The medieval fortress and town of Jaisalmer rises out of the remote deserts of Rajasthan like a city at the very end of the world. No other city in India exudes the fairytale aura of this exotic desert outpost on the ancient silk and spice route that linked India to Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Africa and the West. The glory of Jaisalmer faded when sea trade replaced the old land routes, but the town still embodies an Arabian Nights quality. Called the Golden City for the glow reflected on its sandstone ramparts by the setting sun, Jaisalmer epitomizes a medieval desert city.
Desert artists and artisans come from miles around to attend this fabulous festival, still largely local in character. Music is everywhere, casting a potent and exotic spell. The rhythms begin at sunrise, and reach their zenith under the star-studded skies. The festival also features exciting and whimsical competitions, such as the turban-tying contest, Mr Desert contest and camel races.
We will explore the labyrinth of alleyways, packed with merchants and performers. Exquisitely embroidered skirts, hand woven shawls, rugs, carving on wood and stone, embroidered leather bags, ethnic silver jewellery and terracotta are on offer from all over Rajasthan. In the evening, enjoy musical and dance performances, and vibrating desert drums that can be heard for miles around.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Elephant Ride to the ramparts of Amber Fort
• World Heritage Sites: Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar in Delhi
• Pink City of Jaipur
• City Palace
• Astronomical Observatory
• 'Taj Mahal and Agra Fort’ and ‘Tiger safari
Ranthambore’
• Camel Safari
ITINERARY IN DETAIL
Day 01 Arrive Delhi
After clearing all immigration formalities, we will be met by our India office representative and transferred to our hotel. Delhi, the capital and the third largest city of India is a fusion of the ancient and the modern. Standing along the West end of the Gangetic Plain, the capital city paints a picture rich with culture, architecture and human diversity, deep in history, monuments, museums, galleries and gardens.
Overnight: Radisson Hotel, Delhi
Day 02 New and Old Delhi
Today we will explore India’s capital city. New Delhi was designed and built by the British in the 1920s. The imperial city displays well-composed and spacious streets under the shade of beautiful trees and imposing government buildings.
We will see Humayun's Tomb, which was built by the wife of Mughal Emperor Humayun, Haji Begum in the mid 16th century. This red sandstone structure is considered to be the predecessor of Taj Mahal. The structure is one of the best examples of Mughal architecture. Humayun's wife is also buried in the tomb, which is built of red and white sandstone and black and yellow marble. From here we will drive towards Qutab Minar, stopping at India Gate for photo opportunities. India Gate, standing like a pride of Delhi at the centre of New Delhi, is a 42-metre high archway in the middle of a crossroad. Similar to its French counterpart, the Arc-de-Triomphe, it commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the World War I. The memorial also bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.
Qutab Minar was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin as a victory tower for his victory against a Rajput King. From a base of 14.32 metres, it tapers to 2.75 metres at a height of 72.5 metres. It is still the highest and one of the finest stone towers in India.
We will travel by rickshaw through the winding streets of Old Delhi, the capital of Muslim India from the 12th through the 19th centuries. Narrating the city's Mughal past, Old Delhi takes us through the labyrinthine streets passing formidable mosques, monuments and forts. We will also discover lively and colourful bazaars that carry all sorts of goods amidst an atmosphere of barely controlled chaos. We will see the sumptuous Red Fort palaces, the symbol of Indian nationhood. We will visit India’s largest mosque, the white marble Jama Masjid, with its marble domes and splendid minarets. Afterward, we will see Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated.
Overnight: Radisson Hotel, Delhi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 03 Drive Delhi-Agra
The architectural splendour of Agra’s mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a vivid reminder of the opulence of the legendary Mughal empire, of which Agra was the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries. While its significance as a political center ended with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1634, its architectural wealth has secured its place on the international map. A pleasant town with a comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble and soapstone by craftsmen who are descendants of those who worked under the Mughals.
The Taj Mahal wasbuilt by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan as the final resting place for his favorite Queen, Mumtaz. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630-1652 A.D) of hard labor and 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build. It was designed by the Persian architect, Ustad Isa. The Taj can be observed like a mirage from the Agra Fort, from where Emperor Shah Jehan stared at it for the last eight years of his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. The verses of Holy Quran are inscribed on it and at the top of the gate’s 22 small domes, signifying the number of years the monument took to built. The elegant dome of the Taj has a diameter of 60 feet, and directly under the dome is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. Fantastic inlay work, using semi-precious stones, decorates the exterior and interior.
