Home Tour Packages Cultural Heritage 17 Days Varanasi & Golden Triangle Tours

New Delhi (2n) >> Varanasi (2n) >> Khajuraho (1n) >> Gwalior (1n) >> Bah (2n) >> Agra (1n) >> Jaipur (2n) >> Neemrana (2n) >> Amritsar (2n) >> New Delhi (0n). Tour Duration : 17 Days / 15 Nights. Accommodation : Deluxe/Heritage Hotels. Transport : One Air-conditioned SUV / by Air Laundry : Available at all locations Trip Style : Independent.

DAY 01	Arrival at New Delhi.. Arrival at the international airport. Reception at the airport by our representative & transfer to hotel The Metropolitan Delhi (Formerly Hotel Nikko Metropolitan).
DAY 02	Delhi. Wake up at leisure & after B’fast, enjoy a 15 minute massage at the Spa, to give a healing touch to the sore muscles, infusing them with positive energies through modern massage techniques! Leave for full day sightseeing at 10:30am; to include a visit to the India Gate, a war memorial to the one million Indian & British soldiers, who died fighting in the great war & strikingly similar to one in Paris; Drive/walk past the North & South blocks & the erstwhile viceregal lodge, on the Kingsway (now Presidential estate on Rajpath). The secretariat buildings designed by Baker. Visit the Chandani Chowk & Old Delhi, in a rickshaw; the Spice Market; a Sikh Temple. Lunch in Connaught Place, enroute, stop at the CIE to get a flavor of the Kashmir arts and crafts. Post lunch, visit National Museum, perhaps the best ever in India, with excellent overview of the cultural development in South Asia. The collection was formed from the nucleus of the exhibition of Indian Art (1947 London) which brought together selected works from state museums & private collections. Dinners & overnight in your hotel (B, D).
DAY 03	Delhi >> Varanasi (By Air). Transfer to the airport in time to board the Kingfisher flight to Varanasi at 09:20 hrs. Arrival in Varanasi at 10:40 hrs. Transfer to Hotel. Noon at leisure. After refreshing your self, proceed to the Ghats on the river Ganges & soak yourself in the medieval air of the oldest living city…enjoy the sunset, as the tolling of the temple bells come floating down from the myriad of temples. Overnight in Hotel Ramada or Palace on Ganges (B, D).
DAY 04	Varanasi. You shall be taken on an early morning 6:30am?? boat excursion along the river to see the bathing Ghats. Watching the pilgrims washing and worshipping in the river as well as cremating the dear departed – a memorable experience. Today being the New Year you shall see thousands of devotees & Sadhus (mendicants) throng the banks to have a dip on the day of "Shiva Aad", an ablution to seek prosperity for all & forgiveness from sins, on the banks of the river. After B’fast, you shall be shown the highlights of this amazing city including the Kashi Vishwanath, Tulsi Manas & Durga temples & the mosque built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Overnight in your hotel. (B, D).
DAY 05	Varanasi >> Khajuraho (By Air). Morning at leisure. Transfer to the airport to catch the forernoon King Fisher IT – 331 flight to Khajuraho, departing at 11:10 hrs. On arrival check into your hotel for refreshing yourself & thereafter take a guided tour of the western enclosure temples at Khajuraho, "Nuances of human emotions & sensitivity are finely expressed on the faces of sculpted figures. The shyness revealed in the smile of a girl writing to her lover or the happiness portrayed on the faces of a couple embracing each other, are revelations of great artistic sensibility. Some sculptures on the temple walls reflect rituals of Tantric (necromancy) nature. Love between two divine beings, god Shiva & goddess Parvati is central to the theme of eroticism". Dinner & overnight in Hotel Jass Radisson (B, D).
DAY 06	Khajuraho >> Orchha >> Gwalior (175miles approx). After B’fast this morning drive to Gwalior via Orchha. On arrival visit the Orchha cenotaphs. These are 14 in number & on the ‘Kanchan Ghat’ on the river Betwa. The silhouettes offer great photography, with the river, tree & scrub forest in the background. Visit the ‘Jahangir Mahal’ / ‘Sheesh Mahal’ / ‘Raj Mahal’, a confluence of the two main architectural streams, Hindu & Moslem; Visit the ‘Raja Ram Temple’ & the ‘Laxmi Narayan Temple’, which contains some murals of the Bundelkhand school of art. Overnight in Hotel Taj Usha Kiran Palace (B). (Optional: If time allows & depending on your fatigue levels, you may take a photo session at Datia Palace, which falls short of Gwalior. The palace at Datia, the one & only structure which impressed both Edwin Lutyens, the fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architecture! The Datia palace is imo, very photogenic. The Palace of Datia is a 5-storeyed Palace, called the Govind Mandir. It is square in plan with corner towers, it’s balconies, bridges and oriel windows provide attractive panoramas of the surrounding countryside. The facades of the building are richly ornamented with recessed arches).
DAY 07	Gwalior >> Bah (90 miles / 3 hrs). This morning, after B’fast visit the Jai Vilas Palace museum housing the two giant chandeliers, the toy train of the maharaja which moved on the dining table carrying wine & snacks, a life like statue of Leda having her way with the swan. Drive to Bah. Dinners & overnight in Hotel Chambal Safari Lodge (B, D).
DAY 08	Bah. After a leisurely B’fast you shall be taken to the hotel base camp, on the banks of the placid waters of river Chambal. From here on you shall be given a camel ride to explore the ravines & arrive at Fort Ater, a distance of about 1.5 miles. Partake of picnic lunch at the riverside base camp. This afternoon take a boat ride on the river, looking for game & the Indian crocs. Drive back to your hotel. Dinners & overnight in your hotel (B, L, D).
