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Dangers & annoyances
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Dangers & annoyances

Lonely Planet receives many reports from travellers who have been victim to at least one of a number of scams operating in Delhi. Most scams involve touts, usually around tourist hubs such as Connaught Place, Paharganj and the New Delhi train station. These pushy fellows will try to cart you off to shops, travel agencies or ‘official’ tourist offices (the only official tourist office is India Tourism Delhi, above), where they earn commission at your expense. If you’re being pestered by touts or face other problems, seek out the ‘tourist police’, who have clearly marked jeeps stationed at tourist centres including the international airport, New Delhi train station and Janpath.

Always exercise caution with travel agencies, as scores of travellers have reported being hoodwinked by unscrupulous agents. To avoid grief, always shop around to gauge exactly what’s on offer and choose agents who are members of accredited associations such as the Travel Agents Association of India and the Indian Association of Tour Operators. Finally, before parting with your hard-earned cash, insist on getting what you’ve been promised in writing – this will be invaluable if you need to lodge a complaint with the tourist office or police.

More and more travellers are being sweet-talked by Delhi travel agents and touts into taking tours to Kashmir, either as part of a ‘special package’ or stand-alone trip. Once in Kashmir most travellers discover they’ve been given a very raw (often dodgy) deal, with far less delivered than promised. Given the number of complaints we’ve received, it’s probably best not to book tours to Kashmir from Delhi.

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