Mark

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Subject: Trip to Kashmir

Date of travel: April 2018

With Family

Places: Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam

Mark and Ivan booked a trip to Kashmir in 2018 with Fida we had a great time. Before coming to Kashmir we exchanged many emails and had many questions but Fida always answers and even provided great suggestions and recommendations. We visited Srinagar - Gulmarg - Pahalgam - Sonmarg. He is a professional and knowledgable guide. Everything was arranged smoothly transportation, hotel, food, logistics, souvenir purchases etc.

We booked a trip to Kashmir with Astera Tours, My father and had an unforgettable experience, the trip to Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam was truly eye-opening. 

The total duration of the trip was 6 days. Although Srinagar, Gulmarg and Sonmarg were stunning places to visit, Pahalgam was genuinely a hidden gem, hidden away in the Himalayan Mountain Range. Pahalgam is a must-visit for anyone who wants a relaxing hide away place almost disconnected from the modern world today, also providing a glimpse of fresh air, distant from densely populated cities like Srinagar. Although all of these places were exceptional places to adventure, relax, explore, learn, tranquillize and take a break from the fast-moving world. One cannot truly enjoy what these less visited places offer beyond the naked eye. Having an experienced and passionate tour guide like Fida allowed us to not only take all of what Kashmir had to offer but also learn about the cultural and historic information behind what we explored. Not only did he do his job professionally, but he kept attention to detail, ensuring we were eating the best quality cuisine not getting physically sick, knowing the insides and outs of which shops we genuine and/or lesser quality, guiding us where and which parts of cities and villages were most enjoyable to roam at liberty, not being ripped off by Hawkers attempting to take advantage of uninformed tourists, but certifying we made the most of what this geographical area of India had to offer. As he was personally our guide he took excellent care of us when we visited Srinagar we went to Mughal Gardens, Tulip Garden and had a Shikara Ride in the Dal Lake then we want to, Gulmarg where we enjoyed the Gondola Ride we also went to a Heritage Catholic Church in Gulmarg we had mass. Subsequently the next day we went to Pahalgam where we enjoyed the Horse Ride and met with local people and some hawkers. Even we bought a cricket bat from the bat factory in Awantipura. We also had a Shikara Ride (Boat Ride) in the Dal Lake where your father bought some gift items as well, we thoroughly relished our trip and it was a memorable exploration of Kashmir. 

We are certainly looking forward to the next time we visit Kashmir or Jammu.

Without a second thought, we would urge any tourist/traveller to hire Fida as their tour guide, if you truly want to see the beautiful parts of India from the ins and outs less travelled by westerners. Whilst also being provided with the most premium, comfortable, humble, professional, clean and superb service by Fida Tinda.

Thank you, By Mark and Ivan

Cheng Hai

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Fida arranged 3 different guides for our visit to Jaipur, Fatehpur Sikri  and Taj Mahal.  We are happy with services of these guides and the driver who drove us around. They are all very friendly and knowledgeable in their job.

Diana

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it is my pleasure to choose fida from Astera Tour as my tour organiser. Fida organised transportation to Jaipur and Agra, and his guide at Jaipur and Agra is Mr Lalan Kumar was very helpful and knowledgeable. meanwhile, during a trip in Kashmir, Mr fida itself became our guide. he was helpful in giving us an opinion on our trip and he was able to discuss according our convenience. very good hospitality from the team, and highly recommended.

Kathy

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Fida was on time, informative.  The car had a good driver.  I had an excellent day out with them.

b

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Fida organised a guide by the name of Rakesh Kumar to show us Old, New & South Delhi over the course of 2 days.

Rakesh was prompt, very knowledgeable, accomodating to our requests and helpful.

We would recommend Fida & Rakesh.

Andrea

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We ask to Fida to organize a custom trip in North India, and he did perfectly. All the guides and drivers he provided us were all excellent. All of them well prepared and most of all ready to bring us where ever we asked, without forcing us to visit shops and place of no interest. Moreover Mr Fida was always ready to help us every time we needed. To have someone trustful that guides you in this country (especially if it's your first time, as it was for us) is very important and allows you to enjoy your trip without being lost in burocracy and im difficulties. 

So finally, I truly recomend to organize your trip in India with Fida and his agency, for sure you won't regret! 

Jonathan

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Experience has taught me to avoid tour operators - much preferring to self explore and prevent being force-fed tourist traps, wasting time having to visit  souvenir shops (where operators will get a cut of tourist money spent) and getting dubious/incorrect information on history/geography etc . Some services (road and rail bookings) from tourHQ were, however, needed on this occasion because of personal time constraints in planning the trip. Needs were kept to a minimum with hotel bookings etc being made directly by myself.  This partial service requirement no doubt contributed to the quality of the service level provided in contrast to a full package and tour.  Services provided by tourHQ were variable but generally OK - although some elementary errors were made and actual contact was most visibly urgent when payment was being sought. 

On the other hand, the services provided by our driver Sanjay Kumar of delhiprivatetours were excellent. He was generally safe (answering mobile phone while driving being a routine exception in India) and reliable and flexible when he realised we did not want to waste time in the obligatory (collaborating?) souvenir shops etc. Instead he effectively responded to our (often obscure) requests and, once he understood these, supplemented them with well informed additional suggestions in constant good humour.  This added considerably to the value of the short trip. He is highly recommended.

Yuri

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Fida perfectly organized our three days trip from arrival to our departure.

During our planning, Fida was very patient, openly discussed all options, organized accommodation, guide, transportation, train tickets.

I was expected that Fida will be our personal guide, but, unfortunately, he was completely occupied.

We were not satisfied with the proposed hotel, so, we expect that next travelers will be luckier.

