Highlights of North India

Arrive in Mumbai, and your Explore India representative meets and transfers you to your hotel which is called the landmark of Mumbai.

After breakfast, you will explore the sounds and sights of Mumbai originally known as Bombay, visit the Gateway of India, an 85-foot-high arch whose design reflects India’s Muslim and Hindu traditions. Visit the Prince of Wales Museum and Mani Bhawan, a small museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. Later we will see the Dhobi Ghat, the largest open-air laundry in the world and witness hundreds of men and women hand-wash sheets and garments etc.

This morning we will cruise from Mumbai Harbour to Elephanta Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Elephanta Island is the site of the magnificent Elephanta caves, containing beautiful carvings, sculptures, and a temple to the Hindu God, Lord Shiva. The island, being a commercial, military and religions center for centuries also has traces of early Buddhist culture. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly the huge high reliefs in the main cave. Later this afternoon, fly to Udaipur and transfer to your luxury romantic Palace hotel. Travel and Leisure Magazine rated the Taj Lake one of the best hotels in the world. After settling in, take in the magnificent views of the City Palace and Jag Mandir from the hotel’s balconies.

We will enjoy a sightseeing tour visiting City Palace, a conglomeration of buildings added by various Maharanas; the palace manages to retain a surprising uniformity of design. Then head to the crystal Gallery, It has a rare collection of Osler’s crystal ordered from England by Maharana Sajjan Singh in 1877. Next, we will visit the Garden of the Maids of Honor locally called Saheliyon ki Bari, which has retained all its traditional charm. It was designed in the early 18th Century for the ladies Afternoon at leisure. In the evening cruise on the placid, mystical waters of Lake Pichola. We will explore this glimmering lake, the mountains and the city against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset.

After breakfast we drive to Pushkar, along the way you will experience the country with camel carts,, trucks, cows, buffalos, Pushkar has many temples and most of the temples are not very old because many temples were destroyed during Muslim conquests in the area subsequently, the destroyed temples were rebuilt. The most famous among all is the Brahma Temple built during the 14th century CE. Very few temples to Lord Brahma exist anywhere in the world, arrive and check into the hotel. Later we will take a short camel. Next, we will explore the Ghats and the Temples around the Pushkar Lake Overnight stay in Pushkar.

After morning breakfast we drive to Jaipur, the city of Jaipur owes its names, foundation and its careful planning to the great warrior, astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II. In 1727, with Mughal power on the wane, Jai Singh decided to move down from his hillside fortress at nearby Amber to a new site on the plains. He laid out the city, with its surrounding walls and six rectangular blocks, according to the principles of town planning set down in Shilpa Shastra, an ancient Hindu treatise on architecture. Arrive in Jaipur and check in at the hotel. The evening is at leisure.

In the morning after breakfast, enjoy an excursion to Amber Fort including an elephant ride ascent to the fort. Amber is the classic romantic Rajasthani Fort Palace. Its construction was started by Man Singh I in 1592, and completed by his descendent Jai Singh I. Its forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise where a beautiful fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles finds its ultimate expression. Visit City Palace – A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area in the walled city. Jantar Mantar – This is the largest and the best preserved of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II in different parts of the country. This observatory consisting of outsized astronomical instruments is still in use. Hawa Mahal – The ornamental facade of this “Palace of Winds” is a prominent landmark in Jaipur. Their five-story structures of sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows. Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal grandstand for the palace women.

After breakfast, leave for Agra, en route, visit the abandoned Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri. Built by Emperor Akbar in 1569, this was the old capital of the Moghuls, which was abandoned after 15 years due to the scarcity of water. See the graceful buildings including the Jama Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chisti, Panch Mahal & other palaces which are still preserved in their original glory. Continue drive to Agra. Remaining of the day at leisure.

In the morning visit the world famous Taj Mahal built by Moghul Emperor Shahjahan in 1630 for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. Later visit the Agra Fort containing the Halls of Public and Private Audience. After breakfast, enjoy a city tour of Agra. Visit Red Fort, which was built by Emperor Akbar in 1565, and additions were made up until the time of his grandson, Shah Jahan. It contains the hall of public and private audiences amongst many other beautiful structures; Itmad-ud-daulah, which was constructed by Nur Jahan between 1622 and 1628 and is very similar to the tomb she constructed for her husband, Jehangir, near Lahore in Pakistan.

Morning transfer to railway station to board the famous Shitbdi express train to Jhansi, Arrive Jhansi & drive to Orchha & transfer to hotel. Later tour of this historical site with magnificent temples and monuments. Some of the palaces were decorated with painted murals which represent the finest flowering of the Bundela school of painting.

After breakfast we drive to the medieval temples of Khajuraho, these temples dedicated to the Hindu pantheon of Gods are covered in carvings that are a paean to life and love. Built within a short span of a hundred years by the Chandela Rajputs, the 10th-century temples lay forgotten until they were discovered in the present century. Khajuraho has achieved fame for the sensual appeal of its erotic sculptures. Arrive Khajuraho & transfer to hotel

After breakfast drive to Khajuraho, The legendary temples of Khajuraho are an incomparable experience. Acknowledged as one of the world’s artistic wonders, these temples dedicated to the Hindu pantheon of Gods are covered in carvings that are a paean to life and love. Built within a short span of a hundred years by the Chandela Rajputs, the 10th-century temples lay forgotten until they were discovered in the present century. Khajuraho has achieved fame for the sensual appeal of its erotic sculptures. Arrive Khajuraho & transfer to hotel. Later explore the Western and Eastern temples of Khajuraho while your guide explains the intricate meaning and legends behind each describable sculpture.

After breakfast, fly to Varanasi, a city of more than a thousand Hindu and Buddhist temples and shrines, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, Arrive and transfer to your hotel. Later this evening you will continue on to banks of the Ganges for evening rituals to witness the devotional ceremony of Aarti after sunset performed by devout Hindus. Take in the sounds of chanted prayers and rhythmic drumming as you watch the Hindu priests — holding lanterns to keep the darkness at bay.

Early morning at dawn you will take a sunrise cruise on the River Ganges for a most serene experience. You will see pilgrims and priests fill the riverbanks bathing in the holy waters and performing various other rituals. This unique experience literally transports you to another world. After breakfast, visit the Bharat Mata Temple, which houses a huge marble relief map of India, the Durga Temple, the Tulsi Manas Mandir beside the Banaras Hindu University and the Mosque of Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. The city is famous also for its silk sarees and we visit some of the houses where the beautiful silk sarees are woven.

After breakfast, fly to Delhi India’s capital. On arrival, you will be met by an Explore India representative and transfer to your hotel.

In the morning tour of Old Delhi, built in 1648 during the reign of Shah Jahan in red sandstone, visit the Jama Masjid which is India’s largest mosque, built of red sandstone and white marble in the middle of the 17th century which gave the fort its name. Ride Like a Local as you set off on an exciting rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, the bustling main street of Old Delhi, inching your way through a maze of ox carts filled with fresh produce, cars and the occasional wandering cow. Pause for lunch, and then visit New Delhi, including Humayun’s Tomb, a Mughal complex whose symmetrical designs prefigured the Taj Mahal.

In time Explore India representative will transfer you to the international airport for your flight home.

All good things must come to an end. We hope you enjoyed your vacation and we look forward to welcoming you soon on your next adventure.