The Festival Kingdoms of Rajasthan
Duration : 16 Nights / 17 DaysTour Destination : Delhi - Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur - Mandawa - Khimsar - Jaisalmer - Barmer - Zainabad - Bhuj - Bombay.
Day 01 : Arrive Delhi
Clear immigration and customs. Your tour manager/ representative will be waiting for you outside the arrival hall. He will be holding a “High Points of India” placard. Transfer to hotel. Day at leisure.
At the time when Bombay and Madras were just being established, Delhi had already been the capital of an empire for 500 years past. No fewer than eight cities have been built side by side on this site over the centuries. The city as it stands today has been built by Hindu, Muslim and British builders, and in a few minutes you can be transported from the neo-classical architecture of the elegant garden city of New Delhi to the narrow, twisting lanes that surround Chandni-Chowk in the old city.
PM: Excursion to the Hauz Khas, to explore its art galleries, boutiques and exotic restaurants set amidst 1000 year old fortifications and a lively village. A welcome dinner a top the fort, with a live introduction to Indian folk music and dances, shall prepare us for the magic of the days to follow.
Day 02 : Delhi
AM & PM: Guided city tour of Old and New Delhi. Drive past the elegant India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and Parliament House. Visit the Qutub Minar, Red Fort, and the Jama Masjid. The buildings designed by Edward Lutyens - architect of modern Delhi - are truly majestic. The Presidential Palace, Parliament House and India Gate are all reminiscent of the British "Raj". We drive through Delhi’s beautiful tree-lined avenues and the Diplomatic Enclave en route to the 12th century, 234 foot high fluted minaret of Qutab Minar. Later, in Old Delhi, we will explore the magnificent Red Fort, built at the zennith of the Mughal empire in India. The centuries-old international market-place that sprawls at its feet is still one of Delhi's most important commercial hubs: Chandni Chowk, or “Moonlight Square”. We shall ride on cycle-rickshaws through the bustling silver market and the wholesale spice market. The sounds, smells and colors of the bazaar, and the throngs of people who animate it makes this a fascinating experience. Our last stop in Old Delhi shall be the elegant Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in Asia. Our last stop in Old Delhi shall be the elegant Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in Asia. Its mammoth spaces are suffused with an ambience of peace, tranquility and beauty. Some of us may want to climb up the steep and narrow stairway to the top of one of its minarets. The view of the amazingly busy streets and alleys of Old Delhi sprawled beneath us, with the high-rise structures of New Delhi looming on the horizon, is an unforgettable spectacle.
Day 03 : Delhi - Agra
AM: Half-day drive to Agra.
PM: We spend the afternoon and early evening at the Taj Mahal, the magnificent monument to an emperor’s love for his queen. We spend the afternoon and early evening at the Taj Mahal, the magnificent monument to an emperor’s love for his queen. Here, the Mogul Emperor Shah Jehan presented the world it’s most magnificent monument to conjugal Love. A colossal, perfectly proportioned mass of marble, the Taj Mahal is literally a jewel. It was fashioned over 17 years by 20,000 craftsmen & laborers. From a distance, it seems to float, like a fantastic mirage, upon the banks of the River Yamuna.
Some of us may take the circuitous and crowded road leading to the other side of the river. The last mile of this trip has to be done on rickety, old scooter-rickshaws (1 for each pair of us), through narrow village streets. The sunset view of the Taj from across the river presents an unforgettable and seldom seen facet of this glorious monument to Love.Day 04 : Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur
AM : Half-Day drive to Jaipur, enroute visiting the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri.
Fatehpur Sikri is a perfectly preserved ghost town, built between 1570 and 1585. The original capital of the Mughal empire was situated here, but was later abandoned due to lack of an adequate water supply. The deserted city boasts several elegant palaces and mosques. Approaching Jaipur, we drive past stretches of golden Send and low, rocky hills dotted with tiny fortresses. Occasional camel-drawn carts share the road. Their riders wear the colorful turbans and fierce mustaches of the fabled Raj put clans. We shall reach our hotel in Jaipur by early evening.
Day 05 : Jaipur
AM : Guided Tour. High above the city, the towers and domes of the Amber Fort are reminiscent of scenes from some fairy tale. We shall ascend to the fort atop gaily decorated elephants, as did the Maharajah’s of yore .Within the fort walls lies an assortment of buildings famous for their intricate mirror inlays - the Hall of Mirrors, Kali’s Temple, palaces with latticed windows and beautifully sculpted arches and pillars.
PM : This afternoon we will tour Jaipur City, visiting the Maharaja’s City Palace. The City Palace is still the residence of the Jaipur family, and its museum displays a fabulous collection of paintings, carpets , jewelry and arms. We will visit the Jantar Mantar (Royal Observatory), and the Hawa Mahal, or “Palace of the Winds”. This is a multi-storied, intricately latticed facade of pink Sendstone, designed for the pleasures of the ladies of the royal court. From here they could look out upon the quaint bazaars that still thrive around the palace, without exposing themselves to the prying stares of the commoners. Later, we shall explore the same colorful bazaars on foot, for memorable encounters with the descendents of those commoners, many of them still living in their ancestral “havelis” along the main market street. The sheer variety of the items that is sold off the street is fascinating, ranging from the mundane to the exotic, or even the simply baffling.
Day 06 : Jaipur - Mandawa
AM : Half-day drive to Mandawa. Check-in at the Castle Mandawa, now converted into a heritage hotel.
PM : Walking tour of the interesting towns of Shekhawati, where the dominent merchant families decorate their ancestral homes with elaborate murals. One of the oldest murals (1760) is within the Castle Mandawa. Some of them are influenced by the arrival of the British East India Company in India. One shows an Englishman riding a bicycle, but the artist had obviously never seen a real one. There is another representing the Wright Brothers flying an airplane, but it has only one wing! In the evening, traditional dinner and live entertainment at the castle.
Day 7 : Mandawa - Khimsar AM : Half-day drive to Khimsar. Check-in at the Royal Khimsar Castle hotel. The Royal Khimsar castle is a 16th century fort perched on the edge of the Great Thar Desert. Originally, the fort walls, turrets and stables were built solely for war. Subsequently, the royal family moved in, and a new “zenana” or ladies’ residence was erected with finely carved windows in stone that provided “purdah” or veil for ladies in waiting. Today, this fort ranks amongst the premier Heritage Hotels of India.
PM : Explore the surrounding villages. Evening traditional dinner and live folk dances in the castle.
Day 08 : Khimsar - Jaisalmer
AM : Half-day drive to Jaisalmer. The massive battlements of the living fort of Jaisalmer rise dramatically out of the surrounding desert. Within lie a host of curious buildings, with fantastic facades and elaborate balconies.This fascinating fort was built in 1156 in the heart of the Thar desert.
PM : Walk in the bazaars inside this ancient and fascinating fortress-city.
Day 09 : Jaisalmer
AM : City tour of Jaisalmer. The Jain temples within the fort are decorated with deities and elaborate dancing figures in mythological settings. We shall explore the intricately latticed
“havelis” - residences of erstwhile noblemen and wealthy traders - with their conspicuous facades. The superb craftsmanship of the stone carver is illustrated in Nathmalji-ki-haveli, Patwon-ki-haveli and Salim Singh-ki-haveli. Amidst all this grandeur thrives the gay commerce and now simple life of families who have lived in the fort for a thouSend years. Jaisalmer’s exotic bazaars offer fine mirror work and embroidered articles, wooden boxes, trinkets, silver jewelry and curios.
PM : Afternoon visit the Send dunes at Sam. Ride on camels over the dunes in the golden light of the setting sun.
Day 10 : Jaisalmer - Barmer
AM : Half-day drive to Barmer. Enroute visit colorful desert villages. PM: Explore the Barmer market. After an evening of campfire song and dance with local people, we shall sleep in trekking style two-person tents in sleeping bags. Good meals will be prepared by the High Points crew.
Day 11 : Barmer - Zainabad
AM : Half-day drive to Zainabad. Excursions into the Raan of Kutch for observing the wildlife as well as the local Kutcchi tribes, a colorful sea - faring people who welcome the few visitors to this area with simple but enthusiastic hospitality. Tonight we sleep in Tourist Huts at the edge of the Little Raan of Kutch. Clean, with ethnic decor and western plumbing.Day 12 : Zainabad
AM and PM : Explore the Raan by 4-wheel drive vehicles. Bounded on the north and east by marshy flats and on the south and west by the Gulf of Kutch and the Arabian Sea, the province of Kutch (also spelt Kuchchh or Kachchha) is a place apart. All but isolated from neighboring Saurasthra and Sind, Kutch’s largely arid landscape is shot through with the color from heavily embroidered local dress. It’s a land of legends recorded in stone statues, and folk customs reflected in popular craft and jeweler designs. The treeless marshes to the north and east, known as the Rann of Kutch, can flood completely during a heavy monsoon, effectively transforming Kutch into an island. Home to the rare wild ass, the Raan is also the only region in India where flamingoes breed successfully, during July and August, out of reach of any but the most determined bird watchers who can cross the marshes by camels.
PM : Evening campfire revelries with the local villagers.
Day 13 : Zainabad - Bhuj
AM : An 8-hr drive exploring other parts of the Raan. We arrive at the charming fortress town of Bhuj in the late afternoon. Evening explore the maze of tiny streets and colorful bazaars that make up the town.
Day 14 : Bhuj
AM : City tour including the Kutch museum and the Swaminarayan temple.
PM : Explore the tribal villages around Bhuj. The Rabari tribes rear cattle, buffalo, goats, sheep and camels, sell ghee, weave cloth and are also known for fine embroidery. Typical houses, made of mud or brick, are decorated inside with gargomati, a raised pattern of white-washed mud and dung, inlaid with mirrors.
Day 15 : Bhuj - Bombay
Mid-day transfer to airport for the short flight to Bombay. Met upon arrival and transfer to hotel.
Day 16 : Bombay
AM & PM: City tour: Bombay is a bustling cosmopolitan city of over six million. It holds a curious fascination for the visitor as well as its inhabitants, who have migrated from all over the sub-continent over the centuries. They have retained their distinct cultural identities yet merged into that unshakeably faithful entity: Bombayites! We shall visit the very British style Prince of Wales Museum, and then drive along the `Queen’s Necklace’ (Marine drive), skirting the back bay to Chowpatty beach, teeming with colorful life. We will also see the Dhobi ghat (probably the world’s largest open-air laundry!), and will stop to explore the lively streets around Flora Fountain.
Day 17 : Bombay - Onward destination
Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
