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Travel
North India Highlights
This trip is perfect for the first time visitor. Starting from Delhi, the capital city, all the way to Varanasi, one of the most ancient cities in the world, this journey takes you to most of the important sites of India. Original and exciting activities such as a desert camel trek, a safari in the fabulous Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary and a boat trip on the River Ganges all add to the experience.
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Package Inclusions
- Accommodation
- Transportation
- 12 breakfasts and 1 dinner
- Selected sightseeing
- Search for tigers in Ranthambore National Park
- Explore the bird sanctuary of Bharatpur
- Visit the Pink City of Jaipur
- Wander around the Amber Fort
- See the exquisite Taj Mahal
- Fascinating old city of Varanasi
- Sunrise boat trip on the Ganges
Trek Holidays
Trek Holidays has become Canada's largest wholesale adventure travel company and their staff have been to over 100 countries around the world. Trek works in conjunction with travel agents across Canada to prepare you for your arrival in a new destination based on their own personal experiences, videos, pre-departure booklets as well as reading lists.
- Day 1: Delhi: Afternoon tour of Delhi. Delhi is the capital of India, divided into an ancient and a modern part. Old Delhi was the capital of Moghul India between the 12th and the 19th centuries. You will find here many mosques, monuments and forts relating to this period of India's history. The medieval atmosphere of the bazaars of Old Delhi contrasts sharply with the open, spacious streets of New Delhi, the imperial city created as the capital of India by the British. Here you will find most of the airline offices, banks and the various state tourist offices. Our hotel is situated in the busy market area of Karol Bagh, with lots of shops and restaurants just a short stroll away. Outside the hotel, there are always taxis and rickshaws handy, so it is easy to go and visit places during any free time here.
- Day 2: Shekhavati: The desert region of Shekhavati was an important stop on the famous silk route, where merchants became rich from the trade with the caravans. Their wealth is reflected in their fine havelis (courtyard homes), covered with flamboyant frescoes. We drive to Shekhavati where we spend the night in a beautifully restored heritage hotel. This remote part of Rajasthan, only recently known to tourists, is famous for its painted havelis and colourful frescoes. These havelis belong to the rich 'Marwari' business community. Many of the Marwari merchants have now migrated to other parts of the country along with their trade routes, but they still return at festival times to their old havelis. The frescoes reflect the well travelled nature of this community as they depict scenes from many different places, including many scenes of everyday life as well as the more familiar religious paintings. We stay at Mandawa, in the heart of this region, and our comfortable and atmospheric accommodation adds to the attraction of visiting this unique area.
- Day 3: Shekhavati: Walking tour of one of Shekhavati's small towns followed by a camel ride to surrounding villages. Overnight in the Desert Resort, in beautiful and luxurious mud-built huts. There is an azure blue swimming pool overlooking the rolling sand dunes of Mandawa.
- Day 4: Jaipur: Drive to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. With its faded pink buildings, its many palaces and vibrant bazaars, Jaipur is one of the most exotic cities. We take an afternoon excursion to the splendid Amber Fort and take a jeep ride up the steep path which leads to a magnificent complex of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples built over a period of 125 years by successive rulers.
- Day 5: Jaipur: Morning city tour. The City Palace, the principal residence of the former royal family, also houses a museum for textiles and costumes, miniatures, carpets and manuscripts, and arms and armour. Nearby is the Jantar Mantar, a stone observatory, and the `Palace of the Winds', a pink sandstone facade of a palace with a profusion of windows and stone screens. It is worthwhile spending any leisure time wandering through the bazaars. Jaipur is well known for its beautiful carpets, enameled ornaments, precious and semi precious stones, brass ornaments and many other arts and crafts.
- Day 6: Ranthambore: Drive to Ranthambore National Park where we take an afternoon game drive. Even in a country which has several fabulous national parks, Ranthambore stands out. Within its vast area, there are vine-covered ruined forts, grass-fringed lakes and stark ravines. Famous for its tiger sightings, Ranthambore also has a great amount of other wildlife including nilgai, sambhar and chinkara. This National Park is one of the best places in India in which to see a tiger in the wild. Although of course wildlife sightings are always a matter of luck. There are around 30 tigers present in the park. More often seen are the varieties of deer and much birdlife. The varied landscapes within the park are attractive and our wildlife safari by jeep or open van is an enjoyable experience even if wildlife proves elusive. There is even a huge 1000-year-old fort within the park, which we will explore.
