NORTH INDIA

Splendours of Rajasthan & the Taj

A memorable journey through Rajasthan visiting the colorful townships along the old camel caravan routes, traversing a starkly beautiful wilderness of dunes, rock shelves, awesome fortress and palaces including a camel safari in the sand dunes, undulating landscape of the great Thar Desert and visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra which is the gem of Indian architecture.

The tour covers Delhi - India’s spacious capital city with a legacy of its rich historical past and a vibrant present - remarkable monuments, forts and tombs from the Moghul period, colonial residences, majestic buildings and wide boulevards from the British Raj. Visit Rajasthan beginning with the Shekhawati region - famous for its paintings and frescoes, Jaisalmer – the golden city and once a busy trade centre on the caravan routes to Afghanistan and central Asia, Jodhpur – the blue city with its majestic forts, Udaipur - the city of lakes also known as the white city of Rajasthan, Pushkar situated around a holy lake and Jaipur - the pink city. The tour comes to an end after visiting the breathtakingly beautiful Taj Mahal in Agra.

Day 01: Delhi
Arrive in Delhi. Transfer to your hotel.

Day 02: Delhi
Full day visit in old and new Delhi which includes Red fort, Humayun's Tomb, Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque), Raj Ghat, India Gate, drive past Parliament house, President’s house, Qutub Minar (Delhi’s oldest monument) and Lotus temple.

Day 03: Delhi - Mandawa
Depart by surface for Mandawa (240 Kms/ 6 hrs). In the lovely subdued market town of Mandawa, we visit the beautiful Havelis of Chokani, Ladia and Saraf’s, the famous merchants of Shekhawati.

Day 04: Mandawa - Bikaner
Drive to Bikaner (260 Kms/ 5hrs) visiting Nawalgarh, Dundlod (the towns of Shekhawati region famous for its frescoes and paintings) and Deshnoke (Rat temple) en route.

Day 05: Bikaner - Jaisalmer
Bikaner was founded in 1488 by Rao Bika, a descendant of Jodha the founder of Jodhpur. Visit the sixteenth century Junagarh fort with some of the finest interiors in India and Jain temples. Drive to the desert citadel of Jaisalmer (340 Kms/ 6 hrs).

Day 06: Jaisalmer
Visit the fortified city consisting of Jain temples. The centuries old Havelis, finely scultpted sandstone buildings, were built by wealthy merchants of Jaisalmer. Visit the three Havelis of Patuon, Nathmal and Salim Singh. Visit Gadisar Lake and the cenotaphs at Badabagh. Evening excursion to Sam Sand dunes (42 kms). Enjoy a camel ride and return after sunset.

Day 07: Jaisalmer - Jodhpur
Drive to Jodhpur (250 Kms/ 5 hrs), the blue city of Rajasthan. Afternoon sightseeing of Jodhpur including a visit to the majestic Mehrangarh Fort on a 125 m high hill. Visit the city palace, Jaswant Thada (memorial for Maharaja Jaswant Singh). Explore the local bazaar in the evening.

Day 08: Jodhpur - Udaipur
Drive to romantic city Udaipur (249 Kms/ 5 hrs) visiting Ranakpur en route. Ranakpur is an incredible temple complex in milk white marble with intricate, knotted carvings and is one of the largest and most important Jain temples in India.

Day 09: Udaipur
In Udaipur, visit the fairytale palace, museum, Jagdish temple, Fateh Sagar lake and the beautiful garden “Saheliyon-ki-Bari”. Afternoon we go on a boat ride on lake Kuchola.

Day 10: Udaipur - Pushkar
Drive to Puskar (300 Kms/ 7 hrs) visiting Eklingji temple, Nagda temple and Ajmer, the historically important city and India’s most important Muslim pilgrimage site in India. Visit the Tomb of Sufi Saint Khwaza Muin-ud-din-Chisti en route.

Day 11: Pushkar - Jaipur
Morning, visit the holy city of Pushkar situated around the holy lake with mythological significance. Drive to Jaipur (120 Kms/ 3 hrs). In Jaipur, visit the city Palace, which now houses a museum. Visit the observatory and drive around the city and its bustling bazaars.

Day 12: Jaipur – Agra
Morning excursion to Amber Fort, which includes an elephant ride up to the Fort. Thereafter proceed to Agra (220 Kms/ 5 hrs) visiting the old city of Fatehpur Sikri en route.

Day 13: Agra - Delhi
Morning visit the beautiful monument of love, the world famous Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Late afternoon drive to Delhi.

Day 14: Delhi - Departure
Transfer to the airport to connect outbound flight.