About
Local roots, international fluency.
Who writes this site, why it's free, and how the hourly advisory works.
The person
Know who you're reading.
Braj Bhoomi is written and run by Amit Solanki — a local, based in Agra at the doorstep of Braj, and a lifelong lover of travel. By profession he's a technology executive who has spent two decades working with companies across the United States and Europe — so he speaks both languages a foreign traveler needs: fluent English, and the unwritten local knowledge of how Braj actually works — what things should cost, who can be trusted, and when to simply stand still and watch the aarti.
This isn't a travel agency, and it isn't his day job. It's his passion time — helping visitors directly, one traveler at a time, because too many people leave Braj having paid too much and seen too little. That is also why the entire guide is free, with no email wall: the knowledge should travel even if you never write in.
Verify for yourself: amitsolanki.com · LinkedIn
The advisory
Hourly help, nothing else.
For travelers who want the planning done with them rather than for them — by the hour, quoted up front, commission-free.
01 · Itinerary planning
Your trip, shaped
Dates, pace, festivals, and what to skip — a plan matched to your reasons for coming, not a template.
02 · Booking assistance
Booked in your name
Hotels, trains, drivers, and guides at their real prices — you pay them directly; we take nothing from anyone.
03 · On-trip support
A local on call
When plans wobble mid-journey — a train misses, a festival closes a road — you have someone to message who knows what to do.
How pricing works: one hourly rate, quoted up front before any work begins. Most trips need three to five hours in total, and you approve the hours before they happen. The introduction is always free.
Local partners
Built with Braj.
Every good trip rests on the people who make it happen — the hotelier with an honest room, the driver who arrives on time, the guide who knows which lane leads where. To the partners we work with: thank you.
Hotels & guesthouses
Honest rooms
Clean, well-run places in Vrindavan, Mathura, Govardhan, or Barsana that welcome international guests at fair, direct rates.
Taxi & car operators
Reliable wheels
Well-kept cars and steady drivers — airport pickups, outer-Braj day loops, and fares agreed honestly before the ride.
Local tour guides
Real knowledge
Licensed guides who know the temples, parikramas, and stories — and can share them warmly in a traveler's language.
No commissions — in either direction. We recommend partners because they're good, not because they pay. Travelers pay you directly at your local rate. All we ask is what we promise travelers: honesty, fair prices, and care.
Run a good operation in Braj? Write to amit@brajbhoomi.com with a few lines about what you do.
Gratitude
Photo credits.
Photography on this site comes from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licenses:
- Vishram Ghat by Umang108 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Kusum Sarovar by Ekabhishek (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Lathmar Holi by Sachinghai09 / Radomianin (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Banke Bihari temple by Guptaele (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Prem Mandir at night by Mettle30 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Krishna Balaram Mandir courtyard by Goutam1962 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Radha Raman temple by Kridha20 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Nidhivan grove by Kridha20 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Krishna Janmabhoomi complex by Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Vishram Ghat from the Yamuna by Bakeil (CC0)
- Shriji temple, Barsana by Kridha20 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Begin
Tell us about your journey.
Write a few lines — your dates, who's traveling, and what draws you to Braj. The introduction is free; you'll get a plain-spoken reply from Amit himself.
amit@brajbhoomi.com