Indian Culture With Wildlife Tour (14 days) C122B

Introduction

Enjoy some of India’s sensational monuments and most famous cities on this classic culture tour. Marvel at the intricate details that place the Taj Mahal as one of the most stunning man-made features on earth! Take a boat safari on the Chambal River for incredible views of the rare Gharial (a fish-eating crocodile) and the comical Indian Skimmer. Visit the famous Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary where storks, cranes and egrets nest. Explore the Pink City of Jaipur, famous for silk and gem stones and see the famous Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) and the Amber Fort. Discover the Blue City of Jodhpur, with the impressive Mehrangarh Fort dominating the skyline. Take a boat trip on Lake Pichola and perhaps see Lake Palace as James Bond would have done in the filming of “Octopussy”. This enchanting journey is perfect for anyone interested in architecture, culture, wildlife or photography.

Itinerary and price

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Meals: Payable directly today Arrive at New Delhi airport where you will be welcomed by our representative.  Your driver will then take you to your hotel.  Check-in at most places is from 12 noon – often earlier if the room is available.  Explore Delhi for the remainder of the day (with your driver).  From here we recommend you visit Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar where you should see Black Kites flying overhead, Purple Sunbirds in the shrubbery and Five-striped Palm Squirrels.  If time permits take a drive to see India Gate and the Government buildings.  Note: In the big cities there are plenty of places where you can eat out cheaply, or alternatively you can check the menu at your hotel.  Extra note: We haven’t included any monument entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary details for this tour, as paying directly you can pick and choose which ones you would prefer to visit.  However, if you would like us to price with all the monument entrance fees included, please contact us and we will supply you with a supplement. Meals: Breakfast in Delhi After breakfast leave for Agra.  Expect the journey to take around 4 – 5 hours depending on traffic.  In the afternoon visit the Taj Mahal (closed on Fridays) and the rather splendid Agra Fort if time permits.  Night at hotel in Agra. Meals: Breakfast in Agra, lunch en route and dinner at Bharatpur After breakfast your driver will take you to the Chambal River at Dholpur - a journey of around 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy a one-hour boat safari (guide excluded) to see the amazing Gharial, Marsh Crocodile, various species of turtle and the charismatic Indian Skimmer. Note: if you feel you would like a longer boat safari please let us know and we can supply a supplement.  On the way to Bharatpur, after approximately three hours drive you will stop at the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri.  Explore this fascinating World Heritage Site with a guide before continuing the short distance on to Bharatpur. Meals: Breakfast, lunch or packed lunch and dinner Today a guide will help you explore for a full day Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary’s myriad of beautiful waterways, open lakes and small pools. Expect to see many species of birds close up including storks, egrets and owls and with luck you may see Jungle Cat, Golden Jackal and Nilgai too. It really is a paradise for photographers and be sure to admire the lovely sunsets too. Night in hotel at Bharatpur. Meals: Breakfast at Bharatpur After a leisurely start you will be driven (3 1/2 hours) to the Pink City of Jaipur.  Relax in the heat of the day and explore locally (on own with your driver) in the late afternoon/evening.  Night at hotel. Meals: Breakfast Following breakfast you’ll explore the impressive Amber Fort (partly on elephant back), followed by a guided tour of Jaipur, including the City Palace and the Observatory. Return to your hotel for the evening. Meals: Breakfast Spend a final few hours exploring Jaipur then drive (6 hours) to Jodhpur, the Blue City, located on the edge of the Great Thar Desert. You could, if you wish, visit Pushkar en-route.  On arrival at Jodhpur check in to your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure, admiring views dominated by Mehrangarh Fort or perhaps visit the Clock Tower and colourful Sardar Market in the old part of the city. Meals: Breakfast Following breakfast enjoy a morning excursion by jeep with guide to the local villages of the Bishnoi community.  You’ll be able to experience the daily life of this tribe, visit the local school, the shepherd and his family, a weaver and a potter.  Often you can see Demoiselle Cranes, Indian Gazelle (Chinkara) and Blackbuck locally.  Drive back to Jodhpur around lunch time and in the afternoon take a guided tour of the impressive Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada, the latter being a memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II.  Spend a second night at your hotel. Meals: Breakfast After breakfast drive to Udaipur (6 – 7 hours) and check in to your hotel.  Relax for the remainder of the day in what is reputed to be one of the most romantic cities in India with Lake Pichola at its centre. Udaipur has many temples, palaces and havelis to explore.  The James Bond movie Octopussy helped bring extra fame to the Lake Palace Hotel, along with both Shiv Niwas Palace and Monsoon Palace where many of the scenes were filmed.  Night at your hotel. Meals: Breakfast After breakfast spend the morning on a guided tour of City Palace and the beautifully carved Indo-Aryan Jagdish Temple and in the evening take a boat ride on Lake Pichola (by shared boat).  Night at the same hotel. Meals: Breakfast A full day excursion to Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur Jain temples is suggested today. The drive from Udaipur to Kumbhalgarh is approx. 2 hours. You’ll have plenty of time to explore the Fort before continuing for another 1 hour to Ranakpur where you can expect to be in awe of one of India’s most important Jain temples.  The main temple here, often referred to as the Four-Faced Temple, dates back to 1439.  Drive to Udaipur (approx. 1 ½ hrs) and relax for the remainder of the day.  Night at your hotel. Meals: Breakfast After breakfast your driver will take you to the airport for an internal flight back to Delhi (excluded from price).  You will be met outside the airport by your driver and transferred to your hotel in Delhi.  Night at your hotel in Delhi. Meals: Breakfast (served from 0700 hours) On this day we have included a departure transfer to the airport to connect with your international flight home (flight to be booked by you directly). Tour ends Prices for different hotel categories, the names of hotels and a list of inclusions/exclusions are shown below. There are plenty of ways to extend this tour. Please ask for details. Price per person for low budget hotels option: 2 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £925 3 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £870 4 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £790 Single room supplement £215 Low budget price is based on the following hotels:

