Day 01 Arrive Delhi

Arrive Delhi. You will be meet by our representative outside the custom lounge and escorted till you check in at hotel.

Delhi, the Empress of Indian cities has a fascinating history and a stimulating present. She has often been sacked and left naked and desolate. But she could not be despoiled of the incomparable situation that marks her for the metropolis of a Great Empire. The capital of India, Delhi has been the seat of power of a number of dynasties – athe Rajputs, the Afghans, the Turks and the Mughals who continued their imperial line until the British. Scattered over are surviving ruins, remnants of mighty edifices, tombs of warriors and saints, which in an impressive sense of magnificence are memorials not of a single city but of supplanted nations.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 02 City Tour + Drive to Agra ( 210 Kms / 05 Hrs approx.)

Morning after breakfast combined sightseeing tour of Old and New Delhi.

Old Delhi drive past the Red Fort, the 300-year-old walled city built by Emperor Shah Jehan in 1648 as his capital and named after him. The magnificent Red Fort built of red sandstone dates from the very peak of the Mughal power, Opposite the fort are the black and white onion dome and minarets of the Jama Masjid, the most elegant mosque in India. Also drive past Kotla Firoze Shah, ruins of an old fort of the 14th century with the 13 meter high Ashoka Pillar of 3rd BC. Visit Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated in 1948. Drive through the old city subject to traffic restrictions

New Delhi the new capital designed by Sir Edward Lutyens. Drive past the Presidential Palace, the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the secretariat buildings - the center of all government activity and down the main avenue, the impressive Rajpath to the World War I memorial arch, the India Gate, the High Court Building and the Old Fort. Visit Qutub Minar, 72 meters high and the ruins of Quwat-ul-Eslam (Light of Islam) Mosque. See Delhi’s most curious antique, the uncorroded Iron Pillar, which dates back to the 4th century AD.

Afternoon leave Delhi for Agra.

On arrival transfer and check in at hotel.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 03 In Agra - Full Day city tour

Full day sightseeing tour of Taj Mahal, Agra Fort

With its incredible lacy white grandeur the Taj Mahal is perhaps the most perfect architectural monument in the world. To the poet Tagore it was a `tear on the face of eternity'. In memory of his wife the great Mughal emperor Shah Jehan constructed this most extravagant and incomparable monument built for love. Amazingly graceful from any angle, it is the close up detail, which is really astounding.

Agra Fort is situated on the banks for the river Yamuna, another monumental mission accomplished by the great Mughal visionary Emperor Akbar. His son Jehangir and grandson Shah Jehan added to this imposing structure during their rule. The Palaces, mosques and audience halls contained within its massive wall of red sandstone are perfect examples of blending Islamic and Hindu traditions.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 04 Agra – Fatehpur sikri – Jaipur (260 Kms / 04-05 hrs approx.)

Morning after breakfast leave Agra for Jaipur enroute visiting the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri.

The abandoned red sandstone city built in the 16th century by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, one of India's greatest rulers. Remarkably broadminded for his time, this Muslim king married a Rajput princess in order to win over his Hindu subjects. The architecture at Fatehpur Sikri is a combination of Hindu and Muslim styles, expressing Akbar's vision of synthesizing the cultures.

After the visit continue drive to Jaipur.

Jaipur is where the enduring charisma of the past blends with the throbbing vitality of today. Where a colorful cast of characters – from printers and potters to artists and antique dealers - present a fascinating picture of a city that is alive to both tradition and change.

Raja Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur was no ordinary man. He was a scholar and an astronomer, keenly sensitive to beauty, a formidable general, who tempered power with wisdom. In building Jaipur, Jai Singh's vision took him beyond architectural beauty for in the sprawling, barren plains beneath Amber, the former capital, he gave India its first planned city, which has remained unique in two and a half centuries. Jai Singh made Jaipur a haven and it became a center of commerce and religion.

Today, Jaipur has spread far beyond the pink crenulated walls that once defined its boundaries. It presents a fascinating picture of a city where growth, evolution and change are sustained by tradition.

On arrival transfer and check in at hotel.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 05 In Jaipur : Full day city tour

The day begins with a visit to the Amber fort, the former seat of the Rajput rulers of Jaipur. Ascending the fortress seated on elephants, wander around the beautiful palaces and visit the Shiladevi temple (which continues to be the private temple of the Royal family) with its exquisite marble carvings and silver door.

Afternoon visit the open-air royal observatory "Jantar Mantar", with gigantic, astronomical instruments, the City Palace and Museum stopping by the "Hawa Mahal" or the Palace of Winds.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 06 Jaipur – Bikaner ( 330 Kms / 05 Hrs approx.)

Morning after breakfast leave Jaipur for Bikaner

Bikaner is a medieval flavored city set along the old caravan route, which linked Central Asia & North India with the Gujarat seaports. Bikaner takes its name from Rao Bikaji, the sixth son of Rathore Rajput Prince Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur. Bhika set up his independent kingdom in 1488. Charming red stone havelis (mansions) (unlike the gold sand stone one’s of Jaisalmer) stand in the old part of this walled city and a leisurely lifestyle still prevails in this sublimely picturesque place surrounded by harsh desert.

Afternoon city tour of Bikaner.

Visit the Junagarh Fort, one of the finest of Rajput monuments. Paved courtyards, narrow staircases and terraces in this Rathor stronghold connect all thirty-seven palaces, pavilions and beautiful Jain temples built by different kings. One must take particular note of the designed ceilings of the various homes in this region - done either in wood, or copper plates, which are then covered with intricate painting work.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 07 Bikaner – Mandawa (190 Kms / 04 hrs approx.)

Morning after breakfast leave Bikaner for Mandawa.

Like many historic homes, Castle Mandawa is a curious mixture of the old and the new. Medieval turreted towers, palanquin-roofed balconies, blend with modern comforts in old-world rooms. Family portraits, antique cannons and arms add to the charm of this family-run resort where tradition still runs strong. Even time is measured by a different clock. A huge brass gong struck by the resident timekeepers at the fort every hour.

Mandawa, a remote feudal principality in the center of the Shekhawati region, was a trading outpost for the ancient caravan routes that stopped here from China and the Middle East. The Rajput ruler of Mandawa, Thakur Nawal Singh, built a fort in 1755 to protect this outpost. The township that grew around the fort soon attracted a large community of traders, who settled here. When the caravan traffic ceased in the late 18th century, the traders created business empires in other parts of the country, but returned to Mandawa to build palatial mansions in their hometown.

Afternoon a walking tour to visit the frescoes & Havelis of Mandawa.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 08 Mandawa – Delhi (280 Kms / 05-06 Hrs approx.)

Morning after breakfast leave Mandawa for Delhi.

On arrival no hotel envisaged.

Dinner will be provided in a hotel. Later in time transfer to the airport to connect flight for onward destination, leaving during early hours on day 09th.