DAY 1 - DEPARTURE Take your overnight flight direct to Delhi.
DAY 2 - ARRIVAL IN NEW DELHI You transfer to our hotel, the five-star Taj Palace. After a short rest you have a guided tour of New Delhi: bisected by wide, tree-lined avenues and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it clearly reflects the legacy of the British Raj. We see the former Viceroy’s Palace, now the Presidential Palace, and as we head down the imposing Rajpath we reach India Gate and the Parliament buildings. You’ll also visit some of Delhi’s older monuments: the Qutub Minaret is the tallest stone-built tower in India, whilst nearby is Humayun’s tomb, a precursor of the Taj Mahal.
DAY 3 - OLD DELHI This morning you visit Old Delhi, starting with the Raj Ghat, a simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, you continue past the imposing walls of the great Red Fort before visiting the Jama Masjid, one of Asia’s largest mosques. You leave for Agra in the afternoon, staying two nights at the four-star Oberoi Trident, with breakfast. A buffet dinner is included tonight.
DAY 4 - TAJ MAHAL In the soft morning light, as the mist rises from the Yamuna River, the Taj Mahal floats like a mirage above the surrounding landscape. The combination of its extraordinary beauty, symmetry and history has made this one of the world’s most amazing monuments and you have plenty of time to admire it from all angles. You also visit the vast red sandstone Agra Fort, headquarters of the Moghul Empire. This evening you have the option of another sunset visit to the Taj Mahal.
DAY 5 - FATEHPUR SIKRI Leave Agra and continue towards the ancient city of Fatehpur Sikri. Built in 1571 as Emperor Akbar’s imperial capital, it was mysteriously abandoned just 15 years later and remains in a remarkable state of preservation. After lunch we catch the Shatabdi Express for your comfortable 2.5hr train journey to Ranthambore National Park. Originally the private hunting preserve of Maharajahs, its 400km2
with tiny convex mirrors embedded like a mosaic in the walls and ceilings. Dinner tonight is included.
DAY 9 - RAJASTHAN Leaving Jaipur you head deep into rural Rajasthan, on your way to the Sekhawati region and the village of Alsisar. Once part of India’s Silk Road, over the years the merchants here grew very rich, building luxurious frescoed mansions known as ‘Havelis’. The imposing residence of the local kings has been restored into a remarkable Heritage Hotel, the Alsisar Mahal, where we stay a night with a buffet dinner. A maze of winding corridors, cool courtyards and arched colonnades lead to the charming rooms, some with four poster beds. In the afternoon, you take a guided village walk to explore the best examples of the Havelis.
DAY 10 - DELHI Drive back to Delhi and the last night at the Taj Palace.
DAY 11 - RETURN FLIGHT Fly home, arriving in the UK later the
same day. SHIMLA EXTENSION
On selected departures your tour continues on to Shimla, the ‘Queen of Hill Stations’, for three nights at the famed five-star Oberoi Cecil Hotel on a bed and breakfast basis:
of rolling
hills, valleys and lakes form a unique ecosystem. Your hotel for two nights is the comfortable family-run three-star Ranthambore Regency on full-board.
DAY 6 - RANTHAMBORE SAFARI Using 20-person open-top vehicles known as canters, we have an early start as we head out for our morning safari. After many years of conservation efforts, Ranthambore is now the best place to spot tigers in India. But Ranthambore is not just about tigers – over 300 bird species have been counted, and the park’s residents also include large numbers of Asian antelopes, as well as marsh crocodiles, wild boar and rare sloth bears. You return to your hotel in the late morning, with plenty of time to relax before your second trip into the park and another chance to spot the elusive tigers.
DAY 7 - JAIPUR Today you head towards the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur. We see the famous Hawa Mahal, known as the Palace of the Winds and continue to the Astronomical Observatory before entering the City Palace, still home to the present Maharajah, to view its collections of costumes, paintings and impressive armoury. Your hotel for two nights is the four-star Hilton, with breakfast.
DAY 8 - AMBER FORT This morning you visit the immense Amber Fort, located in the hills a short drive from Jaipur. You’ll see the sections reserved for the Maharajah’s wives and concubines as well as the remarkable hall of mirrors,
DAY 11 - TRAIN TO SHIMLA In the morning you catch the express train to Kalka, about 4hrs north. From here you change trains onto the Shimla narrow-gauge ‘toy’ train for the last part of your journey. Inaugurated by Viceroy Lord Curzon in 1903, this amazing railway crosses 800 bridges and 102 tunnels on its 96-mile journey to Shimla and though the carriages are smaller and not air- conditioned, this is made up for by the spectacular scenery en-route. Our hotel is the town’s haven of luxury, the Oberoi Cecil, where we stay for three nights with breakfast. With its teakwood floors, magnificent lobby, an excellent restaurant, indoor pool and Asian spa, this is one of India’s best-known hotels. A sumptuous buffet dinner is included at the Oberoi Cecil tonight.
DAY 12 - SHIMLA You explore the many reminders of British colonial life in Shimla. The immense Viceregal Lodge with its beautiful botanical gardens, was built in Scottish baronial style to house the Viceroy and his staff for the six months they were based in the town. Particularly poignant is the lodge’s collection of photographs from the late Victorian era. You also take a walk along the pedestrian-only Mall, from Scandal Point and Christ Church past the mock- tudor Post Office and the Gaiety Theatre.
DAY 13 - FREE DAY Relax at the hotel pool or spa, take a stroll along the Mall and try some bargain hunting in the markets.
DAY 14 - TRAIN TO DELHI Descend by car to Kalka, from where you catch the train back to Delhi for your last night’s stay at the Taj Palace.
DAY 15 - RETURN FLIGHT Catch your direct flight home to the UK, arriving back the same day.
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