Day 01. Arrive Delhi
- Meeting and assistance on arrival and transfer to the hotel. Delhi,
the capital of India - a canvas that reflects the complexities,
contradictions, beauty and dynamism of a city where the past co-exit
with the present. Many dynasties ruled from here and the city is rich
in the architecture of its monuments. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 02. Delhi - Agra
by surface (204 kms) - After breakfast drive to
Agra and check-in at the hotel. Attracting the maximum number of
tourist is the city of Taj Mahal, Agra. The over 300 hundred year old
white marble Taj is the main drawing factor and various monuments and
historical sites dating back to the Mughal period. Overnight at the
hotel.
Day 03. Agra
- After breakfast proceed for half day city tour visiting the world
famous Taj Mahal ad Agra Fort - Taj Mahal - One of the most
photographed tourist attractions in the world, Taj Mahal is the
attraction that pulls the tourists from all over the world. The Taj
Mahal is entirely made of white marble and its walls are decorated
with exquisite pietra dura (stone inlay) work. It is said that
different types of precious and semi-precious stones were used in the
intricate inlay work done on the interiors. This magnificent monument
is set around a Charbagh or 'four garden' plan, which is split by
watercourses-a reflection of the Persian style. ( Taj Mahal remains
Closed on Friday). Agra Fort - Built by Emperor Akbar on the west bank
of the river Yamuna and beautified with palaces and gardens by
Jehangir, Agra Fort today dominates the centre of the city. The
crescent-shaped fort with its 20-metre high, 2.4-km outer walls
contains a maze of buildings that form a small city within a city. One
can enter the fort only through the Amar Singh Gate. The public access
is limited to the southern part of the fort which includes nearly all
the buildings of tourist interest. The Diwan-i-Aam (hall of public
audience) and Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience) were built by
Shahjahan for receiving audiences. Jehangir's palace built by Akbar
was the largest private residence in the fort. Close to Diwan-i-Khas,
stands an octagonal tower known as Musamman Burj. It was here that
Shahjahan breathed his last after seven years of imprisonment. Other
places to see within the fort include the Khas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal
(the mirror palace) and the Anguri Bagh (the Grape Garden). Overnight
at the hotel.
Day 04. Agra - Jaipur
by surface (237 kms) - After breakfast depart by surface for Jaipur
enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri Fatehpur Sikri Thirty-nine kilometers
from Agra stands Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone city of
yesteryears. The city was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in AD 1564
in honour of the Muslim saint Sheikh Salim Chisthi. Fatehpur Sikri was
intended to be the capital city but the shortage of water and unrest
in the northwest made Akbar abandon it. One of the major attractions
of this city is the marble tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisthi. Other places
of interest include Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Buland Darwaza, Panch
Mahal, Jodha Bai’s Palace and Birbal Bhavan. On arrival check-in at
the hotel. The city capital in the tone of an autumnal sunset
intersperses the play of red and pink with white borders and motifs,
outlining the architectural highlights of Jaipur’s buildings. Jaipur
has blush pink ever since 1727 when Maharaja Swai Jai Singh II had it
built. It is the only city in the world symbolizing the 9 divisions of
the universe through nine rectangular sectors sub-dividing it. The
palaces and forts of yesteryears that were witness to royal
processions and splendors are now living monuments accepted naturally
into the lifestyles of the people of the pink city. Overnight at
hotel.
Day 05. Jaipur
- After breakfast half day excursion to Amer
Fort - At a short distance of 11 kms. from Jaipur, the Amer Fort
complex stands amidst wooded hills overlooking the Delhi-Jaipur
highway, with its forbidding ramparts reflected in the still waters of
the Maota Lake below.One of the finest examples of Rajput
architecture, it was the ancient capital of the Kachhawah rulers. The
original palace was built by Raja Man Singh and additions were made
later by Sawai Jai Singh. Within the palace are the Diwan-e-Aam or the
"Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-e-Khas or the "Hall of Private
Audience" and the Sukh Niws where a cool breeze blows across channels
of water for the purpose of air-conditioning. Here are the private
chambers of the queens with windows having latticed screens so that
the ladies could watch the proceedings of the royal court in privacy.
