This tour starts at Udaipur, so it can be taken in conjunction with "Tigers & Kings", which ends in Udaipur. In that case the duration of this section ("The Living Citadels") will be only 9 days, as Samode, Jaipur and Agra are included in "Tigers & Kings". For those who wish to take only "The Living Citadels", the duration would be 12 days and would include Samode, Jaipur and Agra.

Day 1: Arrive Udaipur:
Met upon arrival and transfer to the hotel.
City tour of Udaipur: The "Surya Vanshi" Maharanas of Udaipur are Sun worshippers and trace their geneology to the Hindu god Rama. They have a history of unconquered rule. Their history is full of tales of valor and courage and romance.

Day 2: Udaipur:
At leisure. We also will visit "Sahelion Ki Bari" - the Garden of the Maids, an enchanting garden created for the pleasure of the ladies of the royal court. In the evening, take a sunset cruise around Lake Pichola, and visit the island of Jag Mandir. The palace on this island was built as a retreat for the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal.

Day 3: Udaipur - Ranakpur - Kumbhalgarh (Drive)
AM: Half-day drive to Kumbhalgarh via Ranakpur.These famous 15th century Jain temples lie buried in a shady glen and represent the climax of Jain architecture and  sculpture. The spacious  halls and courtyards are a brilliant juxtaposition of exquisitely carved and sculpted pillars, vaulted ceilings and arched doorways. The play of light and shade has been so engineered that the entire complex seems suffused with an almost ethereal ambience.

Cradled in a cluster of thirteen mountain peaks of the Aravalli ranges, the formidable medieval citadel of Kumbhalgarh stands a wary sentinel to past glory. Rising from a prominent ridge,1914 meters high from sea level, the fort was built in the 15th century A.D. by Maharana Kumbha (1419-63 A.D.). It is the principal fortification after Chittorgarh, lying 90 km north-west of Udaipur. The massive fort,encompassed by a 36 km long wall, has seven majestic gates and seven ramparts, one within the other.  Rounded bastions and soaring watch towers strengthen the crenallated walls of the fort, making it an impregnable structure. Fascinating chambers are built on the western side of the last gate - the ‘Nimboo Pol’. According to history, the infant Udai Singh was smuggled from Bundi and hidden in these chambers by his uncles who desired the throne. Udai Singh ascended the throne of Mewar with Kumbhalgarh as his residence and later established Udaipur - the beautiful lake city.

PM:Explore the fort and enjoy exciting horse rides in the area.

Day 4: Kumbhalgarh - Jodhpur  (Drive)
AM: Half day drive to Jodhpur.  City Tour: This ancient capital of the state of Marwar is surrounded by a stone wall  almost 6 miles in circumference, which  separates it from the sands that stretch out on all sides. Upon a rocky eminence stands a massive impregnable fortress, within which lie  a number  of  palaces, barracks, temples and other buildings. Delicately latticed windows and pierced monuments worked in sandstone are a dominant motif within the rugged fort. On the walls of one of the gates of entry are the palms of widows who, ages ago, immolated themselves upon the pyres of their departed husbands.
Day 5: Jodhpur - Jaisalmer (Drive)
AM: Half day drive to Jaiselmer. Met upon arrival and transfer to hotel. After breakfast proceed for half day guided city tour. The  massive  battlements of the living fort  of  Jaiselmer  rise ethereal out of the vastness of the Thar desert. This fascinating  fort was built in 1156 in the heart of the Thar desert. Within the towered battlements of this citadel there is a mass  of curiously carved buildings, with fantastic  facades  and elaborate  balconies. Most of the palaces are crowned by a  metal umbrella  mounted on a stone shaft. The Jain temples  within  the fort are decorated with deities and elaborate dancing figures  in mythological  settings.  Attached to this place of worship is a library containing some of the most ancient manuscripts in India. One of these is written on palm-leaf, in black ink, with colored wooden covers.

Day 6: Jaisalmer:
AM: Full day guided tour of the desert city Jaiselmer. Founded by Rawal Jaisal in 1156, this desert city is a fine blend of sights and experiences.. Visit the intricately latticed havelis with their conspicuous facades. The superb craftsmanship of the stone carver is illustrated in Nathmalji-ki-haveli, Patwon-ki-haveli and Salim Singh-ki-haveli. After a sumptuous lunch, experience the exhilaration of a camel ride on the golden Sam sand dunes. Jaisalmer’s exotic bazaars offer fine mirror work and embroidered articles, wooden boxes, trinkets, silver jewelry and curios.

