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| OVERVIEW |
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ITINERARY |
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PRICING |
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WHAT'S INCLUDED |
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17 days / 16 nights plus optional extension
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| Day Number of Tour |
| Day No. |
Location |
Program |
B |
L |
D |
| 1 |
Arrive Mumbai |
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D |
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On arrival in Mumbai today, you will be met and transferred to the Ambassador Hotel.
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| 2 |
Mumbai |
Gateway of India, Jehangir Art Gallery, Dhobi Ghats
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B |
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D |
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Morning at leisure. Begin your sightseeing in Mumbai this afternoon with a city tour - including the Gateway of India, erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911; Jehangir Art Gallery, Marine Drive, and the Dhobi Ghats. Return to the hotel for dinner.
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| 3 |
Mumbai / Udaipur |
Prince of Wales Museum, Victoria Terminus, Gandhi Museum
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B |
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D |
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This morning, visit the Prince of Wales Museum for a wonderful introduction to Indian history and culture. Just before lunch, stop by the Victoria Terminus to witness the dabbah-wallahs arrive and begin delivery of over 10,000 lunches to downtown businessmen. After lunch, visit the Gandhi Museum and Jain Temple.
Transfer to the airport this afternoon for departure to Udaipur. On arrival, transfer to the Radisson Plaza. Dinner at the hotel and evening is at leisure.
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| 4 |
Udaipur |
City Palace, Crystal Gallery, Boatride on Lake Pichola
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B |
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D |
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Today, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Udaipur, including the City Palace, now a museum, but once the home of Mewar's rulers. It consists of several flawlessly integrated palaces, which overlook Lake Pichola. Also visit the Crystal Gallery at Fateh Prakash Palace, probably the single largest collection of crystal in the world. It was in 1877 that Maharana Sajjan Singh ordered the crystal collection from Birmingham based F & C Osler Company, including objects dart, furniture, washing bowls. The gallery also houses the only Crystal bed in the world.
Drive around Fateh Sagar Lake, excavated in the late 17th century by Maharaja Jai Singh, and visit the Jagdish Temple. End the day with a boat-ride around Lake Pichola, before returning to the hotel.
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| 5 |
Udaipur |
Garden of the Maids of Honour, Sound & Light Show
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B |
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D |
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After breakfast, enjoy a walk through the gardens of Sahelion-ki-bari (The Garden of the Maids of Honour), the scene of royal parties for centuries. The balance of the day is yours to explore the old city, shop or just relax.
In the evening enjoy a Sound & Light show in Udaipur. Every evening, the grounds of the magnificent Manek Chowk inside City Palace, Udaipur, come alive in a blaze of lights, as the sound and light show gets underway. The hour-long show seeks to recreate Mewars glorious history in a delightful play of light and sound, as a narrative in English evokes significant episodes in the eventful centuries of the regions history.
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| 6 |
Udaipur / Jodhpur |
Ranakpur Jain Temple
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B |
L |
D |
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Depart Udaipur by road this morning for Jodhpur enroute, visit the stunning Ranakpur Jain Temple, every inch of which is superbly carved, with its 1444 pillars. Stop for lunch at the Fateh Bagh Retreat. Continue on to Jodhpur, arriving late this afternoon, and check-in at the Park Plaza Hotel. Dinner is at the hotel, and evening at leisure.
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| 7 |
Jodhpur |
Meherangarh Fort, Old City & Bazaars
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B |
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D |
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This morning, take a sightseeing tour of Jodhpur city, and the Meherangarh Fort. Within are a number of palaces and temples built by successive rulers, with priceless jewels and a dazzling collection of arms. This afternoon, take a walk through the Old City and bazaars.
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| 8 |
Jodhpur / Camel Camp |
Villages, Tented Camp
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B |
L |
D |
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Depart the hotel this morning for the Osian Camel Camp, visiting some local villages enroute. On arrival, enjoy lunch before settling into your luxury tent for overnight. This afternoon, visit nearby 6th to 8th century Jain temples. In the late afternoon, embark on your first short camel trek. Dinner at the lodge.
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| 9 |
Camel Camp |
Camel Trek, Overnight in the Desert
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B |
L |
D |
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Embark this morning on an exciting camel safari into the desert, stopping for lunch enroute. Eventually arriving at this evenings campsite, your luxury tent (with running water!) will be erected, and you can settle-in for a magical evening in the desert.
Please note: support jeeps will be available if you do not wish to ride the full day. For anyone not wishing to join the safari, arrangements may be made to stay at the Camel Camp (at additional cost).
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| 10 |
Camel Camp / Jaipur |
Travel to Jaipur
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B |
L |
D |
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This morning, rise early for the ride back to the camel camp. Returning to Jodhpur, transfer to the airport for departure to Jaipur (or travel by road if flight is not available). On arrival, check into the Golden Tulip Hotel.
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| 11 |
Jaipur |
Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Dinner with an Indian Family
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B |
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D |
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Begin your sightseeing this morning with the Amber Fort, which has been described as "the sleeping beauty of Rajasthan". Explore the royal apartments, which open on to striking views of the gorge. The fort also possesses a Chamber of Mirrors and the Hall of Victory presents an array of decorative art with panels of alabaster and fine inlay work in soft hues. Visit the Raj Villas, where you will have some free time to have lunch at your own expense. This will give you a chance to see this grand hotel. This afternoon, enjoy a city sightseeing tour of Jaipur. Visit the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), an elaborate building covered with delicate honeycomb screens and carved balconies from which the royal ladies (confined to their quarters) could view the outside world. Also visit Jai Singh's Observatory, built in the 17th century by the founder of Jaipur who, besides being a prince, was also a soldier, astronomer and builder. Enjoy a Cycle Rickshaw ride in the local bazaars (market) before returning to the hotel. You also have the option to return to the hotel in the Rickshaw instead of the car.
