Taj & Village Holi Tour – Guaranteed Departure – 2023

Arrive Delhi, reach at your pre booked hotel (Standard check-in time is 1400 hrs)

Meet with your guide at hotel lobby at 1500 hrs and proceed for Old Delhi sightseeing

Start the tour by visiting Raj Ghat, this peaceful, very well maintained park contains a simple black-marble platform marking the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948.

Next you will be driven to Old Delhi market, just before entering the market you will embark on a ‘Rickshaw’ to steer through tiny lanes of Chandni Chowk. Ride past the majestic Red Fort & through the main Chandni Chowk street straight to Khari Baoli; Asia’s biggest wholesale spice market selling all kinds of spices, herbs, nuts & food products like rice, tea etc. Hop on to your rickshaws and pass through the tiny lanes of Kinaari Bazaar; lane for Indian attire accessories like borders etc, Dariba Kalan; lane for Silver market. Hop off and bid bye to your Rickshaw Puller at Jama Masjid; A beautiful pocket of calm at the heart of Old Delhi’s mayhem, the capital’s largest mosque is built on a 10m elevation. It can hold a mind-blowing 25,000 people.

Return back to your hotel at the end of the tour, dinner & overnight

Post breakfast proceed for Delhi sightseeing

Visit Humayun’s Tomb, Humayun’s tomb is sublimely well proportioned, seeming to float above its symmetrical gardens. It’s thought to have inspired the Taj Mahal, which it predates by 60 years. Lotus Temple for a short exterior photography stop; drive through Parliament’s street, & around the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Short photography stop at India Gate; This imposing 42m-high stone memorial arch was designed by Lutyens in 1921. It pays tribute to around 90,000 Indian Army soldiers who died in WWI, the Northwest Frontier operations and the 1919 Anglo-Afghan War. (note: photography stop at India Gate is strictly subject to security clearance and subject to vehicle parking availability at the day)

Arrive at the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara; This magnificent white-marble gurdwara (Sikh temple), topped by glinting golden onion domes, was constructed at the site where the eighth Sikh guru, Harkrishan Dev, stayed before his 1664 death.

Post visiting the Bangla Sahib, proceed to Qutub Minar; The Qutab Minar, soaring Afghan-style victory tower and minaret, erected by sultan Qutb-ud-din in 1193 to proclaim his supremacy over the vanquished Hindu rulers of Qila Rai Pithora.

Visit a Kashmiri Co-operative, enjoy a Kashmiri Tea ‘Kahwa’ here when you witness the artisians presenting their local arts & products

Transfer to your hotel at the end of the tour, dinner & overnight.

Breakfast at hotel. Checkout from hotel and then drive to Agra (200kms,4 hours). On arrival check-in at hotel.

In the evening proceed for Sunset visit of Taj Mahal- an ivory-white marble mausoleum, built between 1631 and 1648 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife. In these last moments of the afternoon, the gleaming white Taj Mahal suddenly absorbs the last rays of daylight, thus changing its color to orange.

Return back to hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Today enjoy Holi with local Indian family with Gulaal (Powder colour), traditional snacks and sweets and dance on Holi special songs. End the celebration with lunch with home-cooked food.

Holi is a Hindu spring festival, originating from India, celebrated predominantly in India but has also spread to Nepal and many other Western countries, also known as the “festival of colours” or the “festival of love”.The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. It is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest.

In the afternoon proceed to visit Agra Fort; Agra has one of the finest Mughal forts in India. Visit a Marble Workshop; local artisans showcase their skill of Marble Inlay work in these workshops. The artisans in Agra are believed to be the descendants of the artists who were actual workers of Taj Mahal.

Dinner & overnight at hotel.

Post breakfast checkout from hotel and drive to Suroth (117kms/2-3 hours).

Upon arrival at Suroth, check-in and Lunch at hotel.

After short rest, go around the village and experience Indian village life, you will also witness Local village market.

Return to the hotel.

Evening, have a folk music & dance show in the hotel, also enjoy the a short cooking demo. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Post breakfast checkout from hotel and drive toward Jaipur ((170kms, 3-4 hours).).

Upon arrival at Jaipur, upon arrival check-in at hotel. After some rest, proceed for sightseeing of Jaipur

Visit Jantar Mantar, a large grassy enclosure containing eighteen huge stone astronomical measuring devices constructed between 1728 and 1734. City Palace, originally built by Jai Singh in the 1720s and having lost none of its original pomp and splendour. Before you start exploring the local markets, stop for photography at the one world’s most famous façade Hawa Mahal. Later we will stop at Jal Mahal, Possibly the most serene sight amidst the chaos of Jaipur is the beautiful Jal Mahal Jaipur, the Water Palace. Short stops at the Jewel & Carpet Workshops in Jaipur are must to witness how the local artisans create marvels from raw materials.

Post your exploration. Return to hotel, dinner & overnight.

Post breakfast, checkout from hotel and proceed to visit Amber Fort. Elephant ride uphill & Jeep ride downhill at the fort. Nostalgic Amber Fort, near Jaipur in Rajasthan, is one of the most well-known and most-visited forts in India. During downhill, visit a very heritage structure – Panna-Meena ka kund, which is a square-shaped stepwell, with adjoining stairs on all four sides and a room on the northern wall.

Later drive to Delhi(300kms/5-6 hours).

Upon arrival in Delhi, drop at the drop off location [International airport OR central Delhi (Connaught Palace market)].