There is also the Jai Mandir or the "Temple of Victory", with its
famed Sheesh Mahal, the scintillating "Hall of Mirrors". After lunch
sightseeing tour of Jaipur city visiting City Palace, Hawa Mahal and
Jantar Mantar (Observatory). The City Palace is now converted into a
museum, except a small portion that is still used by the royal family
of Jaipur. Built in the fortified campus style, the palace covers
almost one-seventh part of the city. One of the major attractions in
the museum is the portion that is devoted to the arms and ammunition
used by the royal family in the past. Other important attractions are
the Textile and Costume Museum, Art Gallery, Chandra Mahal, Mubarak
Mahal, and Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Am. Drive past Hawa Mahal -
Strange though it may seem, this most famous landmark of Jaipur is not
actually a palace but a series of sandstone screens. This pink
structure was constructed so that the ladies of the palace could watch
the royal processions without being seen by any outsider. This
sandstone edifice was named Palace of Winds after the many brass wind
vanes that adorned it until 1960s. Also visit Observatory. Overnight
at the hotel.
Day 06. Jaipur - Delhi
by surface (258 kms) - After breakfast drive to Delhi and check-in at
the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 07. Delhi - Manali
by surface (570 kms) - After breakfast drive to Manali and check-in at
the hotel. Manali according to legend was born when the waters of the
Great Deluge receded and the seventh Manu’s ark came to the rest on a
hillside in this valley. As the earth dried up there came up a place
of breathtaking beauty which was named after the great sags. Over the
last decade Manali has grown from a back of the beyond Himanchali town
to a busy tourist destination. Surrounded by towering peaks at arms
length, Manali’s major asset is its proximity to the snowline, never
more than a few hours drive from the town nestling at a comfortable
2,050 meters.Overnight at the hotel.
Day 08. Manali
- After breakfast proceed for half day city tour visiting Hadimba Devi
Temple, Doongri temple houses , Goddess Hadimba (Hirma Devi) has 4
tired pagoda - shaped roof with a doorway carved with figures and
symbols. Tibetan Monastry,- A new and colorful Buddhist temple. Dinner
and overnight at the hotel.
Day 09. Manali
- After breakfast excursion to Rohtangpass.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 10. Manali - Shimla
by surface (260 kms) - After breakfast drive to Shimla and check-in at
the hotel. Shimla - The capital of Himachal Pradesh and former summer
capital of British India, Shimla is the state’s most important center.
Bulging at its seams with unprecedented expansion, Shimla retains a
colonial aura, with its grand old buildings, among them the stately
Viceregal Lodge, ccherming iron lampposts and Anglo-Saxon names. The
Mall, packed with shops and eateries, is the center of attraction, and
Scandal Point, associated with the former Maharaja of the Patiala’s
escapades, offers a view of distant snowclad peaks. Dinner and
overnight at the hotel.
Day 11. Shimla
- After breakfast proceed for half day city tour visiting Jakhoo Hill,
Shimla’s highest point, other a panoramic view of the town, hills and
mountain ranges with spectacular views at sunrise and sunset.
Institute of Advanced Study which is housed in the former Viceregal
Lodge, it was built in 1888, Tara Devi Temple offers panoramic views,
Himachal State Museum has a rich display of the state’s cultural,
artistic and archaeological heritage. Dinner and overnight at the
hotel.
Day 12. Shimla - Delhi
by surface (370 kms) - After breakfast drive to Delhi and check-in at
the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 13. Delhi
- After breakfast proceed for half day city tour
visiting Old and New Delhi . Old Delhi visiting - Raj Ghat and shanti
vana- the cremation sited of Mahatma Ghandi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Also
drive past Red Fort , built in 1648 by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan , Jama
Masjid ,one of the longest mosque in India and Chandini Chowk,shopping
center of Delhi. New Delhi visiting Qutaub 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 House, Parliament House, and Government Secretariat
Buildings. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 14. Delhi
- Breakfast at the hotel. Day free for shopping. Overnight at hotel.
Day 15. Depart Delhi
- In time transfer to railway station to connect flight / train for
the onward destination.
