INDIA AND THE TAJ MAHAL
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508 627 0054
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Copyright © Raymond Chan 2007
Explore India's treasures, from the timeless beauty of the Taj Mahal to the graceful power of the elusive Bengal tiger, and witness holy rites beside the Ganges and stay in royal palaces-turned-luxury-hotels.
A&K Advantages
A&K Advantages
- Stay in former palaces, including iconic royal residences such as the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur and Rambagh Palace in Jaipur
- Experience India by water in three destinations: Mumbai Harbour to Elephanta Island, Udaipur's Lake Pichola and along the holy Ganges River in Varanasi
- See the countryside of Jaipur during an elephant ride conducted by an expert mahout (trainer)
- Stay two nights in Panna National Park, home to the elusive Bengal tiger
- Explore the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Private journey
Days: 15 | From: $8,395
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Mumbai, India
Arrive in Mumbai, where an A&K representative meets and transfers you to your iconic hotel.
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
Day 2: Mumbai
Enter the Gateway to IndiaAfter a morning at leisure, explore the city’s classic sights, including the Gateway of India, an 85-foot-high arch whose design reflects India’s Muslim and Hindu traditions. Visit the Prince of Wales Museum and Mani Bhawan, a museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. See the Dhobi Ghat open-air laundry.
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai | Meals: B
Day 3: Mumbai/Udaipur
Temples and PalacesCruise Mumbai Harbour to Elephanta Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see its renowned temples, carved directly out of the basalt rock. Later, fly to Udaipur and check into your palace hotel.
Taj Lake Palace | Meals: B
Days 4-5: Udaipur
Cruise to Jag MandirVisit the City Palace, a marble complex of palaces and galleries overlooking the lake. Take a tour of the Crystal Gallery in Fateh Prakesh Palace, and stroll through Sahelion Ki Bari (Garden of the Maids of Honor). Later, take a cruise to Jag Mandir, a palace on an island in Lake Pichola. The following day, set out to see the Eklingji and Nagda Temples, pausing for lunch at Lebua Devi Garh Fort Palace.
Taj Lake Palace | Meals: B (Day 4); B L (Day 5)
Days 6-7: Jaipur
The Pink CityTravel overland to Jaipur and check into your hotel, the former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur. The next day, explore the Mughal-style Amber Fort, and embark on an elephant ride through the countryside with the help of a mahout. Visit open-air Jantar Mantar, seeing its astronomical instruments and view the nearby Palace of the Winds.
Meals: B L
Days 8-9: Agra
Monuments of EmperorsTravel to the “ghost city” of Fatehpur Sikri. Continue to Agra and your luxury hotel, catching your first glimpse of the breathtaking Taj Mahal from your window. Pay your first visit to the masterpiece the next morning, when the rising sun lends a warm pink tint to its marble face. Continue to the Agra Fort. Return to the Taj Mahal in the late afternoon, as the setting sun bathes it in soft orange.
The Oberoi Amarvilás | Meals: B L (Day 8); B (Day 9)
Day 10: Jhansi/Panna National Park
Into the WildDepart by express train to Jhansi, and continue overland to remote Panna National Park, checking in to your wilderness lodge.
Pashan Garh | Meals: B L
Day 11: Khajuraho/Panna
Incredible CarvingsDrive to Khajuraho to see its Hindu and Jain temples. After lunch, return to Panna for a game drive in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, spotting crocodiles or perhaps the elusive Bengal tiger.
Pashan Garh | Meals: B L
Day 12: Varanasi
India’s Holiest CityFly to Varanasi, a city sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. At dusk, head to the banks of the sacred Ganges River to witness the Aarti ceremony.
The Gateway Hotel Ganges, Varanasi | Meals: B
Day 13: Varanasi/Delhi
Sunrise River CruiseRise early for a sunrise cruise on the Ganges River, seeing where the locals and pilgrims cleanse themselves on the ghats. Fly to Delhi and check in to your hotel.
