Day 1 Delhi:
Following your arrival in Delhi transfer to your hotel.

18 DAYS/19 NIGHTS
(Delhi-Agra-Gwalior-Orchha - Khajuraho-Bandhavgarh-Jabalpur-Bhopal-Indore-Mandu-Ajanta-Ellora-Mumbai)
This suggested itinerary takes you through the tourist gems of India and also the hidden jewels, waiting to be discovered. Each destination has a rich history from times immemorial, which is waiting to be told. The itinerary will take you through rich architecture, history, culture, geology, two world heritage wild life parks and rural/tribal India
The trip can be tailor made to suit your budget & interests. Hotels, length of stay at each destination, (English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese or Spanish)and vehicles can be chosen to suit these requirements.
After
breakfast check out from your hotel and take the road for Agra
arriving at lunchtime and visit the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort,
both world heritage sites in the afternoon.
After an early breakfast transfer to the railway station for the
morning Shatabdi Express to Gwalior, arriving mid-morning and
transfer to your hotel. Gwalior is situated at the very
geographical and historical crossroads of India and its immense
fortress with history dating back almost 1000 years has had
additions from several rulers over the last 500 years. Enjoy a
full afternoon's sightseeing.
The
3-hour drive to Orchha brings you to this medieval riverside
city by lunchtime. The afternoon sightseeing will include its
three palaces and embrace some of the numerous pavilions, lodges
and temples that can be glimpsed in the nearby heavily wooded
hills, before returning to your hotel in Orchha.
Orchha
to the temples of Khajuraho is a 3 to 4-hour drive, bringing you
there in time for lunch at your hotel. The temples provide an
entertaining and instructive afternoon's viewing for all human
life is depicted here, the Chandella kings who constructed them
believing there was no superiority between the physical and
spiritual aspects of existence.
With
an early departure from your hotel you reach the wildlife
sanctuary at Bandhavgarh and your hotel by lunchtime.
Bandhavgarh was originally the private forest reserve of the
erstwhile Maharajah of Rewa and despite its compact size (105 sq
km) of rugged, hilly terrain, it supports a rich diversity of
wildlife including tiger (the 'white tiger' variant was first
discovered here), leopard, sloth bear, Indian bison (with their
distinctive white 'socks'), and a variety of species of deer.
Birdlife too is exceptionally varied, from Malabar hornbills and
paradise fly catchers to black vultures and crested serpent
eagles. Jeeps and elephants are available for game viewing; note
however that the park is open only from November to June.
Your morning's drive takes you to Jabalpur, the 12th century
capital and pleasure resort of the medieval Gond Kings and later
an important British cantonment. The city itself dates from the
nineteenth century, and is laid out in wide and regular streets.
It has a beautiful collection of marble rocks called Bhedaghat
surrounding the holy Narmada River. Visit them in the afternoon
for the Dhuandhar or 'smoke cascade' where the Narmada plunges
as a waterfall and stay on until nightfall when the snowy rocks
are floodlit for a magical effect.
We
take an early breakfast (and a packed lunch) and leave Jabalpur
about 9 am for the long drive to Bhopal. We stop just short at
world heritage site of Bhimbetka Hill. The recently discovered
large caves here are home to hundreds of plates of prehistoric
art on its walls and ceilings, some as old as 10,000 years. We
reach Bhopal in the late afternoon.
Situated
around two artificial lakes Bhopal, despite its recent past, is
an attractive city. The city is home to some 400 mosques the
more prominent being Moti Masjid, Jama Masjid and Taj-ul Masjid
mosques-all constructed during the 19th century. The morning
will be spent sightseeing in Bhopal before going on via the
Udaygiri caves, a series of rock-cut sanctuaries carved about
400AD, notable for their sculpture, to Sanchi. This tranquil
hilltop cluster of stupas, temples, pillars and abandoned
monasteries represents the peak of perfection in Buddhist art
and architecture in India. This seat of learning and place of
pilgrimage dating from the 3rd century B.C. was lost to view for
500 years from the 14th century. Despite its supreme importance,
it remains little visited. You return to Bhopal in the late
afternoon.
You
leave Bhopal for the day's drive to Indore via the ancient town
of Ujjain, once an important trade centre on the route to Egypt
and still one of the holiest pilgrimage centers for Hindus.
Indore is reached by late afternoon and check into your hotel.
The
morning is spent relaxing. After lunch, see outdoor Indore. A
liberal and progressive city, it contains the extraordinary
Kanch Mandir, a Jain temple of mirrors, and the vigorously
eclectic Lal Bagh Palace of the 19th century Holkar dynasty.
After
breakfast you take the road to Mandu, a fascinating drive full
of historic sights. First is Omkareshwar, a sacred island,
shaped like Om, the holiest of all Hindu symbols, at the meeting
of the Narmada and Kaveri rivers. It is noted for its
finely-carved early medieval temples and inspirational setting.
A few miles further on is Maheshwar, the site of an ancient
temple city mentioned in the 8th century B.C. Mahabharata epic,
and revitalized by the Holkar queen, Rani Ahilyabai, in the late
18th century, who built the temples with their soaring spires
and the impressive fortress. Arrive at Mandu in the late
afternoon.
A
full day at Mandu. Perched along the Vindhya ranges at an
altitude of 2,000 feet, Mandu, with its natural defenses, was
originally the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa.
Towards the end of the 13th century, it came under the sway of
the Sultans of Malwa, the first of whom named it Shadiabad -
'city of joy'. And indeed the pervading spirit of Mandu was of
gaiety; and its rulers built exquisite palaces like the Jahaz
and Hindola Mahals, ornamental canals, baths and pavilions, as
graceful and refined as those times of peace and plenty.
Each of Mandu's structures is an architectural gem; some are outstanding like the massive Jami Masjid and Hoshang Shah's tomb, which provided inspiration to the master builders of the Taj Mahal centuries later.
An
early start after breakfast means arrival at Ajanta by
lunchtime, giving you all afternoon to view the extraordinary
murals, frescoes and sculptures contained within these rock-cut
caves, executed between 200 B.C. and 650 A.D. In the late
afternoon drive on to Aurangabad.
After
breakfast a half-hour's journey brings you to Ellora and its
monumental Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples cut from the basalt
rock. There will also be enough time to see the formidable
fortress of Deogiri at Daulatabad, intended by the Delhi Sultan
Muhammad Tughlaq as his capital, a short-lived but costly
experiment in human lives. Return to Aurangabad.
Take
the morning flight from Aurangabad to Mumbai. The afternoon is
at leisure before your late night transfer to the international
airport for your flight home.
"Jane and I want to thank your whole team for arranging a very successful visit to India for us. The holiday, arrangements and your efficiency, outdid our expectations.Thanks again".
Andrew Johnston
British National
"I am please to say we had a really great holiday.I think we got the mix of sightseeing and relaxation really well balanced. And of course we were delighted with the number of tigers we saw. My general feedback would be".
Diane Firth
US National
"Just a note to say that all the arrangements for our trip to Goa and Cochin worked perfectly.Helen and I completely enjoyed the train trips from Mumbai to Goa and from Goa to Cochin giving us a quite different perspective of Indian life".
Roger Allnutt
Australia
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