Day 01:Abroad
/ Delhi Arrive late night at New Delhi International airport. On
arrival the guest will be met by our representative and transferred to
hotel. Upon arrival at hotel the guests will be provided with the
traditional Indian welcome. Consisting of aarti-tikka and garlands.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 02: Delhi
Morning sightseeing tour of Old Delhi. This morning you will be taken to
visit Old Delhi - Former centre of Moghul Power, Old Delhi offers ancient
monuments, narrow streets and bustling bazaars. Visit the vast Red
Fort, built in 1648, the Jama
Masjid, the greatest mosque in India and completed in 1658
by Shah Jahan who also built the Taj Mahal, and the Raj
Ghat, the simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
Afternoon sightseeing tour of New Delhi.
New Delhi - drive past
the stately government buildings of the British Era designed by Lutyens,
including the India Gate &
the Presidential Palace.
Continue onto the beautiful Humayuns Tomb
of the Mughal era & predecessor of the world famous Taj Mahal. End the
tour at the towering minaret of Qutab Minar.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 03: Delhi - Mandawa After breakfast drive to Mandawa
( 280 kms). Upon arrival check in at Hotel Castle Mandawa. Late
afternoon visit the Shekhawati region. Walk through the Shekhawati region,
which was the stronghold of Kayamkhani Nawabs till 1730. Besides the
cenotaphs, wells, forts and temples the majority of frescoes are painted on
the walls and gateways of Havelis. The havelis are mansion of a unique
residential architectural style that evolved around courtyards to serve the
purpose of family security, privacy for the women as also protecting the
inhabitants from the long, harsh summers. The enormous Havelis with
fascinating murals built by the wealthy Rajasthani merchants ("Marwaris")
in the 19th century. Overnight at Castle.
Day 04:
Mandawa - Bikaner - Gajner After breakfast drive to Bikaner (240
kms). Upon arrival in Bikaner lunch at one of the hotels followed by
city tour. City sightseeing tour of Bikaner, this desert town in the
north of the state was founded in 1488 by Roa Bikaji, a descendant of the
founder of Jodhpur, Jodhaji. Visit the Junagarh
Fort constructed between 1588 and 1593 by Raja Jai Singh, a
general in the Moghul Emperor Akbar's army. After sightseeing drive to
Gajner Palace (28 kms / 40 minutes). Upon arrival check in at Gajner
Palace. Overnight at Gajner Palace.
Day 05 : Gajner - Jaisalmer In the morning enjoy the
surrounding of Ganjer Palace.
After breakfast, drive to
Jaisalmer (260 km). Upon arrival check-in at hotel.
Jaisalmer - is India's most exotic and unusual town - a
medieval looking place, straight out of the 'Tales of the Arabian Nights'.
This beautiful city is situated inside a huge mud fort and grew as a result
of its strategic position on the trading route between India and Central
Asia bringing great wealth to the city. Jaisalmer is a tiny jewel in the
heart of the Thar Desert - once the capital of the Bhatti Rajputs. Jaisalmer
started as an important caravan center and remnants of caravan sarais still
exist. Late in the evening visit the Sam dunes where you will witness
sunset while enjoying the camel ride. Overnight at hotel. Day 06: Jaisalmer After
breakfast, visit this perfect Rajput walled desert city which is like a
golden jewel shimmering above the hard sand. Visit the palaces, the Jain
temples and magnificent Havelis or merchant's houses, each richly decorated
and carved from golden yellow sandstone - Patwon-ki-haveli
(House of the Brocade Merchants) is the largest and most elaborate of the
famous havelis of Jaisalmer. The Nathmalji-ki-haveli
(The Mansion of Nathmalji), the last of the great havelis was built in the
late 19th century. End the morning with a visit to Gadisar
Lake - the large natural oasis that attracted Rawal Jaisal
to this site. sAfternoon, visit the Royal
Cenotaphs of the Rawals in Barra bagh where the rural were
cremated. This is also the best place from which to watch the spectacular
desert sunset, and photograph the fort. Overnight at hotel.
Day 07: Jaisalmer - Jodhpur
- Luni After early breakfast, drive to Luni (310 km) enroute
visiting Jodhpur city.
