Home ~~> Rajasthan Travel Package ~~> Royal and Rustic Rajasthan Tour

Royal and Rustic Rajasthan Tour

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Duration: 13 Nights / 14 Days
Places to Visit: Agra - Jaipur - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Ranakpur - Udaipur – Pushkar - Mandawa – Delhi

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Day 01 Arrive Delhi
Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel.

Day 02 Delhi
After breakfast set out to visit the imperial capital of the 20th century : New Delhi. Visit the Qutub Minar – the tallest free standing minaret in stone in the world; then onto Humayun’s tomb – the first Mughal construction in India from 1565 AD. Also see the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the India Gate built in the earlier half of the 20th century. Drive through the old city past the Red Fort and visit the Jama Masjid – the biggest of its kind in India. Here take a rickshaw through the winding streets of the old city to see the life of the people in this part of the world. A perfect introduction of your tour. The rickshaw puller pulls you through the imperial avenue the Chandni Chowk where you will find each and every small business under the sky. Finally, reach Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, where your chauffeur is waiting for you.

Day 03 Delhi – Agra
Leave Delhi and reach Agra by early afternoon. En route visit Sikandara the tomb of the great emperor Akbar
Taj Mahal is awaiting your arrival today. A must see with the rising / setting sun as the Taj Mahal is bathed in the golden rays of the sun. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial that houses the tomb of 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 its 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 anywhere in the world.

Then see the Agra Fort built by Akbar that houses many fabulous palaces built in Indo Islamic style. See the marble palace of Shahjehan that was built with the remaining and rejected stones from the Taj Mahal – Mussamman Burj.

Day 04 Agra – Fatehpur Sikri – Jaipur
Leave early morning for Jaipur and enroute visiting the phantom city of Fatehpur Sikri: the erstwhile capital of the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great.

Visit the diwan-i-am - the hall of public audiences where the emperor used to give justice to the oppressed subject of his. See Jodhabai’s palace (Akbar’s Hindu wife) that is even bigger than his own private palace. Later visit Salim Chisti’s tomb at the nearby mosque. Salim chisti was a sufi saint who blessed Akbar and his Hindu wife with a long awaited son. Akbar was so overwhelmed that he built a mosque in his remembrance to thank the Sufi saint. Continue towards the Pink City - Jaipur.

Day 05 Jaipur
Visit the Amber forts and palaces in the morning; included is an elephant ride at the Amber fort. See the marvelous Sheesh mahal built in the 17th century in a fusion style of Hindu and Islamic art. Also see the hall of public audiences and Maharaja Man Singh’s Palace who had twelve queens. Also visit the carpet manufacturing factory in the city of Amber.

After lunch set off to see the Pink city visiting the observatory Jantar Mantar built in 1727 by Sawai Maharaja Jai Singh II who was a mathematician, an astronomer an astrologer and a great musician of his era. Then visit the City Palace of the Maharaja of Jaipur with a fabulous collection of robes and saris in cotton and silk with gold latticed work. The city palace houses a collection of paintings also in the painting gallery and of course a collection of arms and ammunitions in the ammunition gallery. This evening after the visit discover the art of cutting and polishing of gems for which Jaipur is world renowned. Visit the gems cutting and polishing atelier in the city of Jaipur.

Day 06 Jaipur – Bikaner
Leave the Pink City and proceed towards Bikaner and reach by lunch time.
See the Junagarh Fort, a royal museum that encompasses history of Bikaner from its days of construction that dates back to the 16th century. Later visit the camel-breeding farm, a unique experience. Evening is free to stroll in the busy market area of Bikaner city centre.

Day 07 Bikaner – Jaisalmer
In the morning after breakfast leave Bikaner to visit the world famous temple in the vicinity of Bikaner –the Karni Mata Mandir (Rat Temple). According to scriptures it is one of the most sacred temples for the Hindus.

Leave for Jaisalmer – the Golden city of Rajasthan and on route visit the fort at Pokaran Visit the 15th century fortress where the 3rd Mughal emperor, Akbar the Great, was born in 1543. The bazaar in the middle of this village is very colourful and full of local flavours. After lunch continue towards Jaisalmer and arrive by early evening.

Day 08 Jaisalmer
In the morning after the breakfast at your hotel discover the hidden bounties of this desert capital of the Bhattis. Visit the Jain temples inside the oldest living citadel in the world. Also visit the Palace with its beautiful museum and also the Patwaon ki haveli just outside the citadel.

After lunch leave for Khuri / Sam dunes to witness the sunset amidst the sand dunes in the desert. At Khuri / Sam included is a camel ride to the dunes from the parking. As the sun goes down the western horizon the ambiance is set for the ethnic desert tunes by local artistes. Return to your hotel after sunset.

Day 09 Jaisalmer – Jodhpur
Reach the blue city -- Jodhpur. Upon arrival drive to the Mehrangarh fort the stronghold of the Rathore princes from 1453AD. We see the superb collection of paintings and arms and ammunitions. The view of the city from the rampart walls is breath taking.

Post lunch session introduces you to the fabulous spice market of Jodhpur the 2nd largest city in Rajasthan. Walk along the market to feel the odours of the spices filling the air around you

Then go to Mandore gardens the then capital of Marwar to view some of the fabulous cenotaphs and the hall of local heroes of the wars. Drive back to Jodhpur and see the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the present residence of the king of Jodhpur.

