Itinerary
Day 1 | Fly to Delhi Fly overnight from your chosen UK airport to India’s capital, Delhi. Day 2 | Arrive in Delhi and visit Qutub Minar Arrive in Delhi and transfer to the 4-star Suryaa Hotel for an overnight stay. Afternoon visit to Qutub Minar in South Delhi, one of India’s first Muslim monuments. Enjoy dinner and a restful evening at your hotel. (D) Day 3 | Visit Delhi’s highlights and drive to Agra Tour Old Delhi’s highlights, including the 17th-century Jama Masjid Mosque. Visit Gandhi Smriti, a museum dedicated to the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Continue to India Gate, a 42-metre-high stone memorial arch surrounded by gardens. Drive four hours to Agra and stay two nights at the 5-star Hotel Clarks Shiraz. (B, D) Day 4 | Explore the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort Leave before dawn to watch the sunrise over the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous UNESCO site. Wander through tranquil gardens scattered with fountains and reflection pools. Visit Agra Fort, also set on the Yamuna River. Optional trips to the Mehtab Bagh gardens or Itmad-ud-Daulah, also known as the ‘Baby Taj’. (B, D) Day 5 | Travel to Ranthambore National Park On the way, visit the Chand Baori stepwell in Abhaneri village. Ranthambore National Park is a 334 square-kilometre stretch of jungle and grassland, once a hunting ground for maharajas but is now a conservation success story. Spend two nights at the 4-star Ranthambore Regency, a family-run eco-lodge, just 10-minutes from the park. (B, L, D) Day 6 | Go on safari in Ranthambore National Park Discover Ranthambore’s legendary wildlife on a morning game drive. Travel with a guide on a 20-seat, open-top bus called a canter, bumping through a landscape of forest, grassland and jungle dotted with waterholes and lakes. Look out for striped hyenas, boar, flying foxes, langurs and macaques, sloth bears and leopards. If you’re extremely lucky, you may spot the shy Bengal tigers. (B, L, D) Day 7 | Explore Bundi’s Summer Palace and Queen’s Stepwell Drive to Bundi (2.5hrs), a blue-washed city dating back to 1241 CE and home to over 200 temples. Visit Bundi’s lakeside summer palace, Sukh Mahal, where Rudyard Kipling once stayed. Continue to Raniji ki Baori, known as the Queen’s Stepwell. Drive an hour to the ancient city of Kota with a visit to Kotah Garh palace complex. Overnight at the 4-star Country Inn and Suites by Radisson in Kota. (B, D) Day 8 | Tour Chittorgarh Fort, have lunch at Pratap Palace Travel west to UNESCO-listed Chittorgarh Fort (3.5hrs). Tour
Chittorgarh’s collection of stone-carved temples, palaces and stepwells that date back to the 7th century. Highlights include Rana Kumbha Palace, Meera Bai Temple and Vijay Stambh. Stop for lunch before driving southwest to Udaipur (2.5hrs). Stay at the 4-star Trident Hotel for two nights, which lies on the banks of Lake Pichola. (B, L, D) Day 9 | Explore the City Palace Visit the City Palace, which dates back to 1599. Highlights include the well-stocked armoury, the Crystal Gallery and Manek Chowk courtyard, where you’ll spot former tiger cages. This afternoon, relax by the pool at your lakeside hotel, indulge in a spa treatment or exploring Udaipur independently. (B, D) Day 10 | Visit Ranakpur Temple en-route to the Blue City of Jodhpur Head north to Ranakpur temple (2.5hrs), a sacred Jain pilgrimage site. Drive three hours north to Jodhpur on the fringes of the Thar Desert. Known as the Blue City for its old-town maze of indigo-washed buildings, Jodhpur is set beneath a hilltop dominated by mighty Mehrangarh Fort. Stay overnight at the 3-star heritage hotel Devi Bhawan. (B, D) Day 11 | Explore Mehrangarh Fort, then drive to Jaipur Visit 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort, trawl the museum and take in views from panoramic ramparts still littered with artillery. Stop at the white-marble Jaswant Thada, a memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. Drive six hours to Jaipur, nicknamed the Pink City for its rose-coloured buildings. Stay at the 5-star Taj Amer for two nights. (B, D) Day 12 | Discover Jaipur’s palaces and observatory Rise early for an optional hot air balloon ride over Jaipur and soak up aerial views of the pink city, bookable locally. Afterwards, explore the stately City Palace. Visit Jantar Mantar, the largest of Jai Singh’s five observatories spread across the country. Later, stop at the bright-pink Palace of Winds. Enjoy a free evening or enjoy an optional sound and light show at the Amber Fort, bookable locally. (B, D) Day 13 | Visit the Amber Fort, transfer to Gurgaon Visit the Amber Fort, built in 1592 and later expanded across a hilltop overlooking Maota Lake. Highlights of this UNESCO site include the Mirror Palace, Ganesh Pol gateway and Jaleb Chowk courtyard. For your last night in India, stay at the 5-star Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, where you can relax by the pool or savour a luxury spa treatment. (B, D) Day 14 | Fly home from Delhi After breakfast and some free time, transfer to Delhi Airport for your flight home. (B) For the full itinerary for this tour visit: vjv.com/northern-india
Extend your trip – Amritsar Immerse yourself in the spiritual heart of Sikhism and visit its tranquil and sacred shrine, the Golden Temple, before engaging with the local community. 3 nights from £725pp Single supplement from £245
29 For more information & to book online visit vjv.com or call us on 020 3553 3945
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