Sharon

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Fida did a great job of showing my son around Delhi during a 10-hour layover.  Very responsive and reliable. 

Mohamed

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Fida arranged tours in New Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and Kochin for us. 

All was very well planned except the guide (Niwain) and driver provided by Fida for Delhi were terrible. They were quick to tell us not to waste time in ques for certain sites like Homayen's tomb and the Lotus temple saying there was really nothing to see, they quickly disposed of us saying the drive to the airport would take 1 hour (it took 15 minutes). The guide actually discouraged us from vsiting certain sites, however kept on insisting we visit certain shops and restaurants. 

In Jaipur, again the guide kept on insisting we go to cetain shops and restaurants. Seems they get commisions from the shop and restaurant owners. However, after I complained to Fida things were quickly rectified and better drivers and guides were sent for the rest of the tour. He complied and apologised very quickly with no hassle.

I would certainly recommend Fida's services, but you must stress that you want guides and drivers that will not push to get commisions out of you.

Otherwise, India is a great desitnation if you like history and culture. Most amazing thing in India are the INDIANS, their politness and forthcoming intention to help and please.

I would recommend Dev as driver in Delhi or Delhi to Agra, this guy is a gem. In Kochi, the driver was Sajid, Mohamed the guide and Shinu - they were also more than excellent.

zefanya

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We were travelling around kashmir and ladakh for almost 2 weeks, and fida took us to whole different places with amazing experince in each tourist spot. Overall, fida was professional, good communicator, and hv lots of knowledge on each of tourist spot. Recommended!!!

Annika

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 Our recent trip to Kashmir (Srinagar, Dudpatri, Pahalgam) through Fida. He is an absolutely amazing person to plan your trip through. From the get-go he was proactive in making sure we had what we needed. The highlight of doing the trip with him is that he will take you to places that are very local, less frequented by tourists and gives you a real feel of the place.

Very trustworthy, very informative, very accommodating- Perfect Guide in every respect!!

Thanks Fida for making our memories :) Hope to see you soon

Marley

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I went on two treks , Fida  was very professional and organized. He’s more than  a guide he’s a friend treats you Lille your family. I’m a woman  that travels alone  he set me up with really nice trekking guides  and took care of everything to where I always felt safe. Amazing trekking with amazing views. Very sweet people all around. Between trekking Fida showed me around  from boats rides on Dal lake  touring of gardens , horse back riding  through trails of the most beautiful mountainous  regions, he took me through villages  I sat with the shepherd’s families had rotis and tea  and met all the little children along the way. Fida makes sure the people who work for him are  going to take good care of you , thinking everything through so that you  have a good experience. With Fida you are in very good hands and have no worries , so you can enjoy just being in beautiful Kashmir . What a wonderful experience. Everything was perfect. I’m definitely contacting Fida for my next trip to India.! Thanks  Fida  for all your hard work. I have so much gratitude for everything. 

Carlos

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Fida organized and guided us on our one and a half day sightseeing tour in Delhi.  Fida was very collaborative, patient and sensitive to our time schedule and requirements.  He laid out all possible options and pointed out the pros and cons of each option.  He responded to all our queries about travel times, costs, etc. All in all, we had a very pleasant tour of Old and New Delhi, and Fida was very good in explaining the history and context of the different sights as well as answering all our questions.  As  the tour was well planned-out, we were able to cover a lot during the two-days without feeling rushed.  Fida likewise gave us invaluable tips for our onward trip to Rajasthan, which we very much appreciated.  I will not hesitate to recommend Fida for your tour services (guide, transportation, hotel booking) in India.

Esther

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I requested Fida to organise a one day tour Delhi for me. The communication with Fida before the trip was very good. He responded quickly to my questions and he organised the excursion perfectly according to my wishes. I had a very interesting day in Delhi, with a English speaking female guide who knew a lot about the history and culture. The driver was friendly and made it possible to see a lot during one day because of the efficient drop off and pick up at the excursion points. I can recommend booking tours with Fida.

pacteixeira

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Amristar and Varanasi tour

Araujo Ana

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All we planned with Fida was accomplished! Very eficient and collaborative!We definitively recomend Fida for all the tours, he will assure you the best service. We hope to come back to India and surely we will contact him. Congratulations!

mark

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Excellent service from Fida, very efficient and 100% reliable, everything was just perfectly aranged from taxi ,tours ,trains, airport transfers ,it was all taken care off,i can highly recomend fida. 100% reliable and honest

iko

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This is our first visit to India ( couple with 5 year old daughter). We contacted Fida to arrange 4 days tour to  Delhi - Agra - Jaipur because we saw the good review in TourHQ. He answered our request very quick with useful recommendations regarding the tour. And the trip was fantastic. The driver was very nice and skillful. Great recommendations on shopping places, restaurants, money changer and the hotels were beyond our expectations (still within our budget). My daughter also had a great time. Thank you very much Fida !

yoori im

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I have known Fida for many years now and there is nobody else I trust more with plannning my travels. He has always booked my train tickets and sometimes even flights and has gotten me good prices within my budget as discussed. I have arrived to India from the United States as well as South Korea, and Fida always made my travel smooth and reliable. My times in India were memorable and comfortable largely thanks to Fida's foresight in my likes and dislikes. He genuinely cares for his clients to have a great worthwhile time. 

To me the most important thing is that Fida is trustworthy in all aspects and very respectful to women. He is a family man first and has values he upholds. He also is very understanding of foreigners and he once helped me find a beauty waxing parlour in Delhi without any judgement or criticism. I see Fida as a friend who I can always trust in money matters and advice. I have and will always continue recommending him to my friends.