Welcome to India, Asia!
ROUTE: Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi, Delhi
DURATION: 15 Days
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Visit to historical sites/monuments
- Guided tour of New Delhi visiting the Qutab Minar
- Visit Amber fort included is an Elephant Ride/Jeep Ride
- Jaipur half day city tour visiting Hawa Mahal Palace of Winds
- Safari, game drive and viewing Ranthambore National Park
- Train ride to Bharatpur, then drive visit to Fatehpur Sikri
- Sunset visit to Taj Mahal
- Visit to Agra Fort
- Train ride to Jhansi, then drive to Orchha, medieval village
- Sightseeing of temples in Khajuraho
- Flight to Varanasi, then evening drive to the Ghat to see the Aarti ceremony
- Boat ride on the Mother Ganges River and sightseeing city tour in Varanasi
AIRFARE: | International Airfare Upon Request | |
ACCOMMODATIONS: | Hotels used (or similar) | |
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DELUXE: |
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LUXURY: |
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Included:
Accommodations Per Person Sharing, including hotel taxes
Arrival & departure transfers where applicable
Local guides where applicable
Meals per itinerary
Park entrance fees and sightseeing fees where applicable
Applicable transportation
Not Included:
Airfare and air taxes
Cancellation, baggage, travel and medical insurance
Items of a personal nature such as baggage porterage, gratuities/tips, laundry, telephone calls, bottled water, etc.
Visa and visa fees
Optional sightseeing and activities
Meals, beverages and services not mentioned in itinerary
For additional information or reservations please complete QUOTE REQUEST form in side bar of this page or contact us directly to speak to one of our Destination Experts.
We can personalize this tour just for you! Call: 1 800 263 2995 / 416 391 0334 or complete form in: CUSTOM-CRAFTED tab on this page.
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Day 1 Arrive Delhi
Upon arrival at airport in India, you will be warmly met by a representative, who will provide assistance and transfer to your accommodation to check-in.
Overnight: Delhi
Day 2 Delhi
Activities:
- Breakfast at hotel, then have time to relax.
- At noon we cross the city into the walled gates of Old Delhi, the capital of Muslim India between the 17th and 19th centuries. Our tour includes visit to the Jamma Mosque (1650) and drive through the fabled area of Chandni Chowk. Then we drive past the Red Fort (1639-1648).
- Later visit Raj Ghat to pay homage to the Father of India’s Nation-Mahatma Gandhi.
- Dinner at a local specialty restaurant.
Overnight: Delhi – (B, D)
Day 3 Delhi
Activities:
- After breakfast, we proceed on a guided tour of New Delhi visiting the Qutab Minar. Drive through the Embassy area, Connaught Place, the heart and main shopping district of the capital.
- Continue to Humayuns tomb, also known as the forerunner to the Taj Mahal.
- Return to the hotel or have an optional visit to the Bangla Sahib owned by Raja Jai Singh Amber (Jaipur) who commanded great respect and honour in the court of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb now enjoys the status of a holy shrine called Gurdwara Bangla Sahib also visit Birla Mandir.
Overnight: Delhi – (B)
Day 4 Delhi - Jaipur
Activities:
- After breakfast depart for Jaipur, the capital state of Rajasthan also known as the “Pink City”.
Built by the great warrior and even better astronomer, Raja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727. Jaipur is full of
formidable forts, enchanting palaces and lovely temples, the city was completed in eight years. Also this city
offers a paradise for shoppers; Jaipur offers jewellery, carpets & rugs, textiles and other bargains.
Overnight: Jaipur – (B)
Day 5 Jaipur
Activities:
- After breakfast visit “Amber fort” included is an “Elephant Ride/Jeep Ride” (kindly note that elephant ride is subject to availability and guests have to leave early and line up approx 2 hrs before. As per the new rule, each elephant can take only 2 people at a time and each elephant is limited to 3 trips a day, there are usually 50 elephants in all).
- Perched on a hill 11km from Jaipur and nestling among the Aravali Hills is the historic fort-palace. Set in a picturesque background, the splendid Amber Fort (Jaigarh) was built in 1600 by Raja Man Singh, commander-in-chief of the Mughal army during Akbar’s reign and greatest general of medieval India.
- There is a timeless appeal to Jaipur’s colourful bazaars where one can shop for Rajasthani handlooms and trinkets.
Overnight: Jaipur – (B)
Day 6 Jaipur
Activities:
- After breakfast, proceed for half day city tour visiting Hawa Mahal, the Observatory-Jantar Mantar and City Palace. The Hawa Mahal or “Palace of Winds” was built in 1799 to enable the ladies of the royal household to watch street processions while remaining in a strict state of purdah. Between 1727 and 1734 Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five astronomical observatories in west central India. The observatories or “Jantar Mantars” as they are commonly known, incorporate multiple buildings of unique form each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. Conceived and designed by Jai Singh the City Palace, is a fine blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Chandra Mahal is still the residence of the present royal family.
- Noon and evening is at leisure.
Overnight: Jaipur – (B)
Day 7 Jaipur - Ranthambore
Activities:
- Breakfast at hotel, drive to Ranthambore. Arrive Ranthambore and check-in at your hotel.
- Post lunch visit to the local market or opt for Mansarovar Lake. As no boat ride is available in Mansarovar Lake at
Ranthambhore, however, visit to Lake is possible and same is included. - Return to the hotel, in the evening enjoy slide show on wild life in Ranthambore National Park.
