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North India and Nepal
Group Tour - 14 Days North India and Nepal
group Tour
Day
01. Flight to India (Delhi)
Around
Midnight arrival in
Delhi. The cosmopolitan City and capital Delhi
is the main gateway for travelers. You are met by an Indo Vacations
representative and transferred to your Hotel.
Day
02. Old - New Delhi
This morning is at leisure. Afternoon sightseeing in Old Delhi.
We take a Rickshaw Ride parallel to the
Red Fort through the old city
and famous Silk Road and Silver Bazaar. Sightseeing of Old Delhi
includes "Rajghat", the place where
Mahatma Gandhi was
cremated and
Jama Masjid, the great mosque of old Delhi. Today we also visit the famous
“Humayun Tomb” which is the first substantial example of Mughal
architecture in
India and “Qutub Minar” which is 71 meter high and
was constructed in 1199. Before we proceed to the Hotel we have a
drive through New Delhi where we see the
India Gate, Government
Buildings and Embassies.
Day
03. Delhi - Jaipur (about 270 km)
Today we drive to
the Pink City,
Jaipur. This city owes its name, foundations and
careful planning to the great warrior and astronomer, Maharaja Sawai
Jai Singh II. Jaipur is the capital of
Rajasthan and famous for
its handicrafts and precious and semiprecious stones. In the afternoon
we visit the
City Palace which is still the formal residence of
the royal family, built in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal
architecture. In the museum of the city palace we visit the private
collection of the Jaipur Maharajas. We continue to
Jantar Mantar,
a stone observatory, the largest of Jai Singh's five remarkable
observatories. Its complex instruments reveals us the secrets of
medieval Indian astronomy.
Day
04. Jaipur
After breakfast we drive to the ancient capital of
Amber, laying
11 km. away from Jaipur. Amber was the ancient capital of Kachhawaha
dynasty for 6 centuries before it was moved to newly created
Jaipur.
We will ascend to the Palace Fortress on the back of an Elephant.
Enroute to Amber we visit the
Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds),
built in 1799 AD, it contains 953 small casements with each having
its own balcony. The windows enabled cool air to circulate and the
ladies to watch processions below without being seen. In the afternoon
we have a walk through the colourful Bazaar of Jaipur and visit
a factory to see the famous block printing work being done since
centuries in Jaipur. In the evening we drive through the new city
of Jaipur and visit “Laxmi Narayan Mandir”, a Hindu temple made
out of white marble. We might have an opportunity here to observe
a prayer ceremony. Today we have dinner with a presentation of Indian
music and dance.
Day
05. Jaipur -
Fatehpur Sikri - Agra (about 260 km)
Today we leave Rajasthan, the biggest state in India and drive through
a series of fields, small towns and villages to Agra. Enroute we
make a stop and visit
Fatehpur Sikri, which was once an imperial
capital frozen in time, constructed by Akbar the Great in the 16th
century. This wonderful city constructed by red sand stones was
abandoned as abruptly as it had been built. It has been generally
stated that it was due to failing in the water supply. Late evening
arrival in
Agra. Rest of the day at leisure.
Day
06. Agra
We start today our sightseeing by a visit to the
Agra Fort, built
by three of the greatest Mughal emperors. The construction of this
massive structure began in 1565 under Akbar's reign and continued
till the time of his grandson's reign, Shah Jahan who built the impressive
imperial quarters and mosque. After the visit of Agra Fort we proceed
to visit the most beautiful monument of India, the
Taj Mahal, an
enduring monument to love, with a continually fulfilling beauty.
It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631-52, as
a tomb and memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (Jewel of the
Palace), who died at the age of 39 giving birth to her 14th child.
We spend enough time at Taj Mahal to take this impressive memory
home. After the visit of Taj Mahal we have a look at the famous
fine marble inlay work which is still being done in Agra by the
descendants of the families of builders and artists of the Taj Mahal.
Day
07. Agra - Gwalior - Orchha (about
240 km)
Today we leave Agra, the city of Taj Mahal and drive to Orchha
enroute
Gwalior.
In Gwalior we visit the famous Fort which
was built by Raja Man Singh of Tomar dynasty in the 6th century.
The fort of Gwalior is considered to be one of the most powerful
Fort in India having a further advantage of its unlimited supply
of water. Most fascinating in the Fort of Gwalior are the six huge
doors to get in to the Fort. After the visit of Fort we visit an
old Hindu Temple (10th century) dedicated to god Vishnu.Then we
drive to Orchha. In the afternoon arrival in Orchha. Rest of the day
at leisure.
