Royal Rajasthan Tour

_{On arrival in Delhi, you’ll be met by our executive and chauffeur and transferred to your hotel for a two-night stay in the capital of India. Spend the remainder of the day recovering from jetlag with a leisurely swim in the hotel pool. If energy levels permit, you may wish to visit the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, an atmospheric Sikh shrine in the late afternoon. Just let us know and we’ll arrange it for you.}

_{Gurudwara Bangla Sahib: Made of white marble and crowned by a gilded onion dome, the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and shimmering pool inside it are places of great sanctity for Indian Sikhs, and offer the most atmospheric introduction possible to the capital. The complex in its present form dates from the late-18th century and was constructed at a place associated with the eighth Sikh Guru, Har Krishnan. At a Langar, or ‘canteen’, in the temple, visitors and devotees are fed nourishing, free meals of chapatis and black dal by volunteers. If you’re lucky, you may see groups of Akalis, members of a Sikh warrior sect, dressed in traditional ceremonial garb.}

_{Enjoy the evening and relax at the hotel. Overnight stay at a hotel in Delhi.}

_{A full-day’s sightseeing today starts with a cycle-rickshaw ride of Old Delhi, typically including the Jama Masjid mosque. In the afternoon, visit Lutyen’s imperial capital and the spectacular Qutub Minar complex on the southern outskirts.}

_{The narrow lanes of Old Delhi once formed the hub of the Mughal capital, formerly known as ‘Shajahanabad’ after the great Emperor Shah Jahan. An obligatory stop should be the splendid Jama Masjid mosque, whose giant white domes dominate the skyline of the old city.}

_{After Jama Masjid visit, enjoy the rickshaw ride at bylanes of Old Delhi. From here we proceed to Raj Ghat to visit the cremation place of Mahatma Gandhi.}

_{From Raj Ghat head into the colonial haunts of New Delhi including Lutyen’s grand architectural masterpieces designed to overwhelm and subdue the locals. We also visit Humayun’s Tomb, one of India’s greatest early Mughal buildings, which stands in manicured gardens a little further south and may be visited en route to the iconic Qutb Minar victory tower on Delhi’s southern outskirts, the day’s final stop.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Delhi.}

_{After breakfast, drive via the new interstate highway to Agra to visit the city’s Mughal Fort and nearby markets, followed by a sunset tour of the Taj.}

_{Shah Jahan, the emperor who created the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned towards the end of his life by his son, Aurangzeb, in the gilded splendour of the Mughals’ great fortress-palace overlooking the Yamuna River – your first sightseeing stop of the day. Through its finely carved pillars and cusp-arched windows you’ll be able to savour the same romantic views as the ailing ruler enjoyed. On the opposite bank, the Itimad-ud Daulah tomb encloses the remains of his Prime Minister, or ‘Wazir’. The mausoleum’s famously intricate inlay work foreshadowed that of the Taj, which you’ll visit towards the end of the afternoon, when the changing light transforms the marble surfaces from a pale ochre to orange and crimson.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Agra.}

_{Drive in the morning to Jaipur, pausing on the way to visit one of India’s most impressive stepwells. You’ll arrive in the Rajasthani capital around mid-afternoon.}

_{Just off the main Agra–Jaipur highway, the magnificent stepwell at Abhaneri is your stop of the day. Comprising 3,500 carved steps spread over thirteen storeys, the well is the deepest and most intricate of its kind in India.}

_{Most tourists prefer to spend the rest of the day relaxing by their hotel on arrival in Jaipur, but when suitably refreshed we recommend an evening visit to Birla Temple. Here we will stay for two – nights.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Jaipur.}

_{Enjoy a full day’s sightseeing in Jaipur today, beginning with a trip out to Amber, followed by the Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar Observatory and world-famous City Palace museum.}

_{Perched on the rim of a dramatic escarpment, Amber Fort retains some of the finest interiors surviving from the 16th and 17th centuries in India, notably a glittering ‘Hall of Mirrors’, or ‘Sheesh Mahal’, lined with intricate mosaics where the Maharaja and his consorts would enjoy music and poetry recitals.}

_{Jaipur itself is a swirl of life and colour, and its numerous Rajput monuments and markets provide the focus for the rest of the day. You’ll begin at the famous City Palace Complex, which includes the much photographed ‘Hawa Mahal’, or ‘Palace of Winds’, a five-storey façade of elaborately screened windows from where the women of the royal household used to watch processions in the streets below. Treasures from the royal household are proudly displayed in the old pillared assembly halls below, and include jewels, weapons and regalia from Jaipur’s 18th-century heyday.}

_{By late afternoon you will return to the hotel and relax.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Jaipur.}

_{After breakfast, embark on your journey to Jodhpur, where you’ll be spending two nights.}

_{Capital of the former Kingdom of Marwar, Jodhpur owes its prominence to the trade route that once passed its gates, connecting the ports of Gujarat with the cities of the northern plains. The resulting wealth enabled the Marwari rulers to construct one of India’s most fabulous forts – Mehrangarh – on top of a near-vertical escarpment. The cuboid houses of the old town sprawling from its base are painted a hundred shades of blue – a practice said to denote the homes of local Brahmins (but which actually derives from attempts to discourage termites by adding copper sulphate to limewash). Also visible, to the south, is the enormous bulk of Umaid Bhavan, a palace built in 1929 by the local Maharaja.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Jodhpur.}

_{Today with our guide, explore Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswant Thada and Umaid Bhawan Palace museum.}

_{Crowning a giant sandstone cliff, Mehrangarh Fort is the most awe-inspiring of all Rajasthan’s citadels, and one with a view to match its colourful history. Below its lofty ramparts, which enclose a particularly interesting museum of royal artefacts and apartments, sprawls a giant patchwork of flat rooftops, painted in shades of blue.}

_{Later visit the beautiful Jaswat Thada and an opulent Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Jodhpur.}

_{After breakfast, embark on your journey to Udaipur, where you’ll be spending two nights. It’s worth considering a stop at Ranakpur (03 hours)  on route to visit an intricately carved cluster of Jain temples. Then continue the drive to Udaipur (03 hours) .}

_{You’ll arrive in Udaipur at a time of day when the lakeside palaces look at their most exotic. Enjoy the sublime views over a sundowner on a haveli rooftop looking across the water to the Aravalli Hills in the distance.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Udaipur.}

_{Accompanied by our guide, explore Udaipur’s City Palace complex, Jagdish temple and old town.}

_{Start your day’s sightseeing at Udaipur’s City Palace, seat of the Sisodia Dynasty and a feast of opulent Rajput architecture. After visiting its apartments and courtyard gardens, wander down to the Jagdish Temple nearby before heading into the old city to explore the markets. And you can visit the garden by the name Sahelion Ki Bari.}

_{Overnight stay at a hotel in Udaipur.} 

_{You’ll have time for a final stroll around Udaipur’s old city before taking a flight to Delhi. Upon arrival at Delhi airport, our executive will transfer you to a hotel near the airport ahead of your departure the following day.}

_{With our executive, transfer by the vehicle to New Delhi International Airport for your return or onward flight.}