Taj and Ganges tour in India

Taj and Ganges tour in India

Duration: 13 Nights / 14 Days
Places Covered: Delhi - Jaipur - Ranthambhore - Agra - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Delhi

Day 01
London / Delhi

Company representatives will receive you on arrival at the international airport in Delhi late in the night or midnight. Transfer to your hotel. Relax.

DELHI, the capital of kingdoms and empires is now a sprawling metropolis with a fascinating blend of the past and the present. It is a perfect introduction to the composite culture of an ancient land. A window to the kaleidoscope - that is India.

Overnight will be at Delhi.

Day 02
Delhi

In the morning take a city tour covering Laxmi Narayan Temple - The Place of Gods, India Gate - The memorial of martyrs, Parliament House - The Government headquarters. In the afternoon take a city tour of Old Delhi covering Jama Masjid - The largest mosque in Asia, Red Fort - The red stone magic, Gandhi memorial - The memoir of father of the nation. Also enjoy the sound & light show in the evening. Overnight at hotel.

Day 03
Delhi - Jaipur
By Road
260 kms - 6 hrs

After breakfast drive to beautiful Pink City - Jaipur.

JAIPUR - The origins of the beautiful city of Jaipur can be traced back to the eighteenth century, during the reign of Jai Singh II who ascended the Amber throne in 1699. Jaipur today, epitomizes the spirit of Rajputana. In-spite of growing into a bustling metropolis, it still retains it's character and history - A beautiful fusion of the yesteryears and modernity. Popularly known as the Pink City because of the extensive use of the locally abundant pink plastered stone, painted so in honor of the visit of the royal consort of Queen Victoria. Jaipur thrills the soul with its massive forts, magnificent palaces, exquisite temples and lush gardens.

Overnight at Jaipur.

On arrival check in into hotel. Afternoon enjoy city atmosphere. Overnight at hotel.

Day 04
Jaipur

Breakfast at hotel.

Proceed for excursion to Amber Fort in the outskirts of Jaipur. Elephant ride ascent to the fort.

AMBER FORT PALACE - Amber is the classic romantic Rajasthani fort palace. Its construction was started by Man Singh I in 1592, and completed by his descendent Jai Singh I. It's forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise where a beautiful fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles finds it's ultimate expression.

Proceed for sightseeing of the city.

CITY PALACE - A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area in the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.

JANTAR MANTAR - This is the largest and the best preserved of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II in different parts of the country. This observatory consisting of outsized astronomical instruments is still in use.

HAWA MAHAL - The ornamental facade of this "Palace of Winds" is a prominent landmark in Jaipur. Its five-storey structure of sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows. Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal grandstand for the palace women.

Visit a rug factory and see the ladies at the intricate work or a gem factory and see the gem cutting and polishing process. Overnight at Jaipur.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 05
Jaipur - Ranthambore National Park
by road
162 kms - 3 Hrs

Reach and transfer to the resort. Evening free at the resort and you can relax or watch some slides on the tiger.

Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, at the junction of the Aravalis and the Vindhyas, is a unique example of natural and historical richness, standing out conspicuously in the vast, arid and denuded tract of eastern Rajasthan, barely 14 kilometers from Sawai Madhopur. Get in tune with nature for a luxury holiday in the heart of the jungle. Ranthambhore - perhaps the best place in the world to sight a tiger in the wild. The Ranthambhore National Park has had more Tiger sightings than any other National Park in the country. It has come to be known as "The land of the Tiger", where most of the documented footage of this majestic beast has been recorded.

It spreads over a highly undulating topography varying from gentle to steep slopes; from flat topped hills of the Vindhyas to the conical hillocks and sharp ridges of the Aravalis, from wide and flat valleys to narrow rocky gorges. An important geological feature the 'Great Boundary Fault' where the Vindhya plateaus meet the Aravali hill ranges, meanders through the Reserve. The National Park is bound by the rivers Chambal in the south and Banas in the north.

Ranthambhore forest is of tropical dry deciduous type, further classified as Dhok climax forest because of the predominance of Dhok (Anogeissus pendulla) found nearly everywhere. Dhok is an extremely hardy tree, capable of withstanding prolonged droughts. The leaves of this tree are good fodder and they are browsed by herbivores, and form a significant part of their diet. Even the dry, fallen leaves, eaten by them, are rich source of nutrition.
Palas or Cheela or the Flame of the Forest (Butea monosperms) blooms magnificently around mid-April. During the period, Kachida and Anatpura provide an amazing view, like a forest on fire. Around Kamaldhar massive Gum trees (Sterculia urens) with smooth white trunk stand out conspicuously. Similarly, Gurjan (Lannea coromandelica) with greyish trunks at the banks of the lakes and soft wood Salar (Boswellia serrata) dotted atop hills are noticeable.

Fruits of Ber (Zizyphus spp.) and 'crocodile bark' Tendu (Diospuyros melanoxylon) are highly relished by Sloth Bears.
The lakes abound with aquatic vegetation including duck weeds, lilies and lotus.
A haven for a multitude of wild animals, the Park boasts of playing host to tigers, leopards, the elusive caracals, hyenas, sloth bears, wild boars, crocodiles and so on. Besides, there are over 300 species of birds, from the majestic Crested Serpent Eagle to the exotic Golden Oriole.

