Catch a glimpse of the rural charm of
the villages of Rajasthan along with the magnificent Taj!
Detailed
ItineraryDay 01 Arrive at Delhi Meet and assist
by our representative upon your arrival at the airport. Then drive to your
hotel with your driver and car. Night in hotel.
Day 02 Delhi
Morning after breakfast city tour of this imperial British capital
of the 20th century. Visit the Qutub Minar - the tallest free standing
minaret in stone in the world; then onto Humayun's tomb - the first Mughal
construction in India from 1565 AD. Also see the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the
India Gate built in the earlier half of the 20th century. Drive through the
old city past the Red Fort and visit the Jama Masjid - the biggest of its
kind in India. Here take a rickshaw through the winding streets of the old
city to see the life of the people in this part of the world. A perfect
introduction of your tour. The rickshaw puller pulls you through the
imperial avenue the Chandni Chowk where you will find each and every small
business under the sky. Finally, reach Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma
Gandhi, where your chauffeur is waiting for you to take you to your next
stop the Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple in activity.
Day 03
Delhi - Mandawa After breakfast leave Delhi for Mandawa enroute
visiting Mahensar. Upon arrival in Mandawa check into your hotel.
Day 04 Mandawa - Khimsar 180km In the morning see this
beautiful village of Shekhawati that used to be an important caravanserai of
the yesteryears. See the many havelis of this quaint little town built by
the rich and the famous merchants of the 18th and 19th centuries. These
havelis have been painted with activities of daily life and of deities to
break the monotony of the desert life.
Then proceed towards Khimsar en
route stop at Nagaur to see the splendid Ahichatragarh fort. Reach Khimsar
by late afternoon.
Day 05 Khimsar -Osiyan - Pokaran - Jaisalmer
330km After breakfast we set towards our journey across the Thar
Desert to reach Osiyan to see the 7th century Harihar temple and the hindu
temple of Goddess Shakti. Reach Pokaran for lunch. Visit the 15th century
fortress where the 3rd Mughal emperor, Akbar the Great, was born in 1543.
The bazaar in the middle of this village is very colourful and full of local
flavours. After lunch continue towards Jaisalmer and arrive by evening to
witness the sunset over the desert with the most imposing edifice of the
town behind you.
Day 06 Jaisalmer 
Morning an exclusive visit of the Jain temples inside the Sonar Kila.. The
Jains are a community that respects life and are pure vegetarians by
religion. Visit the citadel's palace that houses a museum with a huge
collection of robes and artifacts from the royal family of Jaisalmer. Visit
the Patwaon ki haveli with intricately designed latticed windows used by the
ladies to view the external world. Also see the Gadisar Lake.
Later,
we go to Sam or Khuri village. Here we have loads of excitement in store for
you. Upon arrival in the village you will be taken to the nearby sunset
point on the dunes to see the sunset by camel carts. After sunset return to
the village where your stay is arranged in mud huts. Evening listen to the
haunted tunes of the desert by the local artists and musicians. A lifetime
experience. Dinner and night in the desert mud huts.
Day 07 Jaisalmer - Jodhpur 280km
Today we reach Jodhpur the blue city by early afternoon.
Post lunch
session introduces you to the fabulous spice market of Jodhpur the 2nd
largest city in Rajasthan. Walk along the market to feel the odours of the
spices filling the air around you Then go to Mandore gardens the then
capital of Marwar to view some of the fabulous cenotaphs and the hall of
local heroes of the wars. Drive back to Jodhpur and see the Umaid Bhawan
Palace, the present residence of the king of Jodhpur. Retire to your hotel
and relax.
Day 08 Jodhpur - Luni 40km After
breakfast drive up to the majestic Mehrangarh fort, the stronghold of the
Rathore princes from 1453AD. We see the superb collection of paintings and
arms and ammunitions. The view of the city from the rampart walls is breath
taking.
Later an hours drive brings us to the world of animals - Luni,
the palace amidst the more rustic life of Rajasthan. After lunch we take you
on a safari to discover the hidden beauty of the jungle life. Here you would
be visiting the Bishnoi villages. Bishnois are a tribe that respects life in
every form - animals trees and even dead branches. They are vegetarians and
even in the villages they protect the animal life and don't let anybody
practice hunting in the vicinity of their villages. They live in a joint
family system where the oldest member is generally the head of the family.
Then we would like you to witness the opium ceremony with the Patels -
a rich tribe. It is a ceremony prevelant in this part of Rajasthan where the
youth offers opium to drink mixed with water to the elders of the family
when they come back from work in the fields.
