Day One: Depart USA
Depart USA
Fly Newark to Delhi on CO #82 (20:50 - 21:15)(+1) Economy Class
NOTE: Suggested Flight Only.
Day Two: Arrive Delhi India
Arrive Delhi at 10:35 PM.
Welcome to India. Upon arrival, clear Immigration and Customs and meet your Diva representative (who will be holding a sign with Adventure Divas on it). She, along with Holly Morris, will handle all arrangements for the duration.
Perhaps no other city in the world is so steeped in history and legend as the Indian capital, Delhi. It was the magnet that drew the Mongols, Turks, Persians, Afghans, Mughals and finally the British, all of whom contributed to its impressive but turbulent history. Delhi held such fascination that even though it was abandoned at least seven times, its rulers returned again and again. Now in its eighth incarnation, the twin cities of Old and New Delhi captivate Indians and visitors alike as the cultural and political capital of the world’s largest democratic republic.
Contemporary Delhi is a bustling metropolis that successfully combines the ancient and the modern, the inspiring and the tragic– all amid a chaotic, magical cultural mix. From the airport, transfer to our historic home for a well deserved sleep.
Overnight The Claridges Hotel (Premium Wing) - Delhi.
Located in the heart of the city, The Claridges has been a landmark in Lutyen’s Delhi since the 1950s and is set on three acres of land.
Day Three: Delhi - Red Fort, Gandhi Memorial
Delhi is the symbol of old and new India. This capital of India stands to represent a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. It’s no fairy tale city, but a city where dreams get converted to reality.
Delhi offers vast cultural distinctiveness within its boundary. The hub of the metropolis is Central New Delhi, which presents a picture of the orderly, planned city capital established by the British. Old Delhi however is quintessentially Indian, with a warren of cluttered houses, traditional lifestyles and age-old monuments such as the Purana Qila and Red Fort.
The city is lush with a plethora of temples, forts, mosques as well as parks, gardens and beautiful colonial mansions. The strategic location of the city was one of the prime reasons why successive dynasties chose it as their seat of power. As befits a national capital, Delhi provides plenty of opportunities to learn about the rest of the country. The city may seem daunting to a first time visitor but as a national capital and the gateway to the North, it is a must visit city on any travelers itinerary.
After breakfast, depart our hotel to explore Old Delhi. Visit the Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque); enjoy a rickshaw ride to the Red Fort; and visit the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial. Lunch will be at the highly regarded Veda Restaurant, which is the new venture for Suvir Saran, one of India’s reigning super chefs. The restaurant brings together a variety of Indian home cuisines. This afternoon, we visit a Sikh temple and New Delhi monuments (parliament buildings and the India Gate, etc.), ending at Humayun’s Tomb, which was built in 1570, at sunset.
This evening, relax and dine on your own.
Overnight The Claridges Hotel (Premium Wing) - Delhi.
Day Four: Varanasi - Ganges ceremonies
This morning, transfer to the airport for the flight to the holy city of
Varanasi. Fly Delhi to Varanasi on 9W #723 (10:40 - 11:50) Economy Class.
Upon arrival, transfer to our hotel for time to check in and enjoy lunch on your own before venturing down to the Ganges.
Varanasi, known to the devout Hindu as Kashi, is said to have been founded by Shiva, Lord of the Universe, and destroyer of Evil. It’s one of the oldest living cities in the world, and also one of the most important pilgrimage sites in India. Its principal attraction is the long string of ghats (riverside settlements) which line the west bank of the Ganges. Ghats are steps which lead down to the river where devout pilgrims take a dip every morning in the river Ganges and offer their morning prayers. At the riverside, witness the Aarti Ceremony, the late afternoon ritual performed on the steps of the Dasashwamedha Ghat. This evening, return to our hotel for dinner.
Overnight Palace on Ganges.
Hotel Palace on Ganges has coined all distinct cultures of India and accordingly all 42 rooms under one Grand Heritage Hotel roof are designed and dedicated to each of those provincial cultures. A journey through the rooms is like a journey across India.
Day Five: SARNATH/VARANASI – sunrise on Ganges
This morning, wake early for a boat ride at dawn to view the sunrise on the Ganges. This excursion will take us downstream to several ghats, amongst which the Dasaswamedh Ghat is the most significant.
Visit Sarnath, located on the outskirts of the city where the Buddha is said to have delivered his first sermon after achieving enlightenment. It is here that he preached his first five disciples on the four noble truths who then carried his message to the rest of the country.
After lunch, visit the Viswanath Temple, a holy site akin to the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem. This seat of Shiva houses one of India’s most important lingams (Hindu holy object in the shape of a phallus representing the regenerative nature of the material universe). It is made of black stone and rests on a solid silver plinth. This ornate temple, popularly called the Golden Temple, is the epitome of Hindu reverence and material embellishment.
