Delhi – Jaipur – Agra – Jhansi – Orchha – Khajuraho – Varanasi – Delhi
Combine the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra with the cultural sights of oldest living city, Varanasi and Khajuraho, famous for erotic architecture. This tour offers a colourful and vibrant insight into the best of North India and explores towns and cities that are full of atmosphere and character.
Highlights: Historical Delhi, Taj Mahal, Amber Fort, erotic architecture in Khajuraho, Mystical Varanasi
Day 1: Delhi
On arrival at Delhi Airport; after clearing Customs and Immigration, you will be met and transferred to your Hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure
Day 2: Delhi (B)
This morning, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Old Delhi, which includes a visit to Jama Masjid (one of the largest mosques in India), Raj Ghat (cremation sites of Mahatma Gandhi). Also, drive past Red Fort and Chandni Chowk (Silver Street), the epicenter of Old Delhi & drive past President's House, Parliament House and other Government Secretariat Buildings. You may take a short exhilarating Rickshaw ride through the crowded lanes of the Chandni Chowk- the shopping epicenter of Old Delhi.
In the afternoon, you will be taken for a tour to visit New Delhi. Drive past Government Buildings and Presidents House, India Gate – The war memorial. We also visit Humayun’s Tomb, also known as the forerunner to Taj Mahal and Qutab Minar, a spectacular example of Indo-Islamic architecture topped by a 234-foot-high tower.
Day 3: Delhi – Jaipur (B)
In the morning, depart for Jaipur. Also known as the Pink City, Jaipur is full of formidable forts, enchanting palaces and lovely temples. The city was completed in eight years. Also this city is a paradise for shoppers; Jaipur offers jewelry, carpets & rugs, textiles and other good deals.
Day 4: Jaipur (B)
Morning excursion of Amber fort, a honey-coloured fortress-palace in the Aravalli Hills. Enjoy a jeep ride along the fortress ramparts. The sombre exterior belies the richness of the royal apartments which open on to striking views of the gorge. Walk into the Sheesh Mahal and admire the amazing interior décor thought of over 200 years ago. The Hall of Victory presents a galaxy of decorative art panels of alabaster with fine inlay work.
Afternoon city tour of Jaipur, driving past Hawa Mahal, an elaborate building encrusted with delicate honeycomb screens and carved balconies. Jai Singh’s Observatory built in the 17th century by the founder of Jaipur who, besides being a prince was also soldier, astronomer and builder. This is an architectural feat. Visit the City Palace now a museum exhibiting fine Rajput and Moghul paintings, rare manuscripts and an armoury.
Day 5: Jaipur – Agra (B)
This morning, drive to Agra – the city of the world’s famous Taj Mahal, enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri – the mysterious ghost city founded by the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great in the late 16th century and capital of the Mughal Empire from 1581 to 1595. The city occupies a sandstone ridge and the area around it is enclosed within a seven-mile-long wall. We’ll stroll about the fort and palace before continuing our journey to Jaipur.
Afternoon proceed for a Agra city visiting the wonder, Taj Mahal, the most extravagant monument ever built for love. Stroll down the ornamental gardens laid out along the classical Mughal charbagh lines. A short drive away is the Agra Fort where Shah Jehan spent the last years of his life, imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb.
Day 6: Agra – Jhansi – Orchha – Khajuraho (B)
Today morning, transfer to Agra Railway Station to connect train to Jhansi. On arrival, drive to Khajuraho en route visit Orchha, a medieval riverside town known for its palaces and temples. Apart from the famous landmarks like Jahangir Mahal and Laxmi Narayan Temple, the town is peppered with fascinating little shrines and memorials. Later continue your drive to Khajuraho.
Afternoon tour of Khajuraho which has three magnificent group of temples (was built between the 09th and 10th centuries. Visit the east and west temple complexes that the Chandelas constructed. The erotic stone carvings here have come to symbolize the important role of love and prana energy in Hindu thought. British archaeologists excavated these intricate stone carvings during colonial times, when they scandalized post-Victorian English sensibilities..
Day 7: Khajuraho – Varanasi (B)
Flight from Khajuraho to Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India. This afternoon, drive to the nearby ancient Buddhist learning center of Sarnath. Here, Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon to his disciples, as portrayed in Bernardo Bertolucci’s film Little Buddha. Visit the Sarnath Museum, (except on Fridays, when the museum is closed) which houses some of the greatest treasures of Indian Buddhist art, including Ashoka’s Lion Capital—the National Emblem of India—and the beautiful Teaching Buddha, among the most beautiful sculptures in the world.
Evening visit the ghats to see the Aarti ceremony. At the sunset, the temple priests perform the Aarti, the sacred “light ceremony” on the banks of Mother Ganges.
Day 8: Varanasi (B)
At sunrise, when the temples are bathed in soft light, we board our small boat for a cruise on the Ganges. From our boat we witness the everyday life in the holiest of cities, as people arrive at the Ghats at dawn to take a ritual dip, perform yoga asanas, wash clothes and offer flowers and incense to the holy river. We see devotees performing their daily religious rites. At stone steps on the river’s edge, we join the locals in a feeling of pilgrimage: for them, the heart of their faith, for us, a superlative cultural experience. We then continue our guided walking tour of the innermost part of Varanasi, including one ashram, before returning to the hotel.
Later, in the morning, enjoy a city tour including a visit to the largest and oldest university in north India “Benaras Hindu University”. Spread over an area of 2,000 acres, this great place of education was established by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya. The university also has the huge Vishwanath temple which was built and maintained by the Birla family. The university has “Bharat Kala Museum” which has a very rich collection of precious and rare historical artifacts, statues, pictures, paintings and manuscripts. The temple “Bharat Mata Temple” is dedicated to Mother India. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936 so that the citizens could respect Mother India in statue form which is built in marble. The statue is a replica of undivided India in three dimensions which has the mountains, plains and oceans in right proportion. Afternoon is at leisure to explore this holy city on your own
Day 9: Varanasi - Delhi (B)
Flight from Varanasi to Delhi and rest of the day is at leisure
Day 10: Delhi (B)
Transfer to Airport to connect your onward flight
Included: Accommodation in 4* hotel, meals and transfers as per itinerary, train, sightseeing and entrance fees
Note: Contact us if you require more options on Hotel categories.
Private program - can start any day of the week and can be customised
Prices quoted are valid till 30 September 2024. Cost above is indicative, based on Low Season in NZ Dollars and subject to change due to fluctuation in exchange rates. Please read T&C before booking. Call 09 410 5060 or 0508 EXOTIC (0508 396 842) or email info@exotic.net.nz for more information.