Day
1 London/Delhi
Depart
London Heathrow by overnight scheduled flight.
Day
2 Delhi
Arrive Delhi this morning and transfer to the Oberoi
Maidens for a 2-night stay (Superior Room & Breakfast).
Remainder of day at leisure.
Day
3 Delhi
After
breakfast enjoy a full-day's sightseeing tour of Old and New Delhi.
Begin in Old Delhi, whose bustling streets and bazaars lie within
the original part of the capital first laid out by the Mughal Emperor
Shah Jahan. The tour includes a visit to Raj Ghat, the memorial
to Mahatma Gandhi and a drive past the Red Fort - the palace of
Shah Jahan's new capital Shahjahanabad the seventh Muslim city in
Delhi. Wander in the busy streets of the mile long Chandni Chowk.
Continue to the Jama Masjid by bicycle rickshaw. 5,000 artisans
laboured for 12 years over the construction of this grand red sandstone
and white marble mosque - the largest in India and Islam's largest
religious construction, holding 25,000 worshippers.
In the afternoon explore New Delhi, setting of the imposing government
buildings designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in the early
20th century, when the British moved the imperial capital here from
Calcutta. The tour includes a drive past the imposing India Gate,
the Parliament Building and the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President's
residence. New Delhi overlays the site of seven ancient cities and
among the historic monuments visited on the tour are the Qutub Minar,
the tallest stone tower in India, whose construction was begun in
1199, and the Indo-Persian style Humayun's Tomb, built by the second
Mughal Emperor's widow and a precursor of the Taj Mahal.
Day
4 Delhi/Agra
Leave
after breakfast for the drive to Agra (130
miles/4 hours). On arrival transfer to the Jaypee
Palace for a 2-night stay (Room & Breakfast). Afternoon
at leisure.
Day
5 Agra
The
morning features a sightseeing tour of Agra,
including Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Agra Fort is an outstanding
example of Mughal architecture and was long a stronghold of the
Mughal Empire under successive generations. The Taj Mahal was built
by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1630 in memory of his beloved wife Queen
Mumtaz Mahall and enshrines her mortal remains. Taking 22 years
and 20,000 men to build, the white marble of the Taj was quarried
200 miles away and transported to the site by 1,000 elephants. Afternoon
at leisure.
Day
6 Agra/Jaipur
Morning
departure by car for Jaipur (140 miles/5
hours). A visit en route is made to Fatehpur Sikri, the strange
deserted red sandstone city built by Emperor Akbar as his capital
in the 16th century. Larger even than London at the time, it was
soon abandoned when the local wells went dry - and remains today
in much the same condition that it was over 300 years ago. On arrival
at Jaipur check-in at the Country
Inn for a 2-night stay (Room & Breakfast).
Day
7 Jaipur
This
morning you are driven to nearby Amber (8 miles), the former seat
of the Rajput rulers of Jaipur. The ascent
of the slope up to the fortress is made in suitably royal style,
seated on an elephant, with fine views of Jaipur, Maotha lake and
the original city walls. During your visit there's time to wander
through the temple and beautiful palaces inside the walls of the
fort. In the afternoon you enjoy a sightseeing tour of he city of Jaipur. Founded in the 18th century, Jaipur
is known as the 'Pink City' because of the pink sandstone from which
many of its buildings are constructed. You will see the famous 18th
century Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) with its screened windows that
allowed the palace ladies to see without being seen themselves,
Jantar Mantar (an open-air royal observatory with gigantic astronomical
instruments,) and the City Palace Museum (housing the magnificent
art collections of the Maharajahs of Jaipur).
Day
8 Jaipur/Jodhpur
At
leisure or for independent exploration of Jaipur before an afternoon transfer to the station for the intercity express
to Jodhpur (1740 - 2300 hrs). On arrival transfer to the Ajit Bhawan
Hotel for an overnight stay (Deluxe Room & Breakfast).
Day
9 Jodhpur
Jodhpur is Rajasthan's second-largest city after Jaipur,
and stands at the edge of the vast Thar Desert. The morning is dedicated
to sightseeing of this historic community, with pride of place going
to the vast Mehrangarh Fort that dominates the city. Built by the
Rajput clan chief Rao Jodha in 1459, Mehrangarh is among India's
greatest forts, straddling an entire hill and is guarded by seven
gates. Below the fort is the white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant
Singh II, with a collection of portraits of some of the rulers of Jodhpur.