Next, The three millennia-old Aarti Ceremony takes place at the Assi ghat each evening. This blessing is an offering to the gods, in which Hindu holy men light candles and oil lamps, play music, ring bells and chant. Respectful visitors are welcome to witness these ancient rites. This evening, enjoy dinner at our hotel.
Overnight Palace on Ganges.
Day Six: VARANASI/DELHI/AGRA
Day 6
After breakfast, and checking out of our hotel, visit the museum that houses the Ashkar Pillar, with its four guardian lions, now the national emblem of independent India. After lunch, transfer to the airport for our flight to Delhi. Fly Varanasi to Delhi on 9W #724 (14:40 - 16:00) Economy Class. Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to Agra (approx. 4 hours). En route, stop at the Hotel Radha Ashok for a nice Thali dinner before arriving at our hotel for the evening.
Agra is globally renown as the city of the Taj Mahal. But this royal Mughal city has, in addition to the legendary Taj, many monuments that epitomize the high point of Mughal architecture. In the Mughal period, in the 16th and 17th centuries, Agra was the capital of India. It was here that the founder of the dynasty, Babar, laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of the river Yamuna. Here, Akbar, his grandson raised the towering ramparts of the great Red Fort. Within its walls, Jehangir built rose-red palaces, courts and gardens, and Shahajahan embellished it with marble mosques, palaces and pavilions of gem-inlaid white marble.
Overnight Taj View Hotel (Superior Rooms).
This moderate hotel is situated within three kilometers of the Taj Mahal. Guests can look forward to gracious interiors, personalized service, and the Taj’s inimitable style for a memorable stay.
Day Seven: Agra - Taj Mahal
We’ll throw back some hot coffee very early and go to visit to the Taj Mahal at sunrise, as it plays of the changing color of the sky. Twenty-two years. Twenty thousand workers. A thousand elephants. An incalculable cost. The tale of the Taj can begin with statistics, but numbers can’t begin to capture the poetry of the great Taj Mahal. Grief and love caused Shah Jehan to commission and oversee this exquisite monument, built for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal who died bearing their 14th child. Jehan violated the Muslim tradition of simplicity in death to build her transcendently beautiful memorial. This monument to love is perhaps the most wondrous structure on earth, perfectly symmetrical, carved and inlaid with precious stones on nearly every surface. Begun in 1631, Jehan lived to see it completed in 1653.
That the Taj has survived at all is a wonder in itself. Shah Jehans son and successor thought his mother’s memorial was an ostentatious, heretical waste. The British nearly tore it down before restoring it at the end of the 19th century. During World War II, the colonial government built a huge protective scaffolding over the entire structure to protect it in the event of German or Japanese bombings. More recently, India and the city of Agra have put strict environmental protections in place to preserve the Structure’s delicate inlay and marble scrollwork.
The Taj Mahal seems to glow a faint blue in the pre-dawn cool. As the sun rises behind the monument it turns first gold, red, then rose pink and finally takes on the cool white of marble. Sunrise at the Taj is simply dazzling to behold. The transcendental internal harmony of the architecture is breathtaking at first sight and marvelous under close inspection.
Preservationists take advantage of quiet mornings to give Ayurvedic ‘Facials’ to the marble walls of the four century old structure. They apply a mud masque of clay, ground grain and milk to remove stains caused by weather, people and pollution. This ‘spa treatment’ has been so successful that preservationists in Europe and the US are using it to restore Renaissance and Enlightenment era statues.
After breakfast, drive by private coach to Jaipur. Stop en route to visit Fatehpur Sikri. This extraordinary and well-preserved capital of the Mughal rulers, built by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, was later abandoned when Fatephur’s waters presumably ran dry.
After Fatehpur Sikri, we’ll lunch at The Bagh at Bharatpur. Upon arrival in Jaipur we’ll check into our hotel in time time to relax before dinner.
Overnight Loharu House.
Loharu House, famed for its hospitality at its princely best, is the Jaipur residence of Nawabzada and Begum Aimaduddin Ahmad Khan of Loharu. Set amidst beautifully landscaped gardens, Loharu House has twelve elegantly furnished rooms with attached bath.
Day Eight: Jaipur
Today, enjoy a full day tour of the Pink City. Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City (though it’s really orange-ish), is the capital of the state of Rajasthan. In 1720’s Sawai Jai Singh II, began to build the new city of Jaipur. The city turned out to be an astonishing well-planned one based on the ancient Hindu treatise on architecture, the Shilpa Shastra. Different streets were allotted for different professions such as potters, weavers, dyers, jewelers and bankers. Jaipur has a variety of manufacturing industries. It is especially known for its arts and crafts, jewelry, enamel work, hand-printed fabrics and stone sculptures. The sprawling City Palace was an integral part of Raja Sawai Jai Singh II’s new city of Jaipur.
