FROM OUR EXPLORE BROCHURE

ITINERARY ROUTING:

Delhi – Patan – Mandawa – Jaipur – Agra – Orchha – Khajuraho – Varanasi – Mumbai – Aurangabad – Mumbai

SKETCH ITINERARY:

DAY 01: ARRIVAL DELHI
DAY 02: IN DELHI
DAY 03: DELHI – PATAN
DAY 04: PATAN – MANDAWA
DAY 05: IN MANDAWA
DAY 06: MANDAWA – JAIPIUR
DAY 07: IN JAIPUR
DAY 08: JAIPUR – AGRA
DAY 09: IN AGRA
DAY 10: AGRA – JHANSI – ORCHHA
DAY 11: ORCHHA – KHAJURAHO
DAY 12: KHAJURAHO – VARANASI
DAY 13: IN VARANASI
DAY 14: VARANASI – MUMBAI
DAY 15: IN MUMBAI
DAY 16: MUMBAI – AURANGABAD
DAY 17: IN AURANGABAD
DAY 18: AURANGABAD – MUMBAI
DEPART MUMBAI

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Spend time in Delhi exploring monuments and bazaars of Old Delhi.
• Visit the Craft Museum of Delhi which houses a unique collection of exquisite pieces of folk art and craft collected selectively from all over India.
• Optional Lecture in Delhi: “Ancient & Medieval Indian Art and Iconography.”
• Drive to Patan to stay at 13th century Patan Mahal belonging to the descendants of Tomar clan who ruled Delhi from the 8th to 12th century CE.
• Drive to Mandawa – the semi-arid region of Rajasthan popularly known as Shekhawati - India's 'open art gallery'. Admire some of its massive mansions and the colourful wall frescoes and murals made in the 18th and 19th century. In the evening, enjoy a private folk musical rendition by nomadic bards in praise of a 14th century warrior.
• Head to Jaipur, India’s first planned city built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. Enjoy exploring the bazaars of old Jaipur.
• Spend one full day exploring the main sites of Jaipur such as 16th century Amber Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the City Palace and the Royal Observatory. In the evening take lessons in Rajasthani cuisine from a local resident and enjoy dinner with her family.
• Drive to Agra, visiting the 16th century deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri enroute. This is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue by road to Agra. Visit Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal at sunset.
• Enjoy a tour of the Agra Cantonment with a local resident and get to know some of north India's finest Indo-Saracenic architecture. Visit the Roman Catholic Cemetery – Agra's best kept secret. The highlight is the tomb of Dutch mercenary John Hessing – The Red Taj Mahal – built in the early 19th century.
• Take a morning train to Jhansi and continue by road to Orchha, a charming, quaint and laid-back place, on the banks of the Betwa River with breath-taking architecture from the 15th century.
• Drive to Khajuraho for history, temples, sculptures, erotica and the Kamasutra. Spend time admiring the stunning architecture of the exquisite temples here built in the 10th and 11th century.
• Fly from Khajuraho to Varanasi, considered holy by both Hindus and Buddhists, it is one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world where the first inhabitants settled here in 1000 BC. Witness the evening aarti (prayer ceremony) on the banks of holy River Ganga.
• Next morning enjoy an early morning boat-ride in River Ganga to witness hundreds of locals and pilgrims performing age old rituals and praying to the sun.
• While staying in Varanasi visit Sarnath, where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon after enlightenment.
• Optional in Varanasi: Night walk for the intrepid to know more about the Art of Dying in Varanasi and how it means mukti or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. End the walk in the temple of Goddess Sankata Devi (the destroyer of sorrows) at 22:30 hours in time for the daily night service.
• From Varanasi fly to Mumbai – India's financial capital. Explore the iconic sights of Mumbai such as the Gateway of India, Prince of Wales Museum, the Dhobi Ghat and Mani Bhawan, appreciating the mish- mash of Indo-Saracenic architecture.
• On the second day of your stay in Mumbai visit a fishing village of the indigenous Koli community and immerse yourself in a tribal art form of India which goes back to 3000 BC. The simple style of painting, which stems from an animistic belief, has a very basic vocabulary of a circle, triangle and a square, which they use to depict their life, customs and traditions.
• From Mumbai fly to Aurangabad to explore Ellora Caves, which are amongst the most splendid examples of rock architecture in India and Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose history dates back to 2nd century BC.
• Fly back to Mumbai to connect an international flight for your onward journey.

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