Day
08. Orchha
- Khajuraho (about 178 km)
Orchha's grandeur has been captured in stone, frozen in time, a
rich legacy to the ages. In this medieval city, the hand of time has
rested lightly and the palaces and temples built by its Bundela
rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries retain much of their pristine
perfection. In the morning we visit the temples and palaces in
Orchha and later drive to Khajuraho.
Khajuraho
was the capital of the Chandela dynasty. The Chandela Kings claimed
descent from the moon. The temples of Khajuraho are among the finest
examples of temple craftsmanship in the whole of India. The rest of
the day at leisure.
Day
09. Khajuraho - Varanasi (by air)
Today we visit
the temple complex of
Eastern Group and
Western Group to see the most beautiful
temples in India. Most famous among them is the Laxmana Temple which
is dedicated to god Vishnu. The presence of erotic sculptures in
the Temples at Khajuraho is one of the expression among others of
the celebration of all human activities displaying different aspects
of Hinduism. In the evening flight to
Varanasi. The rest of the
day at leisure. Varanasi is without doubt India’s most sacred city
and thus visited by over one million people. Varanasi is also called
the city of light. Buddha visited this city in 500 BC.
Optional: A drive can be organized to
Sarnath (10
km). Sarnath is the place where Buddha delivered his first sermon
at deer park.
Day
10. Varanasi - Kathmandu (by air)
In the early morning we take a boat ride on the holy
river Ganges
and enjoy sunrise on the boat.
Ghats (flight of steps) and the activities
of pilgrims on that are the principal attraction for visitors to
Varanasi. Thousands of pilgrims and devotees visit this city to make
holy prayers, to meditate and to purify themselves through taking
a bath in the holy river Ganges. After a break in the Hotel we go
for the sightseeing of the city of Varanasi. In the afternoon flight
to Kathmandu. Rest of the day at leisure in Kathmandu.
Day
11. Kathmandu
Excursion: Swayambhunath, Bodnath, Pashupatinath
In the morning we start our sightseeing by visiting
Durbar Square.
Durbar Square is the spiritual heart of
Kathmandu. The old royal
palace at the centre of the city was surrounded by temples and other
important buildings. This is the most important point in Kathmandu
to observe the culture and religion of
Nepal. We also visit the
temple of living goddess Kumari. After Durbar Square we will visit
Swayambhunath. The stupa at Swayambhunath is the most important
and oldest site of Buddhist worship in Nepal. Swayambhunath Stupa
is famous for the eyes of Buddha which seem to observing the world
from all 4 directions. After Swayambhunath we visit Bodnath.
Bodnath
is the largest Stupa of Nepal. Around the octagonal base of Stupa
there are 108 images of Buddha where prayer ceremonies of Buddhist
Lamas are taking place since over 2000 years. Now we proceed to
the temple city of Pashupatinath which is Nepal’s most important
Hindu pilgrim site on the banks of the Bagmati river. The temple
of Pashupatinath is dedicated to god Shiva.
Day
12. Kathmandu
Excursion: Patan, Bhaktapur
Today we drive to Patan. Patan was the second largest town in the
valley but it has been absorbed into Kathmandu. Patan was previously
known as Lalitpur (the beautiful city). The famous King Ashoka built
the Stupas at four corners in the 250 BC. The temple architecture
here gave this city fame to be unique and most beautiful. After
Patan we proceed to Bhaktapur , the third biggest city of the
valley. Bhaktapur has
preserved its medieval character better than Patan. We visit the
golden door, the Palace of 55 windows (15th century) and Pagoda
Nyatapola (18th century).
Day
13. Kathmandu
Excursion: DakshinKali Kathmandu - Delhi (by air)
Today we drive to Dakshinkali. On the way we pass through the villages
and small localities. Today we see the rural area where most of
the people make their living by cultivating their fields. The temple
of Dakshinkali is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus where animals
sacrifices for the goddess Kali are still performed. In the
afternoon flight to Delhi.
Day
14. Flight to Home
Around midnight flight to home destination.
(End
of our Services)
About Hotels:
We provide you
the accommodation as per your budget mentioned above in the table of
hotels category for any of the booked tour. Hotels provided by us
are from budget to luxury class hotels. The criteria for selecting
hotels by us remains the best value of your money. We also provide
you wherever possible accommodation in heritage hotels. Heritage
Hotels are old Palaces, Forts and Grand mansions of Maharajas which
have been later renovated and converted into Hotels. Rooms are
decorated all individually. Rooms are comfortable, romantic and
present the flair of olden Maharaja days.
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