Asia:India
North India Explorer
Tour Highlights:
• Enjoy luxury heritage hotels such as Lake Palace in Udaipur.
• Spend a week touring Rajasthan, from princely abodes to remote outposts & the great Thar Desert.
• Discover first hand the famous highlights of Delhi, Mumbai & Agra, including sunset at Taj Mahal.
• See Ranakpur’s masterpiece Jain temples, the ghats of the Ganges at sunrise & an evening service at Buddhism’s sacred Sarnath.
• Meet the people of India – from royal family in Jodhpur to villagers in remote Rajasthan countryside.
• Celebrate your adventures at a gala dinner party in the home of Big Five’s India Manager.
Day 1: Arrive Mumbai (Bombay) Touch down late tonight in Mumbai, an exciting starting point for your India adventure. Big Five’s host welcomes you and escorts you to your prestigious hotel along the bay. Choice of Hotels
Day 2: Mumbai
Today, you are immersed in the energy of Mumbai, an intriguing mix of Indian and colonial influences. View Indian art, archaeology and natural history at Prince of Wales Museum. Visit seaside Gateway of India, terraced Hanging Gardens atop Malabar Hill, and Mahatma Gandhi’s home. See India’s foremost artists at Jehangir Art Gallery. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 3: Mumbai / Udaipur
Fly to one of India’s finest scenic areas. Udaipur is an enchanted landscape of fairytale palaces, green hills, and exotic bazaars. Arrive at your hotel on an island in Lake Pichola. Tour colossal City Palace, its enduring frescoes, Mughal-inspired art, and 17th century Hindu Jagadish Temple. Enjoy a walk by the lake or shop the crafts village of Shilpgram. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 4: Udaipur / Ranakpur / Jodhpur
Journey across rolling, green Aravalli Hills to Ranakpur and its Jain temples, among India’s sculptural masterpieces. Stop to inspect the sanctuary’s richly carved halls and domes and the forest of 1444 pillars, each individually sculpted. Drive to Jodhpur, a medieval fortress city rising like a dream over the golden sands of the great Thar Desert. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 5: Jodhpur
As the day unfolds, you mingle with maharajahs and visit with villagers. Begin at Mehrangarh Fort, a showplace of medieval art, weaponry, and sumptuous living quarters. You can picture the Arabian Nights at Rohetgarh Palace. Glimpse Rajput country life at a gourmet luncheon hosted by members of the royal family of Rohet. One of the family members escorts you on a jeep safari into villages where you to meet villagers, who warmly welcome you into their cool, earthen homes to share this unique cultural exchange. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 6: Jodhpur / Jaipur
Drive to one of India’s most colorful cities, Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan. This pink-hued city is a vast open-air museum of bazaars, gardens and fanciful architecture. Tonight, walk with your guide through the city. Camels, elephants, free-roaming cows are part of the traffic. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 7: Jaipur
Amber Palace rises in rose-colored splendor over the desert. On elephant back, travel the route of rajahs up ramparts to the palace and the grand walled city of Mughal courtyards, gardens, and royal apartments. Back in the city, visit City Palace and its prized glass works and figurines. The Palace of the Winds features a delicate, pink honeycombed wall designed as a privacy screen for royal harems. See 17th century Royal Observatory. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 8: Jaipur / Fatehpur Sikri / Agra
Your week in Rajasthan as you go to Fatehpur Sikri. This 16th-century city was abandoned after just 18 years, but its stone palaces remain largely intact. You will then continue to Agra to take in another of India’s great architectural sights, Agra Fort, an elegant synthesis of Hindu and Central Asian styles. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 9: Agra / Delhi / Varanasi
Start off your day with sunrise at the Taj Mahal. You will long remember this scene as the Taj changes color and mood, its marble walls reflecting the pinks and mauves of the rising sun. After breakfast you return to Delhi for your flight to Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. As daylight fades, take a short trip to the Buddhist city of Sarnath, where you are invited to join an evening service with traditional temple music, at the site where Buddha preached his first sermons. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 10: Varanasi / Delhi
Rise at dawn for a boat trip on the River Ganges. Witness the spectacle of morning in India. People gather on riverside stairways, or ghats, for Hindu rituals of yoga, head shavings and cremation, and for everyday activities such as bathing and laundry. Go ashore to explore winding lanes of shops and temples, among pilgrims from all over India. You will then fly to Delhi. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 11: Delhi
Explore the many faces of Delhi, old and new. See ancient Qutab Minar and Humayun’s Tomb, British-era Embassy District, Presidential Palace, and Connaught Place. Admire India’s largest mosque, Jama Masjid, and visit Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. Get caught up in the hectic street life of Old Delhi on a charming rickshaw taxi ride. Celebrate your adventures at a gala dinner party in the home of Big Five’s India Manager, Tapas Banerjee, and his wife, Krishna. Choice of Hotels (B,D)
Day 12: Delhi / Depart
In the early morning hours, transfer to the airport where you board your homebound flight.
Superior | Deluxe | |
Mumbai | The Lalit Mumbai, Deluxe Room | The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Superior Room |
Udaipur | Lalit Laxmi Vilas Palace, Palace Deluxe Room Lake View | Taj Lake Palace, Palace Room |
Jodhpur | Taj Hari Mahal, Superior Pool View Room | Umaid Bhawan Palace, Palace Room |
Jaipur | Taj Jai Mahal Palace, Luxury Room with sitout | Rambagh Palace, Historic Suite |
Agra | The Gateway Hotel Agra, Superior Taj View Room | Oberoi Amarvilas, Superior Deluxe Room w/ private balcony |
Varanasi | The Gateway Hotel Ganges, Executive Room | Nadesar Palace, Palace Room |
Delhi | The Lalit New Delhi, Deluxe Room | The Imperial, Heritage Room |
Rates/Departures:
North India Explorer | Double | Single Supplement | Comments |
| Jan 04 - Apr 15, 2010 | $5450 | $1550 | Superior |
| Apr 16 - Sep 30, 2010 | $4890 | $990 | |
| Oct 01 - Dec 21, 2010 | $5850 | $1750 | |
| Jan 04 - Apr 15, 2010 | $9350 | $4790 | Deluxe |
| Apr 16 - Sep 30, 2010 | $8090 | $3590 | |
| Oct 01 - Dec 21, 2010 | $10190 | $5450 |
Rates are for land arrangements only. Airfares are not included unless specifically mentioned in inclusions and can be quoted separately. Rates are per person, in US dollars, and based on two people sharing a room. Valid Jan. 01 – Dec. 21, 2010, unless otherwise noted. The single supplements indicated are based on a single room supplement after the two passenger minimum is met. For solo travelers, additional supplements will apply.