South India - Cultural India with Kovalam |
Duration: 20 Nights / 21 Days
Places to
Visit: Delhi - Varanasi - Khajuraho - Orchha - Gwalior - Agra - Jaipur -
Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Udaipur - Trivandrum -
Kovalam |
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| Day 01 Arrive Delhi |
Upon arrival you will be
transferred to your hotel in the heart of the city.
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| Day 02
Delhi |
Morning after breakfast a full day city tour of this imperial
British capital of the 20th century awaits you. 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 of the yesteryears, the Chandni Chowk. Finally, reach Rajghat, the
memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, where your car and chauffeur is waiting for you to
take you to your next stop the Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple in activity.
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| Day 03 Delhi - Varanasi |
After breakfast at your hotel transfer
to the airport for your flight to Varanasi. En route to your hotel visit Sarnath
- the sacred Buddhist city where Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon to his
5 disciples under the bodhi tree. Visit the site and the temple attached to it.
See the frescoes related to the life of Buddha inside the temple. Also visit the
archaeological museum that houses artifacts from the 3rd century BC. Most
interesting is the lion capital of Ashoka Maurya from 272 BC. Adjacent to the
museum is the ancient seat of learning from the 2nd century BC now completely in
ruins. Also see the Dhamek stupa and the Dharmarajika Stupa where hundreds of
Buddhist pilgrims offer there prayers. Continue to Varanasi just 11 km away and
check in to your hotel.
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| Day 04 Varanasi - Khajuraho |
(By
flight 9W 333)
1220 / 1300
Early in the morning (0500hrs) we take you to
banks of the river Ganges where we board a boat to see the morning ablutions of
the Hindus from the security of our boat. The boat ride starts from Dasashwamedh
Ghat and ends at Manikarnika Ghat along the sacred Ganges. Don’t forget to see
the sun rise along the Ganges. See the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Gyanvyapi
kund and the mosque attached to it. Also visit the Benares Hindu University the
largest residential university in India with more than 3000 residential
students. Also worth a visit is the Bharat Mata Mandir (Mother India temple)
where you see the undivided India - Mahatma Gandhi’s Dream.
Return to
your hotel for breakfast. In time transfer to the airport to catch your flight
to Khajuraho.
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| Day 05 Khajuraho - Orchha |
After
breakfast in Khajuraho carry on towards Orchha.
Visit Orchha with its
imposing Jehangiri Mehal and the cenotaphs of the Bundela Rajput warriors.
Orchcha a medieval village where time has stopped. You feel the timelessness of
this spot. Orchha is a medieval city founded by Bundela rulers with palaces and
temples of the 16th and 17th century - which have remarkably withstood the
onslaught of time. The river Betwa picturesquely flanks the city. See the
beautiful Palace Complex - Jahangiri Mahal and the Raja Mahal. Closely study the
intricacies of the mural paintings in the Raja Mahal . Visit the visit the laxmi
Narayan temple during the prayer time in the evening to witness the Hindu
devotees offering prayers in the temple.Overnight in Orchha Resort.
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| Day 06 Orchha - Gwalior - Agra |
250km 5hrs
After breakfast
at your hotel leave for Agra enroute visiting the Scindia capital of Gwalior. A
trip to Gwalior is incomplete without a visit to the fort, Scindia Palace and
the tombs of Ghaus Mohammed and Tansen. Also visit the Gurjari Mahal the palace
of the Gurjar queen Mrignayani today housing an archaeological museum. Also see
the Teli ka mandir and the Saas bahu ka mandir inside the fort.
Continue
towards Agra a short distance away.
Overnight in Hotel Clarks Shiraz. Taj
Facing rooms
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| Day 07 Agra |
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.
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| Day 08 Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur 230km |
Leave early
morning for Jaipur and enroute visiting the phantom city of Fatehpur Sikri : the
erstwhile capital of the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great.
Visit the
diwan-i-am - the hall of public audiences where the emperor used to give justice
to the oppressed subject of his. See Jodhabai’s palace (Akbar’s Hindu wife) that
is even bigger than his own private palace. Later visit Salim Chisti’s tomb at
the nearby mosque. Salim chisti was a sufi saint who blessed Akbar and his Hindu
wife with a long awaited son. Akbar was so overwhelmed that he built a mosque in
his remembrance to thank the Sufi saint.
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| Day 09
Jaipur |
Visit the Amber forts and palaces in the morning; included is an
elephant ride at the Amber fort. See the marvelous Sheesh 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. Also
visit the carpet manufacturing factory in the city of Amber.
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| Day 10 Jaipur -
Mandawa - Bikaner (320km) |
In the morning leave for Bikaner and on the way
stop at Mandawa to 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 Bikaner
en route stop at Fatehpur to see the splendid havelis of the local merchants of
Shekhawati. Reach Bikaner by early evening.
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| Day 11 Bikaner - Pokaran
- Jaisalmer (330km) |
After breakfast see the Junagarh Fort, a royal museum
that encompasses history of Bikaner from its days of construction that dates
back to the 16th century. Then we take our road across the Thar Desert to reach
Pokaran. 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. Continue towards Jaisalmer and arrive by
evening in to your hotel.
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| Day 12 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 the 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. Dinner in the desert mud huts.
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| Day 13
Jaisalmer - Jodhpur (280km) |
Today we reach Jodhpur the blue city by early
afternoon and drive up to the majestic Mehrangarh fort museum. The Mehrangarh
fort has been 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.
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.
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| Day 14 Jodhpur - Udaipur |
Leave Jodhpur and reach
Ranakpur another big pilgrimage centre for the Jains. Just four hours drive from
Mount Abu 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.
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| Day 15 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; temples of Shiva and of Vishnu both from the 15th century.
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16 Udaipur - Mumbai - Trivandrum - Kovalam |
Proceed for the airport to
catch your onward flight to Trivandrum via Mumbai. Upon your arrival in
Trivandrum a short sight seeing tour to view the temple complex of this city.
Then transfer to your beach resort at Kovalam 20km away. Relax.
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| Day
17 to Dat 20 Kovalam |
Relax at the beach or go for a spa treatment.
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| Day
21 Kovalam |
Relax at the beach or go for a spa treatment. In time transfer
to the airport for your flight back to Delhi.Upon arrival in Delhi you shall be
escorted to a local restaurant for your farewell dinner and then to the
international airport for your connecting flight back home.
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For tour details click on the
name of the tour. If you wish to enquire about the price details
select the checkbox next to the tour and submit the form.
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