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This sample itinerary is designed for those who do not have unlimited holiday time. It covers the most important sights and experiences of this part of India. If you prefer a slower pace, we will be happy to prepare a special trip for you. The Indian sub-continent offers infinite depths of experience for the explorer, as well as a range of delightful leisure activities. |
 Day
1: Arrive Delhi :Clear immigration and customs. Your tour manager/
representative will be waiting for you outside the arrival hall. He will
be holding a “High Points of India” placard. Transfer to hotel. PM:
Half day guided city tour of Old and New Delhi. Drive past the elegant
India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and Parliament House. Visit the Qutub Minar,
Red Fort, and the Jumma Masjid. Optional: Visit the unique Hauz
Khas village for dinner.
 Day
2: Delhi-Agra: AM: Half-day drive to Agra. PM: After exploring
the Agra Fort - "a splendid fusion of military might and lavish ornamentation"
- we shall break for lunch. We spend the afternoon and early evening at
the Taj Mahal, the magnificent monument to an emperor's love for his queen.
Day
3: Agra-Jaipur: AM: AM: Half-Day drive to Jaipur. Approaching Jaipur,
we drive past stretches of golden sand and low, rocky hills dotted with
tiny fortresses. Occasional camel-drawn carts share the road. Their riders
wear the colorful turbans and fierce mustaches of the fabled Rajput clans.
We shall reach our hotel in Jaipur by early evening. PM: A lively
programme of Rajasthan's famous folk dances shall precede dinner in the
gardens of our exquisite palace hotel.
Day
4: Jaipur: AM: Guided Tour. 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 yore.Within the fort walls lies an assortment of buildings famous for
their intricate mirror inlays - the Hall of Mirrors, Kali’s Temple, 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 visit the Jantar Mantar ( 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, for memorable encounters with the descendents of those commoners,
many of them still living 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, or even the simply baffling.Optional
: Visit the exquisite Samode Palace for dinner (about an hours’ drive
out of Jaipur).
Day
5: Jaipur-Mandawa: AM: Half-day drive to Mandawa. Check-in at the Castle
Mandawa, now converted into a heritage hotel.
PM: Walking tourof 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! PM: Traditional dinner
and live entertainment in the castle.
 
Day
7: Khimsar-Jaisalmer: AM: Half-day drive to Jaisalmer. Rest of the
day at leisure. Optional: Walk in the bazaars inside this ancient
fortress-city. PM: Traditional dinner and live entertainment.
Day 8: Jaisalmer: AM: City tour of Jaisalmer. The massive battlements of the living fort of Jaisalmer rise dramatically out of the surrounding desert. Within lie a host of curious buildings, with fantastic facades and elaborate balconies.This fascinating fort was built in 1156 in the heart of the Thar desert. The Jain temples within the fort are decorated with deities and elaborate dancing figures in mythological settings. We shall explore the intricately latticed “ havelis” - residences of erstwhile noblemen and wealthy traders - 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. Amidst all this grandeur thrives the gay commerce and now simple life of families who have lived in the fort for a thousand years. Jaisalmer’s exotic bazaars offer fine mirror work and embroidered articles, wooden boxes, trinkets, silver jewelry and curios. PM: Late afternoon visit sunset point. Day
9: Jaisalmer-Barmer:
AM: Half-day drive to Barmer. Enroute visit colorful desert villages. PM: Explore the Barmer market. After an evening of campfire songs and dances with local people, we shall sleep in trekking style two-person tents in sleeping bags. A shower / WC is available on the coach. Good meals will be prepared by the High Points crew. Day
10: Barmer-Zainabad: AM: Half-day drive to Zainabad. Excursions into
the Raan of Kutch for observing the wildlife as well as the local Kutcchi
tribes, a colorful sea - faring people who welcome the few visitors to
this area with simple but enthusiastic hospitality. Tonight we sleep in
Tourist Huts at the edge of the Little Raan of Kutch. Clean, with ethnic
decor and western plumbing.
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Day
11: Zainabad: AM: Explore the Raan by 4-wheel drive vehicles.
Bounded on the north and east by marshy flats and
on the south and west by the Gulf of Kutch and the Arabian Sea, the province
of Kutch (also spelt Kuchchh or Kachchha) is a place apart. All
but isolated from neighbouring Saurasthra and Sind, Kutch's largely arid
landscape is shot through with the colour from heavily embroidered local
dress. It's a land of legends recorded in stone statues, and folk customs
reflected in popular craft and jewellery designs. The treeless marshes
to the north and east, known as the Rann of Kutch, can flood completely
during a heavy monsoon, effectively transforming Kutch into an island.
Home to the rare wild ass, the Ranns are also the only region in India
where flamingoes breed successfully, during July and August, out of reach
of any but the most determined bird watchers who can cross the marshes
by camel.
PM:
Evening campfire revelries with the local villagers.
Option: Add a night in Bombay to explore this fascinating city: From the airport, transfer to the famous Taj Mahal Hotel. Day 09: Bombay: City tour: Bombay is a bustling cosmopolitan city of over six million. It holds a curious fascination for the visitor as well as its inhabitants, who have migrated from all over the sub-continent over the centuries. They have retained their distinct cultural identities yet merged into that unshakeably faithful entity: Bombayites! We shall visit the very British style Prince of Wales Museum, and then drive along the `Queen's Necklace' (Marine drive), skirting the back bay to Chowpatty beach, teeming with colorful life. We will also see the Dhobi ghat(probably the world's largest open-air laundry), and will stop to explore the lively streets around Flora Fountain. |
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