Validity: 16 Apr - 30 Sep 2012
Upon your arrival in Mumbai, the fast paced commercial and celluloid capital of India, you will be greeted by our representative at the International Airport. After a warm welcome, you will be escorted to your hotel for 2 nights stay.
Enjoy a morning at leisure in Mumbai.
This morning, you will be transferred to the airport to board your flight to Udaipur, your entry port to colourful Rajasthan. A romantic and serene city, Udaipur nestles in the scenic valley of Aravalli hills, surrounded by three lakes – Lake Pichola, Fateh Sagar and Udai Sagar. Spend the day exploring Udaipur. Visit the City Palace, one of the largest palace complex in Rajasthan; the grand white marble Jagdish Temple and Saheliyon-Ki-Bari, garden of the maids of honour.Enjoy an afternoon at leisure.
After breakfast, embark on a leisurely drive to Deogarh for an enriching Rajasthani village experience. En-route, make a brief stop to visit the massive Kumbalgarh fort, built in the 15th century.Upon arrival in Deogarh, check in at your hotel.At Deogarh, enrich your experience with the following activities (supplement charge may apply):
This morning, take a rural walk exploring the village of Deogarh, where you get a chance to interact with local villagers. Later, embark on your drive to Jaipur - land of the Rajputs. Jaipur is an exuberance of colour, dance and traditional arts and crafts. Known, as the 'Pink City', Jaipur is home to ancient forts and palaces and is one of India's most well planned cities. Upon arrival in Jaipur, check in at your hotel and enjoy an evening at leisure.
After breakfast, visit the Amber fort, which was built in the 16th century. An elephant ride will help you ascend to this hilltop fort (elephants are subject to availability). Alternatively, you could choose to walk or drive up to the fort. This afternoon, visit the City Palace complex with its museums and Jantar Mantar, the ancient astronomical observatory. Also drive past Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), built in the 18th century. This palace with its innumerable windows and screened balconies was especially built for the royal women to view the city and processions from behind their purdahs. The ‘Pink City’, of Jaipur is well known for its beautiful carpets, enamelled ornaments, precious and semi-precious stones, brassware and many other arts and crafts. Later in the afternoon, visit gem and carpet weaving factories, and enjoy haggling for souvenirs in colourful bazaars of Jaipur
After an early breakfast, embark on your drive to Agra, city of the world famous Taj Mahal. Upon arrival in Agra, check in at your hotel and freshen up. This afternoon, visit the Agra fort, lying across the River Yamuna, built in red sandstone with magnificent palaces, halls of public and private audience and beautiful gardens. Then, experience the awe-inspiring beauty of the eternal symbol of love, the Taj Mahal. Often referred to as a poem in white marble, Taj Mahal displays the saga of love between Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. You may wish to stay at the Taj Mahal, to see the glistening white marble beauty by sunset.
This morning board an express train to Jhansi. Then, embark on a short drive to Orchha, a medieval riverside town known for its palaces and temples. Apart from the famous landmarks like Jahangir Mahal and Laxmi Narayan Temple, the town is peppered with fascinating little shrines and memorials. Enjoy an afternoon tour of Orchha.Then continue drive to Khajuraho – a UNESCO world heritage site in central India, famous for its erotic sculptured temples. Upon arrival in Khajuraho, check in to your hotel and freshen up.
This morning visit the enchanting temples of Khajuraho with sculptures that draw their inspiration from the ancient art of Kama sutra. Khajuraho Temples were built by the Chandela kings between 950 AD and 1050 AD. Later you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India (also known as Kashi and Benaras). This evening, experience a rickshaw ride to the ghats to enjoy the grand ‘Aarti’ ceremony conducted everyday at sunset by white-robed priests. The young priests sway in seemingly choreographed movements, worshiping the river goddess with incense, flowers and earthen lamps.
Enjoy an early morning boat ride on the Holy River Ganges. See the ‘bathing ghats’ where thousands of pilgrims pay homage to the Sun God by immersing themselves in the holy water of River Ganges, and the ‘burning ghats’ where cremations are conducted.After breakfast, visit Sarnath, the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. Sarnath was a renowned school of learning from 6th century BC to 12th century AD. The Ashoka pillar of Sarnath is the national emblem of India. Visit the ruins, stupa, Buddhist temple and the Sarnath Museum. Later in the afternoon, catch your flight to Delhi, the capital city of India. Spend the afternoon, discovering the modern city of New Delhi, visiting Qutab Minar, a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture and the worlds tallest minaret; Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the largest Sikh temple of Delhi, with a gold tomb, still in active worship; Photo stop at India Gate, the war memorial arch built in honour of the soldiers who died in the second world war; drive past President's House, Parliament House and other Government Secretariat Buildings, the most imposing features of Lutyen’s Delhi.
Today, enjoy a half day sightseeing tour of Old Delhi, which includes a visit to Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India; a rikshaw ride in Chandni Chowk, ‘silver street’, one of the largest trading centres of India; drive past Red Fort, the place that marked the announcement of India’s freedom from the British Raj; visit Raj Ghat, cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi.Later this afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight back home.
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