Delhi – Agra - Jaipur – Bikaner – Jaisalmer – Jodhpur – Udaipur - Mumbai
Total No of Days : 13 Days
Best Season : September to April
DAY 01: ARRIVE DELHI
You will be assisted on arrival and transferred to your hotel. Morning is at leisure. In the afternoon, drive to visit Humayun’s Tomb built in the Indo Persian style and a predecessor to The Taj Mahal in Agra, the tomb of the second Mogul emperor then also houses the graves of his wives; India Gate - A War Memorial Arch built in the honour of 90,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives in World War I. Below it burns the Amar Jawan Jyoti, the eternal flame in tribute to all martyred soldiers of India. Also drive past the President's House called Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, Government Secretariat buildings and Connaught Place - the heart of New Delhi and a busy shopping center.
Overnight stay at your hotel.
DAY 02: DELHI - AGRA – BY SURFACE / 203 KM / APPROX 4 HRS
After early breakfast, you drive to Agra which is a very interesting 3 hours drive passing through beautiful countryside and villages. En route stop at Sikandra, Akbar’s mausoleum made of red sandstone, just 8 km before Agra. Later continue your drive and arrive at your hotel and check-in. In the afternoon visit the red sandstone Agra Fort, which stands like a crescent on the banks of the Jamuna River enclosed by forbidding 20-meter high walls, with a 12- meter moat between them. Three successive Mughal emperors - Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jehan - helped create this massive structure which contains Hindu and Muslim architecture.
Overnight stay in your hotel.
DAY 03: AGRA - VIA FATEHPUR SIKRI - JAIPUR – BY SURFACE / 232 KM / APPROX 5 HRS
In the morning proceed for the famous white marble mausoleum, which was built in the middle of the 17th century by the Moghul emperor Shah Jehan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Visit the Taj Mahal surely the greatest monument to love and one of the wonders of the modern world. Completed in 1652, skilled craftsmen from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and some 20,000 labourers worked for 17 years to build this edifice, constructed by emperor Shah Jehan as a mausoleum for his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal. Marble was brought from Makrana, near Jodhpur and precious stones of onyx, amethyst, malachite, lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade, crystal and mother of pearl were carried to Agra from Persia, Russia, Afghanistan, Tibet, China and the Indian Ocean.
Driving out from Agra you stop en-route to visit the ancient Moghul capital of Fatehpur Sikri. This 16th century capital of Moghul emperor Akbar is a complex of forts, palaces and mosques built in sandstone. The city had to be deserted because of lack of water. The white marble Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti, Akbar's spiritual adviser, is now observed as a Muslim pilgrimage spot here. Later continue your drive to Jaipur and check-in at your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight stay at your Hotel.
DAY 04: IN JAIPUR
This morning you will drive 11km in the outskirts of the city to visit Amber Fort, the ancient capital of the State until 1728. You can have the unique experience of traveling on elephant back to and from the top of the hill on which the fort is situated. Visit the Temple of Kali, the Hall of Victory or Jai Mahal and Jagmandir. In the afternoon visit the Observatory, the Palace of Winds and the City Palace and Museum. The museum has an interesting textile section, which contains dresses and costumes of the former Maharajas and Maharanis of Jaipur. Rest of the day is free to explore the colorful town independently. Spend time in crowded lanes & by lanes of pink city, haggling and souvenir-hunting.
Overnight stay in your hotel.
DAY 05: JAIPUR – BIKANER – BY SURFACE / 361 KMS / APPROX 7 HRS
Today you start early on your drive to Bikaner, which was once a major trading post between Africa, West Asia and the Far East. The arts prospered receiving the patronage of a wealthy merchant community. The city is renowned for the best riding camels in the world. In the afternoon you visit the Camel Breeding Farm and Junagarh Fort, a formidable structure encircled by a moat and having some beautiful palaces within. Situated at a height of above seven hundred feet above sea level, it towers over the city and can be seen from a distance. The fort and its palaces are profusely decorated with magnificent stone carvings. In the early evening you drive 30 km south of Bikaner to the village of Deshnoke, where the famous Mata Karni Temple is situated. The 600-year-old temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. The temple plays host to thousands of rats that form the major attraction here. The rats are considered sacred and worshipped accordingly. You have to be very careful while entering the inner sanctum, because it is believed that if you accidentally step on a rat, a gold replica has to be made to compensate for the lost life.
Overnight stay in your hotel.