We continue to Agra Fort. The great Mughal Emperor Akbar commissioned the construction of the Agra Fort in 1565 A.D., although additions were made until the time of his grandson, Shah Jehan. The forbidding exteriors of this fort hide an inner paradise. The fort is crescent shaped, flattened on the east with a long, nearly straight wall facing the river. It has a total perimeter of 2.4 kilometres, and is ringed by double castellated ramparts of red sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. A 9-metre wide and 10-metre deep moat surrounds the outer wall. There are number of exquisite buildings, including the Moti Masjid, a white marvel mosque akin to a perfect pearl; Diwan-e-Am; Diwan-e-Khaas; Jehangir's Palace; Khaas Mahal; Shish Mahal; and Musamman or Samman Burj, where Shah Jehan was held captive in 1666 A.D.
Overnight: Jaypee Palace, Agra
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 04 Drive Agra-Ranthambore
Today we will drive to the beautiful walled city of Fatehpur Sikri, built to commemorate the birth of Akbar’s son. The complex was completed in 1574 but abandoned only fourteen years later due to lack of water. Of particular interest are the red stone mosques, courtyards and the palace where Akbar reputedly played chess using slave girls as game pieces. We will continue to Bharatpur, stopping there for lunch, and explore Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a small but important bird sanctuary. Originally a duck-shooting preserve, the wetland is now a world-renowned birding destination. During the winter months, migratory birds arrive in vast numbers to swell the large number of native species. We will walk or take a bicycle rickshaw along the narrow road to the open wetlands at the end. Common, pied and white-fronted kingfishers are plentiful. Painted storks nest and roost in the trees while white-breasted waterhens and purple swamphens stalk across the mats of water hyacinths. Woolly-necked and black-necked storks patrol the shallow water meadows. The crowning glory of this sanctuary is the bird of prey population - the sky is rarely empty of soaring raptors. We’ll continue to Ranthambore after our visit.
Overnight: Dev Vilas
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 05 Ranthambore
Nestled in the Aravali hills, in the midst of the arid plains and denuded tracts of Rajasthan in north India, lies Ranthambore, a haven for the adventure seeker and the wildlife watcher. Although it is small, these 410 kilometres of desert ecology boast some of the best wildlife sightings India has to offer. In addition to tiger, we may see leopard, sambar, blue bull, chital, chinkara, hyena, jackal, fox, caracal, jungle cat, ratel, sloth bear, langur and wild boar. More than 300 species of birds - such as peafowl, parakeets, partridges, storks, egrets, flycatchers, eagles and owls – are also found here. In the winter, migratory varieties include the black eagle, greylag goose, ruddy shelduck and pintail. This morning, we have a jungle safari by open vehicle, returning to the hotel for breakfast. This afternoon, we will enjoy a second jungle safari.
Overnight: Dev Vilas
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 06 Drive Ranthambore-Jaipur
Today, we will drive to Jaipur and check into our hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Jaipur is named after its founder, the warrior and astronomer sovereign Sawai Jai Singh II (ruled 1688 to 1744). The decision to move out of his hilltop capital Amber was compelled by reasons of growing population and paucity of water. Moreover in the early seventh century the power of the great Mughals was dwindling with its aging monarch Aurangzeb and the wealth of the kingdom had become greater than ever before. Seizing upon this opportune time Jai Singh planned his new capital in the planes. Jaipur is a corroborative effort of Sawai Jai Singh's strong grounding in sciences and astrology and a Bengali architect Vidyadhar, who had a strong instinct for planning.
Overnight: Trident Hotel, Jaipur
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 07 Jaipur
Amber Fort is a beautiful complex of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples built by Raja Man Singh, Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Sawai Jai Singh over a period of about two centuries. It still stands in a magnificent state. The palace complex emerges dramatically from the placid waters of the Maotha Lake and is approachable only via a steep path. We will ride on elephant back to the Singh Pole and the Jaleb Chowk. Two flights of stairs rise from on end of the chowk, one leading to the Shila Mata Temple and other to the palace complex. The image of the patron of goddess, worshiped by thousands of devotees, was brought from Jessore in East Bengal (now in Bangladesh) by Raja Man Singh, to be installed here.