Place	Hotel name	No. of nights
Delhi	Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room	1
Agra	Hotel Crystal Inn, Deluxe Room	1
Bharatpur	Hotel Sunbird, Standard Room	2
Jaipur	Hotel Ram Vilas, Deluxe Room	2
Jodhpur	Kalinga, Standard Room	2
Udaipur	Hotel Sarovar, Standard Room	3
Delhi	Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room	1

Price per person for mid budget hotels option: 2 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £995 3 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £935 4 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £855 Single room supplement £260 Mid budget price is based on the following hotels:

Place	Hotel name	No. of nights
Delhi	Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room	1
Agra	Hotel Seven Hills Tower, Deluxe Room	1
Bharatpur	Hotel Sunbird, Standard Room	2
Jaipur	Park Regis, Deluxe Room	2
Jodhpur	Devi Bhawan, Deluxe Room	2
Udaipur	Devraj Villa, Deluxe Room	3
Delhi	Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room	1

Price includes

• Accommodation in the above mentioned hotels with meals as listed
• All mentioned transfers by air-conditioned vehicle
• A one-hour boat safari on the Chambal river with boat crew (without naturalist guide)
• Local guide for one full day at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary with entrance fee paid once
• Elephant ride at Amber Fort, Jaipur
• Within the deluxe price only one afternoon exploring around the lodge with the lodge naturalist is included
• Half day jeep safari to Bishnoi villages along with local English speaking guide
• Boat ride (shared) on Lake Pichola, Udaipur
• All currently applicable taxes
• Pre-travel information

Price excludes

• Any international airfare to/from India including International airport tax
• Any internal airfare
• Meals not specified
• Tourist visa and travel insurance
• Entrances fees to monuments visited which are listed in the itinerary, except for the sites and experiences mentioned in the inclusions.  If you'd like a cost to include all the moment fee's please email and we will supply
• Camera fee and camcorder fee where levied
• Any additional taxes levied by the Government of India on the tourism sector in future
• Any expenses of personal nature such as hard/soft drinks, laundry, phone/fax calls, tips etc.
• Any item not mentioned in the price includes section
• Any increase in the entrance fee to Sanctuaries or monuments in the future. The price is based on the current entrance fee
• Cost incidental to any change in the itinerary/stay on account of flight cancellation due to bad weather, ill health, roadblocks and/or any factors beyond control

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