Departure From Your Country For Delhi, India

We Arrive In India’s Hyperactive Capital Late Evening And Transfer To Our Hotel.

After A Morning Briefing With Our Tour Director, This Afternoon We Tour Delhi, Including The 16th-Century Tomb Of Humayun, With Its Groundbreaking Mughal Design; Qutab Minar, The 234-Step Tower Dating To 1193; And India Gate, Honoring The 90,000 Indian Soldiers Who Died Fighting Alongside The British In World War 1. Tonight We Enjoy A Welcome Dinner At Our Hotel. B,D

Today We Explore Old Delhi, Beginning With The Gandhi Memorial, The Simple Black Marble Slab Honoring Mahatma Gandhi. Then We Visit Two Renowned 17th-Century Landmarks: Lal Qila, The Red Fort Complex Of Palaces Where We Stop For Photos; And The Red Sandstone And Marble Jama Masjid, India’s Largest Mosque (Circa 1656). Then We Ride Rickshaws Through Chandi Chowk Market; Visit A Sikh Temple; Tour The National Museum. Tonight We Are Dinner Guests In The Homes Of Urban Indian Families. B,D

Today We Travel By Coach To The “Pink City” Of Jaipur, One Of The Great Cities Of The Rajput, With Historic Forts, Palaces, And Garden. We Reach Our Hotel, Once A Maharajah’s Palace, Late This Afternoon. B,L,D

Our First Stop Is The Stunning Hawa Mahal, The Elaborately Carved Pink Sandstone “Palace Of The Winds.” We Continue On To Amber Fort, Built By The Kkachhawan Rajputs As Their Capital From 1037 To 1728, Considered The Pinnacle Of Mughal Architecture. Later We Visit Jantar Mantar, The Open-Air Observatory With Its Huge Astronomical Instruments And City Palace Museum, Housing The Magnificent Art Collections Of The Maharajahs Of Jaipur. B,L

This Morning We Visit The Village Of Sanganer To See Traditional Block Printing And Handmade Paper Industries. Later We Tour A Local Market Then Take A Traditional Rickshaw Ride. Tonight We Are Dinner Guests In The Home Of A Mutli-Generational Rajasthan Family. B,D

We Travel Today To Ranthambore National Park, The Former Hunting Ground Of The Maharajah Of Jaipur And Now A 512-Square-Mile Natural Preserve That Is Home To Hundreds Of Species Of Birds, Reptiles, Mammals, And Of Course, Bengal Tigers. This Afternoon We Take Our First Game Drive Through The Park. B,L,D

We Take Both Morning And Afternoon Game Drives Today To See Not Only Game (Though Tiger And Leopard Sightings Are Not Guaranteed), But Also Picturesque Ruins Of Forts And Palaces. B,L,D

Leaving Ranthambore This Morning, We Travel To Fatehpur Sikri, The Late 16th-Century City Of Red Sandstone That Is An Outstanding Example Of Mughal Architecture And A Unesco World Heritage Site. Early Afternoon We Reach Agra, The Ancient Mughal Stronghold. B,D

This Morning We Visit Imposing Agra Fort, A Complex Of Palaces, Pavilions, Courtyards, And Gardens That Served For Generations As The Seat Of Mughal Power. After A Cooking Lesson And Lunch, We Enjoy A Travel Highlight As We Embark On A Sunset Tour Of The Taj Mahal, The Magnificent Tomb Built By Emperor Shah Jahan In Memory Of His Beloved Wife Mumtaz. Some 20,000 Laborers Spent 17 Years On The Exquisitely Symmetrical White Marble Mausoleum, Which Was Begun In 1632. B,L

We Travel By Train To Jhansi, Then Continue By Coach To The Village Of Orchha, Known For Its 16th-Century Palaces And Temples. After Lunch Here We Travel On To Khajuraho, Whose Collection Of 22 Hindu Temples Dating To The 10th Century Is A Unesco Site. B,L,D

Today We Tour Several Of Khajuraho’s Well-Preserved Temples (Many Adorned With Erotic Sculptures), Considered The Finest Examples Of Temple Architecture In Northern India. B,D

We Fly Today To Varanasi, Hinduism’s Holiest City And A Sacred Place Of Pilgrimage. This Evening We Attend A Traditional Aarti Offering Ceremony As We Cruise Along The Ganges. B,D

Early This Morning We Return To The Ganges, Where Hindu Pilgrims Perform Their Rituals Along The Ghats (Steps) Leading To The River. We Visit Several Of The Important Ghats By Boat As We Experience For Ourselves The Spiritual Mystique Of These Hallowed Waters. Next We Visit Kashi-Vishwanath Temple, The Most Sacred Of The Shrines Dedicated To Lord Shiva. Later We Travel To Sarnath, Birthplace Of Buddhism And Still A Major Center Of The Practice. Tonight We Celebrate Our Journey At A Farewell Dinner. B,D

We Fly This Afternoon To Delhi, Where The Evening Is At Leisure. BDay 17: Return Back To Home.Early Today We Transfer To The Airport For Our Return Flight To Back Home