Another highlight is Jantar Mantar, the largest of Jai Singh’s five remarkable observatories. Its complex instruments, with scientifically designed settings and shapes, represent the high points of medieval Indian astronomy. The most striking of these are the Ram Yantras, used for gauging altitudes.
We will visit The City Palace, a former royal residence built in the centre of the old city in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The carved arches are supported by grey-white marble columns ornate with floral motifs in gold and colored stones. Two carved elephants in marble guard the entrance. The retainers whose families have served generations of rulers serve as guides. The palace houses a museum with a superb collection of Rajasthani costumes and armory of Mughals and Rajputs, including swords of different shapes and sizes with chased handles, some of them inlaid with enamel, embellished with jewels and encased in magnificent scabbards.
Overnight: Trident Hotel, Jaipur
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 08 Jaipur-Bikaner
We will take a morning drive to Bikaner, visiting the Junagadh Fort, built in 1587. One of the most imposing forts in North India and one of the finest examples of Rajput architecture, the fort was attacked many times but was never conquered. It is surrounded by a deep moat and protected by massive ramparts and round towers, with only two gates providing access. Inside the fort is a profusion of thirty-seven palaces, pavilions and temples, built by different kings. They are marvels of red sandstone construction. The palaces have exquisitely carved windows, balconies and towers, with mirrors, paintings and carved marble panels inside.
Overnight: GajnerPalace, Bikaner
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 09 Bikaner
According to legend, Lord Rama drew an arrow in his bow, targeting Lanka, the island capital where his wife was held captive by the demon king, Ravana. However, such were its destructive powers that the gods pleaded with the Lord to desist from his intended purpose. But the arrow, once drawn, could not be pulled back and so Rama pointed the arrow to a far-flung sea. The heat generated by the arrow dried the sea and in its place was created the Thar Desert.
Today we will have the opportunity to experience the desert by the traditional means, on camel-back! If you have never ridden a camel before don't worry; few westerners have. It can seem daunting at first but it is great fun. Before setting off you will be given a briefing on how to ride the camel. Remember that there will be an attendant in charge of each animal; trust him, relax and move with the swaying gait of the camel. Our caravan consists of our camel attendants and tour guide. We also have Rajasthani musicians to play for us. Our crew and musicians ride on camel carts, along with our food and provisions. There are frequent stops for refreshments and a chance to stretch your legs. If you decide to get off your camel for a while, you can walk, (the camels do not travel at a galloping pace), or ride on the camel carts. As we gradually merge with the pace of the desert, we will meet and interact with local villagers and enthusiastic children.
Overnight: GajnerPalace, Bikaner
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 Drive Bikaner-Jaisalmer
Today we continue our journey to Jaisalmer. The medieval fortress and town of Jaisalmer rise out of the remote deserts of Rajasthan, like a city at the very end of the world. No other city in India exudes the fairytale aura of this exotic desert outpost on the ancient silk and spice route linking India to Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Africa and the West. The glory of Jaisalmer faded when sea trade replaced the old land routes, but the town still embodies an “Arabian Nights” quality. Called the Golden City for the glow reflected on its sandstone ramparts by the setting sun, Jaisalmer epitomizes a medieval desert city. While in Jaisalmer, we’ll take a jeep safari at Khuri village to explore the sand dunes.
Overnight: Gorbandh Palace Hotel, Jaisalmer
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11 Jaisalmer
Desert artists and artisans will have come from miles around to attend the Jaisalmer festival, still largely local in character. Music is everywhere, casting a potent and exotic spell. The rhythms begin at sunrise, and reach their zenith under the star-studded skies. The festival also features exciting and whimsical competitions, such as the turban-tying contest, Mr Desert contest and camel races.
We will explore the labyrinth of alleyways, packed with merchants and performers. Exquisitely embroidered skirts, hand woven shawls, rugs, carving on wood and stone, embroidered leather bags, ethnic silver jewellery and terracotta are on offer from all over Rajasthan. This evening, take in musical and dance performances, and vibrating desert drums that can be heard for miles around. The grand finale, on the full moon night, takes place amidst silvery sand dunes.
