Day 1: Arrival In Delhi
Arrive at Delhi International airport by your international flight. After immigration, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for overnight stay. (Hotel check in time is 1400 hours).
DELHI is India’s capital and a major gateway to the country. Perhaps there is no other capital city in the world so steeped in history and legend as the Indian capital Delhi. It was the magnet, which drew the Mongols, Turks, Persians, Afghans, Mughals and the British, all of whom contributed to its glorious but turbulent past. The fascination with Delhi was such that even though it was abandoned many times, its rulers returned to it again and again rebuilding it at least seven times. Today, the twin cities of Old and New Delhi still intrigue Indians and tourists alike as the cultural and political capital of the largest democracy in the world.
Travelling Distance approx. 18 km – Driving Time approx. 45 min
Overnight in New Delhi at The Suryaa Hotel in a Deluxe Room with breakfast included.
Day 2: Delhi
Proceed for a full day combined city tour of Old and New Delhi. (The Guide will meet you at the hotel at approximately 0900 hrs. unless you request otherwise). In Old Delhi you will visit the 17th century Jama Masjid and walk through the narrow, winding lanes of colourful and bustling Chandni Chowk. You have the option of taking a rickshaw ride through these bazaars. Also visit the Mughal Empire’s most opulent fort, the Red Fort for a photo stop. Visit Raj Ghat where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated.
Afternoon proceed to New Delhi. Drive past The Presidential Palace, the one-time imperial residence of the British viceroys, the India Gate, a memorial raised in honour of the Indian soldiers martyred during the Afghan war and a drive along the Rajpath past the Parliament House and secretarial buildings. Visit Qutab Minar, the 12th century tower of victory built by a slave king and prototype of all minars (towers) in India. Also visit the 16th century Humayun’s tomb, a precursor to the Taj Mahal.
Overnight in New Delhi at The Suryaa Hotel in a Deluxe Room with breakfast included.
Day 3: Delhi to Agra
This morning after breakfast proceed to Agra.
Upon arrival at Agra you will check-in at your hotel and a SITA representative will assist you to complete your check-in formalities.
Agra came into the limelight during the rule of the Afghan King Sikandar Lodhi - who had made it the capital of his empire. Later in 1526 A.D., the Mughal Emperor Babar took upon himself the task for rendering Agra, a unique character and beauty of its own. The next few hundred years of Agra witnessed the rise of the pomp and pageantry of three great Mughal monarchs - Emperor Akbar, Jehangir and Shahjahan. In modern times, the city of Agra is a thriving carpet industry where you can also find leather workers, sandstone and marble sculptors, some of whom claim to be direct descendants of the craftsmen who had helped build the Taj Mahal.
Afternoon you will proceed to visit Agra Fort, where the ageing Emperor Shah Jahan, imprisoned by his son, watched from a distance the fulfilment of his life’s dream-the building of the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife.
Later visit Taj Mahal, (Closed on Fridays). On the inner walls, jewel-like stones create beautiful designs in white marble. The Mughals perfected the art of embedding semi-precious stones into marble and the Taj is the finest example of this special process called pietra dura. It begins with a marble plate, varying in size. Then jewels are sliced paper thin and embedded in the marble with such precision that the joints are invisible to the naked eye.
Travelling Distance approx. 204 km – Driving Time approx. 04 hours
Overnight in Agra at Taj Gateway in a Standard Room with breakfast included.
Day 4: Agra to Jaipur
Post breakfast drive to Jaipur .
Enroute visit the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri.
Fatehpur Sikri, is the deserted red sandstone city, built by the Great Mughal Emperor Akbar as his capital and palace in the late 16th century. It was abandoned soon after it was built when the local wells went dry and it remains today in much the same condition that it was over 300 years ago. It is complete with palaces and mosques and used to be a town larger than London when it was originally constructed. Now it is an extraordinary place to wander around with its buildings in near perfect condition.
Upon arrival in Jaipur, check-in at the hotel.