Overnight: Ranthambore – (B, L, D)
Day 8 Ranthambore
Activities:
- Early morning after breakfast proceed on a game drive to the sanctuary in jeeps. Situated in eastern Rajasthan, where the Aravali Hill ranges and the Vindhyan plateau meet, the Ranthambore National Park was once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur. The tiger is not the only attraction at Ranthambore; you could also see several varieties of birds. Other animals in the reserve include leopard, caracal, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, marsh crocodiles, wild boar, bears and various species of deer.
- Lunch would be served in the hotel.
- Post lunch, game drive in another part of the sanctuary.
- Return to the hotel and evening is at leisure.
NOTE: The coach with the luggage would depart for Bharatpur tonight. You would receive the same on arrival at Bharatpur railway station.
Overnight: Ranthambore – (B, L, D)
Day 9 Ranthambore - Bharatpur - Agra
Activities:
- Early morning transfer to Sawai Madhopur Railway station with packed breakfast to board the train for Bharatpur.
- On arrival at Bharatpur you would be met and assisted by our representative and drive to Fatehpur Sikri. The mysterious ghost city founded by the Mughal Emperor-Akbar the Great, in the late 16th century and capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585.
- After sight seeing continue drive to Agra and on arrival check-in at your hotel.
- Later proceed for a sunset visit to Taj Mahal. This grand edifice, built by Shahjehan from 1631 to 1653 to enshrine the remains of his Queen Mumtaz Mahal. We walk into the inner chambers of this renowned “Monument to Love,” and seek out several vantage points to see the magnificent play of light. It is truly deserving of its status as a wonder of the world.
Overnight: Agra – (B)
Day 10 Agra
Activities:
- Early afternoon proceed to the sprawling “Agra Fort” on the bank of the Yamuna River. This immense fort and palace was the seat of power for four generations of Mughal emperors; they ruled all of northern India from the early 16th century until the consolidation by British colonial rule in the early 1800s. Agra Fort’s architecture is an almost perfect fusion between military might and lavish beauty.
- After the visit return to the hotel.
- Later visit the Itmad-U-Daula.
- Evening is at leisure.
Overnight: Agra – (B)
Day 11 Agra - Jhansi - Khajuraho
Activities:
- After early morning breakfast, transfer to the Railway station to board the train for Jhansi.
- On arrival drive to Orchha, medieval village where time has stopped. A city founded by Bundela rulers with palaces and temples of the 16th and 17th century which have remarkably withstood the onslaught of time. The river Betwa picturesquely flanks the city.
- Reach Orchha and see the beautiful Palace Complex-Jahangir Mahal and the Raja Mahal.
- After lunch resume drive to Khajuraho.
Overnight: Khajuraho – (B, L)
Day 12 Khajuraho - Varanasi
Activities:
- After breakfast proceed for sightseeing of temples, built during the 9th to the 11th centuries by the powerful dynasty of Chandela Rajputs. The temples with their erotic sculptures are a feast to the eyes. Visit the eastern and western group of temples.
- After sightseeing, return to the hotel and check-out.
- Transfer to the airport to board the flight for Varanasi. Varanasi is the world’s most ancient city and the home of Hinduism. The present name is derived from the fact that it is at the confluence of the two rivers Varuna and Asi that flow across the city.
- Evening drive to the Ghat to see the Aarti ceremony. As the sun sets the temple priests perform Aarti, the sacred “light ceremony”, on the banks Mother Ganges.
Overnight: Varanasi – (B)
Day 13 Varanasi
Activities:
- Early morning (05:00hrs) we take you to the banks of river Ganges where we board a boat to see the morning ablutions of the Hindus from the security of our boat.
- Return to the hotel for breakfast.
- Later depart for sightseeing of “Sarnath” – The ancient Buddhist learning center of Sarnath. Here, Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon to his disciples as portrayed in Bernardo Bertolucci’s film “Little Buddha.”
- We then visit the Sarnath Museum (except on Fridays, when the museum is closed) which houses some of the greatest treasures of Indian Buddhist art, including Lion Capital of Ashoka, the Sarnath museum has a small but awe-inspiring collection of Buddhist artifacts. Among the things to see is a beautiful sculpture of the Buddha from the fifth century.
- At noon, enjoy the city tour, we visit the largest and oldest university in north India – Benaras Hindu University. The university also has the huge Vishwanath temple which was built and maintained by the Birla family. The Banaras Hindu university has Bharat Kala Museum, which has a very rich collection of precious and rare historical manuscripts. The temple “Bharat Mata Temple” is dedicated to Mother India.This temple is built in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936 so that the citizens could respect Mother India in statue form which is built in marble. The statue is a replica of undivided India in three dimensions which has the mountains, plains and oceans in right proportion.
- After sightseeing return to the hotel.
Overnight: Varanasi – (B)
Day 14 Varanasi - Delhi
Activities:
- Breakfast at the hotel, thereafter morning is at leisure. In the afternoon, you are transferred to the airport to board the flight for Delhi.
- On arrival at Delhi you are transferred to your hotel.
Overnight: Delhi – (B)
Day 15 Depart Delhi
Departure: Transfer to the international airport to board the flight, for your return journey. (Check-out 12:00 noon).
Meals as per itinerary: (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)