Day 09 Luni -
Ranakpur - Udaipur 290km
Leave Luni and reach Ranakpur a big pilgrimage centre for the Jains. Just
four hours drive from Luni is the eternal Jain pilgrimage centre of
Ranakpur. Admire the workmanship from the 16th century. The temples are
built out of marble and the main shrine of Adinath with 1444 columns is awe
inspiring and none of these are similar. Also see the sun temple and the
other temples in the campus. Proceed towards Udaipur and on the way stop by
the fields to see the local way of farming and irrigation. Walk into the
villages to mingle with the locals around to know more about their
lifestyle. Reach Udaipur by late evening and check into your hotel
Day 10 Udaipur Visit the City Palace the richest palace museum
in the entire Rajasthan. See the peacock square and the miniature painting
school inside the palace premises. Udaipur has the prestige of housing the
best miniature schools in the country under the royal patronage of the king
of Udaipur. Later see the temples of Nagda and Eklingji.
The temple at
Eklingji is a temple that belongs to the Maharana of Mewar (royal family)
and he is often there to pray. The temple complexe of Nagda is a group of
temples of which only two remain intact and those are that of Saas and Bahu.
Two temples of Shiva and of Vishnu both from the 7th century.
Day 11 Udaipur - Ajmer - Pushkar 250km Pushkar happens to be
the holiest places according to the Hindus as it is considered that Lord
Brahma (the Creator) and his wife Saraswati (the goddess of learning and
music) performed a ritual in the lake. Here we visit the only Brahma temple
of the world before intermingling with the local colours in the local
bazaar. Pushkar is the world famous for its cattle fair held each year in
the month of October/November. Proceed towards Ajmer.
Ajmer is the
pious city for the Muslims. Surprisingly both the cities are at distance of
11km from each other. Visit the Durgah built in fond remembrance of Khwaja
Muin ud Din Chisti where the Muslim pilgrims from all over India throng
during the festival times. Later visit Mughal emperor Akbar's Palace where
his son Jehangir received Sir Thomas Roe to grant him the permission of
trade to East India Company with India, that changed the history of India
completely and slowly and steadily India became colony of the British
Empire.
Day 12 Pushkar - Jaipur Leave Pushkar after
breakfast and reach the Pink City : Jaipur. After lunch at your hotel visit
the local bazaar and the gems cutting and polishing factory.
Day 13 Jaipur 219km Visit
the Amber fort in the morning; included is an elephant ride at the Amber
fort. See the marvelous Shish mahal built in the 17th century in a fusion
style of Hindu and Islamic art. Also see the hall of public audiences and
Maharaja Man Singh's Palace who had twelve queens.
After lunch set off
to see the Pink city visiting the observatory Jantar Mantar built in 1727 by
Sawai Maharaja Jai Singh II who was a mathematician , an astronomer an
astrologer and a great musician of his era. He built five observatories
throughout India - Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi, Mathura and Delhi but only the
one at Jaipur is functional. Then visit the City Palace of the Maharaja of
Jaipur with a fabulous collection of robes and saris in cotton and silk with
golden latticed work. The City Palace houses a collection of paintings also
in the painting gallery and of course a collection of arms and ammunitions
in the ammunition gallery.
Day 14 Jaipur - Karauli 180 km
Leave the Pink city after breakfast and reach Karauli by lunch time. After
lunch its time to discover the hidden bounties of this beautifull and lost
world. Visit the Palace in Karauli with its intricate mirror and wooden
work. Take a stroll in the local bazaar full with local flavours and
colours.
It is a lovely experience. Dinner at your hotel.
Day 15 Karauli - Fatehpur Sikri - Agra Leave Karauli and reach
Fatehpur Sikri by early afternoon. Visit this abandoned city built by the
Mughal emperor Akbar in the second half of the 16th century. Fatehpur Sikri
was built by Akbar after his Hindu wife bore him the long awaited son who
was born after the renowned sufi saint Salim Chisti blessed Jodhabai Akbar's
hindu wifewith a son. Also visit Jodhabai's palace the biggest palace in
Fatehpur Sikri even bigger than the emperor's palace himself as this was the
queen who bore him his heir to the throne. Continue towards Agra and reach
Agra by early evening. Relax at your hotel or go to the local bazaar to see
the lifestyle of the people.
Day 16 Agra - Delhi Taj Mahal is awaiting your arrival today
morning. A must see with the rising sun as the Taj Mahal is bathed in the
golden rays of the morning sun. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white
marble memorial that houses the tomb of 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 its 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
anywhere in the world. Then see the Agra Fort built by Akbar where Shahjahan
was imprisoned by his own son Aurangzeb.
Post lunch visit Itmad ud
Daulah - it is the first mughal building built out completely of marble. In
many contexts it is referred to being the predecessor of the Taj Mahal. Then
visit Sikandara the tomb of the great emperor Akbar before continuing
towards Delhi. Upon arrival in Delhi transfer to a local restaurant for your
farewell dinner and finally transfer to the international airport for your
flight back home.
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