Tiger, at the apex of the food chain, lord over the kingdom in a subtle way. Solitary by nature, it operates in stealth. Therefore tiger sightings, frequent as they are, are always a matter of chance. However, even evidences of tiger's activities are very exciting.

The other kinds of cats found in Ranthambhore are Leopard (Panthera pardus), Caracal (Felis caracal), Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis), Fishing Cat (Felis viverrina) and the Jungle Cat (Felis chaus). Besides the big cats, the other large predators found in Ranthambhore include Sloth Bear, Striped Hyena, Wolf, Wild dog (or Dhole), Jackal, Indian Fox, Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Common Indian Mongoose, Small Indian Mongoose, Ratel (or Honey Badger), Marsh Crocodile and the Indian Python. There are two species of Antlers, namely the Spotted Deer (or Chital) and the Sambhar Deer, and, two kinds of Antelopes, namely the Indian Gazelle (or Chinkara) and the Bluebull (or Neelgai). Black Buck (another kind of antelope), which is rarely found in the National Park is common in Devpura area, in the outskirts of the park.

Overnight at resort.

Day 06
Ranthambore
A full day game viewing inside the jungle. (Two safaris)

Overnight at the resort.

Day 07
Ranthmbhore - Agra
By road
225 Kms - 5 hrs

Today we will drive to Agra, enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri (The old
deserted town of Mughal Dynasty) on arrival check in into hotel. Overnight at hotel.

AGRA: Two great Mughal monarchs, Akbar and Shah Jahan, transformed the little village of Agra into a befitting second capital of the Mughal Empire - giving it the name Dar-ul-Khilafat {seat of the Emperor}. Today a visitor to Agra is caught up in a world of contrasting edifices, of red sandstone and white marble, narrow galleys and quaint buggies, and that irresistible charm that this favorite city of the Mughals still retains. It is not surprising, that modern Agra still reflects its Mughal heritage most conspicuously. A walk down the narrow bustling streets of the city will introduce the visitor to the wafting aroma of Mughlai cuisine.

Reach Agra. Check in at hotel.

Overnight at Agra.

Day 08
Agra

Morning after breakfast time at leisure. Start the sightseeing tour of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

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.

Proceed for sightseeing to the AGRA FORT - Built by the famed Mughal emperor Akbar in 1565 AD, the fort is predominantly of red sandstone. Ensconced within is the picture perfect Pearl Mosque, which is a major tourist attraction.

Visit Itmadullah's Tomb built by Empress NOOR JEHAN in memory of her father (The interiors of which are considered better than the Taj).

Overnight in Agra.

Day 09:
Agra +++ Jhansi - Khajuraho
By Train - Shatabdi Express
Dep time: 0758 hrs Arr Time: 1035 Hrs

Morning after breakfast transfer to railways station for train to Jhansi.
Upon arrival in Jhansi you will be received by our representative. Continue your journey towards Khajuraho.

Jhansi - Orchha - Khajuraho
By road 180 kms 4 hrs

Enroute visit Orchha, now a small hamlet in the state of Madhya Pradesh but once the capital of the formidable Bundela kings in medieval times. Attractions include Raj Mahal, Jahangir Mahal, Rai Parveen Mahal, Ram Raja Temple, Chaturbhuj Temple, and Laxmi Narayan Temple. On arrival at Khajuraho check into hotel. Spend rest of the day on leisure. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 10
Khajuraho

Proceed for the city tour in the morning. Khajuraho is famous world over for the erotic temples built in the medieval times by the mighty kingdom of Chandelas with inspiration taken from Kamasutra - the celebrated Indian treatise on sex. The temples are divided into three groups Eastern, Western, and Southern. Kandariya Mahadeo is the most celebrated of all temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and famous for erotic sculpture on its walls.

Day 11
Khajuraho / Varanasi
By flight
Flight Number: 9W - 334
Dep: 1330 Hrs Arr: 1410 Hrs

Morning transfer to airport for the flight to Varanasi. On arrival check in the hotel. Afternoon on leisure. Excursion of Sarnath, the place where first prayer of Lord Buddha took place, in the evening. Overnight at hotel.

Day 12
Varanasi

Enjoy boating on the river Ganges in the dawn. Return back to Hotel.

Afternoon start the city sightseeing tour to explore the city of Varanasi -the Spiritual capital of India after breakfast. Visit Ghats, Kashi Vishwanath Temple and other places.

Overnight at Hotel.

Day 13
Varanasi / Delhi
By flight
Flight number: 9W- 334
Dep: 1440 Hrs Arr: 1600 Hrs

Return back to Delhi.

Check in Hotel for overnight stay.

Upon arrival in Delhi enjoy Farewell dinner with us.

Day 14:
Delhi / London

Morning at leisure. Start city tour of Delhi including visit to the main attractions in New Delhi (Luten's Delhi). Visit to some of the shopping interest places too, for some last hour shoppings. Evening transfer to airport for flight to your onward destination.