DAY 06: BIKANER – JAISALMER – BY SURFACE / 333 KMS / APPROX 7 HRS
Heading deeper into the desert heartland you depart for Jaisalmer - a fairy-tale town in the Thar Desert founded about 800 years ago by Rajah Jaisal. Unlike any other city, this desert fortress is one of Rajasthan's most exotic and unusual towns. Jaisalmer, an important ancient trading centre because of its strategic location on the camel trade routes, is often described as the 'golden city'. The havelis, built by merchants of the 19th century, are exquisitely carved from golden-yellow sandstone and are still in a beautiful condition. The fort built by Rawal Jaisal in the 12th century, stands on the 80 metre high Trikuta hill, with beautifully carved Jain temples. The annual desert festival takes place in January and February each year and is a riot of colour and activity. Jaisalmer is also famous for its embroidery, Rajasthani mirror work, rugs, blankets, antique, and stonework and camel safaris into the barren sand-dune desert.
Overnight stay in your hotel.
DAY 07: IN JAISALMER
After breakfast you proceed on a city tour of Jaisalmer. Visit the citadel – the Fort built by Rawal Jaisal where a fourth of the population lives. The fort also houses Jain Temples of the 12th to 15th centuries, Patwon Ki Haveli – a five-storey mansion with carved pillars & murals of Salim Singh. Also visit Gadsisar, which had once supplied water to the city; the temples & archways around it have been built by a courtesan. In the afternoon, to get the real experience of the vast dunal stretches of the Thar Desert you proceed on as excursion to Sam – 45 km away, known for its sand dunes and it is the venue for the Desert festival. Get the actual feel of the desert by enjoying a camel ride and witness a magnificent sunset on the sand dunes. You return to Jaisalmer for dinner.
Overnight stay in your hotel.
DAY 08: JAISALMER – JODHPUR – BY SURFACE / 305 KMS / APPROX 6 HRS
Today your drive takes you to Jodhpur. Call it by its many names and they will not do Jodhpur justice. An oasis in the arid Thar Desert, Jodhpur is the second largest city in the state of Rajasthan. Representing this colorful city with shades of blue, Jodhpur has a history that is rich and a present that beckons strongly to the discerning tourist. Forts and palaces, temples and havelis, culture and tradition, spices and fabrics, color and texture, Jodhpur has them all and in plenty. Situated in western Rajasthan, Jodhpur has long attracted both the domestic and outside tourist. It not only offers tangibles, in terms of what you can see and buy but also fills one with a sense of history and the splendors of an era gone forever. The hospitality of the locals, the demure women, the colorful turbans -all set against the unmerciful desert is something to feel, not just see. Every pore of Jodhpur tells its own tales of heroic tales that made legends out of kings and soldiers, romances that continue to warm the heart and a time when epics were lived out on the streets by everyday man. In the evening you can explore the market place to get a feel of this vibrant Rajasthani city.
Overnight stay at your hotel.
DAY 09: IN JODHPUR
The forts and palaces in the city are the major source of attraction in the city. Exploring the forts gives you a feel of the times when the Rajput might was at its peak. The gates and the walls of the forts speak of the battles they have witnessed. One needs to spend enough time with these historical monuments to fully grasp the grandeur of the Rajput era. Situated at an altitude of about 125 meters, The Mehrangarh Fort is spread over an area of 5 sq. km in the heart of the city. The fort has seven gates of which the noted ones are the Jayapol, built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806; Fatehpol or the Victory Gate built by Maharaja Ajit Singh; and the Lohapol or the Iron Gate. The 15 handprints, the sati marks of Maharaja Man Singh/’s widows who threw themselves upon his funeral pyre in 1843, can be seen beside the Lohapol. On the wall, one can see the strategically located cannons. Inside the fort, a series of courtyards and palaces greet the visitor. The palace apartments house a splendid collection of the trappings of the Indian royalty. Visit Jaswant Thada: It is a white marble memorial built in memory of Maharaja Jaswant II in 1899 A story goes that Maharaja Jaswant succumbed to injuries in this place while fighting the Moghul king Jahangir. Umaid Bhawan Palace; Made of marble and pink sandstone, the construction of the Umaid Bhawan started in 1929 and it took 16 years to complete it. It is believed that the palace was constructed to give employment to the famine-struck population of Jodhpur. This majestic building is presently the residence of the former rulers with a part of it running as hotel and remaining part as a museum.
Overnight stay at your hotel.
