Itinerary
Day 1 | Fly to Amritsar Fly overnight to Amritsar.
Day 7 | Visit Garli village before continuing to Shimla Call in at the neighbouring village of Garli, where old-world shops include a cobbler’s and a traditional bakery; and continue (7hrs) to Shimla, the British-era summer capital, a picture-perfect retreat. Stay three nights at the 5-star Oberoi Cecil hotel, one of Shimla’s most famous hotels which offers spectacular views across the Shimla valley. (B) Day 8 | Enjoy a tour through Shimla, ending with High Tea Explore the Mall on a morning tour of Shimla, which includes a visit to the very grand Viceregal Lodge (Rashtrapati Niwas), its majestic façade matched by manicured gardens at the summit of Observatory Hill, its museum recording the British colonial era with texts and photographs. Enjoy high tea and meet a member of the family at Chapslee House, one of the town’s oldest surviving residences. (B) Day 9 | Relax or join our optional excursion A day at leisure, perhaps to see the five windows of the Virtues in Christ Church, explore the tumble of twisting lanes of the bazaar, or take an optional tour into Shimla’s surrounds, including high tea at Wildflower Hall, and a gentle walk along Mahasu Ridge (£65, bookable locally). (B) Day 10 | Take the famous Toy Train to Kalka and switch trains for Delhi Board the narrow-gauge ‘Toy Train’ for its spectacularly scenic journey (2.5hrs), cutting through pine forests and countless tunnels, crossing bridges to reveal fantastic panoramas, on its route to Kandaghat. Travel by road to Kalka railway station where you will switch to the Shatabdi Express train for Delhi (4hrs), with a light dinner aboard. Two nights at the heritage 5-star The Claridges Delhi. (B, D) Day 11 | Explore Delhi, ending with a farewell dinner A ‘Return to Delhi’ tour includes Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, the city’s iconic Red Fort, the 14th-century, Agrasen ki Baoli step well, and the National Rail Museum, celebrating 17 decades of railway heritage, with historic locomotives and carriages. A cooking demo this evening is followed by a farewell dinner. (B, D) Day 12 | Fly home from Delhi Transfer to the airport for the return flight home. (B) For the full itinerary for this tour visit: vjv.com/northern-heritage
Day 2 | Relax before an evening cooking demonstration Transfer to the boutique hotel Ranjit Vilas, brimming with traditional Punjab character, for a two-night stay. Relax for the rest of the afternoon or perhaps explore the city’s labyrinth of lanes and bazaars. In the evening enjoy a cooking Visit the Golden Temple, gleaming with hundreds of kilos of gold leaf. The most sacred place of pilgrimage, in the holiest city of the Sikh religion, it stands as an island of calm amid the melee of the medieval ‘old town’. Continue to visit the ‘world’s largest’ community kitchen, where thousands of volunteers feed tens of thousands of pilgrims every day; and the garden memorial to those killed in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Attend the Palki religious ceremony at the Golden Temple. (B) Day 4 | Travel to Dharamsala, stopping at the Masrur Rock Cut Temples Drive to Dharamsala (5hrs), stopping en route to visit the Masrur Rock Cut Temples, a unique, 8th-century, Hindu complex. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant en route to Dharamsala, the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in- exile, and the residence of the Dalai Lama. Stay two nights at the simply styled and scenically positioned Clouds End Villa. (B, L, D) Day 5 | Visit the Namgyal Monastery and Tibetan Museum At 1,700m above sea level, McLeod Ganj is the upper demo and dinner at the hotel. (D) Day 3 | Visit the Golden Temple section of the split village, and the spiritual home of Tibetan Buddhism. Among the shrines and statues of the serene Tsuglagkhang Complex, visit the magnificent Namgyal Monastery, the library, and Tibetan Museum of traditions and art; and drive to the spellbinding surroundings of Norbulingka Institute, established to support Tibetan refugees and to preserve Tibetan culture and crafts. Enjoy exotic views on a village walk and enjoy dinner at the hotel. (B, D) Day 6 | Explore Kangra Fort Travel just 20km south to visit Kangra Fort, the little-known but largest fortress in the Himalayas and, dating back to 400BC, believed to be the oldest in India. Continue to Pragpur. An intriguing step-back-in-time, with an ongoing programme of restoration and conservation, its cobbled, traffic-free lanes are lined with painted, mud-rendered houses, its market draped with colourful fabrics. Overnight at the heritage hotel Judge’s Court. (B, D)
Extend your trip – South Goa Relax and bask in the tranquillity of the stunning Arabian Sea on this 4-night beach extension. 4 nights from £1,145pp Single supplement from £595
35 For more information & to book online visit vjv.com or call us on 020 3553 3945
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