This trip mixes classical with modern, leisure with adventure, simple with luxury, rural with urban, manmade with natural, desert with mountains and so on. So much so that at the end of this tour it becomes difficult for a traveler to decide the best out of the best experiences in the tour. Every part of this tour is full of surprises. Every single day of this tour unfolds an excitement of its own. Every moment in this tour is an experience in itself.
Duration : 15 nights / 16 days
Places covered : Delhi, Agra, Ranthambhore, Jaipur, Deogarh, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner & Mandawa
Tour starts at : Delhi
Tour ends at : Delhi
Day 01 : Delhi: Welcome briefing
You are picked by our executive from the International airport & escorted to the hotel. We will have a welcome briefing covering the various aspects of the tour (ensuring that you have the best of the Indian holiday). Overnight in the hotel.
Day 02 : Delhi: Old & New Delhi
Enjoy a full day tour of the capital city of India (a perfect mix of the history & modernity). We visit architectural masterpieces from the Mughal era to the British era & to the present day. The sights would include the Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat & the Qutab Minar among others.
Day 03 : Agra: Fall in Love again with The Taj Mahal
We start after a leisurely breakfast and reach Agra stopping at Sikandra – a pyramidal tomb of the greatest Mughal emperor Akbar. After checking in, we visit the most adorable monument of the World- The Taj. We also visit the Agra Fort & Itmadullah.
Day 04 : Ranthambhore: Roaring Wildlife
We depart for state of Rajasthan with Ranthambhore (better known as the Tiger land) as our first stop. We reach Ranthambhore by evening visiting Fatehpur Sikri (the capital of the Mughal emperor Akbar) on our way. Evening at leisure.
Day 05 : Ranthambhore: Game drives
Full day reserved for game drives, one in the morning & one in the afternoon. The Ranthambhore National Park certainly is one of the most picturesque game reserves in the world - the entire forest being dominated by the silent, ruined battlements of the Ranthambhore Fort, which is inside the sanctuary.
Day 06 : Jaipur: Visit to the block printing industries & Tiger fort
We drive northwest & reach Jaipur by mid afternoon visiting Sanganer, famous for its hand block printing textile and handmade paper industries. After checking in, we drive uphill reaching atop the tiger fort (The fort's location is like a tiger standing on the crest of a hill and overlooking the city below.
Day 07 : Jaipur: Elephant climb, Architectural & Astronomical genius
Enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of PINK CITY (the city was colored pink in honour of the visit of the Prince of Wales in 1876). The tour includes visit to the Amber fort on an elephants back, city palace complex & the astronomical tower. Evening free for leisure or shopping.
Day 08 : Deogarh Mahal: Everlasting impressions
We depart for Deogarh after a relaxed breakfast & check into the castle called Deogarh Mahal, an imposing 17th century structure. Run by owner Rawal Nahar Singh of the royal lineage, every guest here is personally supervised and utmost care is taken with attention to the minutest details. Explore the village & the fort on foot or on a horse back. One is bound to transcend to the royal era here.
Day 09 : Udaipur: Romance on the lake After checking in at Udaipur, we take a half day sightseeing trip of this charming princely city visiting the city palace complex, Jagdish temple & the garden of the maids. The remainder of the day for shopping & other personal activities, Udaipur is popular for its tie-and-dye fabrics & miniature paintings. We also take a romantic boat ride at the backdrop of a glorious sunset on Lake Pichola. Overnight in Udaipur.
Day 10 : Udaipur: Excursion to village Narlai, Monsoon Palace The complete day at leisure to explore the lake city on your own OR an excursion to the scenic Narlai town. We visit the Monsoon palace for panoramic views of the magical lake city in the evening. Overnight in Udaipur.
Day 11 : Jodhpur via Ranakpur: Poetry on Marble We depart for Ranakpur after a leisurely breakfast (120 kms – 2 hours). Often regarded as sheer poetry on marble this 15th century Adinath Jain temple is an architectural genius. The profuse & intricate carving on marble resembles lace-work rather than stone carving. One of the other remarkable things about the temple is wonderful play of shadow & light on the nearly 1500 pillars (each of which interestingly displays a different decorative design. We reach Jodhpur by evening & enjoy an optional dinner atop the imposing Mehrangarh fort in true princely style.
Day 12 : Jaisalmer: colorful desert Enjoy a half day guided sightseeing tour of Jodhpur including a detailed exploration of the massive Mehrangarh fort. Also visit the marble cenotaphs at Jaswant Thada. We reach Jaisalmer around sunset. Overnight in the Golden sand city.
Day 13 : Jaisalmer: desert starscape, unforgettable experience Enjoy a half day walking tour of the extraordinary Jaisalmer fort (still inhabited), visit the various haveli’s (mansions) built with yellow sandstone & exquisitely carved with intricate Jaalis (latticed grills). Jaisalmer is also a great place to pick up chunky rustic silver jewellery, colorful embroidered & mirror worked fabrics. After some rest at the hotel we get into the adventure spirit & drive towards the sum sand dunes. We check into our desert camp site & after enjoying a camel ride on the dunes we spend an enchanting evening on the sand watching the sensuous snake dance of the kalbeliya gypsies & listening to the full throated folk songs of the Manganiyars. Overnight in the tents under the desert starscape will be an unforgettable experience of Rajasthan.
Day 14 : Bikaner: Migratory Cranes, Camel breeding farm We start a little early & move eastwards towards Bikaner/ Gajner, on our way we visit Kheechan village, home to 1000’s of migratory demoiselle cranes who feed on the grains donated by the villagers. We also stop at Gajner Palace, a hunting lodge from the days of Raj spread over an area of 6000 acres. We then visit the Camel breeding farm (the biggest in Asia). Rest of the evening at leisure after checking in at Bikaner.
Day 15 : Mandawa: Shekhavati region The first half at leisure OR Half day excursion to the amazing rat’s temple called the Karni Mata temple OR a driver through tour of the Bikaner city. We depart for the Shekhavati region popular for its colors & frescoes. Overnight in Mandawa.
Day 16 : Delhi: Paintings, Havelis, farewell dinner We explore the town for its beautiful frescoes and Havelis; we then depart for Delhi & have our final stop at the beautiful Neemrana fort where we have a memorable farewell dinner. You are then dropped to the international airport for your flight back home.