DAY 10: JODHPUR – UDAIPUR - BY SURFACE / 280 KM / APPROX 5 ½ HRS
After breakfast you proceed to the renowned city on Udaipur. It is the city of lakes, also known as "the Venice of the East" and the second most visited city in Rajasthan, after Jaipur. A royal past makes itself evident in every nook and corner in Udaipur. Whether it is the ornate doors that are entrances to people's homes or the palaces, gardens and monuments, Udaipur gives one a glimpse of what the place would have looked like in its time of glory. Founded by Maharana Udai Singh in 1568, and considered the jewel of Mewar, Udaipur's air is filled with a strong sense of romance, adventure and the best of Rajputana. You will be received on arrival and transferred to you hotel.
Udaipur is also a centre of historic arts and crafts of Mewar, like the Mewar School of Miniature Painting. There is of course the modern face of Udaipur that one can look at if interested but given the other sights from a glorious past modernity is no real distraction. This is a place that will hold you in its thrall no matter who you are or where you come from.
Overnight stay at your hotel.
DAY 11: IN UDAIPUR
During a guided tour for the day you will visit the City Palace built in 1725, the grand City Palace is actually a conglomerate of eleven palaces overlooking the sprawling Lake Pichola. One of the largest, most beautiful palaces in the state of Rajasthan, it is now a museum, royal residence and a luxury hotel. This intricately designed monument is an architectural wonder in granite and marble; Jagdish Temple built in 1651 by Maharaja Jagat Singh, this temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is located in the centre of the old city. The temple has a black marble image of Lord Vishnu, which is unusual for the northern part of the country, where statues of Gods are normally in marble; Fateh Sagar originally built in 1678 by Maharana Jai Singh, Fateh Sagar was rebuilt by Maharana Fateh Singh after the rains destroyed the dam. The garden island in the middle of the lake is Nehru Park, which also has a cafe.
In the evening you will enjoy a leisurely boat ride on Lake Pichola. With its main attractions being the two palaces on the islands in the lake, Jagniwas and Jagmandir Lake Pichola is about 4 km in length and 3 km wide. Jagniwas was earlier the summer retreat of the prince of Mewar and now a five-star hotel. The city palace extends along the eastern shore of the lake and you can go for a boat ride from Bansi Ghat.
Overnight stay at your hotel.
DAY 12: UDAIPUR – MUMBAI – BY FLIGHT / 9W 7202 / DEP AT 0715 HRS / ARR AT 0830 HRS
You will be transferred in time to board your flight for Mumbai. At Mumbai you will be received & transferred to your hotel. Mumbai is the fast paced commercial, financial, industrial and celluloid capital of India. Lured by its glamour and the prospects of ’streets paved with gold’, a large number of people from different parts of the country come to settle in this city every year. And Mumbai continues to grow, to absorb and most importantly to prosper.
Just when you begin to wonder how you’re ever going to cope with Mumbai, you arrive at Worli and see Haji Ali Mosque standing proudly on a raised walkway in the middle of the sea giving you the feeling that the Gods are there if everything else fails. The scenes change as you drive past Chowpatty Beach, ablaze with the lights of stalls selling fruit-juice, ice cream and snacks to the crowds thronging the beach. By the time you reach Marine Drive, your spirits will be restored and the rush of traffic won’t seem half so daunting as it might have been earlier, and the sedate horse-drawn landau will seem a charming anachronism.
In the afternoon, visit the highlights of Mumbai, which would include Mani Bhawan – the house where Mahatma Gandhi used to stay during his visits to Mumbai. Also visit Prince of Wales Museum having a priceless collection of art and sculpture. Drive past the ‘Towers of Silence’; delightful Kamla Nehru Park and Hanging Gardens situated on the slope of Malabar hills offering a panoramic view of Marine Drive and Chowpatty beach. Also drive past Crawford Market & Mumbai High Court. Visit the Gateway of India – a splendid arch on the banks of Arabian Sea, built to commemorate the royal visit in 1927.
Later return to your hotel for overnight stay.
DAY 13: IN MUMBAI – DEPARTURE MUMBAI – BY INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
After breakfast you drive to the Gateway of India to take the motorboat for Elephanta Island. The boat leaves at 0900 hrs and you enjoy a one-hour boat ride across Mumbai Harbor that brings you to the lovely, green Elephanta Island. Here you visit some of the huge and intricately carved Cave Temples dating back to the 7th century and dedicated to the Sun God - Shiva. Large panels depict episodes in his life. The central sculpture represents Shiva's three aspects as creator, preserver and destroyer. You would be returning back by lunchtime. The rest of the day is at leisure for independent activities.
Later, depending on the time of your international flight you will be transferred in time to the International Airport.