Day 01 - Delhi
Arrive Delhi Namaste! We are welcomed the
traditional Indian way with hands clapped together.
After immigration and custom formalities, we are
assisted and driven through the city to our hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Taj Mahal, Delhi (2 nights)
Day 02 - Delhi
Delhi The capital of India is a true reflection of
the old and new of India. We start our morning tour
with New Delhi and visit the famous India Gate
followed by the Houses of Parliament, Connaught
Place and the Qutub Minar - a perfect minaret
towering 102 meters/112 yards into the sky. New
Delhi is a blend of Moghul India, Hindu India,
British India and certainly modern independent
India. Our afternoon concentrates on Old Delhi,
starting with the famous Red Fort. Built by Shah
Jehan, this was once the most opulent fort of the
Moghul Empire. Next we visit another Moghul majesty,
the Jama Masjid which is India's largest mosque,
followed by the Raj Ghat, the cremation site of
Mahatma Gandhi. We end our tour with a bazaar
experience at Chandni Chawlk, the street of silver
and goldsmiths.
Day 03 - Delhi/Agra (Shatabdi
Express)
Train travel is an exciting way to see India and the
experience begins right at the railway platforms.
Early morning we arrive at the Delhi Railway Station
and see the many cullies that make the station so
lively. We are escorted through this maze and board
the deluxe Shatabdi Express to Agra. We arrive in
the city that houses the most well known of the
wonders of the world - the Taj Mahal. Built by Shah
Jehan as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz
Mahal, the Taj is built of white marble, beautifully
carved and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Next we
visit Agra Fort, where Shah Jehan was imprisoned by
his son in the later years of his life to prevent
him from spending the family fortunes on a black
echo of the Taj Mahal. Overnight: Hotel Taj View (1
night)
Day 04 - Agra/Jaipur (Via
Fatehpur Sikri)
A short drive gets us to Fatehpur Sikri, the
beautiful capital built in 1640 by the Moghul king,
Akbar the Great. The city was later abandoned for
lack of water. A superb example of Moghul
architecture, it stands perfectly preserved in the
desert. We also visit the artistically designed
mausoleum of Salim Chisty who is reputed to have
prayed for a son for Akbar leading to the birth of
Salim Jehangir, the builder of the Taj. From here we
continue on a countryside drive to Jaipur, the rose
pink capital of Rajasthan. Overnight: Hotel Trident
Oberoi, Jaipur (2 nights)
