Treasures of the Rajasthan plus the Pushkar Fair
INDIA is larger than life: a population that exceeds a billion, 23 official languages and more than a million square miles of land. But one common thread runs through it - India floods your senses from every direction.
Among all else, this itinerary takes you inside the cacophonic sights and sounds of the spectacular Pushkar Fair, an annual camel and cattle sale attended by tribal villagers from all of Northern India.
Exhilarating landscapes, the filigreed splendors of world-famous cities, and a unique spiritual heritage stretching back for millennia make India a perfectly exotic experience.
So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India
the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds ~ Mark Twain, Following the Equator
- Throughout the journey, stay in former palaces,
including iconic royal residences such as the lavish Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur and the grand Rambagh Palace in Jaipur.
- Experience India by water in three destinations: Mumbai Harbour to Elephanta Island, Udaipur's Lake Pichola and along the holy Ganges River.
- Experience the glorious Taj Mahal at sunrise and sunset during a two-night stay in Agra.
- Enjoy two days at the vibrant Pushkar Fair to experience its colorful spectacle.
- Venture through the countryside of Jaipur during an elephant ride conducted by an expert mahout (trainer)
- Stay two nights and enjoy a private jeep safari in Panna National Park, home to the elusive Bengal tiger.
- Ride Like a Local on a rickshaw through Old Delhi.
- Enjoy a Scenic Sundowner while aboard a private sunset boat cruise on Lake Pichola in Udaipur.
- Savor a place at the Chef's Table to observe local Indian delicacies prepared step by step in Panna.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Mumbai, India
Arrive in Mumbai, where our representative meets and transfers you to your iconic hotel.
The Taj Mahal Palace
Day 2: Mumbai | Bustling Environs
After a morning at leisure, explore the city’s classic sights, including the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a UNESCO World Heritage building. Skirt Marine Drive, continuing to residential Malabar Hill. Visit the Prince of Wales Museum and Mani Bhawan, a museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. See the Dhobi Ghat open-air laundry. Sit down to a welcome cocktail and dinner with fellow guests at your fine hotel restaurant.
The Taj Mahal Palace | B D
Day 3: Mumbai/Udaipur | Temples and Palaces 
Cruise Mumbai Harbour to Elephanta Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see its renowned temples, carved directly out of the basalt rock. Later, fly to Udaipur and check into your hotel. Dinner is at your leisure.
Taj Lake Palace | B
Day 4: Udaipur | Cruise to Jag Mandir
Visit the City Palace, a marble complex of palaces and galleries overlooking the lake. Take a private tour of the Crystal Gallery in Fateh Prakesh Palace, and stroll through Sahelion Ki Bari (Garden of the Maids of Honor). Pay a visit to a local painting school as well as the Mayur Arts store. Later, take a private cruise to Jag Mandir, a palace on an island in Lake Pichola. Enjoy dinner at your hotel.
Taj Lake Palace | B D
Day 5: Udaipur | Cruise to Jag Mandir
After breakfast, set out on an excursion to Eklingji and Nagda temples. Break for lunch a nearby Lebua Devi Garh Fort Palace. Return to Udaipur to spend the rest of your day at leisure, enjoying the superb amenities of your accommodations, a former residence of royalty.
Taj Lake Palace | B L
Days 6-7: Pushkar | A Vibrant Fair 
Early this morning, drive to the otherwise quiet, secluded desert town of Pushkar, sharing the road with camels, trucks, cattle, water buffalo and rickshaws as you approach. Spend the next two days experiencing the bustling Pushkar Fair, a colorful whirl of activity drawing people from all around the globe. See painted and adorned camels as well as cattle as they are traded; peruse stalls selling camel tassels and ancient woven gypsy dowry bags; and witness Hindu devotees as they throng the ghats around Pushkar Lake in order to bathe, cleanse their sins and attain a place in heaven; and visit the Brahma temple. Dine each evening at the fine restaurant at your resort.
The Greenhouse Resort | B L D
Days 8-9: Jaipur | The Pink City
Travel overland to Jaipur and check into your hotel, the former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur. This evening, attend a cultural dance performance, followed by dinner. The next day, explore the Mughal-style Amber Fort. You may also embark on an elephant ride through the countryside with the help of a mahout (trainer). 
Stop for an al fresco lunch, and then, on a tour of the city, visit open-air Jantar Mantar, seeing its astronomical instruments, and the pink sandstone Hawa Mahal. Time is available to shop at an recommended jeweler. Enjoy your evening at leisure.
Taj Rambagh Palace | B L D-Day 8; B L-Day 9
Days 10-11: Agra | Monuments of Emperors
Travel to Fatehpur Sikri, a “ghost city” of delicately carved red sandstone. Continue to Agra and your luxury hotel, catching your first glimpse of the breathtaking Taj Mahal from your window, before viewing it up close at sunset. Visit this architectural masterpiece again the next morning, when the rising sun lends a warm pink tint to its marble face. Then, visit the Agra Fort, a 16th-century Mughal monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site, before enjoying lunch at your hotel and an afternoon at leisure, with the option to make an excursion to Fatehpur Sikri.
The Oberoi Amarvilás | B L D-Day 10; B-Day 11
Days 12-13: Jhansi/Panna/Khajuraho | Forests and Temples 
This morning, board an express train to Jhansi, where you have lunch at the Jhansi Hotel. Then, continue to
remote Panna National Park, checking in to your wilderness lodge. The next day, drive to Khajuraho to see its magnificent Hindu and Jain temples adorned with intricate stone carvings depicting all aspects of life. After lunch, return to Panna for a game drive in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, spotting crocodiles or perhaps the elusive tiger. Return to your lodge for a cooking demonstration that creates at tasty Chef’s Table experience.
Pashan Garh | B L D
Days 14-15: Varanasi/Delhi | India’s Holiest City
After a morning at leisure, fly to Varanasi, a city sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. At dusk, head to the banks of the sacred Ganges River to witness the Aarti ceremony. 
The next day, begin with an early morning boat ride on the Ganges at sunrise. After breakfast, set out on a city tour that includes a visit to the 18th-century Durga Temple, devoted to the Hindu deity Durga; Bharat Mata Temple, dedicated by Mahatma Gandhi to Mother India; and Banaras Hindu University. Then, see the Buddhist city of Sarnath. This afternoon, fly to Delhi and settle in to your hotel, where you later gather for a farewell cocktail and dinner.
The Oberoi, New Delhi | B D
Day 16: Delhi | Exploring the Old and the New
In Old Delhi, drive past the Red Fort; visit the great Jama Masjid, and set off on an exciting rickshaw ride through the Chandni Chowk bazaar. After lunch, tour New Delhi, seeing Humayun’s Tomb, which prefigures techniques later perfected in the Taj Mahal; Qutub Minar; the India Gate, an 85-foot-high arch whose design reflects India’s Muslim and Hindu traditions; and Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official residence of the President of India. Return to your hotel and enjoy dinner at your leisure.
The Oberoi, New Delhi | B L
Day 17: Depart Delhi
After breakfast, transfer to the airport to depart or board a flight to Kathmandu for a post-tour extension.
B
in collaboration/Abercrombie & Kent 
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