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Rajasthan & Taj Mahal Tour
Day 1: Arrival Delhi The company representative will meet you in the arrival visitor's hall with a paging board. He will help you transfer to your hotel and complete the check in formalities. Relax at the hotel. Later you can explore the sights of Delhi - a perfect introduction to the composite culture of an ancient land. A window to the kaleidoscope that is India. Stay overnight at the hotel. Day 2: Delhi In the morning have your breakfast and be ready to travel around Delhi, the capital of modern India and of historic kingdoms and empires. Delhi is no fairytale city but a city where dreams come to reality. Its strategic location was one of the prime reasons why successive dynasties chose it as their seat of power. Delhi is truly a symbol of the old and the new; a blend of ancient well preserved monuments and temples along with jam-packed burger joints and up market shopping malls. Old Delhi owes its origins to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The old city area has monuments, and narrow crowded streets within its granite walls and bustling bazaars. The main structure is the Red fort built of red sandstone; it houses the famous Diwan-e-khas, the beautiful audience chamber where the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan held court, seated on the peacock throne. Board the Rickshaw Ride, to travel through Chandni Chowk or the silver street, experiencing the sights and sounds of this busy avenue heading west from the Red fort. Opposite the fort is the largest mosque in India - the Jama Masjid and as you walk down its steps, you walk into the teeming market place famous for brocades, braids, silver, manuscripts etc. Continuing the tour of Old Delhi, visit Raj Ghat, where the Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. Post lunch, commence the tour of New Delhi. Drive past the state Government buildings designed by Lutyens, visiting Rajpath leading up from India Gate, the war memorial arch, up to the imposing presidential palace - the Rashtrapati Bhawan - built on Raisina hill and flanked by the secretariat buildings. Landscaped parks and formal gardens surround old monuments all over the city such as the mausoleum of Humayun. End the tour at the tower Minaret of Qutab Minar. Here you can see an amazing 2000 yrs old pure iron pillar erected in 4 A.D., which has never rusted. Day 3: Delhi - Agra Morning, travel to Agra, India, enroute visiting Sikandra, the tomb of Emperor Akbar. Upon arrival in Agra, check into the hotel. Visit the Agra Fort built by Emperor Akbar in 1565. Made of red sandstone, this structure reflects fine Mughal architecture with ornate interiors in the Jahangir Mahal (Jehangir's Palace), Khas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) and Deewan-e-Am (Hall of Public Audience). Stay overnight at the hotel. Day 4: Agra After breakfast in the morning, enjoy a city tour. Visit the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world built by Emperor Shah Jehan as a shrine for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is considered to be the ultimate symbol of love with its majestic marble domes and elegant minarets. Thousands of tourists travel to India, to see this enchanting monument. In the afternoon, visit the marble tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah built by Empress Noor Jehan for her father. Stay overnight at the hotel. Day 5: Agra - Jaipur Visit the imperial "ghost city" of Fatehpur Sikri, constructed of sandstone and built by Emperor Akbar. Within it, lies the tomb of the great Sufi saint, Salim Chisti. It houses the Panch Mahal (Palace of Five Storeys) and the Buland Darwaza, two of the many excellent representations of Mughal architecture. Travel to Rajasthan, India and arrive at Jaipur - also known to many as the Pink City, its buildings were painted on the instruction of the Maharajah - rosy pink being the color associated with hospitality. On arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the evening enjoy your dinner at Chokhi Dhani (an ethnic village resort) where you can see the village life of Rajasthan, India. Enjoy various traditional Rajasthani dances, puppet shows and cultural performances. Stay overnight at the hotel. Day 6: Jaipur Morning at 0800 Hrs. The guide will meet you at the hotel to take you on a city tour of Jaipur. Visit the impressive Amber Fort (12 Kms. from Jaipur). At the foot of the hill, mount on an elephant for the slow but steady climb up to the main gate. Afternoon sightseeing tour of the imposing Maharajah's City palace, still home to the maharaja although several of the rooms are open to the public. Many antiques and artifacts belonging to the ruling family are housed here. Visit the Hawa Mahal (the ornamental facade of this "palace of winds" is a landmark in Jaipur and one of the most well-known buildings that tourists come to see, when they travel to Rajasthan, India. This five storey structure of pink sandstone encrusted with fine trelliswork and balconies has 953 niches and windows.) Open air Jantar Mantar - Royal observatory (built in the 17th century by Jai Singh - with a sundial 90 ft. High; Albert museum (the museum amidst the Ram Niwas palace gardens founded in 1876 with a large collection of antiques). Enjoy a stroll through the colorful Johari bazaar (the main bazaar in the old city, for jewellery and saris). Stay overnight at the hotel. Day 7: Jaipur - Udaipur After breakfast in the morning, transfer to the airport to catch the flight to Udaipur, dubbed as the "Venice of the East". Upon arrival in Udaipur, check into the hotel. Enjoy the day at leisure or take a walk through the city's streets. In the evening, take a boat ride on Lake Pichola. Stay overnight at the hotel. Day 8: Udaipur Breakfast at the hotel. There is no other place in India which appeals more to poets and painters, travelers and writers, than Udaipur, the lovely lake side capital of Mewar. Udaipur today is one of the most picturesque cities in India, set as it is on three beautiful lakes and surrounded by hills. The city's inherent romance and beauty, and its remarkable past, bristling with episodes of heroism and splendor, continue to enthrall the visitor as you will see when you travel to Rajasthan, India. It is the key city of Rajasthan's southern region of Mewar. Mewar is a hilly, forested region, in complete contrast to the harsh deserts of Marwar (Jodhpur). The City Palace is a blend of stern Rajput military architecture on the outside and lavish Mughal-inspired decorative art on the inside. Set on a hill overlooking the Pichola Lake it is a sprawling edifice made up of at least four separate inter-connecting palaces, built over a period of nearly 3 centuries. The Palace museum contains a wonderful collection of old Rajput weaponry. One of the more unusual moments in the colorful history of Udaipur was when it was used as a location for shooting the James Bond film, Octopussy.Visit City Palace, the largest Palace complex Museum of Rajasthan. Take a stroll through the colorful Bapu Bazaar. Towards sunset proceed on a cruise on Lake Pichola, and visit the Jag Mandir Palace. Stay overnight at the hotel. Day 9: Udaipur - Delhi After breakfast in the morning, enjoy the morning at leisure. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for a flight to Delhi. Upon arrival in Delhi, check into the hotel for an overnight stay. Day 10: Depart Delhi After breakfast in the morning, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. In the evening, transfer to the airport to catch the flight to your onward destination. |
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