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Special Promotion - North India 9 Days / 8 Nts.



Cities covered in this package.

9 Days / 8 Nts. Tour of - Delhi | Jaipur | Agra | Jhansi | Khajuraho | Varanasi | Delhi.

DAY 01     ARRIVE DELHI

Meeting and assistance on arrival and transfer to Hotel.

Overnight at Hotel

DAY 02     DELHI

After breakfast sightseeing of Old and New Delhi.

Morning proceed to visit the 7th city of Delhi, Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi), built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1639-48 AD) after he shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi. Red Fort – the 17th cent ury imposing fortress built in red sandstone is surrounded by a huge boundary wall 33m high. Inside are exquisite palaces and beautiful gardens. Opposite the Red Fort lies Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque) made of red sandstone and white marble, completed in 1656. It is India’s largest mosque where more than 20.000 people can kneel in prayer. Visit Raj Ghat on the banks of the river Yamuna, Mahatma Gandhi’s Memorial, where he was cremated following his assassination in January 1948. An eternal flame burns 24 hours.

Afternoon visit New Delhi. Visit Qutub Minar – the landmark of Delhi, a huge tower of victory started in 1199 and completed in 1368. The minar is 72.5m high with a diameter at the base 14.4m and 2.7m at the top. Proceed to the Rashtrapati Bhawan once the Viceroy’s residence is now the official residence of the President of India. Design ed by Lutyens, it combines western and eastern styles – the dome reflects the Buddhist stupa, the chattris Hindu and the graceful colonnades very British. The Government Buildings designed by Baker, are topped by baroque domes and decorated with lotus motifs and elephants, while the north and south gateways are Mughal in design. The northern building has an inscription with “Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty. It is a blessing which must be earned before it can be enjoyed”. The Parliament House, designed by Baker is 173m in diameter. The India Gate (42m), commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in the 1st world war. 13516 names of British and Indian soldiers killed in the Afghan War of 1919 are engraved on the arch and foundations. Under the arch, the Amar Jawan Jyoti commemorating Indian armed forces’ losses in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.

Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 03     DELHI / JAIPUR  By surface  258 kms

Breakfast at hotel

Morning leave for Jaipur by surface (5 – 6 hours drive). On arrival check-in at Hotel.

Rest of the day at leisure.

Optional Visit to Orphanage. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 04     JAIPUR

Morning Amber Fort with elephant ride. Amber is a classic, romantic Rajasthani fort Palace. The rugged, time-ravaged walls of the Fort may not look beautiful from the outside, but the interior is a virtual paradise. Miniatures painted on the walls depict hunting and war scenes, apart from festivals. Precious stones and mirrors are embedded into the plaster. A major attraction at Amber is the Elephant Ride all the way up to the Fort en trance. This journey on caparisoned elephants is bound to enrich your memories with the Royal lifestyle of the Maharajas and leave you with a truly unforgettable experience. Inside the Fort visit the Jag Mandir or the Hall of Victory. Inside the Jag Mandir is the famed Sheesh Mahal – a room with all the four walls and ceiling completely embedded with glittering mirror pieces, which were specially imported from Belgium during that period. Enroute to Amb er Fort, you will have a brief photography stop at Hawa Mahal - the Palace of Winds.

Afternoon city tour begins with a visit to the Maharaja's City Palace, the former Royal residence, part of it converted into a museum. A small portion is still used by the Royal family of Jaipur. Built in the style of a fortified campus, the palace covers almost one-seventh in area of the city. One of the major attractions in the museum is the portion known as Armoury Museum housing an impressive array of weaponry-pistols, blunderbusses, flintlocks, swords, rifles and daggers. The royal families of Jaipur once used most of these weapons. Later visit the Jantar Mantar, which is the largest stone and marble crafted observatory in the world. Situated near the gate of the city palace, the observatory has 17 large instruments, many of them still in working condition.

Overnight at Hotel.

DAY 05     JAIPUR / AGRA  By surface  232 kms

Breakfast at hotel.

Depart Jaipur for A gra, altogether a journey of about 6-7 hours (237 Kms). Enroute visit Fatehpur Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri was built by Emperor Akber in 1569 and abandoned after 15 years due to scarcity of water. Visit the remarkably well-preserved, graceful buildings within the 'Ghost City' including the Jama Masjid, tomb of Salim Chisti, Panch Mahal Palace and other palaces that speak of the grandeur and splendor of the Mughal empire at the height of its power.

After visiting Fatehpur Sikri drive continue to Agra and check-in at Hotel.

Overnight at Hotel.

DAY 06     AGRA

Breakfast at hotel.

Full day Agra city. Visit the world famous Taj Mahal built by Shah Jahan in 1630 for his queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. This architectural marvel is a perfectly proportioned masterpiece fashioned from white marble that stands testimony to the still of 20,000 craftsme n brought together from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and who took 17 year to complete this 'Love Poem in Marble'. (Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays). Also visit the Agra fort containing the halls of private and public audience and other palaces. Later visit tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daula. The tomb is known as the 'Baby Taj'. It was the first Mughal structure totally built from marble with extensive use of pietra dura. Overnight at Hotel

DAY 07     AGRA / JHANSI / /KHAJURAHO  By Train Shatabdi Express

Intime transfer to the railway station to board Shatabdi Express for Jhansi.

Depart Agra       0815 hrs
Arrive Jhansi     1040 hrs

Meeting and assistance on arrival at Jhansi railway station.

Transfer from Jhansi railway station to Khajuraho, altogether a journey of about 5-6 hours (172 Kms). Enroute visit Orchha. Orchha's grandeur has been captured in stone, frozen in time, a rich legacy of the ages. For this medieval city, the hand of time has rested and the palaces and the temples built by its Bundela rulers in the 16th 17th century retain much of their pristine perfection. Jehangir Mahal, a tiered palace crowned by graceful Chhatries commands a spectacular view of soaring temple spires and cenotaphs.

On arrival in KHAJURAHO check-in at Hotel. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 08     KHAJURAHO / VARANASI  By Air  9W 334

Morning visit to Eastern Group of Temples. The Eastern Group of temples include the Ghantai Temple, Vamana Temple dedicated to the "Vamana" or dwarf incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the Javari Temple. There are also three Jain Temples with beautiful carvings and non-erotic sculptures. Although these are Jain Temples, they also contain numerous Vaishnav deities.

In time transfer to the airport to board flight 9W 334

Depart Khajuraho     1335 hrs
Arrive Varanasi       1415 hrs

Meeting and assistance on arrival at Varanasi airport and transfer to Hotel.

DAY 09     VARANASI / DELHI  By Air  9W 334

Boat cruise on river Ganges. The western banks of Ganges has a string of Ghats - the chain of stone steps, all built with pavilions, palaces and terraces, most of which are mainly used as Dharamsalas where the pilgrims stay during their visit to the holy city. At dawn, the Ghats are buzz with activity of the devotees performing their ablutions in the river or offering prayers to the rising sun and performing other religious rituals. A boat ride along the Ghats gives you vantage views of this activity. The sunrise on the Ganges is a soul-lifting experience. Later, visit the Vishwanath temple, also called the golden temple because of the gold-plating on its roof.

Later tour to Sarnath, 10-Kms away from Varanasi is the fabled place, which bears testimony to its great past where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon to his disciples, expounding the principles of Buddhism. The remai ns date back to as far as the3rd-Century BC when Emperor Ashoka founded various institutions, stupas, monasteries and pillar Edicts. Visit the art collection at the Archaeological Museum. The main attraction is the superb Capital from Ashokan Pillar - the Ashokan symbol of four back-to-back Lions which has been adopted as the state symbol Independent India. Also visit the Mahabodhi'Buddha temple and walk around the Deer Park. Later see the Monastery ruins area, Dhameka Stupa.

Intime transfer to the airport to board flight S2 115

Depart Varanasi     1525 hrs
Arrive Delhi          1645 hrs

On arrival in Delhi transfer to Market (if time permitted) or Hotel for dinner (For Groups only).

No Hotel accommodation envisaged.

DAY 10     LEAVE DELHI

Intime transfer to the international airport to board flight for onward destination.
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