City tour of Jodhpur - the largest city in
Rajasthan after Jaipur, Jodhpur stands at the edge of the Thar Desert. It
was founded by Rao Jodha. Chief of the Rajput clan known as Rathores and the
Rathore kingdom was once known as Marwar - the Land of Death. The tour
includes Meherangarh Fort - one of the most impressive & formidable in
the whole of fort-studded Rajasthan is situated on a high natural rock bluff
and from which you can look down on the wonderful panorama of the bustling
city below, Jaswant Thada - the Royal Cenotaphs. Continue drive to Luni.
Day 08 : Luni
- Udaipur Early morning visit the surrounding villages and witness
their daily lifestyle of living and enjoy cup of tea / coffee with them.
Breakfast at hotel. Later drive to Udaipur (240 kms). Upon arrival
in Udaipur, check-in at hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 09: Udaipur Morning, city
tour of Udaipur - the romantic Lake City in Southern Rajasthan, famous for
the stunning white marble Palace built on an island in the Lake Pichola. It
was the former Palace of the Maharana and now converted to one of the most
glamorous hotels in India. The tour will cover the magnificent City
Palace, the Jagdish temple,
the pleasure gardens and a drive around the other nearby lakes.
The magnificent City Palace,
which is simply enormous - an assemblance of not one but four separate
palaces covering some four acres of area and exceeding all other palaces for
colossal grandeur. Here you will marvel at rooms with mirrored walls and
ivory doors, colored glass windows and inlaid marble balconies; and the
Peacock Courtyard.
Late afternoon, enjoy
a boat cruise on Lake Pichola at sunset visiting the
Jagmandir Island - in the middle of the Romantic Lake Pichola. It commands a
magnificent view of the City Palace, Lake Palace and Sajjangarh Fort, on its
own island, and it is where Prince Khurram was given refuge in the 17th
century. Overnight at hotel Day 10: Udaipur - Deogarh After breakfast drive to Deoagrh
enroute visiting Ranakpur Temples.
Ranakpur
temples: A visit to the famous Jain Temple, dating back to
the 15th century. 200 pillars, none of which are alike, support its 29
halls. The Temple abounds with intricate friezes and sculptures. The tour
also includes visits to two more Jain temples and the Temple of the Sun God
with its erotic sculptures. Lunch at Maharani Bagh.
Upon
arrival in Deogarh, check-in at hotel. Deogarh
Mahal - built in 1670 A.D., the Mahal stands at a height of
2100 ft. above sea level with its bold battlements, domed turrets and
balconies offering a commanding view of the surrounding Aravalli mountains
and its rugged rock-strewn countryside dotted by a number of lakes.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 11: Deogarh - Khajrela
After breakfast drive to Khajrela (184 kms). Upon arrival check in at
hotel. Khajrela seems
to rise out of the Narwar plains like a sentinel. A sturdy fort, it is quite
simple and uses very little ornamentation to break the almost forbidding
exterior. The interiors too are simple and neat where the guests can look
forward to genuine Rajput hospitality. In the surrounding area has several
interesting temples, cenotaphs and stepwells and for the more adventurous -
camels are available to explore the countryside and visit Raika and Bisnoi
villages. Overnight at hotel. Day 12 : Khajrela - Pushkar After breakfast drive to Pushkar
(180 kms) enroute visiting the Dargah at Ajmer
Ajmer, is the
most sacred of all Muslim places of pilgrimage in India. Ajmer is a green
oasis on the shore of Ana Sagar Lake, hemmed in by barren hills.
Historically, Ajmer has always had great strategic importance. It was
founded in 7th century by Ajaipal Chauhan. He named it Ajaimeru the
'invincible hill'. The city's Muslim history began when Prithviraj Chau-han
lost Ajmer to Sultan Muhammad Ghori in 1193 A.D. The Persian saint Khwaja
Moinuddin Chishti who came with Muhammad Ghori from Persia in 1192 settled
here. Thus the place where he was buried is today known as the Dargah
Sharif. Construction of the shrine was completed by Humayun and the gates
were added by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Later Shah Jahan constructed a mosque
of white marble, it has 11 arches and a Persian inscription running the full
length of the building. Later check in at hotel in Pushkar.
