DAY
- 01 ARRIVE DELHI
Arrive Delhi by International flight.
A
history which encompasses all the various kings and emperors who
fixed their royal citadels here-- Indraprastha, Lal Kot, Quila Rai
Pithora, Siri, Jahanpanah, Tughlakabad, Ferozabad, Dinpanah, Delhi
Sher Shahi or then Shahjahanabad. but, combined and integrated into
one, these 'new cities' have always been called Delhi and howsoever
many names it may have acquired, Delhi has always been intrinsically
identified with power and imperial sway.
You will be met on
your arrival by the representative of Exotique Expeditions with
fresh flower garlands. You will then be transferred to your hotel.
Overnight at the hotel.
DAY - 02 IN DELHIThis
morning you will be given the city tour of Old and New Delhi.
Old
Delhi - Visit the former centre of Moghul Power, Old Delhi
offers ancient monuments, narrow streets and bustling bazaars. Drive
past the vast
Red Fort, built in 1648, the
Jama Masjid,
the greatest mosque in India and completed in 1658 by Shah Jahan who
also built the Taj Mahal, and the
Raj Ghat, the simple
memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. A unique experience of taking '
rickshaw
ride' from the Red Fort, through "Chandni Chowk" or
Silver Street, experiencing the sights and sounds of this very busy
avenue heading west from the Fort.
Chandni Chowk -
literally means "moonlit crossroads" and an area which
best represents the "super-Oriental" - the glory and the
guile; the grandeur and the grime, with its crowded bazaars,
twisting lanes, maze of small streets strange aromas, the pungent
odour of Oriental spices, the cries of shopkeepers, coolies and "rickshaw-walas"
and the clatter and whirr of furious industry.
New Delhi -
drive past the stately government buildings of the British Era
designed by Lutyens, including the
India Gate & the
Presidential
Palace. Continue onto the beautiful
Humayuns tomb of the
Mughal era & predecessor of the world famous Taj Mahal. End the
tour at the towering minaret of
Akshardham temple, Lotus Temple,
Birla Mandir,
Qutab Minar.
Overnight at the hotel.
DAY - 03 DELHI - AGRA (202 kms/126 Miles)Morning
leave Delhi for Agra by road.
Agra, the name brings to our mind
superb monuments including the magnificent Taj which is one of the
seven wonders of the world. Agra is the symbol of a bygone era. The
era, when the Mughals ruled India. As a reminder of their glorious
past they have left behind some beautiful monuments. The one and the
only Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Jehangir's Palace. The list of the
monuments is endless. If we could push these great monuments away
from our minds, then Agra is just like any other city.
Arrive
Agra and check in at the hotel.
DAY - 04 AGRAToday
you will be given the tour of Fatehpur Sikri and Agra city.
Fatehpur
Sikri - Impressive sandstone fortress of Fatehpur Sikri. The
fort was built in the 16th century and only occupied for a few years
before being abandoned, leaving the buildings in virtually perfect
conditions. Continue drive to Agra. Upon arrival in Agra - check-in
at the hotel. Thereafter, visit the Red Fort, which was built by
Akbar as his citadel over the years 1563-73 in the finest
architectural style
Red Fort - lies on the bend of the
river Yamuna, almost in the heart of the town. Akbar built it as his
citadel over the years 1563-73 in the finest architectural style. It
has imposing gates and walls of red sandstone and a moat.
Taj
Mahal - Little needs to be said about this architectural wonder
which is always the soul raison-de-etre for every tourist's visit to
Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial to his
beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. This monument took 22 years to be
completed and was designed and planned by Persian architect Ustad
Isa. Apart from it's stunning design balance and perfect symmetry,
the Taj is also noted particularly for its elegant domes,
intricately carved screens and some of the best inlay work ever
seen.
DAY - 05 AGRA - JHANSI (train) - KHAJURAHO
Transfer to the railway station in time to connect train
for Jhansi.
In Jhansi, you will be met by the representative of
Exotique Expeditions and transferred to Khajuraho.
The name
Khajuraho derives from the khajur or date palm trees that once
surrounded the huge Khajurvahaka Tal. Khajuraho, once the great
Chandela
capital, is today a village of about a few thousand people in
the interiors of central India, in Chhatarpur district of Madhya
Pradesh. Tradition records the existence of eighty five temples, of
which only twenty five, strewn amidst lakes and fields, have
survived. The temples at Khajuraho, brilliant examples of medieval
Indian architecture, were built under later Chandela kings between
AD 950 and AD 1050. Each ancient structure in India has a
fascinating story to tell. But few match the temples of Khajuraho.
Arrive
Khajuraho and check in at the hotel.
Later visit the world
famous
Chandela Temples. Out of the total 85 temples only 22
remain, but offer a
beautiful and extravagant ode to human life.
Built in 10th and 11th centuries, these temples are dedicated to a
particular deity and the on the outer walls are carved various
themes, but actually it is an ode to woman hood, an ode to
fertility, the form of birth and an ode to greatest form of life.
Of the two groups of temples -
Western and Eastern -
important temples to visit are - Kandariya Mahadev, Chaunsath
Yogini, Chitragupta, Lakshmana, Devi Jagdamba, Parvati, Vishvanath
Temple and Nandi, Paraswanath and Adinath.
DAY - 06 Khajuraho - Bandhavgarh Wildlife Tours (195 Kms / 122 Miles)
Leave
Khajuraho for Bandhavgarh.
Bandhavgarh Wildlife Reserve - is a small
National Park, compact, yet full of game. The density of the Tiger
population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. This is
also White Tiger country. These have been found in the old state of
Rewa for many years. The last known was captured by Maharajah
Martand Singh in 1951. This White Tiger, Mohan, is now stuffed and
on display in the palace of the Maharajahs of Rewa.
DAY
- 07 BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARKThe day is dedicated to take
safaris in the reserve with a naturalist,
Morning and evening
game viewing at the park.
DAY - 08 BANDHAVGARH -
KANHA (190 Kms/119 Miles)Morning Leave Bandhavgarh for
Kanha.
Romanticised by Kipling in his book,
Kanha National
Park is among the most spectacular, protected
wildlife
reserves of the world. The 1,945 sq. km National Park has been
compared to N'Gorongoro
National Park of Tanzania. However
like its African cousin,
Kanha National Park is not a
volcanic crater though the surrounding hills are a result of
geographically ancient volcanic activity.
Above all
Kanha
National Park is
far greener and more densely wooded
than N'Gorongoro. It is one of the largest and best monitored Parks
in the subcontinent and definitely one of the best places in the
world to see the critically endangered tiger in the wild.
DAY
- 09 KANHA WILDLIFE PARK
The day is dedicated to take
safaris in the reserve with a naturalist,
Morning and evening
game viewing at the park.
DAY - 10 KANHA - NAGPURLeave
Kanha for Nagpur by road.
Arrive Nagpur and check in at the
hotel.
DAY - 11 NAGPUR - DELHI Transfer
to the airport in time to connect flight for Delhi.
DAY
- 12 DEPART DELHIYou will be met by the representative of
Exotique Expeditions at the hotel and transferred to the airport, in
time to connect your onward flight.