Day 7: Jaisalmer - Khimser: (Drive)
AM: Half day drive to Khimser. Perched on the edge of the Great Thar Desert lies the unique Khimsar Castle. Originally, the fort walls, turrets and stables were built solely for war, and were constructed around the beginning of the 16th Century. Subsequently, the royal family moved in, and a new “zenana” or ladies’ residence was erected with finely carved windows in stone that provided “purdah” or veil for ladies in waiting.

Day 8: Khimsar - Mandawa:AM: Half-day drive to Mandawa. Check-in at the Castle Mandawa, now converted into a heritage hotel.
 

PM: Walking tour of the interesting towns of Shekhawati, where the dominent merchant families decorate their ancestral homes with elaborate murals.One of the oldest murals (1760) is within the Castle Mandawa.  Some of  them are influenced by the arrival of the British East India Company in India. One shows an Englishman riding a bicycle, but the artist had obviously never seen a real one. There is another representing the Wright Brothers flying an airplane, but it has only one wing!  In the evening, relax in the romantic ambience of the castle-hotel.

Day 9: Mandawa - Delhi or Samode:
Those who take this tour in conjunction with Tour 3 will return directly to Delhi (6 hr. drive), as they would have already seen Samode, Jaipur and Agra in Tour 3.
 

For those who take only Tour 4:
Day 9: Mandawa - Samode: (Drive): AM: Half-day drive to Samode Palace. This is a perfect jewel hidden away in deep ravines some twenty-five miles (42 Km) from Jaipur, one of the few unspoiled preserves of the former maharajahs. The story of the palace dates back more than 400 years to the time of the illustrious Prithivraj Singhji of Amber. Stately corridors, frescoed walls, and ethereal audience halls, harmoniously reflect the skill of master craftsmen in a perfect blend of the Rajput and Moghul styles of architecture. Each room is exclusive. A blend of contemporary comforts and traditional styles, reflecting an old world charm replete with antique furniture. All 35 rooms have attached baths with running hot and cold water, and air-conditioning. The hotel was chosen as the principal setting for the British television production of M.M. Kaye’s “The Far Pavilions”. It has proudly  hosted world - figures like the late Mrs Jacqeline Kennedy Onassis and Mick Jagger. It has been judged as the Best Heritage Hotel in India for three years consecutively. Samode offers you the unique experience of Royal Rajasthan, where during the day you can travel on camel back through quaint villages to the splendor of the Mughal garden at Samode Bagh.

Day 10: Samode- Jaipur: (Drive)1 hour drive to Jaipur. High above the city, the towers and domes of the Amber Fort are reminiscent of scenes from some fairy tale. We shall ascend to the fort atop gaily decorated elephants, as did the Maharajah’s of old. Within the fort walls lie an assortment of buildings famous for their intricate mirror inlays - the Hall of  Mirrors and other palaces with latticed windows and beautifully sculpted arches and pillars. PM: This afternoon we will tour Jaipur city, visiting the Maharaja’s City Palace. The City Palace is still the residence of the Jaipur family, and its museum displays a fabulous collection of paintings, carpets, jewelry and arms.We will also visit the Jantar Mantar (the Royal Observatory), and the Hawa Mahal, or “Palace of the Winds”.  This is a multi-storied, intricately latticed facade of pink sandstone, designed for the pleasures of the ladies of the royal court. From here they could look out upon the quaint bazaars that still thrive around the palace, without exposing themselves to the prying stares of the commoners.  Later, we shall explore the same colorful bazaars on foot. Here  we may have memorable encounters with the descendents of those commoners, many of whom still live in their ancestral “havelis” along the main market-street. The sheer variety of the items that is sold off the street is fascinating, ranging from the mundane to the exotic, and even the simply baffling.

Day 11: Jaipur - Agra: (Drive)
Half-day drive to Agra. We spend the afternoon and early evening at the Taj Mahal, the magnificent monument to an emperor's love for his queen. Here, the Mogul Emperor Shah Jehan presented the world it’s most  magnificent monument to conjugal Love. A colossal, perfectly proportioned mass of marble, the Taj Mahal is literally a jewel. It was  fashioned over 17 years by 20,000 craftsmen & laborers. From a distance, it seems to float, like a  fantastic mirage, upon the banks of the River Yamuna.

Day 12: Agra-Delhi: (Drive or evening train):
AM: At leisure in Agra. PM: Afternoon drive apx. 4 hr to Delhi, or take the evening train to Delhi which arrives Delhi at 10:50 PM. Depart homewards from Delhi or join another High Points trip!

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