After breakfast, drive to the Amber Fort. The kingdom of Jaipur was originally known as Amber, which was also the name of its ancient capital, situated seven miles away. Its history can be traced backed to the 12th century. The Amber Fort is superbly located, protected by the wild Arrival Hills on all sides. Originally built in the 11th Century, it was extended by Raja Mannish I in the late 16th Century.
Enjoy an optional elephant ride down from the Fort before a tour of the bazaars of Jaipur. Rajasthan, especially Jaipur, is one of the finest centers in the entire region for beautiful prints - specially on cotton fabrics - and has perhaps India’s largest center of semi-precious and precious gems. Tie-and-die fabrics and Sarees; Sanganer prints; brocades, stone-set and semi-precious jewelry; There is no end to what Jaipur offers to handicraft shoppers.
After lunch at Sangkotra Haveli, a traditional home in the Old City, our afternoon activities will include a look at the extraordinary Observatory and a rickshaw ride through the bazaar. Next, we set out for the glorious Jaipur City Palace Museum. A vision in pink sandstone renowned throughout India and the world, it is a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Enjoy a guided tour of the palace interior, its museum housing the priceless art collection of numerous maharajahs of Jaipur and observatory. This evening relax and dine on your own. Maybe take in a Bollywood movie?
Overnight Loharu House.
Day Nine: Nimaj - "camping"
This morning after breakfast, depart on a two-hour drive to the village of Nimaj. Chhatra Sagar was built as the hunting lodge for the Nimaj royalty and is surrounded by fields of wheat, mustard, cotton, chilies and vast grazing pastures. Today, the campsite, situated on shores of a lake, offers breathtaking views of the Aravalli Hills, especially at sunrise and sunset. Experience the warm hospitality, and enjoy some truly delicious Indian and traditional Rajasthani meals cooked with farm fresh vegetables in the family kitchen.
Overnight Chhatra Sagar Tented Camp - Nimaj.
During the evening relax in the uniquely designed and well-appointed tents - has an attached bath with running hot and cold water and its own private porch overlooking the lake. This ain’t no Girl Scout camp!
Day Ten: Jodhpur
After breakfast, drive to Jodhpur. Upon arrival we’ll first check in to our hotel with time to lunch on your own before touring this city.
Visit the majestic Mehrangarh Fort set high on a hill overlooking the city. Inside are some of the most intricately ornamented palaces with exquisitely carved panels and latticed windows. The palaces all have evocative names, the Moti Mahal, or Peal Palace, the Phool Mahal. The ramparts of the Fort offer stunning view of the blue-painted Brahmin houses for which the city is famous.
Late afternoon, walk around the vibrant and colorful streets of Jodhpur. The bazaars sell all manner of goods, with locally made specialties including vibrant fabrics, puppets and lacquered jewelry. Get your haggling hat on.
Return to our comfortable hotel for an evening to relax, swim and explore on your own before dinner.
Overnight Ajit Bhawan Palace (Standard Cottages).
India’s first heritage hotel The Ajit Bhawan Palace Resort is a home to the members of the Jodhpur royal family. Set in the serene desert of Rajasthan, Ajit Bhawan stands as an oasis of hospitality and warm Rajput charm.
Day Eleven: Jaisalmer - desert outpost
After breakfast, depart for Jaisalmer. The landscape blooms with color during this drive to Jaisalmer. Fields of red chilies, yellow sandstone quarries and the bright, blue desert sky are magical predecessors to the brilliant desert city of Jaisalmer. It rises from the Thar Desert like a medieval castle, golden sandstone walls and delicately carved buildings glowing like a city of pure gold in the afternoon sun.
No other city in India exudes the fairy tale aura of this exotic desert outpost on the ancient Spice Route from Arabia. Called the Golden City for the glow reflected on its sandstone ramparts by the setting sun, Jaisalmer is a promise kept, epitomizing the isolated, awesome medieval desert city.
Upon arrival, we’ll first check in to our hotel for time to lunch and explore on your own before a sunset visit of the Cenotaphs, followed by dinner.
Overnight Fort Rajwada Hotel (Deluxe Rooms).
The hotel is a successful attempt by Shri Dileep Singh Rathore and Shri Jitendra Singh Rathore to rediscover and restore the art and craft of this region. Located on six acres, this princely home has an interior decor created by renowned opera designer Ms. Stephanie Engeln. Located in the peaceful countryside it is an oasis of serenity and comfort.
Day Twelve: Jaisalmer - Jain Temples
Enjoy a full day exploring in and around Jaisalmer, with its havelis (elaborate merchants’ homes) and fort with three exquisitely carved Jain temples.