Pushkar is a mellow, serene and bewitching little town which attracts those
in search of some respite from the tumult of India. Pushkar is right on the
edge of the desert and is only 11 kms from Ajmer but separated from it by
Nag Pahar, the snake mountain
This traveler-friendly town clings
to the side of the small Pushkar Lake with its many bathing ghats and
temples. For Hindus, Puhskar is a very important pilgrimage centre and
you'll see plenty of Sadhus (individuals on a spiritual search).
Pushkar boasts temples, though few are as ancient as you might expect at
such an important pilgrimage site, since many were deserted by Aurangzeb and
subsequently rebuilt. The most famous is the Brahma
Temple, said to be one of the few temples in the world
dedicated to this deity. It's marked by red spire, and over the entrance
gateway is the hans, or goose symbol, of Brahma, who is said to have
personally chosen Pushkar as its site. Overnight at hotel. Day 13 : Pushkar - Jaipur After breakfast drive to Jaipur (120
kms / 3 hours). Afternoon tour of "Pink City" - Surrounded on
three sides by the rugged Aravali hills, Jaipur is the picturesque capital
of Rajasthan. It takes its name from the prince, soldier and astronomer Jai
Singh II who moved his capital here in 1727. Jaipur is notable for its
distinctive pink-orange coloring. The whole of the old city, including many
fine palaces and buildings, was constructed from solid blocks of Sandstone
or faced with the same stone. But it was only in 1853 that it gained its
famous title, the "Pink City"- it was painted pink for the first
time in honour of a visit from Prince Albert. You will visit the Hawa Mahal
and the open air Jantar Mantar Observatory enjoy a through the colorful
bazaar before returning to your hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 14 : Jaipur After breakfast tour of Amber Fort.
Tour of the impressive Amber Fort,
situated on a ridge just outside Jaipur City. At the foot of the hill you
will mount your caparisoned elephant for the slow but steady climb up to the
main gate, making your entrance in the time honoured fashion. The Fort,
completed in the early 18th century, took over 100 years to build and now,
although deserted, offers a fascinating insight into the lifestyle of the
Moghul ruling families.
Afternoon, enjoy a cycle rickshaw ride
through the bustling bazaars. Jaipur is renowned for textile block printing,
blue pottery, carpet weaving, semi-precious stones and local crafts which
still thrive from the day of Maharaja Jai Singh's patronage when he designed
special areas in the city for the 'bandhanas', the 'cheepas' and the
'meenakari' workers. Overnight at hotel. Day 15 : Jaipur - Fatehpur Sikri - Agra After breakfast drive
to Agra (221 kms) enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur
Sikri - the impressive sandstone fortress was built in the
16th century and only occupied for a few years before being abandoned,
leaving the buildings in virtually perfect conditions.
Continue
drive to Agra
Upon arrival in Agra - check-in at the hotel.
Thereafter, visit the Taj Mahal,
the guests will board the 'decorated tongas' (horse carriage) which will
take them to Taj Mahal Little needs to be said about this
architectural wonder which is always the soul raison-de-etre for every
tourist's visit to Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble
memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal.
This monument took
22 years to be completed and was designed and planned by Persian architect
Ustad Isa. Apart from it's stunning design balance and perfect symmetry, the
Taj is also noted particularly for its elegant domes, intricately carved
screens and some of the best inlay work ever seen.
The guests
will remain till late afternoon to witness the pristine Taj Mahal at sunset,
to see this true Wonder of the world in gentle late afternoon light.
Overnight at hotel
Day 16 : Agra - Delhi Breakfast
at hotel. Thereafter, visit the Red Fort.
Red
Fort- lies on the bend of the river Yamuna, almost in the
heart of the town. Akbar built it as his citadel over the years 1563-73 in
the finest architectural style. It has imposing gates and walls of red
sandstone and a moat.
Afternoon, drive to Delhi (203 kms/5 hrs).
Upon arrival the guests will be assisted and transferred to airport for
flight back home