JAIPUR – the capital of Rajasthan province is known for its arts and crafts, jewellery, hand-painted fabrics and stone sculptures; it is one of North India’s finest examples of a planned city embodying the best of Rajput and Mughal architecture.
In the evening you will be taken to Nokha House for a typically Rajasthani meal with a Rajasthani Family.
Travelling Distance approx. 235 kms – Driving Time approx. 05 hours
Overnight in Jaipur at The Fortune Select Metropolitan in a Standard Room with breakfast included.
Day 5: Jaipur
To begin with you will proceed to visit the capital of Amber to see the fabulous Amber Fort. Maharaja Mansingh, Mughal Emperor Akbar’s most successful General, started the construction of Amber Fort in the 17th century. Before the City Palace was constructed in Jaipur, Amber was the seat of power. The fort is surrounded by fortified battlements and overlooks the Moat Lake. Ruins and remains are spread over the Aravali hills and sprawling crenulated walls lattice the surrounding area.
An elephant or alternatively a jeep will spare you the trouble of reaching up to the fortress. Once on top, stroll through the sprawling complex of courtyards and halls. Many of the rooms have delightful wall paintings, with precious stones and mirrors inlaid in the walls. Most fascinating, perhaps, is the Sheesh Mahal (hall of mirrors) where a single lamplight is reflected in the many mirrors, lighting up the room.
En-route to Amber Fort you will stop and see the `Palace of Winds’, otherwise known as Hawa Mahal. It is really an elaborate façade, extremely intricate in its pink sandstone carving. The cool wind blows through its facade of windows and latticed screens through which the queens of the court once viewed the streets of the city.
This afternoon, you will visit the City Palace, which is an overwhelming complex of exquisite palaces, gardens and courtyards, decorative art and carved doorways. The palace museum houses collections of rare manuscripts, armory, costumes, carpets and miniature paintings.
Jaipur's Jantar Mantar is the most famous of five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh in India. Jai Singh was a great admirer of progresses and research made in the fields of science and technology, and he was passionate about astronomy. There is a very interesting story behind the construction of this observatory, considered as the largest stone observatory in the world. Sawai Jai Singh sent his emissaries to all parts of the world before commencing the construction of this observatory. The emissaries returned with many manuals on astronomy containing cutting-edge technological information. One of these manuals was a copy of La Hire's "Tables". The king ordered the observatory to be built according to the details contained in this manual. When the construction ended, for the astonishment of the king and others, the observatory was 20 seconds more accurate than the one mentioned in La Hire's "Tables".
Overnight in Jaipur at The Fortune Select Metropolitan in a Standard Room with breakfast included.
Day 6: Jaipur to Cochin
Morning assisted departure transfer to the airport to board the flight for Cochin via Bangalore
Upon arrival in Cochin, met and transfer to the hotel.
Kochi, or more familiarly, Cochin is a city of many parts. Around for a long, long time, Kochi played a pivotal role in the development of shipping and trade in the region. Kochi's prime location on the west coast, its fine bay and protected harbour made it popular with seafarers and merchant ships who made frequent stops to stock up on spices, coffee and wood en-route to the rich markets of Europe and West Asia. And so down the ages, Kochi prospered as a busy port city and commercial centre. Its seafront is still extremely relevant to Cochin and to India: it houses a Naval Base and one of India’s busiest ports.
Overnight in Cochin at The Casino Hotel in a Standard Room with breakfast included.
Day 7: Cochin
Today you will start your day with a half day city tour of the city. You will first proceed to Mattancherry, where you will visit the oldest Jewish Synagogue in India, built in 1568; it was destroyed by the Portuguese and rebuilt by the Dutch a century later. From Jewish Synagogue you will visit Chinese fishing nets. The cantilevered fishing nets line the entrance to the harbour mouth. Chinese traders are believed to have originally introduced them in the 14th century although, today parts of the nets are known by Portuguese names. You will then visit St. Francis Church, originally named after Santo Antonio and dedicated to him as the Patron Saint of Portugal, St. Francis Church is the first church to have been in the new European influenced tradition.. You will also be visiting The Dutch Palace (Closed on Friday) at Mattancherry, which was built in 1555 and its coronation hall and murals at Ramayana are noteworthy features.