Day
10 Jodhpur/Manwar/Jaisalmer
Depart
after breakfast on the drive to Jaisalmer (190 miles/6 hours), with a visit to Manwar (unguided) en route.
On arrival at Jaisalmer check-in at the Gorbandh Palace for a 2-night stay (Deluxe Room & Breakfast). Rest of day at
leisure.
Day
11 Jaisalmer
One
of India's very special places, with a rich and exotic character
of its own, derived in part from its remote and isolated desert
setting. Centuries ago its strategic position on the camel train
routes between India and Central Asia brought great wealth to Jaisalmer.
To this is owed the city's unique architectural heritage, for with
their wealth the merchants and townspeople built the magnificent
and intricately carved golden-yellow sandstone houses and mansions
(havelis), that still line the cobbled streets. Features visited
on a morning sightseeing tour include the ancient fort (the oldest
in Rajasthan and with a group of finely carved medieval Jain temples
built within its walls) soaring 1,000 ft above a maze of streets,
squares, palaces and clusters of houses; and Gadisar Sagar Tank,
a scenic rainwater lake once the water supply of the city, with
several small temples. The arched gateway across the road to the
tank is said to have built by a famous prostitute whose initial
offer to pay for the building of the arch was deemed unseemly and
turned down by the Maharaja. While he was away, however, she built
the gate - and added a Krishna temple on top so the king could not
tear it down! A highlight of your stay in Jaisalmer will be this
afternoon visit to the desert sand dunes, with a camel
ride.
Day
12 Jaisalmer/Rohetgarh
Leave
after breakfast this morning for the morning drive to Rohetgarh
(80 miles/3 hours). On arrival check-in at the elegant Rohetgarh
Fort Heritage Hotel for an overnight stay (Deluxe Room &
Breakfast). Remainder of day at leisure to explore Rohetgarh. Once
the fortified desert home of the descendants of the 16th century
Rathores of the Champawat clan, Rohetgarh's semi-desert setting
and unique charm still capture something of the gracious mood of
a bygone Rajput age.
Day
13 Rohetgarh/Deogarh
Morning
drive to Deogarh (80 miles/3 hours). On arrival check-in at the Deogarh Mahal, your base for the
next two nights (Deluxe Room & Breakfast), with the rest of
the day at leisure. Set by a lake in the Aravalli Hills, 2,100 ft
above sea level, the Deogarh Mahal
dates back to 1670 - and comes complete with battlements, domes,
turrets, huge gateways and impressive central courtyard.
Day
14 Deogarh
A
day at leisure to enjoy the delightful setting of the hotel and
for independent exploration of the surrounding countryside.
Day
15 Deogarh/Ranakpur/Udaipur
A
morning's drive (85 miles/3 hours) brings you to Udaipur,
with time for a visit (unguided) en route to Ranakpur. Ranakpur's
renowned and spectacularly carved marble temples form one of the
most impressive Jain shrines in India, On arrival in Udaipur check-in
at The Paras Mahal (Room & Breakfast).
Remainder of day at leisure.
Day
16 Udaipur
The
16th century lakeside city of Udaipur is a relatively cool oasis in the dry heat of Rajasthan and a city
of much history and character. A morning sightseeing tour will introduce
you to the great 18th century City Palace overlooking Lake Pichola
- built of granite and marble with filigreed balconies, ornate windows
and craftsmanship in glass, with the royal palace walls stretching
over a mile along the lake. Within the palace is a maze of courtyards,
apartments and decorated halls. See the museums and the hall of
public audiences, the private chambers of the royal ladies at the
palace, as well as Saheliyoin-ki-Bari to the north of the city -
the beautiful ornamental 'Garden of the Maids of Honour' with fountain,
pavilions, marble elephants and delightful pools.
Day
17 Udaipur/Delhi/London
Morning
at leisure. In the early afternoon you will be transferred to the
airport for your flight to Delhi (70 minutes) and your connecting
flight to London.
Day
18 London
Arrive
London Heathrow.
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