Overnight: Gorbandh Palace Hotel, Jaisalmer
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12 Drive Jaisalmer-Jodhpur
Today, we drive to Jodhpur. The kingdom of Jodhpur was ruled by the powerful Rathores. They claim that their ancestry can be traced back to the mythological age of Ramayana. We will check into the traditional Ajith Bhawan Palace, with the rest of the afternoon free to explore on your own.
Overnight: Ajith Bhawan, Jodhpur
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13 Jodhpur
In Jodhpur, discover the fascinating private chambers and intricate courtyards of Meherangarh Fort, the setting of Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Other highlights include a visit to the local markets, a three-wheeled tuk-tuk ride through the winding streets of Jodhpur.
Overnight: Ajith Bhawan, Jodhpur
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 14 Drive Jodhpur-Ranakpur-Udaipur
We will drive through the valleys of the remote and peaceful Aravali Range to Ranakpur to visit the magnificent Jain temple. This marble complex is noted for the 29 halls supported by 1,444 pillars, each adorned with hundred of carved figures, with no two alike. We will have lunch at Fateh Bagh, a wonderful haveli, and then continue to Udaipur, the most romantic city in India and a cultural and artistic centre housing extravagant palaces.
Overnight: Trident Hotel, Udaipur
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 15 Udaipur
Today we will visit the City Palace, set on the lovely Lake Pichola. Standing on the east bank of Lake Pichola, it is a massive series of palaces built at different times from 1559 A.D. The City Palace is one of the largest palace complexes in the world, and boasts extraordinary craftsmanship. This afternoon, we will take a sunset cruise on Lake Pichola (weather and conditions permitting).
Overnight: Trident Hotel, Udaipur
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16 Fly Udaipur-Delhi
This morning is free to do some last minute shopping before our transfer to the airport to connect with our short flight to Delhi. We will have a late evening departure transfer to the airport to connect with our international flight back home.
Meals: Breakfast
Important Note:
Although we will try our utmost to confirm the hotels as listed in this itinerary, please be advised that they are subject to change, in which case hotels of similar quality will be substituted.
This trip itinerary represents the most current information available; however the price and itinerary are subject to change without prior notice.
FACT FILE
• Daily breakfast and lunch or dinner
• Deluxe / First class accommodations
• Air conditioned transport
• English speaking local guides
• Entrance fees to monuments
• Service of a professional WWQ tour Manager
• Domestic Bottled water
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Leader:
C V Singh |
|
One of our most
popular leaders in India, the
multi-faceted CV Singh is a Management
graduate, holds a Masters in English
Literature and is a licensed pharmacist.
Despite these qualificiations,
he has a real passion for travel
and has quit his job to become
a full time tour director. CV
has guided more than 120 trips
and is an expert on North Indian
art, architecture and religion.
Our clients love his enthusiasm
for topics both current and historical.
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click map for larger image |
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| Tour Itinerary |
| Day 1 |
Arrive Delhi |
| Day 2 |
New and Old Delhi |
| Day 3 |
Drive Delhi-Agra |
| Day 4 |
Drive Agra-Ranthambore |
| Day 5 |
Ranthambore |
| Day 6 |
Drive Ranthambore-Jaipur |
| Day 7 |
Jaipur |
| Day 8 |
Jaipur-Bikaner |
| Day 9 |
Bikaner |
| Day 10 |
Drive Bikaner-Jaisalmer |
| Day 11 |
Jaisalmer |
| Day 12 |
Drive Jaisalmer-Jodhpur |
| Day 13 |
Jodhpur |
| Day 14 |
Drive Jodhpur-Ranakpur-Udaipur |
| Day 15 |
Udaipur |
| Day 16 |
Fly Udaipur-Delhi |
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| Tour Information |
| Leader: |
CV Singh |
| Cost: |
Per person, double occupancy
US$ 4150
Single Supplement
US$ 2045 |
| Length: |
16 Days |
| Limit: |
18 |
| Start: |
Delhi |
| End: |
Delhi |
| Deposit: |
US$ 500/C$ 500 per person |
| Note: |
If you are a single traveller who is willing to share, we can try to match you up with an appropriate roommate. However, if we are unsuccessful, please be advised that the single supplement will apply. |
| International Airfare: |
International airfare is not included in the cost of your trip. Please contact our office and speak to Neetu for a quote on airfare from your home city. |
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| Departure Dates |
| 2009 Departures |
 Jan 29-Feb 13 |
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to an Expert call:
