Korai Village Agra
Korai Village Agra
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
28 reviews
Excellent
17
Very good
5
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
3
Gauri M
Sydney, Australia49 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
I have lived in Agra during the 70's and wanted to take the children back to visit India. We visited the Taj, Agra Fort and Fahtehpur Sikri and the Korai Village. The time was well spent to interact with the villagers and hear their stories.
This is a good initiative to help the villagers overcome their difficulties. Well done.
This is a good initiative to help the villagers overcome their difficulties. Well done.
Written December 21, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thank you so much for reviewing us! we are happy that you had a great time there :D
Written June 15, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dolmatso
2 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
We actually wanted go to Agra just to see the beautiful Taj Mahal with a group of friends. But the tour operator suggested that we might as well experience a glimpse of real india through Korai Village,Agra. Rather than just visiting popular places, we thought why not a little other side of the India. Never knew, It could be that fulfilling experience after all. We were so glad that we took the suggestion.
We've got to see the daily(real) routine of the tribal villagers which was so different than the city life we were used to of course. women with colorful/traditional clothing(saris or so what I've learned) carrying almost half of their body sized piled up of cow dungs on their heads for their daily uses. Their own hand made houses with muds. People seem very friendly even though they don't talk much of english. But Over all we had a fun day with the kids who were willing to play with us with no obligations, very independent. I would recommend this short trip experience to anyone who wants to experience the real india , to those who want to see much more than just famous cities. Yes, It is a very small village, but no one can beat their since smiles on their faces. And We left the village with a warm farewell.
We've got to see the daily(real) routine of the tribal villagers which was so different than the city life we were used to of course. women with colorful/traditional clothing(saris or so what I've learned) carrying almost half of their body sized piled up of cow dungs on their heads for their daily uses. Their own hand made houses with muds. People seem very friendly even though they don't talk much of english. But Over all we had a fun day with the kids who were willing to play with us with no obligations, very independent. I would recommend this short trip experience to anyone who wants to experience the real india , to those who want to see much more than just famous cities. Yes, It is a very small village, but no one can beat their since smiles on their faces. And We left the village with a warm farewell.
Written August 3, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for taking out the time and effort and writing such a long and descriptive review! I can see you had an enlightening experience there and was fascinated by the variety of village activities and the unique village life! The korai visitors were happy to see you too and would hope to see you again sometime in the future!
Written August 7, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vijay M
Noida, India127 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
Kudos goes to the person who has taken this great initiative to give back to society. My wife and I wanted to visit the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri but wanted to experience indian village life. We decided to stop by Korai village in the morning before continuing further on to the other two monuments as it is a ten minute drive from Fatehpur Sikri. We had read about Korai on trip advisor, while browsing through the top things to do in Agra.
It was worth it. We were fortunate to get some home cooked indian food and hear nice stories from our tour guide as well as the villagers. All in all, we experienced village culture to the fullest.
I wish to add that while going through the reviews of this village, I was aghast to read that someone had thought the complete affair to be stage-managed. I think it is very unfair to label such a good gesture with such comments. I would highly recommend the Korai Village tour to persons visiting Fatehpur Sikri in Agra or to those wanting to see a different side of India, away from the hustle and bustle of mainstream tourist attractions.
It was worth it. We were fortunate to get some home cooked indian food and hear nice stories from our tour guide as well as the villagers. All in all, we experienced village culture to the fullest.
I wish to add that while going through the reviews of this village, I was aghast to read that someone had thought the complete affair to be stage-managed. I think it is very unfair to label such a good gesture with such comments. I would highly recommend the Korai Village tour to persons visiting Fatehpur Sikri in Agra or to those wanting to see a different side of India, away from the hustle and bustle of mainstream tourist attractions.
Written July 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jules_in_Delhi
Indonesia4 contributions
Dec 2014 • Friends
As a group of four friends, we went to Korai Village after visiting the Taj with high expectations, at the expense of forgoing a visit to the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
Initial correspondence with Mr Samir and his Agra counterpart, Mr Tikendar to arrange the visit was smooth and professional. They arranged a guide for us from Fatehpur Sikri, but who unfortunately being someone from outside the "village" his only strength was the ability to translate into English.
We were seasoned travellers and coming from developing and less-developed countries ourselves. Some of us have lived and worked for years in the least developed parts of the world. Yet something about the "village" rang our alarm bell. Some of the translated stories by the tour guide contradicted what was presented online, such as on whether the villagers were being compensated by the Government after their bear was taken away.
To be completely honest, we were not quite sure if the "village" was what it was being promoted to be. The location, just by the side of the main road, seemed a little too convenient. That we were "greeted" with exactly the same scenes described in other reviews felt too much like a coincidence, from the ladies in saris that happened to be carrying (empty) water buckets over the head as we arrived, two three months' old babies and the offer to take pictures with the babies, outdoor kitchens that seemed a little too clean and empty, an invitation to enter one of the pretty well-decorated huts. We were being told numerous times from the minute we arrived that these are 12 very poor families, how the village got flooded during monsoon and a hut with collapsed roof as an example of the result of monsoon.
The stories told were nevertheless minimal, mostly about what "the company" provided to the villages, the waterpump, and money. Questions such as whether the adult-villagers managed to find other way of living and so on were not well answered. We did not gain much more knowledge on the village other than what we could find on the website and from the other "reviews" on tripadvisor. In fact, the village did not look as "lived-in" as we would have expected. The "villagers", to be fair, were friendly and welcoming enough, although we had very few interactions. It also did not seem that the villagers have much to do in terms of going about their daily lives, a contradiction from what we have seen in other parts of the country including in the less-developed parts.
The "village welfare fee" of USD10 per person and USD10 for the transport cost of the tour guide to come from Fatehpur Sikri, did seem to be rather overpriced for that 20-30 min visit. We did manage to distribute some basic toileteries we brought to the ladies in the villages and some biscuits for the children. But we unanimously decided to hold on to some we brought in the car, for us to drop off latter at a local social-shelter for children with malnutrition and disabilities that we had visited earlier in Agra.
Our wonderful local driver and tour guide (which we booked through a different company and whom we were completely satisfied with) was very protective of us, and was equally unsatisfied and disappointed with the whole thing. He has actually given us some hints and early warnings about his doubts over this "village". He actually got into some calm argument with the few men in the village and appeared very upset, and he even called the Agra office for us, questioning the whole place.
A well-dressed guy, supposedly from the village (not our "tour guide"), keep pestering us on helping 12 very poor families.
As the person who "found" this village through the excellent reviews on the tripadvisor page, not wanting the argument to escalate, and seeing my three female friends who were by now upset and feeling uncomfortable, I spoke with the Agra Office, and we agreed on a somewhat "reduced payment" for the visit (around USD35).
We left feeling dejected not only because of the missed opportunity of visiting other key sites, but mostly because of the unsure feeling about the whole experience. Was the village what it said on the paper? we still do not know. But we certainly found the visit on the whole to be an underwhelming experience.
Initial correspondence with Mr Samir and his Agra counterpart, Mr Tikendar to arrange the visit was smooth and professional. They arranged a guide for us from Fatehpur Sikri, but who unfortunately being someone from outside the "village" his only strength was the ability to translate into English.
We were seasoned travellers and coming from developing and less-developed countries ourselves. Some of us have lived and worked for years in the least developed parts of the world. Yet something about the "village" rang our alarm bell. Some of the translated stories by the tour guide contradicted what was presented online, such as on whether the villagers were being compensated by the Government after their bear was taken away.
To be completely honest, we were not quite sure if the "village" was what it was being promoted to be. The location, just by the side of the main road, seemed a little too convenient. That we were "greeted" with exactly the same scenes described in other reviews felt too much like a coincidence, from the ladies in saris that happened to be carrying (empty) water buckets over the head as we arrived, two three months' old babies and the offer to take pictures with the babies, outdoor kitchens that seemed a little too clean and empty, an invitation to enter one of the pretty well-decorated huts. We were being told numerous times from the minute we arrived that these are 12 very poor families, how the village got flooded during monsoon and a hut with collapsed roof as an example of the result of monsoon.
The stories told were nevertheless minimal, mostly about what "the company" provided to the villages, the waterpump, and money. Questions such as whether the adult-villagers managed to find other way of living and so on were not well answered. We did not gain much more knowledge on the village other than what we could find on the website and from the other "reviews" on tripadvisor. In fact, the village did not look as "lived-in" as we would have expected. The "villagers", to be fair, were friendly and welcoming enough, although we had very few interactions. It also did not seem that the villagers have much to do in terms of going about their daily lives, a contradiction from what we have seen in other parts of the country including in the less-developed parts.
The "village welfare fee" of USD10 per person and USD10 for the transport cost of the tour guide to come from Fatehpur Sikri, did seem to be rather overpriced for that 20-30 min visit. We did manage to distribute some basic toileteries we brought to the ladies in the villages and some biscuits for the children. But we unanimously decided to hold on to some we brought in the car, for us to drop off latter at a local social-shelter for children with malnutrition and disabilities that we had visited earlier in Agra.
Our wonderful local driver and tour guide (which we booked through a different company and whom we were completely satisfied with) was very protective of us, and was equally unsatisfied and disappointed with the whole thing. He has actually given us some hints and early warnings about his doubts over this "village". He actually got into some calm argument with the few men in the village and appeared very upset, and he even called the Agra office for us, questioning the whole place.
A well-dressed guy, supposedly from the village (not our "tour guide"), keep pestering us on helping 12 very poor families.
As the person who "found" this village through the excellent reviews on the tripadvisor page, not wanting the argument to escalate, and seeing my three female friends who were by now upset and feeling uncomfortable, I spoke with the Agra Office, and we agreed on a somewhat "reduced payment" for the visit (around USD35).
We left feeling dejected not only because of the missed opportunity of visiting other key sites, but mostly because of the unsure feeling about the whole experience. Was the village what it said on the paper? we still do not know. But we certainly found the visit on the whole to be an underwhelming experience.
Written December 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Jules,
I would like to apologize for your disappointing experience at Korai. It was our genuine attempt to showcase the lives of the villagers, for which I have been putting all my efforts to make a vast difference to their lives for a long time now.
I sincerely apologize that you had to forgo your trip to Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri but just wanted to assure you that this project is a GENUINE initiative to supplement the income of the Korai villagers. It was just coincidence that the village was just off the highway to and us convenient for tourists to visit it.
The village is solely governed by themselves and no compensation was given by the government in anyway. Considering this fact, we have started this initiative to promote it as a tourist destination to make their ends meet. I have been supplying the basic needs from food to toiletries to all the families to enhance their welfare from the money chipped in by the visitors.
I will definitely investigate further and for the future - ensure nobody from the village gets pestered ever.​ Lastly, I once again offer apologies for the displeasure, however your review has alarmed me for our future visitors and we will definitely work hard to put things into perspective.
Written December 19, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yakalice
Chester, UK17 contributions
Mar 2017 • Friends
I felt this was a staged visit with everything happening exactly as in a previous trip advisors report. These people have satalite tv ,yes electricity that is subsidised disco equipment. There are far from needing my sympathy.if you want to see really life in Idian just walk down the back streets in Agra and around the areas where people are sleeping in makeshift tents. Sorry but all 3of us felt it a waste of money and time.
Written April 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jasveet
Toronto, Canada5 contributions
Sep 2014 • Family
Nice learning experience. I really enjoyed visit to this village. I will recommend to all my clients and traveler to visit and experience other side of life.
Jasveet Singh
Onkar Travels Canada
Jasveet Singh
Onkar Travels Canada
Written October 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Really happy that you loved it! Korai villagers hope to see you or your clients again someday! :-)
Written December 9, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rosalita2005
Mississauga, Canada1 contribution
Sep 2014 • Business
I was in Agra when our FAM TOUR GROUP were invited to visit the Korai Village. This is a village of about 12 families. They used to entertain people with their bears, but the government has taken away the bears as animal rights objected. So now, these people are jobless and depend on visitors and locals to feed, clothe and educate them
The village has been adopted by a local family and what great work and what an experience!!
I saw a 3 day old baby being given his first bath on a simple rope bed. I met lovely smiling faces of children and their families. I was overwhelmed with joy and yet sorrow to see what these people have to go through to live their lives. Little huts, simple food and yet look content with the little they have. I enjoyed the monkeys they own and the tricks they performed!!
I thanked God for all that I have back in Canada - we never really know how blessed we are until we witness the other side. God Bless the family taking care of these villagers, you are doing great humanitarian work and I wish you great success. Thanks for giving me this unique opportunity, I will never forget my visit to Korai Village.
The village has been adopted by a local family and what great work and what an experience!!
I saw a 3 day old baby being given his first bath on a simple rope bed. I met lovely smiling faces of children and their families. I was overwhelmed with joy and yet sorrow to see what these people have to go through to live their lives. Little huts, simple food and yet look content with the little they have. I enjoyed the monkeys they own and the tricks they performed!!
I thanked God for all that I have back in Canada - we never really know how blessed we are until we witness the other side. God Bless the family taking care of these villagers, you are doing great humanitarian work and I wish you great success. Thanks for giving me this unique opportunity, I will never forget my visit to Korai Village.
Written September 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for writing such a comprehensive review.
I can see that the village was a memorable experience for you, one you'll cherish your entire life. You were one of the first few to see the new-born baby which I'm sure must have been a life-changing experience.
The korai villagers were very happy to see you & can't wait to meet your FAM friends again!
Written September 28, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ttravelindiausa
USA2 contributions
Aug 2014
My holiday was full of fun while lasted in India. During my stay in Agra, I went to this village and had lovely experience.
The locals are extremely friendly, they welcomed me warmly and showed me around. They also have these cute monkeys strolling and greeted me when they saw me as seen in picture. I suggest this village to all the foreign tourist for a quick visit. It's worth it as I thoroughly enjoyed my half hour stay in Korai.
Written September 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We, at Korai are extremely happy you enjoyed! Thank you for visiting us and we hope to see you soon!
Written September 10, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
aviray
Kolkata (Calcutta), India108 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
Korai Village is located few kilometers off to Fatehpur Sikri Highway. It is a small village nestled in Agra where you can get a glimpse of the daily life of the tribal inhabitants. I personally do not recommend this as a must visit.
Written May 31, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deligne S
1 contribution
Jun 2014
Went to the korai village in June when I was on my way to Jaipur from Agra. There are approx 12 families with bunch of kids. It's a unique experience there, our assistance mr Tikendra gave us a short and precise introduction before entering the village. Quite fascinating experience. Although it was extremely hot weather during our visit we had amazing time there. I will most definitely visit again if I happen to make it back to India in future, thanks gets holidays for the arrangement. Truly appreciate it.
Written August 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review and for more importantly visiting Korai! I can see you had an amazing experience and met a lot of different people and got a glimpse of their village life. The villagers were very happy to see you too and really hope to see you again!
Written August 7, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi , we are a group of photographers coming on March 19 , is it possible to shoot pic.?how much is the tour ?
Written March 3, 2019
I am traveling to India with my family in November of this year, and i would love to take my family to visit. How much hours in a day would we need? Just trying to figure things out, and most importantly, how many kids live in the Korai village? how many families?
Written July 1, 2015
Kruti J
Sydney, Australia
Hi,
My name is Kruti. I am freelance journalist and soon-to-be tourist in India. I stumbled across this village while researching for places to visit in Agra.
I was wondering, if I could do a little story on the village, the initiative, and most importantly, the dwellers themselves. I would appreciate your help in doing this.
Lastly, what would be the best mode of transport to get to the village.
Many Thanks,
Kruti
Written December 28, 2014
Hi Kruti,
Writing a story about our village would be absolutely GREAT as it would help spread awareness about the rural hamlet!
Let us know when you are planning to visit Agra and I'll have your visit arranged as it is a bit difficult to locate the village on your own.
Best
Manya
Written December 28, 2014
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