Rajasthan Round Trip: A foray through northern India

We recommend a trip to northern India from October to April. At this time there is hardly any rain and although the nights can get a bit chilly in December and January, the days are pleasantly warm.

Welcome to India! You will be picked up by your tour guide in the arrival hall of the airport in Delhi and brought to the hotel. Already on the way you will get your first glimpses of the lively national capital. After resting for a bit at the hotel, today we invite you to a sightseeing tour of Old Delhi. Old Delhi, formerly the capital of Islamic India, is a maze of narrow streets and impressive mosques. You will visit the monumental Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in the world, and drive through the historic Moonlight Square (Chandni Chowk).

Our insider tip: Let a former street boy guide you through the streets of Delhi and tell you his personal story. The Salaam Baalak Trust in Delhi gives these street children a task and a perspective.

Trip duration Delhi airport - Delhi hotel: approx. 1 hour / 20 km

1 night stay with breakfast included in Delhi, India

After a fortifying breakfast, a sightseeing tour of New Delhi includes a visit to Humayun's Tomb, considered an architectural precursor to the Taj Mahal. During a drive through the embassy district, you will see the Government House and the Delhi Memorial (also known as India Gate), as well as the colorful Laxmi Narayan Birla Temple.

At the Red Fort, visit the marble-decorated royal apartments, and tour the Raj Ghat, where the father of the Indian nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was cremated.

1 night with breakfast included in Delhi, India

This morning you will be met at the lobby and driven to Agra. Arriving in the traditional city, you will have the opportunity to get to know Agra during a city tour. Among other things, you will visit the Agra Fort made of red sandstone and the mausoleum Itimad-ud-Dauluh.

In the evening, one of the highlights of the trip awaits you: At sunset, you will visit what is probably the most expensive and romantic declaration of love in the world: the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum was built of white marble in the middle of the 17th century by the Mughal ruler Shah Jehan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Craftsmen from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy as well as 20,000 workers completed the stately work in 1652 after 17 years of labor. The Taj Mahal is certainly one of the most impressive buildings and wonders of the modern world (closed on Fridays).

Trip duration Delhi - Agra: about 4 hours / about 220 km

1 night stay with breakfast included in Agra, India

The Taj Mahal greets you again this morning. It is said that you have not seen the monument until you have experienced it and the spectacle of the sun's rays at all times of the day.

You will then return to your hotel for breakfast. After breakfast today, you will first drive to the "ghost town" of Fatehpur Sikri. This still completely intact city was built in the 16th century but abandoned after only 10 years. You will see multi-storied palaces, gardens, a marketplace and the waterworks.

Afterwards, you will fortify yourself with a delicious lunch at a hotel in Bharatpur and continue to your destination today: Jaipur. The fast growing capital of the state of Rajasthan is for the region both industrial metropolis and cultural center - with a university, theaters, cinemas, museums, a zoo and various art monuments. In the evening you will explore the ancient city in a rickshaw that will take you to the colorful markets of the city.

Trip duration Agra - Jaipur: approx. 4:30 hours / 244 km

1 night with breakfast & lunch included in Jaipur, India

This morning, drive 11 km to the outskirts of the city to visit Amber Fort, the old state headquarters until 1728. Stop along the way at the Palace Of Winds, where you can take photos and purchase souvenirs.

The Amber Fort has private and public halls, a hall of mirrors, various marble palaces and beautiful examples of ancient Rajput architecture. During your tour of the Pink City, also visit the City Palace, the former royal residence. Here you will find a museum with an impressive collection of ancient costumes and weapons, an art gallery with an exquisite selection of miniature drawings, carpets, royal equipment and rare astronomical works. Afterwards, you will also visit the Jantar Mantar Observatory, built by Maharaja Jai Sing in the 18th century and still admired for its accuracy.

In the evening, another highlight awaits you: we have arranged an appointment for you with a Nadi Reader. The art of Nadi reading has probably been firmly integrated into the Hindu religion for thousands of years. About 7,000 years ago, a group of "seers" (Rishis) started to collect information about the past, present and future of several millions of people and to collect them in palm leaf libraries. The reading of these palm leaves should help to find the actual destiny of one's present incarnation.

1 night stay with breakfast included in Jaipur, India

The colorful city of Jodhpur - also known as the "Blue City" due to the color of its houses - has a rich historical past that catches many eyes. You will reach Jodhpur in the morning. Forts, palaces and temples, culture and tradition, spices and fabrics, colors and textiles - Jodhpur has all this rich and varied. Every corner of Jodhpur tells its own heroic tale.

In the evening, take a ride in a Tonga cart to the local market.