Later in the afternoon, enjoy Kerala Kaleidoscope at Greenix Village. A medley of various dances, Kaleidoscope Kerala redefines the intangibly elusive aesthetics of bliss as it evokes the eternally alluring charm of this many-splendor land and it’s infinitely enriching cultural ethos.
It’s a celebration of a spectacular array of dance forms and musical styles, pure classics along with distinctively ethnic, blending seamlessly with indigenous elements of ritualized theatre, folk traditions and stupefying displays of the native martial art techniques of Kalarippayattu.
Overnight in Cochin at The Casino Hotel in a Standard Room with breakfast included.
Day 8: Cochin to Munnar
Post breakfast drive to Munnar.
On arrival proceed for check-in at your hotel.
Munnar is the nature-lover’s paradise. Snuggling in the green and serene Kannan Devan Hills lies the quite and restful resort of Munnar. Panoramic views of low-flying clouds and mist filled valleys make it a pretty little heaven with a cool bracing climate. It was opened up out of virgin forests a century ago by pioneering planters. Within its remote and elderly churches - gracious, stone-structures with ancient chandeliers and rosewood pews. A little beyond lies Anaimudi, South India's highest peak.
Travelling distance approx. 130 Kms, driving time approx. 4 hours
Overnight in Munnar at The Mistletoe Hotel in a Hill View Deluxe Room with breakfast included.
Day 9: Munnar to Alleppey Backwaters
Morning post breakfast, proceed to visit the Tata Tea Museum which diligently portrays the growth of Munnar tea estates, veritably conveyed through some of the displays like the rudimentary tea roller to the modern fully automated tea factory. Visitors to the museum can satiate their curiosity on various stages of tea processing, and also learn a thing or two about the production of black tea.
Later you will be driven to Alleppey Backwaters.
Also called “Venice of the East”, Alleppey or Alappuzha is famous for the backwater cruises, the spectacular snake boat races and the Coir Industry. Alleppey is a pleasant easy-going market town surrounded by coconut plantations. With its large network of canals, it is a major centre for backwater cruises and the venue for spectacular snake boat races. Also called “Venice of the East”, the town is the headquarters of Kerala’s coir industry and also important for cashew nut processing. A cruise along the backwaters is one of the most enthralling experiences Alleppey offers. The houseboats of today - huge, slow moving, exotic barge used for leisure trips - are the reworked kettuvallams of olden times. The original kettuvallams were used to carry tons of rice and spices which has now tremendously changed over the years.
Travelling distance approx. 150 Kms, driving time approx. 4 hours
Overnight at Punnemada Resorts in Alleppey in a Garden Villa with breakfast included.
Day 10: Allepey Backwaters
Full day is at leisure for independent activities.
Kerala is also known for its Ayurvedic therapies. For those who want to stay in house, the resort offers a wide variety of therapeutic treatments. Ayurveda is the ancient living medical heritage of India. The word Ayurveda literally means Knowledge or Science of Life. It deals with the maintenance of health and relief from disease. Ayurveda aims at achieving happiness of both body and mind and should form part of daily life. Today this medical system is still flourishing in India and particularly in Kerala. One of the treatments is the use of massages with medicinal oils.
Overnight at Punnemada Resorts in Alleppey in a Garden Villa with breakfast included.
Day 11: Alleppey to Cochin
In time you will be transferred to Cochin airport where you will be assisted by a SITA representative to board your onward flight to back home. (It is advisable to leave the hotel 5 hours prior to the flight departure time in order to cater to travel time till the airport and time required for immigration and boarding formalities.)
Travelling distance approx. 50 Kms, driving time approx. 1.5 hours
