanation. This was one of the highlights of a trip filled with great moments.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Tour of Varanasi

Varanasi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Sarnath

Varanasi

This was our last walkabout before catching our flight back to Delhi. It was relaxing and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My mom’s dream was always to visit India. I am so blessed that my friend recommended this company to help plan our dream vacation! We had safety concerns as it was only two women traveling but all that was squished the moment we passed all the customs at the airport. From the initial pick up and warm welcome to the last good bye and arranged transfer between terminals on our way back was an amazing experience. We didn’t just feel safe but always taken care of, treated with respect, patience and kindness. We had a tour guide at every city who was very knowledgeable, spoke good English and looked after us like their own family member. Helped us shop at safe locations, always gave us heads up about any customary things that we didn’t know, spoke about local traditions and and answered all of our questions and we had a lot of those :) also very important note: most of the tour guides took amazing pictures of me and my mom! We had one driver the whole time and he was very nice but most importantly his driving experience was amazing! He was so sweet and caring, took care of our luggage and made sure the car was clean every day! our tour was planned in such a way where we saw a lot of touristy attractions, learned a lot about history, experienced different nature but also had a cooking class, ride an elephant, watch locally made crafts like hand made rugs, jeep safari, boat ride and more. So it wasn’t just visiting the forts, temples and palaces. We got to experience a lot in between. The best part I didn’t plan any of it! I just let them know that we want to see and get to feel India. They asked a few questions and all was planned for us in a couple of days. All the hotels and things to see and do where suggested and we could make any changes that we wanted when planning it all. You have your freedom to make this trip what you want it to be! After all tha we just showed up and enjoyed the ride :) will do it again in the future and will recommend it to everyone!

Activity Reviews

Explore the marvelous and historic monument : Agra Fort

Agra

This was very memorable and beautiful! Highly recommend to explore this. So much history in here and so interesting to see the different architecture also!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great in Agra!

Transport

Spiritual Walk in Jaipur

Jaipur

This was not too long of a visit but very beautiful. Highly recommend coming here with the guide! We loved hearing about the religion and Gods and how everyone is so accepting. It is a stunning temple!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class, and Dinner with Local Family

Jaipur

What an amazing experience! We didn’t just got to cook, they emailed us all of the recipes that we made so we don’t forget. Also we got to connect and talk about every day things and learn so much from regular family’s perspective. They do this with love and we left home with a huge smile, full belly and home made cookies also!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning and Evening game drives at Ranthambore (Sharing Jeep)

Ranthambore

This was a very fun activity! We got to learn about different animals living in the jungle, their calling sounds of danger, beautiful views, piecful surroundings. Even though we didn’t get to see the tiger it was amazing experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Old Delhi Sightseeing

Delhi

A very fun way to start our tour of India! Our guide was absolutely amazing and made sure we got all that we wanted to see and took so many great pictures of us!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur

We absolutely loved our tour guide in Jaipur. He was so kind and patient as we got so excited about their market :)) he carried our bags for us, took us to a great spice shop where we got some saffron that we wanted. We made us feel very at ease, thought us how to safely cross a street in India and just over all went above and beyond of his duties by answering all of our questions. Very professional and knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon visit to Bagore ki Haveli and enjoy a cultural evening of Rajasthani Folk Dance

Udaipur

What a fun evening to watch this show! So happy with our guide who brought us there. Him and his family has been in this business for a long time so due to the connections we got to enter first and get the best seat in the house!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Time in Delhi

India

This was a great idea! We booked some long massages at our hotel and got to relax after a long travel day and adjust to the time, have nice food and relax before hitting all the spots :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Udaipur Sightseeing

Udaipur

What a beautiful city, you need more than one day here! :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hi Ravi
The trip was fantastic.Everything went as expected.Will use your services again.My son feels similar.
Thanks Gary Warr

Ravi was so patient with me going back and forth one zillion times to get the trip itinerary just the way I wanted it! He was very accommodating and his quick and constant communication was greatly appreciated. We had a couple of hiccups during the trip with our driver who did not speak great English and an unnecessary detour on our route during one particularly long travel day, but overall, the trip was relatively seamless. We were traveling with our two kids (ages 11 & 12) and we always felt safe and well taken care of during our trip. We had a very large van with cold AC for the entire journey that we were very thankful for, as the days got warm. We visited the golden triangle in India, and we hiked Tiger's Nest in Bhutan. All of the guides were wonderful. Everyone showed up on time and kept things on our tight timeline. Overall, it was a bucket list trip of a lifetime, and I would recommend Ravi to plan your dream trip to India & Bhutan!

My husband, daughter and I did a 3-day tour of Delhi and Agra during Dec 2025.
While it was a very hectic trip, Ravi and his team did a wonderful job outlining the trip plan and it was executed flawlessly by the team on the ground in Delhi- Adarsh, Dharmender and in Agra- Ronit plus Rajeshji who was there throughout the trip.
We would like to redo the trip at a more leisurely pace in the near future. Looking forward to teaming up with the Active Holidays team for our next India adventure!!
Soumya

Hotel Reviews

The Lalit Hotel, New Delhi

Delhi

Lalit hotel has a great location. The hotel itself is dated, dark rooms, outdated and leaky bathroom fixtures. Food is great though.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Mercure Agra

Agra, UP

Great location, food and rooms are spacious and clean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-day tour of New Delhi and visit Humayun’s Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

India

Explore the marvelous and historic monument : Agra Fort

Agra

Take a stroll through the historic garden (Mehtab Bagh) for the most magical views of the Taj Mahal by TUK-TUK

Agra

Taj Mahal at Sunset

Agra

It was truly an amazing trip. Ravi and his team ensured we didn’t have to worry about a thing — everything was taken care of from start to finish. From the moment we arrived, we were immersed in rich culture, vibrant colours, and incredible history. Each city offered something unique, from stunning palaces and impressive forts to bustling markets and beautifully detailed architecture.

Activity Review

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur