India
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Day One: Welcome to India
Arrive at Delhi International Airport to a traditional greeting of marigold garlands, followed by a private transfer to your hotel. After check-in, you’ll embark on an exploration of the city with your private guide. Travel by tuk-tuk down the grand boulevard of Rajpath (King’s Way) to the imposing India Gate, before heading to frenetic Connaught Place. Here, washermen (dhobi walas) soak hotel sheets, restaurant tablecloths and myriad clothing in the old-fashioned outdoor laundries tucked between the monuments. Have a drink at the perfectly-preserved, turn-of-the-century United Coffee House; or visit the Gandhi Smriti museum, where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last days of his life. Come evening, it’s time for a culinary trip by tuk-tuk, tasting some of the city’s best street food and heading behind the scenes to meet some of the chefs, bakers and families who have been providing fabulous food here for generations.
Overnight in Delhi
We offer a variety of hotel classes to suit different budgets. You can choose the style that’s right for you.
Select from Classic, Premium or Deluxe when booking, and click hotel name below for more details.
Classic - The Suryaa
Premium - The Claridges
Deluxe - Oberoi New Delhi
Meals included: None
Day Two: Discovering Agra
You’ll be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the station for the 8:00am Gatimaan Express train, scheduled to arrive in Agra at 9:30am. Then it’s time to explore this buzzy city of monuments and markets, once the capital of the grand Mughal Empire. Make for its second most famous UNESCO World Heritage site first – Agra Fort. Built as a military defence in the 16th-century, this imposing, red-brick building was converted into a palace by Shah Jaden a century later. Marvel at its marble stonework and countless courtyards, then drive through the city, past bustling bazaars and through tuk-tuk traffic jams, to Itimad-ud-Daulah, the tomb of a Persian nobleman that’s nicknamed the Baby Taj. Enjoy a free evening, before tomorrow’s early start.
Overnight in Agra
Classic - Double Tree by Hilton
Premium - ITC Mughal
Deluxe - Oberoi Amarvilas
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Three: Taj Mahal and Varanasi
Take it two of India’s most famous sights today: First, you’ll rise before dawn to visit the Taj Mahal in the glorious Indian sunrise, when its marble exterior is at its most beautiful, reflecting the rose and golden tints of the sky. After returning to your hotel for breakfast and check-out, you’ll head to the airport to start your journey to one of the oldest cities in the world, Varanasi. You’ll arrive mid-afternoon, and check-in to your hotel ready for a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle on the River Ganges: The Ganga Aarti is a Hindu ritual that gives thanks to the sacred river. Under atmospheric moonlight, chanting and bell ringing mingle on the air, as singers and dancers in elaborate costumes perform by the water in clouds of headily perfumed incense.
Overnight in Varanasi
Classic - Radisson Hotel in Varanasi
Premium - Vivanta by Taj Gateway
Deluxe - Brijrama Palace
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Four: The Ganges and Khajuraho
Rise before 5:30am, for a sunrise boat trip along the Ganges. The early start is worth it: this is the best time to observe Varanasi’s daily morning rituals. Watch worshippers bathing in the sacred waters as they welcome the sun with chants and offerings to the river. Then it’s back to the hotel for breakfast and check-out before your private transfer to the airport. You’ll arrive in Khajuraho, home to a UNESCO-listed collection of exquisite stone temples, in the early afternoon. Check in to your hotel, then wander the Western temples with your private guide. Every inch of their delicate, 1,000-year-old facades are filled with intricate carvings, famously including erotic scenes, some depicting the Kama Sutra.
Overnight in Khajuraho
Classic - Radisson Hotel in Khajuraho
Premium - The Lalit Temple View
Deluxe - Pashan Garh
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Five: Onwards to Bandhavgarh
After breakfast and check-out, you will travel the 140 miles to Bandhavgarh National Park, your home for the next two nights. On your way, you will visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kalinjar Fort, a evocatively crumbling fortress city with far-reaching views over the plains of Bundelkhand. Some of the temples inside its walls date back to 300AD, and its walls and pillars are carved with delicate patterns, inscriptions and depictions of gods and goddesses. Later, you’ll continue to your lodge in Bandhavgarh, where you will check-in before dinner.
Overnight in Bandhavgarh
Classic - Bandhav Vilas
Premium - Tree House Hideaway
Deluxe - Samode Safari Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast; dinner
Day Six: Tiger Time
The forested wilderness of Bandhavgarh National Park has the highest density of tigers in India, and it is the home to a unique ecosystem. Leopards, sambar and barking deer all live among its trees, while egrets, hornbills, kingfishers and eagles populate its skies. Before breakfast, you’ll head out on a private safari drive with an expert naturalist guide (early morning is the best time to spot the region’s wildlife) in your own exclusive private vehicle. Return to the hotel by 10.00am for breakfast and time to relax, before a longer afternoon drive through the wilderness as dusk falls.
Overnight in Bandhavgarh
Classic - Bandhav Vilas
Premium - Tree House Hideaway
Deluxe - Samode Safari Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Seven: Back to Delhi
Your final morning provides another opportunity to search for wildlife as you take a game drive before breakfast. Check-out after lunch, when you will be transferred by private taxi to the Jabalpur airport for your flight to Delhi. Upon arrival you'll be transferred to an airport hotel for the night, ready for your flight to Dehradun in the morning.
Overnight in Delhi
Classic, Premium & Deluxe - Holiday Inn AeroCity
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch
Day Eight: To the Himalayas
After breakfast, you will be transferred by private taxi to the airport, to board your onward flight to Dehradun, the gateway to the Indian Himalayas. On arrival you'll be transferred to your hotel in Rishikesh, and have the rest of the day at leisure to settle in to the wondrous natural setting.
Overnight in Rishikesh
Classic - Ganga Kinare Boutique Hotel
Premium - Aloha in the Ganges
Deluxe - Ananda in the Himalayas
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Nine & Ten: Time to Relax
The next two days are at your leisure, and can be as active or as relaxed as you want them to be. All the hotels chosen provide a variety of activities and facilities; from adrenalin-fuelled white water rafting and wildlife safaris to calming yoga classes and spa treatments (see below for more specific hotel details).
Overnight in Rishikesh
Classic - Ganga Kinare Boutique Hotel
Premium - Aloha in the Ganges
Deluxe - Ananda in the Himalayas
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Eleven
After a final breakfast, you'll transfer back to Dehradun Airport for your flight to Delhi airport, where your experience ends.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overall meals included: 11 Breakfasts; 2 lunches; 2 dinners
What's included:
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers, train tickets and internal flights, unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- Mandatory taxes and service fees
- Entrance tickets and permits unless stated otherwise
- 3 x safari game drives through Bandhavgarh National Park in private vehicle with driver and expert naturalist guide
- Attend the spiritual Ganga Aarti ritual on the River Ganges
- Culinary street food experience by rickshaw in Delhi
- Flight from Jabalpur to New Delhi
- Return flights Delhi - Dehradun - Delhi
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience:
call 0208 432 0885 for AX specially negotiated flight rates - Tips for guides, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the holiday
- We cannot guarantee the included hotel breakfast for early departures
- Drinks during meals unless stated otherwise
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
- Optional Extras
SUITABILITY FOR FAMILIES : Suitable for families with adult kids.
If you intend to travel solo, contact us on 0208 432 0885
GETTING THERE
Typical return Economy flights from London cost around £460 per person and take approximately 8.5 hours depending on exact flight configurations and layover times.
Experience start point: New Delhi (DEL). Suggested arrival by 11am.
End point: New Delhi (DEL).
Prices for departures to 30th October include a 20% Pioneers Club discount and are subject to Pioneers Club terms & conditions. Click here for more information.
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