Trip duration Jaipur - Jodhpur: approx. 6 hours 30 minutes / approx. 340 km

1 night stay with breakfast included in Jodhpur, India

In the morning, you will get to know the city during a city tour. Situated at a height of over 125 meters, the Mehrangarh Fortress covers an area of 5 km² in the heart of the city. Afterwards, you will visit Jaswant Thada, a white marble monument built in 1899 that commemorates Maharaja Jaswant.

Your next stop is considered the most romantic city in India: Udaipur. On the way, visit Ranakpur and enjoy a light lunch at a hotel. The temple complex of Ranakpur, located almost 100 km north of Udaipur in a forested valley of the Aravali mountain range, is one of the most important testimonies of Jain architecture in India.

Trip duration Jodhpur - Udaipur: approx. 5 hours / approx. 260 km

1 night stay with breakfast and lunch included in Udaipur, India

Udaipur is dominated by its lakes - that's why the romantic city is also called "Venice of the East". The royal past is reflected in the rich ornaments on the doors of the houses in the old town, in the palaces, gardens and monuments. The highlight of Udaipur is its City Palace: part of the winding complex is open to the public as a museum, another serves as the residence of the reigning head of the Mewar, and another houses a luxury hotel. You can rest from your sightseeing in the evening with a boat trip across man-made Lake Pichola.

1 night stay with breakfast included in Udaipur, India

Today you will fly to Varanasi via Delhi - the oldest existing city in the world and holy city of Buddhists and Hindus.

Upon arrival, you will transferred to the hotel. Afterwards, you will take a walk through the streets of Varanasi. Here you will discover, among other things, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Here you will have the opportunity to witness a Hindu Aarti ceremony, where burning lamps are offered to Krishna on the riverbank. Your guide will explain the meanings of the chants during the ceremony.

Flight duration Udaipur - Varanasi (via Delhi): approx. 7 hours

1 night stay with breakfast included in Varanasi, India

Greet the morning with a boat ride on the Ganges. Thousands of believers come to the banks every morning to bathe and pray. In front of the silhouettes of temples and palaces in the morning light, they light candles that float on banana leaves across the river. Believers have been making pilgrimages here for more than 2,500 years. Bathing in the Ganges is said to cleanse a person from sin; dying and being burned in Varanasi, according to Hindu mythology, is the escape from the constant cycle of rebirth. After a leisurely breakfast, take a stroll through lively Varanasi. Finally, take a drive through the city to Sarnath, the place where Buddha gave his first sermon in 500 BC. This place is marked today with the Dhamekh Stupa. In the middle of the Archaeological Park, you will find ruins of a small church where Buddha lived and meditated during his visits. After the museum that exhibits the excavated sculptures of the park, the trip continues to a rather modern Buddhist temple, whose walls are decorated with paintings by Japanese artists.

Next, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home.

Depending on the departure time, transfer to the airport and return flight to Delhi.

Flight duration Varanasi - Delhi: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes.

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Duration of the trip: 11 days/ 10 nights

Included

• 10-night stay in the aforementioned hotels, namely:

  • 2 nights in Delhi at Hotel Surya International*** in a Premium Room

  • 1 night in Agra at Hotel The Taj Villas*** in an Executive Room

  • 2 nights in Jaipur at Hotel Park Ocean**** in a Standard Room

  • 2 nights in Jodhpur at Pal Haveli Hotel*** in a Heritage Room

  • 2 nights in Udaipur at Swaroop Vilas Hotel*** in a Deluxe Room

  • 1 night in Varanasi at Hotel Grapevine**** in a Superior Room

• Meals according to the program
• Guide
• Sightseeing and boat trips according to the program incl. entrance fees
• Two bottles of water (0.5 liters each) per day, during longer trips and excursions
• Domestic flights (Udaipur-Delhi-Varanasi / Varanasi-Delhi)
• The starting price is valid in the travel period 16.04. - 20.09.2020

Included - Premium travel option

• 10 nights' accommodation in the above-mentioned hotels o.a.

  • 2 nights in Delhi at Maidens Hotel***** in a Heritage Room

  • 1 night in Agra at Trident Agra***** in a Deluxe Garden View Room

  • 2 nights in Jaipur at Samode Haveli***** in a Deluxe Room

  • 2 nights in Jodhpur at RAAS**** in a Garden Room

  • 2 nights in Udaipur at the Lalit Laxmi Vilas Palace*** in a Deluxe Valley View Room

  • 1 night in Varanasi at Amritara Suryauday Haveli, Varanasi***** in a Standard Room

• Meals in accordance with the program
• Guide
• Sightseeing and boat trips as per program incl. entrance fees
• Two bottles of water (0.5 liters) per day, during longer trips and excursions
• Domestic flights (Udaipur-Delhi-Varanasi / Varanasi-Delhi)
• The starting price is valid in the travel period 16.04. - 20.09.2020

Not included

• International flights
• Meals and beverages not mentioned in the scope of service
• Personal expenses, such as minibar and tips
• Insurances
• Visa