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Royal Rajasthan - India
14 days (15 inc. flights) - from £1580
- Taj Mahal at sunrise and sunset
- Old and New Dehli
- Udaipur - the White City
- Jain temples at Ranakpur
- Jaisalmer, in the Thar Desert
- Explore Jodhpur, the Blue City
- Jaipur - the Palace of the Winds, Jantar Mantar observatory, Amber Fort
- Fatehpur Sikri - the red sandstone 'ghost town'
- Stay in heritage hotels and ancient forts, plus two homestays
Description
This fabulous holiday takes you through some of the most romantic and atmospheric parts of Rajasthan. The colours, sounds, scents, architecture, history, landscape - we immerse you in it all!Your trip starts in the vibrant capital city of Delhi, where we meet you at the airport and take you to the welcoming homestay where you'll stay the night. The next day we take you on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of the contrasting Old and New cities, and you may even get a rickshaw ride! We also leave you some time to Make it Yours with options such as Delhi slum tour. Then it's time to experience the Indian railway system, with an overnight sleeper train to Udaipur.
Known as the White City, Udaipur is enchantingly beautiful, with white marble palaces reflected in the blue waters of Lake Pichola, and surrounded by the green Aravalli hills of Southern Rajasthan. We'll spend a full day taking you to some of the best spots in this lovely place, including the City Palace Museum, and you'll stay for the night in a haveli (mansion) by the lakeside. Then we give you a day to yourself there, either to create your own itinerary at will or to Make it Yours with an Indian cooking class, a tour of some of the other temples and palaces or a jeep safari to the medieval fort city of Kumbhalgarh and the Kumbhalgargh Wildlife Sancturary.
Next we take you to Rohet, stopping enroute at the impressive temple complex at Ranakpur. At Rohet you'll stay in a heritage hotel, and if you're keen on horses you'll have the chance to take a ride on the beautiful horses here.
The tour also takes you to the stunning city of Jaisalmer, a UNESCO world heritage site deep in the heart of the Thar Desert. You'll enjoy a tour of this magnificent place, with its glorious architecture. You'll have a free afternoon, either to further explore, or to Make it Yours with a trip to the nearby sand dunes at Sam to watch the sunset.
You'll visit Jodhpur, 'the Blue City', and we'll show you all the main sites of this beautiful place, including the impressive Mehrangarh Fort (where you could Make it Yours with a 'zip wire' ride!). You'll also have time alone here to explore the Sardar market - or perhaps you'll decide to head out of the town on a Bishoi village jaunt? At Jodhpur you'll spend two nights in the stately Ajit Bhawan, a Rajput palace hotel.
Then it's off to the Pink City of Jaipur, where you'll stay in a colonial villa and explore highlights such as the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) and the 18th Century Jantar Mantar observatory, visit Amber Fort, and have the opportunity to experience another great Indian form of transport by taking an elephant-back safari through protected forests.
And we've kept some of the best for last, travelling to the abandoned Murghal city of Fatehpur Sikri, a red sandstone ghost town full of palace buildings, before arriving at Agra in time to see the Taj Mahal at sunset. And if that's not a romantic enough sight, we get you up early the next day to see this iconic landmark at sunrise as well. You might not thank us when you stumble out of bed, but, trust us, this is worth getting up for! Before we head back to Dehli we give you one last taste of Indian history, taking you to the Red Fort, a magnificent 16th century fort on the banks of the Yamuna River.
If you're hungry to see even more of this wonderful country, you could combine this holiday with our Tiger Tiger safari trip. Or if time is at a premium, you have the option to extend your holiday by a few days. How does three nights chiiling out on the beach sound? Or a few days' safari in Ranthambore National Park, a former hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur? Or three nights of luxury at the 475 year-old Samode Palace? Or perhaps you'd like to spend a few nights in the Himalayas....
Itinerary Summary
- Day 1 (Sat): Arrive Delhi and transfer to homestay.
- Day 2 (Sun): Tour of Delhi, then sleeper train to Udaipur. (B)
- Day 3 (Mon): Full day city tour of Udaipur, stay in a lakeside haveli (mansion). (B)
- Day 4 (Tues): A free day in Udaipur. (B)
- Day 5 (Wed): To Rohet via Ranakpur Jain temples. Stay in a heritage hotel. (B)
- Day 6 (Thurs): To Jaisalmer. Stay in a fort hotel. (B)
- Day 7 (Fri): Jaisalmer. (B)
- Day 8 (Sat): Drive to Jodhpur. Stay at the Ajit Bhawan, a Rajput palace hotel. (B)
- Day 9 (Sun): Jodhpur sightseeing. (B)
- Day 10 (Mon): Drive to Jaipur. Homestay a colonial villa. (B)
- Day 11 (Tues): Jaipur, the Palace of the Winds, the Jantar Mantar observatory and Amber Fort. (B)
- Day 12 (Wed): To Agra via Fatehpur Sikri. See the Taj Mahal at sunset. (B)
- Day 13 (Thurs): Taj Mahal at sunrise, then back to Delhi via the Red Fort. (B)
- Day 14 (Fri): Return to the airport. Day flight to UK (if selected). (B)
Detailed Itinerary
- Day 1 (Sat): Arrive Delhi. We will meet you and take you to your welcoming homestay.