The magical, medieval city of Jaisalmer evokes a desert caravanserai from a long lost age. Inside, the fort still houses many of the citys residents in small but perfect houses and havelis (enclosed, extended family residences). Even in this arid climate, art and music flourish, with performing arts taking the spotlight. This afternoon, proceed to a nearby Khuri village through the surrounding sand dunes. This is a page out of the past, a glimpse into a way of life that has existed for centuries. Here, witness folk singers from the desert, one of the highlights of our travels. Return to our hotel for dinner on your own and an evening to relax.
Overnight Fort Rajwada Hotel (Deluxe Rooms).
Day 13
Day Thirteen: Rohetgarh
After an early breakfast, our drive today will take us back through the desert to Rohetgarh, a small village south of Jodhpur where the local ruler has converted his 350 year-old manor into a hotel.
After a late lunch, enjoy a jeep safari to a number of Bishnoi villages. The Bhishnois are an unique tribe of people who began protecting their forests back in the 16th century making them the world’s first ecologists. Located within their realm are herds of chinkara, blue bull and black-buck antelope as well as over two hundred species of native and migratory birds.
Arriving back at our hotel, partake in an optional cooking class or simply relax, swim and explore on your own before dinner.
Overnight Rohetgarh.
Rohet - the fortified desert home of the descendants of the 16th century Rathore of the Champawat clan, Thakur Dalpat Singh I. The “Jagir” (Fiefdom) of Rohet was bestowed upon him in 1622 A.D. by the Maharaja Of Jodhpur, as a mark of appreciation for his bravery in battle. Brilliantly plumed peacocks strut about, perching themselves under finely carved stone archways and the wind whispers through the neem tree groves and bougainvilleas. Within these time weathered walls lies an oasis of landscaped gardens and flowers in bloom - your Oasis in the arid land of Marwar.
Day Fourteen: Ranakpur/Udaipur - Jain Temple
This morning, drive through valleys in the remote and peaceful Aravalli range to Ranakpur to visit one of the most important Jain temples in India. This marble complex is noted for the 29 halls supported by 1,44 pillars, each adorned with hundreds of carved figures, no two alike.
After a Jain lunch at Fateh Bagh, continue our journey to stunning
Udaipur. Upon arrival, check into our hotel before dinner and an evening to relax , or perhaps do a bit of evening yoga?
Overnight The Royal Retreat.
Located amidst the scenic mountains of the Aravali range, The Royal
Retreat, designed originally to be the dream bungalow of an art connoisseur, is now the ultimate destination for the discerning guest. A jewel amongst retreats, it is the ideal place to relax, unwind and soak in what promises to be an unforgettable experience.
Day Fifteen: Udaipur - City Palace
There is no place in India which appeals more to the imagination of poets and painters, travelers and writers, than Udaipur, the lovely lake side capital of Mewar. The city’s inherent romance and beauty, and its remarkable past, bristling with episodes of heroism and splendor, continue to enthrall the visitor. Udaipur, the City of Dawn, looms up like a vision in white. Surrounded by hills and mountains, and set on the edge of three lakes, which give on to a fertile plain, it is bewitching in all its details - narrow streets lined by vivid colored stalls, gardens, temples and palaces - every feature mirrored in the placid blue waters of Lake Pichola.
Visit the City Palace, the largest palace complex, and the Museum of Rajasthan. The City Palace is a blend of stern Rajput military
architecture on the outside and lavish Mughal-inspired decorative art on the inside. Set on a hill overlooking the Pichola Lake it is a sprawling edifice made up of at least four separate inter-connecting palaces, built over a period of nearly three centuries.
After lunch at Fatehprakash, take a stroll through the colorful Bapu Bazaar.This evening, enjoy a sunset boat excursion on Lake Pichola, before
returning to our hotel for a wonderful farewell dinner and time to relax.
Overnight The Royal Retreat.
Day Sixteen: Delhi - fly home
This morning is reserved for independent exploration and to prepare for your flights home.
You may want to purchase a sample of the textiles, folk toys and wall hangings for which Udaipur is famous at the bazaars. After lunch on your own, transfer to the airport for the flight to Delhi.
Fly Udaipur to Delhi on 9W #708 (15:30 - 16:40) Economy Class.
Upon arrival, check into our airport hotel for an evening to relax before transferring to the international terminal for your flight home.
Fly Delhi to Newark on CO #83 (23:45 - 05:05)(+1) Economy Class.
NOTE: Suggested Flight Only.
Day Seventeen: Arrive Home
Arrive Newark at 5:05 AM. Welcome Home.
Diva Tours: India
Itinerary:
Included:
Internal flights and ground transportation; all accommodations (double occupancy); meals as indicated – (B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner; visits to Delhi, Agra, Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Thar Desert, Jaisalmer, Ranakpur, Udaipur and Varanasi; camel trek, jeep safari and boat excursions; visits with Indian divas, local guides, and “Adventure Divas” founder Holly Morris.
Adventure Cost:
$6150Questions?
or call 206.328.9519 for more information.