Day 10 Jodhpur – Ranakpur – Udaipur
After breakfast we take you on a safari to discover the hidden beauty of the jungle life. Here you would be visiting the Bishnoi villages. Bishnois are a tribe that respects life in every form – animals trees and even dead branches. They are vegetarians and even in the villages they protect the animal life and don’t let anybody practice hunting in the vicinity of their villages. They live in a joint family system where the oldest member is generally the head of the family.

Then we would like you to witness the opium ceremony with the Patels – a rich tribe. It is a ceremony prevelant in this part of Rajasthan where the youth offers opium to drink mixed with water to the elders of the family when they come back from work in the fields.

Leave the Suncity and reach Ranakpur a big pilgrimage for the Jains. Jains are a community that developed during the 6th century BC under Lord Mahavira (a contemporary of Lord Buddha) and they are strict vegetarians by religion. They eat nothing that grows below the earth like carrots, radish, potatoes etc. Their food consists of rice, wheat, lentils and green leafy vegetables.

Admire the workmanship from the 16th century. The temples are built out of marble and the main shrine of Adinath with 1444 columns is awe inspiring and none of these are similar. Also see the sun temple and the other temples in the campus.

After lunch in Ranakpur continue towards Udaipur and reach by early evening.

Day 11 Udaipur
After breakfast in your hotel leave for the magnificent city tour of Mewar – Udaipur.

Visit the City Palace the richest palace museum in the entire Rajasthan. See the Peacock Square and the miniature painting school inside the palace premises. Udaipur has the prestige of housing the best miniature art schools in the country under the royal patronage of the king of Udaipur.

Return to the city and visit Sahelion ki Bari a garden with fountains and a small palace inside it. Sahelion ki Bari is a garden complex where Maharana Sangram Singh build this garden complex with fountains and lakes for his beautiful daughter.

Day 12 Udaipur – Ajmer - Pushkar
Today cross the entire stretch of desert to reach the most holy cities of Pushkar and Ajmer.

Ajmer is the pious city for the Muslims. Surprisingly both the cities are at distance of 11km from each other. Visit the Durgah built in fond remembrance of Khwaja Muin ud Din Chisti where the Muslim pilgrims from all over India throng during the festival times. Later visit Mughal emperor Akbar’s Palace where his son Jehangir received Sir Thomas Roe to grant him the permission of trade to East India Company with India, that changed the history of India completely and slowly and steadily India became colony of the British Empire.

Pushkar happens to be the holiest places according to the Hindus as it is considered that Lord Brahma (the Creator) and his wife Saraswati (the godess of learning and music) performed a ritual in the lake. Here we visit the only Brahma temple of the world before intermingling with the local colours in the local bazaar. Pushkar is the world famous for its cattle fair held each year in the month of October/November. Proceed towards Ajmer.

Day 13 Pushkar – Mandawa
In the morning leave for Mandawa in Shekhawati that used to be an important caravanserai of the yesteryears. See the many havelis of this quaint little town built by the rich and the famous merchants of the 18th and 19th centuries. These havelis have been painted with activities of daily life and of deities to break the monotony of the desert life.

Day 14 Mandawa – Delhi – out
In the morning leave Mandawa after your leisurely breakfast at your hotel and reach Delhi by early evening. Upon arrival you will be transferred to a local restaurant for your farewell dinner where you will meet your tour managers for a tour debrief.

In time transfer to the international airport for your flight back home.

Included on this tour are:

1. Daily breakfasts

2. Daily dinners.

3. All sight seeing and tours mentioned in the itinerary with entrance fees

4. English speaking local guides in every city wherever required

5. Elephant ride at Amber Fort in Jaipur

6. Rickshaw ride in the old city of Delhi / Jaipur

7. Overnight stay in the hotels mentioned

8. Air conditioned car with chauffeur

9. All applicable taxes

10. Desert and village safari in 4x4 jeeps in Luni

11. Opium ceremony in Luni

12. Visit to Bishnoi villages in Luni

13. Camel rides on the dunes in the desert in Jaisalmer.

14. Local music and dance by local village artists on the dunes in Jaisalmer

15. Sunrise / sunset visit of Taj Mahal in Agra

16. Battery bus / battery auto rickshaw ride in Agra.

17. Farewell dinner on the last day in Delhi before departure to international airport

CITY	HOTELS			NIGHTS
	5 STAR	STANDARD	BUDGET
DELHI	IMPERIAL	CONNAUGHT	SUNSTAR	2
AGRA	MUGHAL SHERATON	CLARKS SHIRAZ	ROYALE RESIDENCY	1
JAIPUR	RAJPUTANA SHERATON	DAYS INN	JAIPUR INN	2
BIKANER	LAXMI NIWAS PALACE	BASANT VIHAR	BHAIRON VILAS	1
JAISALMER	FORT RAJWADA	RANG MAHAL	RANG MAHAL	2
JODHPUR	THE FORTUNE UMMED	RANBANKA	DAYS INN	1
UDAIPUR	TRIDENT	INDIA	RAJPUTANA RESORT	2
PUSHKAR	PUSHKAR PALACE	PUSHKAR RESORT	JAGAT NIWAS	1
MANDAWA	CASTLE	DESERT RESORT	HERITAGE	1
PRICE	USD 1333	USD 1055	USD 799	13N/14D

This tour does not include: Any international air passage
Any expense of a personal nature viz tips etc
Any airport taxes
Any permits for photography and or videography.
Any lunches during the tour.