- Day 2 (Sun): Tour of Delhi, then train to Udaipur. A comprehensive sightseeing tour of the contrasting cities of Old and New Delhi. You may also experience that quintessential Indian mode of transport, the rickshaw. Take the overnight sleeper train to Udaipur. (B)
- Day 3 (Mon): Udaipur. You will have a full day city tour today, including the City Palace Museum, a boat tour on Lake Pichola (subject to water levels), and some of the city’s most important temples and gardens. Stay in a lovely lakeside haveli (mansion). (B)
- Day 4 (Tues): Udaipur. A free day in Udaipur to see or do some of the many other things
there are available here. MAKE IT YOURS(B) - Day 5 (Wed): To Rohet via Ranakpur Jain temples. Today we drive 6 hours to Rohet, but stop on the way to see the Jain temples at Ranakpur. At Rohet you stay in a heritage hotel. They have some fabulous horses here if you like riding (optional extra). (B)
- Day 6 (Thurs): To Jaisalmer. We drive to Jaisalmer today - about 5 hours. The afternoon is free for you to enjoy the facilites of your fort hotel. (B)
- Day 7 (Fri): Jaisalmer this morning. It’s an amazing city on the edge of the desert. The oldest part is a sandstone fortress perched on a hill. It’s often referred to as the Golden City of Rajasthan and is a unesco world heritage site because of its fabulous architecture. You have a free afternoon to further explore the city or perhaps you’d like to take our option to head for the desert sand dunes? (B)
- Day 8 (Sat): To Jodhpur. After a free morning we drive you to Jodhpur (about 4 hours). Here you’re staying at the stately Ajit Bhawan, a Rajput palace hotel. (B)
- Day 9 (Sun): You'll be taken you to see the main sites of the city. These include the Mehrangarh Fort which is really impressive and has some excellent museum displays with it. You also get a really good view over the blue painted buildings below, which is a section of the town mainly lived in my the Brahmans. Another of the city’s attractions is the Sardar market right in the centre of town by the famous clock tower. This could be the perfect place for some arts and crafts shopping or just to take in the atmosphere. You have a free afternoon to relax... (B)
- Day 10 (Mon): To Jaipur. Today we’ll head for Jaipur, which is a 4-5 hour drive. You’re homestay guests in a graceful colonial villa tonight. (B)
- Day 11 (Tues): Jaipur and Amber Palace. Spend the day exploring the Pink City of Jaipur including the Palace of the Winds and the Jantar Mantar observatory. In the afternoon, you visit Amber Fort, an impressive Rajasthani fortress towering over Maotha Lake. (B)
- Day 13 (Wed): To Agra via Fatehpur Sikri. We drive to Agra but stop on the way to visit Fatehp2r Sikri, an abandoned Mughal city with beautiful palaces. We’ll get to Agra in time to see the Taj Mahal at sunset. (B)
- Day 13 (Thurs): Taj Mahal, then back to Delhi. It’s worth an early morning (honest!) to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Later we’ll visit the Red Fort before heading back to Delhi. (B)
- Day 14 (Fri): Time for home. We’ll take you to the airport in time for your flight home. If selected, you will take a day flight back to the UK.(B)
Is it for you?
This is ideal for anyone with a little more time wanting to see a bit more of India beyond the Golden Triangle. The tour uses a mixture of homestays and heritage hotels, providing a good insight into India life. It includes one night on an overnight train.
Best times to go
This trip can be taken all year round but the best time to travel is October to mid-April. The temperature should range from a low of about 22C to a high of 32C. We have had people travel here during the monsoon season which is from June to September, who have still enjoyed their trip but be warned it will be hot and rainy!
Getting there
If you have selected flights, your holiday will begin and end in the UK. You would normally take an overnight flight the day before this itinerary starts and on the way back would take a day flight which gets back to the UK the same day. You need to fly and in to and out of Delhi.
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Add-ons
Make it Yours.
We promise that all our Down to Earth holidays are exciting adventures as they stand. But you are an individual. ("I'm not." ed). So why not add extras to your holiday to make it different and more unique to you?
You can extend your holiday with the following short trips:
These optional extras are available to add to your trip:
Holiday Combinations
Many of our holidays have been designed in relatively short sections which can be added together as a combination. Only those that work together are shown below. If there are none shown then this is not an option for the particular holiday you have chosen.
When you click on any of these holiday combination options you will be taken to the relevant holiday details. You can return to this holiday by selecting it from the menu in the left hand column. If you add more than one holiday to your basket there may potentially be a gap between the two sections. You can fill this gap by adding the handy overnight extensions we offer in the relevant city.
Tiger Tiger
We've designed this itinerary for those who are really keen to see a tiger in the wild and we believe this gives you the very best chance. This tiger safari takes you deep in the jungles of India to the wonderful reserves of Kanha and Bandhavgarh.
Duration: 9 days (11 inc. flights), From £1550pp
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