North India Cultural Tour

Day 01
Departure from your own country.

Day 02
Arrive delhi. Transfer to hotel. Morning tour of delhi visiting raj ghat and shanti vana - the cremation sites of mahatma gandhi and jawaharlal nehru, jama masjid and drive past red fort and chandni chowk. Afternoon visit qutub minar built by qutub-ud-din aibek in 1199, humayun's tomb, india gate (war memorial arch ), lakshminarayan temple - a modern hindu temple. Also drive past president's house, parliament house, government secretariat buildings and connaught place shopping centre. Overnight delhi.

Day 03

Drive to mandawa. Rest of the day visit the shekhavati villages of dundlod, mandawa, etc. Mandawa was founded in 1755 by thakur nawal singh and is still the home of his descendants. Mandawa houses a collection of armories, costumes of ancestors, canons from 1820, ancient coins, numismatic collection and many other interesting items preserved in a museum. The whole area of shekhavati has beautiful frescoes, havelis & mansions and is called the open air gallery. Overnight mandawa.

Day 04
Drive to bikaner. Afternoon tour of this desert city. Bikaner is bolstered by imposing walls and has a 16th century fort housing old palaces, temples and a mosque.Founded by raja rai singh, the fort is distinguished by its long range of 37 pavilions, a line of balconies and aerial windows of varying designs. An enormous arched doorway leads to the joramal temple. The royal chapel is har mandir where royal weddings and births were once celebrated. Overnight bikaner.

Day 05
Drive to jaisalmer. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight jaisalmer.
Day 06
Morning visit jaisalmer. Visit the fort, bazzars and the old mansions known as "havelis". People still live in these ancient buildings dating from 12th to 15th century. Every house has exquisite carvings and filigreed work. Overnight jaisalmer.

Day 07
Morning drive to jodhpur. Afternoon visit the meharangarh fort, situated on a low sandstone hill, including moti-mahal and phool mahal. Also visit jaswant thada, an imposing marble memorium built in 1899 and the museum located in the umaid public gardens. Overnight jodhpur.

Day 08
Morning drive to udaipur visiting ranakpur temples enroute. Ranakpur - 98 kms from udaipur, the jain temples built in the 15th century are situated in the lovely valley of the aravali. Its surrounding is quiet and picturesque. Ranakpur has grand structures and beautiful sculpture. There are 1444 pillars in the temple and none of them are similar. The magic of light & shade is really awe inspiring. Surya temple and other jain temples are side attractions. Overnight udaipur.

Day 09
Morning tour of udaipur. Visit the city palace, jagdish temple, drive around fatehsagar lake, sahelion ki bari (queen's resort for her friends) and bhartiya lok kala mandir (folk art museum). Afternoon free. Overnight udaipur.

Day 10
Drive to ajmer/pushkar. Afternoon visit the tomb of the sufi saint, khwaja moinuddin chisti, the dargah sharif. The city was founded by the chauhan ruler, aiaipal, during the 11th century & is dominated by the taragarh fort built by prithviraj chauhan. In pushkar, visit the holy lake and also the famous brahma temple. Pushkar is one of the holiest places for hindus. Overnight pushkar.

Day 11
Morning drive to jaipur. In jaipur visit the amber fort - the ancient capital of the state. Visit the sheesh mahal or the hall of victory glittering with mirrors. Ascend the fort on elephant back. Afternoon tour of jaipur. Jaipur - the capital of rajasthan was given a colour coat of pink a century ago in honour of a visiting prince. Built by maharaja jai singh, the notable astronomer, this city is 260 years old. Visit maharaja's city palace, the observatory & ram niwas gardens. Drive past hawa mahal & through the pink rose residential & business areas. Overnight jaipur.

Day 12
Drive to agra visiting fatehpur sikri enroute. Fatehpur sikri is 40 kms from agra and built by emperor akbar in 1569 and abandoned after 15 years due to scarcity of water. See the graceful buildings including the jama masjid, tomb of salim chisti, panch mahal and other palaces. Afternoon visit the world famous taj mahal built by the moghul emperor shahjehan in 1630 for his queen mumtaz mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. Later visit the agra fort containing the pearl mosque, the halls of public and private audience. Also visit the tomb of itmad-ud-daullah built by empress noorjehan in memory of her father. Overnight agra.

Day 13
Drive to delhi. Overnight delhi.

Day 14
Morning transfer to airport.