- Day 7: Karauli: Visit Ranthambore Fort then drive to Karauli. We travel to this remote town to experience the 'real India'. We stay at the Maharaja's Palace, still run by the descendants of its original owners, who help us to feel that we are staying as honoured guests in their home rather than simply at a hotel. The Bhanwar Vilas Palace is a low pleasant building in Art Deco style with wide cool verandahs, a drawing room with authentic period furniture and great ambience. The dining room has a long family dining table where His Highness, Krishna Chandra Pal, often joins the guests when he is in residence.
- Day 8: Karauli: We visit the stunning City Palace, the private property of the royal family. Complete with painted durbar hall, myriad of terraces, balconies, pavilions and grand rooms, the City Palace is an absolute treasure trove of architecture, stone carvings, gorgeous jali (stone screens) work and classic paintings, making a visit to Karauli an absolute must. We stroll back to our hotel through the local bazaar, a charming market and as yet unspoiled by outside influences. The traditional craftsmen here make bangles, wooden toys and they make for great souvenirs as you often buy them from the artisans themselves.
- Day 9: Bharatpur/Agra: We drive from Jaipur to Agra, stopping en route to visit the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary at Bharatpur and the deserted Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri, a complex of forts, palaces and mosques built in sandstone. Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary: Even non-ornithologists will enjoy this beautiful and peaceful park, one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the world. October to February is the best time to visit this sanctuary when there are many migratory birds to be seen, some coming from as far away as Siberia or China. There is also a large population of resident waterbirds, as well as deer and snakes. The park is closed to motorised vehicles, and is best explored on foot, by bicycle or cycle rickshaw, or by boat, depending on the season. Fatehpur Sikri:
- - 35km to the south-west of Agra is the deserted Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri, a complex of forts, palaces and mosques built in sandstone. Fatehpur Sikri served as Akbar's capital for only a short period of twelve years before the capital was abandoned, apparently due to a lack of water supply. Today Fatehpur Sikri is a ghost city, its architecture is in a perfect state of preservation, and wandering through the palaces it is easy to imagine that this was once a royal residence and a dynamic cultural centre. The white marble Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti, Akbar's spiritual adviser, is now observed as a Muslim pilgrimage spot.
- Day 10: Agra: The Taj Mahal is one of the most fascinating and beautiful monuments of the world. About 20,000 workers were employed in its construction, completed after some 20 years. So perfect are the proportions of the Taj and so exquisite its workmanship that this is really one of the world's most marvellous buildings. We take the overnight sleeper train to Varanasi.
- Day 11: Varanasi (Benares): We arrive in Varanasi early in the morning and transfer to our hotel, a smart little establishment in the leafy Cantonment area, just north of Varanasi's railway station. If you like India, you will love Varanasi. You will certainly never forget it. Possibly the oldest city in the world, Varanasi occupies an especially holy place on the banks of the River Ganges. All Hindus should come here at least once in their lifetime to bathe in the river. Watching the religious rituals (best at sunrise and sunset) and everyday life of this chaotic, crowded, but most fascinating of Indian cities, is a unique and profound experience. In the afternoon we make an excursion to Sarnath. This is where Buddha preached his first sermon, 2,500 years ago, and there are extensive ruins of Buddhist temples and stupas, set in a serene deer park.
- Day 12: Varanasi: Early morning boat trip on the Ganges. The principal attraction of Varanasi is the long string of bathing ghats, which line the west bank of the Ganges. Ghats are the steps which lead down to the river from which pilgrims make their sin cleansing dip in the holy river and on which bodies are cremated. A boat ride on the river at dawn, when it is full of pilgrims, is an amazing experience. Afterwards we explore the city on foot.
- Day 13: Varanasi: A free day to further explore Varanasi. When you stroll through the bazaars you will see many shops offering beautiful brocades in silk and gold or silver. In the evening we transfer to Varanasi railway station to board the air-conditioned sleeper train to Delhi.
- Day 14:Delhi: Arrive Delhi and transfer to hotel. Free day.
- Day 15: Delhi: Tour ends.
For reservations or additional information, call 1-866-286-9323 to speak with an experienced travel consultant.
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