Dinner this evening is with a local Indian family. You have a good opportunity to exchange conversation and mingle with the family. The food will be home cooked but not too spicy!
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| 12 |
Jaipur |
Haveli, Carpet Factory, Dinner at Samode Palace
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B |
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D |
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After breakfast this morning, visit a "Haveli" and a carpet factory and see how the intricately detailed carpets are woven. This afternoon, step back into time at Samode, a feudal stronghold of the Kacchawaha Rajputs that was awarded to Gopal Singhji by his father, the illustrious Prithviraj Singhji of Amber Fort. Enjoy dinner at Samode Palace. Return to the hotel.
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| 13 |
Jaipur / Agra |
Keoladeo National Park, Fatehpur Sikri
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B |
L |
D |
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Depart Jaipur this morning by road for Agra. Make a stop in Bharatpur to have lunch, and visit the famous bird sanctuary at Keoladeo National Park. It is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the world, with over 360 species. Enjoy a 1-hour visit to the sanctuary by rickshaw. Continuing toward Agra, visit Fatehpur Sikri - an epic poem in red sandstone, built by Emperor Akbar the Great in 1569 and deserted 14 years later because its water supply failed. Its glorious courtyards and palaces conjure up dreams of the mysterious past. Buland Darwaza, the victory gate looms 134 feet high. As this city was deserted for most of its existence, damage to the interiors by the many different rulers that ruled after Akbar is minimal. Arriving in Agra, check into the Trident Hotel.
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| 14 |
Agra |
Agra Fort, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, Taj Mahal
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B |
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D |
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This morning, visit the Agra Fort - behind its forbidding red sandstone battlements lay palaces that tell the story of the Mughal Empire. The most impressive parts of the Fort are the Dewan-e-Am, where the Emperor sat on his throne to dispense to his subjects, and the Dewan-e-Khas, where he received foreign dignitaries. We will also visit Itmad-Ud-Daulahs Tomb, known as The Baby Taj.
This afternoon, take a Tonga ride (horse cart) to visit the incomparable Taj Mahal. Built by Emperor Shah Jahan as an ode to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, it is the greatest monument to love ever built. Twenty thousand men laboured for over 17 years to finish this white marble edifice to beauty and love.
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| 15 |
Agra / Delhi |
Mother Theresa's Orphanage, Akbar's Tomb
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B |
L |
D |
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This morning, visit Mother Theresa's Hostel where God struggles to save lives through a handful of nuns, completely dedicated to their cause and to humanity - a real eye-opener for all of us that live in comfort. Before proceeding to Delhi, make a stop to visit Akbars Tomb at Sikandra, with its stunning geometric inlay work. Continue by road to Delhi, stopping for lunch enroute. On arrival, check-in at the Jaypee Vasant Continental Hotel.
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| 16 |
Delhi |
Old & New Delhi, Dinner with Dances of India
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B |
|
D |
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This morning, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Old Delhi - the 300-year-old walled city built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648 as his capital and named after him. Next, visit the magnificent Red Fort built of red sandstone dating from the very peak of Mughal power. Opposite the fort are the black and white onion dome and the minarets of the Jami Masjid, the most elegant mosque in India. Drive past Kotla Firoze Shah, ruins of an old fort from the 14th century with the 13-metre high Ashoka Pillar from 3rd century B.C., and visit and the peaceful garden where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. (Note: The drive through the Old City is subject to traffic restrictions.) This afternoon, tour New Delhi - the new capital designed by Sir Edward Lutyens. Drive past the Presidential Palace, the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the secretariat buildings - the centre of all government activity. Continue down the main avenue, the impressive Rajpath, to the World War I memorial arch, the India Gate, the High Court Building and the Old Fort. Visit Humayun's Tomb built in 1565 by his grieving widow Haji Begum; also visit the 72-metre high Qutub Minar and the ruins of Quwat-ul-Eslam (Light of Islam) Mosque. See Delhi's most curious antique, the uncorroded Iron Pillar, which dates back to the 4th century AD.
Early this evening enjoy a Dances of India show with dinner in a typical Indian restaurant.
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| 17 |
Depart Delhi |
Depart Delhi - or - Join Varanasi Extension
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B |
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Morning at leisure for relaxation, last-minute shopping or further exploration. This afternoon, transfer to the airport for departure.
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| 18 |
Delhi / Varanasi |
Optional Extension to Varanasi: Aarti Ceremony
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B |
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D |
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Transfer to the airport this morning for departure to Varanasi. On arrival transfer to the Radisson Hotel. Later this afternoon, witness Aarti Ceremony (collective prayer) and watch the floating oil lamps on the river Ganges. The Ghats and temples are lit with oil-lamp lights or candles in the evening and people perform prayers. Return to the hotel for dinner.
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| 19 |
Varanasi |
Boat cruise on the Ganges, Sarnath
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B |
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D |
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You will have an early morning boat excursion on the holy river Ganges to see the Bathing Ghats and Cremation Sites. Watching people bathing and worshipping at the Ghats is one of the most extraordinary experiences when visiting India. Drive to Sarnath, the buried Buddhist city where Buddha gave his first sermon.
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| 20 |
Varanasi / Delhi |
Depart or continue to South India
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B |
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This morning, visit the Bharat Mata Temple with its big marble relief map of India. This afternoon, depart for Delhi, and connect to your flight home.
- OR - Join our South India: Gems of Kerala Tour
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