DAY 09	Bah >> Agra (44 miles). After a leisurely B’fast, drive to Agra. After refreshing yourself, visit Fort Agra, a massive red sandstone structure, associated closely with Mughal & British History, in India. It is a World Heritage Monument. The architectural beauty of this fort is seen to be believed. According to Tillotson, “The architecture of Agra Fort, draws on India’s 2 main traditions, (Islamic / Hindu), but here the various parts are combined in a new and resolved style. It is that resolution which gives the buildings their appearance of purity”. Visit the Tomb of Itmadduddaullah, a monument renowned for its inlay, pietra dura, “a chastely delicate and personalized work”. Dinner & overnight in Hotel Taj Gateway hotel (B, D).
DAY 10	Agra >> Fatehpur Sikri >> Jaipur (131 miles). At 6:00am this morning, visit the Taj Mahal – .…Looming 243 feet from the garden level to the dome’s golden surmounting needle, the mausoleum dwarfs visitors by it’s grandeur. Inside of that gigantic central arch, vaulted marble has been chiseled into diamond shapes; while black-jet inscriptions from Koran weave stylised Arabic calligraphy like a giant’s puzzle around the entry way. ”Concieved by titans and finished by jewellers” the entire edifice reveals a wealth of dadoes, panels in bass-relief, and precious stone inlay. Flower motifs repeated endlessly in a geometric profusion of bloom are surprisingly naïve. Dominant in the white marble bas-relief is the iris, that graveyard bulb which grows only in shadows away from the Indian heat. Comeback for B’fast & proceed to Jaipur. On the way visit Fatehpur Sikri & Buland Darwaza, the ghost city of the great Mughal Akbar, whose intention was it to reconcile Islam to Hinduism Evening at leisure. Overnight in Hotel Shahpura House (B, D).
DAY 11	Jaipur. This morning at 8:00am, visit Fort Amber on a gaily caparisoned elephant. The fort was home to the Kuchwaha Rajputs from 1137 to 1727. The initial buildings were begun by Man Singh, the commander-in-chief of the Mughal armies. The work was carried on by successive rulers. The architecture shows an amalgam of Hindu & Moslem influence. You need to go through 5 defensive gates to reach the first courtyard or Rajmahal built in 1600 by Man Singh. On your right is the Sheila Devi Temple, the idol of the goddess was brought by Man Singh in 1604 from Bengal. You have several pavilions & Palaces inside the fort. Visit the Palace of wind, is simply a pink sandstone façade. Built for the ladies of the harem, it is a five storey frontage on a high pedestal, containing 953 small casements for the ladies to view the scene in the market below. Visit the City Palace & Museum. It is at the heart of the old city. The Hall of Private Audience, has an attractive white marble frontage. There are several museums inside viz. the Textile & Costume Museum, Arms & Armour, the Art Gallery. Some manuscripts of great significance & antiquity are housed inside the city palace. Dinner & overnight in your Hotel. (B, D).
DAY 12	Jaipur >> Samode Palace >> Neemrana Fort Palace (106 miles). After B’fast, this morning drive to visit Samode Palace. The 500 year old palace, nestled in the Aravalli Hills, is one of the finest heritage hotels in the state of Rajasthan. The ‘Durbar Hall’ boasts of original frescoes & mirror work done 250 years ago. The court yards, pavilions & the fortress high above the hill provides an excellent exit to your Rajasthan tour, “ one of the special features of the palaces of Rajasthan that further distinguish them from Mughal courts are mural paintings inspired by the Hindu religious tradition which also celebrates court life”. After partaking of light snacks & tea at Samode Palace, drive on to Neemrana. Dinner & overnight in Hotel Neemrana Fort Palace (B, D).
DAY 13	Neemrana Fort Palace. The Neemrana Fort Palace, situates on the high hillock of the Aravalli hills. The fort dates back to the 15th century & was the strong hold of Chauhan rulers. Combining simplicity with elegance, the palaces ideal for relaxation. Beautiful sunsets. Complete relaxation. Dinner & overnight in your hotel.
DAY 14	Neemrana >> Delhi (75miles) >> Amritsar (By Air). After a leisurely B’fast this morning, transfer to the Delhi domestic airport to catch the afternoon flight to Amritsar. On arrival at Amritsar, transfer to Hotel Ranjeet Svaasa (B, D).
DAY 15	Amritsar. After a leisurely B’fast, you shall drive into the city savouring as you do the sights & sounds of Amritsar, including a cup of Indish ‘Chai’ tea at Giani tea stall on the Queens road; Visit the Jallian Wala Bagh where, most unfortunately, the firing on 13th April 1919 on a political congregation of Sikhs led to deterioration of relations with the British, “ The bitter debate that followed the shootings, the worst atrocity perpetrated, almost brought down the liberal government and was a decisive turning point in India’s march to independence,” Nigel Collett (oxford University); lunch at ‘Bharawan Ka Dhaba’ typically serving Amritsari food. Afternoon at leisure. This evening after dinner, visit the Golden Temple, ‘built from white marble and crowned with a gold bengaldar pavilion. The temple is further decorated on the outside and inside by floral patterns composed of precious stones and verses from the holy book…despite the splendour, an atmosphere of deep religiousness envelops the temple’. Witness the ceremony of ‘Palki Sahib’ whereby the Holy Granth (book) of the Sikhs is taken in a Golden Palanquin to it’s nightly abode, amidst the chanting of hymns, cattle drums & ‘nagaras’ (trumpets). Overnight in your hotel (B, D).
DAY 16	Amritsar >> Delhi (By Air). After a leisurely B’fast, transfer to the airport to catch the 13:25 flight to Delhi. Transfer to Hotel Met Delhi, for ‘Day Use’ till 9:00pm. Transfer to international airport after dinners (B).
DAY 17	Catch the midnight flight to next destination.

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