The Oberoi, New Delhi | Meals: B
Day 14: Delhi
Exploring the Old and the NewVisit the great Jama Masjid, and set off on an exciting rickshaw ride through the Chandni Chowk bazaar. After lunch, tour New Delhi, driving past India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan and visiting Humayun’s Tomb, which prefigures techniques later perfected in the Taj Mahal.
The Oberoi, New Delhi | Meals: B L
Day 15: Depart Delhi
Board your homebound flight.
Meals: B
Day 1: Arrive Mumbai, India
Arrive in Mumbai, where an A&K representative meets and transfers you to your iconic hotel.
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
Day 2: Mumbai
Enter the Gateway to IndiaAfter a morning at leisure, explore the city’s classic sights, including the Gateway of India, an 85-foot-high arch whose design reflects India’s Muslim and Hindu traditions. Visit the Prince of Wales Museum and Mani Bhawan, a museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. See the Dhobi Ghat open-air laundry.
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai | Meals: B
Day 3: Mumbai/Udaipur
Temples and PalacesCruise Mumbai Harbour to Elephanta Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see its renowned temples, carved directly out of the basalt rock. Later, fly to Udaipur and check into your palace hotel.
Taj Lake Palace | Meals: B
Days 4-5: Udaipur
Cruise to Jag MandirVisit the City Palace, a marble complex of palaces and galleries overlooking the lake. Take a tour of the Crystal Gallery in Fateh Prakesh Palace, and stroll through Sahelion Ki Bari (Garden of the Maids of Honor). Later, take a cruise to Jag Mandir, a palace on an island in Lake Pichola. The following day, set out to see the Eklingji and Nagda Temples, pausing for lunch at Lebua Devi Garh Fort Palace.
Taj Lake Palace | Meals: B (Day 4); B L (Day 5)
Days 6-7: Jaipur
The Pink CityTravel overland to Jaipur and check into your hotel, the former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur. The next day, explore the Mughal-style Amber Fort, and embark on an elephant ride through the countryside with the help of a mahout. Visit open-air Jantar Mantar, seeing its astronomical instruments and view the nearby Palace of the Winds.
Meals: B L
Days 8-9: Agra
Monuments of EmperorsTravel to the “ghost city” of Fatehpur Sikri. Continue to Agra and your luxury hotel, catching your first glimpse of the breathtaking Taj Mahal from your window. Pay your first visit to the masterpiece the next morning, when the rising sun lends a warm pink tint to its marble face. Continue to the Agra Fort. Return to the Taj Mahal in the late afternoon, as the setting sun bathes it in soft orange.
The Oberoi Amarvilás | Meals: B L (Day 8); B (Day 9)
Day 10: Jhansi/Panna National Park
Into the WildDepart by express train to Jhansi, and continue overland to remote Panna National Park, checking in to your wilderness lodge.
Pashan Garh | Meals: B L
Day 11: Khajuraho/Panna
Incredible CarvingsDrive to Khajuraho to see its Hindu and Jain temples. After lunch, return to Panna for a game drive in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, spotting crocodiles or perhaps the elusive Bengal tiger.
Pashan Garh | Meals: B L
Day 12: Varanasi
India’s Holiest CityFly to Varanasi, a city sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. At dusk, head to the banks of the sacred Ganges River to witness the Aarti ceremony.
The Gateway Hotel Ganges, Varanasi | Meals: B
Day 13: Varanasi/Delhi
Sunrise River CruiseRise early for a sunrise cruise on the Ganges River, seeing where the locals and pilgrims cleanse themselves on the ghats. Fly to Delhi and check in to your hotel.
The Oberoi, New Delhi | Meals: B
Day 14: Delhi
Exploring the Old and the NewVisit the great Jama Masjid, and set off on an exciting rickshaw ride through the Chandni Chowk bazaar. After lunch, tour New Delhi, driving past India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan and visiting Humayun’s Tomb, which prefigures techniques later perfected in the Taj Mahal.
The Oberoi, New Delhi | Meals: B L
Day 15: Depart Delhi
Board your homebound flight.
Meals: B