Golden Triangle with Varanasi 11 days Day 1: Australia - - Delhi. Board your overnight flight to Delhi Day 2: Delhi Arrive Delhi International. You will be meet by a local airport representative and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore this vibrant city! Hotel: The Surya Meals: -/-/- Day 3: Delhi After breakfast we depart for a city tour of Delhi. The tour starts in Old Delhi before driving for a photo stop at the Red Fort, a huge settlement that contains within it some very beautiful palaces and public buildings, Visit Jamma Masjid, one of the largest mosques that is still a house of worship for devout Muslims. Also visit Raj Ghat, Shanti Vana the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru our first prime Minister of India. Later proceed for New Delhi tour and past the India Gate, a memorial raised in honor of the Indian soldiers who were martyred during the Afghan War, Rashtrapati Bhawan, once the imperial residence of the British Viceroys, it is now the official residence of the President of India Parliament House, a circular building that is a symbol of Indian democracy. We also visit Qutub Minar the 11th century victory tower. The tallest stone tower in India. Qutub-ud-din Aibak started it in 1199. Pulling down 27 Hindu and Jain temples and using their columns erected the attached Quwat-ul-Islam mosque also built by him. Hotel: The Surya Day 4: Delhi - - Varanasi The morning is yours to make the most of Delhi before being transferred to airport to take your flight to Varanasi. AI-406 dep. 1030/ arr. 1145 hrs. You will be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel for check in. This evening we visit Ghats to see the illuminated Ganga Aarti ceremony an experience of life! The Ganga Aarti is a spectacular sight. Hundreds throng to the ghats to participate in this
ceremony. Offerings of lamps and flowers are made to the river immediately following this ceremony and it is a moving sight to watch hundreds of miniature lamps float along the river. Hotel: Rivatas by Ideal Day 5: Varanasi Early morning sunrise boat tour is must do activity at Varanasi, this morning we take a tour of Varanasi which enables you to witness the life of people that has been carried on for thousands of years. Watch the Hindu from all over India come and take this holy dip in the Ganges, offer prayers to the Goad. All this is from the boat that moves slowly from one Ghats to the other. Afterward we return to hotel for breakfast. Later we visit Bharat Mata Temple and Banaras Hindu University. Bharat Mata means Mother is the national personification of India as a mother goddess. She is an amalgam of all the goddesses of Indian culture and more significantly of goddess Durga. She is usually depicted as a woman clad in a saffron sari holding Indian national flag, and sometimes accompanied by a lion. The evening is yours to explore this holy city. Hotel: Rivatas by Ideal Day 6: Varanasi - - Agra After breakfast, the morning is yours before we check out at approx. 1200 hrs and proceed for an excursion to Sarnath, a major Buddhist center in the world. After achieving enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Buddha, the Awakened One, delivered his first sermon here. It was the sixth century then, when he also set in motion the wheel of law, the Dharma-chakra. This dwelling place of the rishis, it was also known as Rishipatana (the place of the Rishis or sages). Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park where he initiated his first five disciples into Buddhist monkshood. Buddhism found its roots in Sarnath, the birthplace of this way of life. The evening is at leisure, as you will be boarding a train later tonight, you will not have room available but can use the lobby facilities, after an early dinner we will head for Mughal Serai Railway station which is approx. 20 Kms / 45 min drive to board your overnight train to Tundla!
Train: Sleeper Cabin Meals: Breakfast/-/- Day 7: Agra On arrival at Tundla railway station which is approx. 30 Kms / 1 hour drive from Agra, you will be met and transferred to your Hotel. After keeping your luggage at the hotel, we continue to tour the most opulent wonder of the modern world The Taj Mahal. (Friday is Official Closed). The Taj Mahal is everything that has been said about it and more. Taking 22 years and 20,000 men to build, the white marble was quarried 200 miles away and was transported to the site by a fleet of 1000 elephants. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as an expression of his love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, in mid-17th century, the Taj Mahal is truly one of the wonders of the world. Though the Taj appears to be amazingly perfect from almost any angle, it is the close-up marble inlay work, which is really astounding. You will have ample time to view and be mesmerized by this outstanding piece of architecture. This afternoon we visit Agra Fort, an outstanding example of Mughal architecture. Agra Fort - the seat and the stronghold of the Mughal Empire under successive generations. This was the seat of Mughal rule and administration and the present structure owes its origins to Akbar who erected the walls and gates and the first buildings on the eastern banks of Yamuna River. Shah Jehan added the impressive quarters and the mosque while Aurangzeb added the outer ramparts. Visit its Hall of Public Audience and its Royal Pavilions. Hotel: Clarks Shiraz Day 8 : Agra Jaipur After breakfast we drive to Jaipur, enroute visit Fatehpur Sikri, 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. Afterwards we continue our drive to Jaipur. The evening is all yours to relax or explore the city. Hotel: Four points by Sheraton
Day 9 : Jaipur After breakfast we proceed for an excursion tour to 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 Aravalli hills and sprawling crenulated walls lattice the surrounding area. Enjoy a Jeep Ride at Amber Fort, 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. Later, 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. Nearby one the famous Observatory 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, but 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 Table. The evening is free for shopping. Hotel: Four points by Sheraton Day 10: Jaipur Delhi - - Australia Today we drive from Jaipur to Delhi for your evening flight back home.
Meals: Breakfast/-/- Day 11: Australia Arrive home today.