Day 1 Arrival Delhi On arrival into IGI Delhi airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. Since your arrival is late at night, check-in to your hotel and catch up on jetlag. Hotel: Claridges
Day 2 Delhi After breakfast, proceed on a guided tour of Delhi at 0930 hours which includes all three of the city's world heritage sites. The trip begins with a visit to the magnificent Red Fort followed by a cycle rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of the fascinating bazaar in Old Delhi. We drive through New Delhi roads and sights such as India Gate, The Presidential Palace and Parliament house to get a feel for the grand new city that Sir Lutyens built in the early 1900s. Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Day 3 Delhi After breakfast, check out by 0930 hours and begin your drive to the land of the Mughals
Day 4 Agra The same guide will report to the hotel around 0600 hours to take you for a guided sunrise tour of Taj Mahal and then we return for breakfast. After breakfast in the hotel, check out and later drive to your next destination the Ramathra Fort which lies between two of India's famous wildlife reserves, the Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur and the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur. The fort, the lake and the surrounding countryside are the three big attractions of Ramathra. This evening we will enjoy a ride in a rowboat in the Kalisil dam. It is peaceful and picturesque with breath-taking views of the sunset and the area is rich with birdlife. You are provided life jackets, a bird book and a pair of binoculars. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Hotel: Ramathra Fort
Day 5 Ramathra At 0630 hours, proceed with a local guide for a 3-4 hours walking tour of Ramathra village, a small hamlet of farmers and cattle herders. You may see all kinds of work associated with tending crops and animals. This walk includes a visit to a school and a farm owned by the family who runs the fort-hotel. Return to the fort around 0930 hours for breakfast and rest. Enjoy a hot picnic lunch on an island with great views, accessed by a rowing boat. You return to the fort between 1500 and 1600 hours. Later in the afternoon, we enjoy a trek to the ruins of the old fort and back. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6 Ramathra After breakfast, check out by 0930 hours and drive to the pink city of Jaipur. In the evening, we proceed to Dera Amer camp on the outskirts of the city, where you interact with the elephants feeding and accompanying them for a walk -all in the privacy of an exclusive wilderness venue. In the evenings there would be a private bonfire and barbecue dinner, the venue lit by lanterns and lamps. This is a memorable experience of a lifetime. Later you will return to the hotel in your vehicle. Meals: Breakfast and dinner Hotel: Royal Heritage Haveli
Day 7 Jaipur Happy Holi - Festival of colors! Late morning visit a local home in your vehicle to join the family in the festive celebrations followed by lunch. You learn how to make Rangolis - an art form in which patterns are made on the floor to welcome positive energy, get henna artwork on your hands, play with color powder and enjoy traditional eats in a festive setting. Return to your hotel for a bath and rest time, reliving moments of celebrating one of India's biggest festivals. Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Day 8 Jaipur Today, you will get lost in the royal city as you discover its magic with our guide at 1000 hours. We visit the Amber Fort: The old capital of the Kachhwaha stands atop a range of hills. The fort is remarkable as much for the majestic grandeur of its surroundings as for its sturdy battlements and palaces. It is a fine blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture. Next visit is the Anokhi museum of hand printing, to understand the on-going revival of traditional textile skills. Located in a magnificently restored mansion, the museum displays a varied selection of block-printed textiles alongside images, tools and related objects
Day 9 Jaipur After breakfast, check out at 0930 hours and drive to your next destination of Deogarh town in the countryside. Devshree is a stately home at Deogarh which reflects the past of the heritage of Bhavna and Shatrunjai Singh, members of the local princely family that dates to the 6th century. Being traditionalists at heart, they involved as many local craftspeople as possible to create a wonderful home away from home. In the evening, we enjoy a guided walk through Deogarh town passing through the potters
Day 10 Deogarh This morning, board a rural 1930's train to ride through a wooded hill section. Rudyard Kipling wrote about it in his book ''Man who would be King''. A unique feature of Deogarh Mahal is the rural rail, traveling from Kamblighat to Phulad (departs at 1030 hours and arrives Phulad Station at 1215 hours approximately- Timings subject to change) through wooded hills on a restored 1930s era train. These tracks were laid in 1894 when steam engines were still in use. As you chug along, the train making wide, sweeping arcs through the Aravalli's, you may have to stop more than once for the driver to check his brakes. The view outside is breath-taking. The ground beneath your feet seems solid one moment, and then, like a trapdoor, suddenly swings out on its hinge to lead you onto a narrow, rickety looking bridge, taking you across a steep gorge. Return to the hotel. Late in the afternoon enjoy a drive through a pastoral setting where one explores the natural surrounding with people tending to their fields and cattle and living in complete harmony with nature. The drive then leads to a lakeside where light refreshments are served. These lakes attract a lot of the local migratory birds and small animals that are lovely to watch with the sunset as a backdrop. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 11 Deogarh Late morning check out and proceed on a short drive to the nearby rural outpost of Narlai. In the afternoon, proceed on a Jeep safari to spot endangered leopards. The rugged Godwad countryside around Narlai suits the leopards and over a period the number has increased. Experience the thrill of a customized ride on jeeps for a sighting of this beautiful and graceful cat. Not easy to spot as they blend very well into the background, these cats can sometimes be seen sunning themselves on the rocks or resting under the shade of a tree. Unlike the lions, leopards do not stay in pride and are solitary by nature and have large territories that they roam in. But sometimes they can be spotted in pairs. Taste the flavor of true Rajasthani Royal hospitality at the 16th Century old Baoli (Stepwell) of Rawla Narlai this evening over a special private dinner. Meals: Breakfast and dinner Hotel: Rawla Narlai
Day 12 Narlai After breakfast, check out by 0930 hours and drive to the blue city of Jodhpur. In the afternoon at 1400 hours, visit one of India's best Museums located in a fort. Later we proceed on a guided walk with a naturalist in the Rao Jodha Desert Park created in 2006 to restore the natural ecology of a large, rocky wasteland. Duration - 1 hour. The park is crisscrossed with walking trails that take you up to the city walls, spotting local and migratory birds, butterflies and reptiles. Return to the hotel at the end of the walk in your vehicle. This evening a farewell dinner is organized at the hotel restaurant as you reminisce over the past few days and swap stories. Meals: Breakfast Hotel: Ajit Bhawan
Day 13 Jodhpur Late morning check out and transfer to airport to board our scheduled flight to Delhi. Flight - Jet Airways 732: 1255-1420 hours Reporting time and 1155 hours. On arrival at the airport, transfer to Hotel Roseate House (near the airport) where rooms are reserved for day use only. Later this evening/night, transfer to the International airport to board the onward flight. Meals: Breakfast
India.13 days $4,995.00
