Rajasthan, Taj Mahal & Delhi Tour

Welcome to Delhi, the nation’s capital, a vibrant city with an unbelievable amount of history! Your tour guide will meet you at the airport and then you will transfer to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time and how tired you are, the tour guide will plan the rest of the day with you accordingly, which could include some sightseeing, plus a welcome dinner.

Included:
– Airport Transfer
– Welcome dinner
– Delhi sightseeing of your choice (food not included)

Today you can do any of the city tours or slum tours which we do. We suggest in the morning visiting Sanjay Colony, a small slum built on 25 acres of land located in the south of Delhi near the Bahai Lotus Temple and Iskcon temple. Learn about the working and residential life and witness how despite the challenging living conditions it remains an area charged with positive energy and strong community. You will also learn about the NGO programs directly supported by your visit.

In the afternoon we suggest doing some more traditional sightseeing of your choice such as visiting India Gate, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s tomb, Agrasen ki Baoli (a stepwell) and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh temple and one of the largest community kitchens in India which feeds more than 10,000 people per day. In the evening, if you still have the energy, you can explore old Delhi and go on our popular food tour if you wish!

Included:
– Sanjay Colony Slum Tour
– Sightseeing tour
– Old Delhi Tour (Food not included)

Not included
– Entry fee to Qutub Minar: INR 500pp
– Entry fee to Humayun’s Tomb: INR 500pp
– Entry fee to Red Fort: INR 500pp

Today we leave in the early morning for Agra, home of the Taj Mahal and Magnificent Agra Fort. On the way we will stop at a small village where you will get an understanding of how the majority of India’s population live with their unique traditions and customs. You will also have the option to visit Mathura and Vrindavan (the birth place of Lord Krishna, one of the HIndu gods) .

We will arrive in Agra late in the afternoon where we’ll check into a family run guest house; afterwards we’ll explore Mehtab Bagh, a small 22 acre Persian-style garden located next to the Yamuna river, offering a very unique view of the Taj Mahal. Later we’ll visit the massive Agra Fort, built with red sandstone, Head back to hotel in the evening after dinner. If you are not tired have a drink on the hotel’s roof top overlooking the Taj!

Included
– Homestay dinner
– Local Guide at Agra Fort

Not Included
– Entry fee to Mehtab Bagh: INR 300pp
– Boat ride on Yamuna river behind Taj: INR 500pp
– Entry fee to Agra Fort: INR 500pp

Today we’ll wake up early to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise- the best time to visit. We come back to our guest house to have a late breakfast and then check out and drive to Jaipur (4-5 hours). On the way, there is the option to visit Fatehpur Sikri fort and Abhaneri Chand Baori, one of the largest stepwells in the world where you descend many steps before reaching the water level.

Once we arrive and check in to the hotel in Jaipur, we will head to Nahargarh Fort for the stunning sunset view of the city of the pink city

Included:
– Local Tour Guide at Taj Mahal

Not Included:
– Entry fee to Taj Mahal: INR 1300pp
– Entry fee to Fatehpur Sikri: INR 500pp
– Entry fee to Abhaneri Chand Baori (stepwell): INR 100pp
– Entry fee to Nahargarh Fort: INR 500pp
– Entry fee for Sunset view: INR 200pp

Today we will go on a full day tour of Jaipur. In the morning, we will visit Amber Fort with its magnificent views, and in the afternoon we will continue to explore the rest of the city, such as Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar, and Bapu Bazaar if you wish to do some shopping. There’s also the option to see a Bollywood film at the famous Raj Mandir cinema.

Included:
– Local Guide for Amber Fort
– Local Guide for Jantar Mantar

Not Included:
– Entry to Amber Fort: INR 400pp
– Entry to Hawa Mahal: INR 250pp
– Entry to Jantar Mantar: INR 250pp
– Entry fee to City Palace: INR 500pp
– Bollywood Movie: INR 300pp

We will take an early morning train (5 hours) and leave for Jodhpur, one of the oldest cities of Rajasthan. At lunchtime, we will check in to the one of the oldest Haweli (traditional townhouses converted into a hotel), go for an afternoon walk in the markets of the Old City, and then recharge our batteries ready for an action-packed next day. You can have a Rajasthani Thali (vegetarian set meal with many different dishes) for dinner on a rooftop restaurant with the imposing Mehrangarh Fort in the background.

Included:
– Market Tour of the Old City

In the morning we will visit Mehrangarh Fort, one of the largest in India, where you can enjoy great views of the “blue city” below; if you are feeling adventurous, you can go on a zipline tour over the fort! In the afternoon, we will take a jeep to the Thar desert, where on arrival, you will each get your own camel to ride into the dunes and enjoy the sunset. In the evening we will have a delicious dinner at the camel owner’s family home before heading back to Jodhpur.

Included:
– Jeep and camel ride to Thar Desert, plus family dinner
– Entry fee and transportation to Umaid Bhawan Palace (instead of camel ride)

Not Included:
– Entry fee to Mehrangarh Fort: INR 600pp (with Audio Guide)
– Zipline over Mehrangarh Fort. See Flying Fox Jodhpur: From INR 1,500pp

We’ll travel from Jodhpur to Udaipur by car, stopping at a couple of the region’s true highlights along the way. One of these is Kumbhalgarh Fort (more great views) and the other is Ranakhpur Chaumukha Mandir, a Jain temple in the village of Ranakpur. This temple, built in the 15th century, consists of over 1,444 intricate marble pillars (and no two are alike!). We will arrive in the evening in Udaipur, and after checking in to the hotel, we’ll walk to the Bagore Ki Haveli to watch a live Rajasthani cultural dance program. Alternatively you can enjoy a view of the sunset over Lake Pichola from one of Udaipur’s many rooftop bars

Included:
– Bagore ki Haweli dance program

Not Included
– Entry fee to Ranakpur Temple: INR 300pp
– Entry fee to Kumbhalgarh Fort: INR 550pp

Early in the morning, there is an option of a sunrise boat ride on Lake Pichola. Later we will visit the City Palace, currently a royal residence although part of it has been converted into a museum. Mid morning we will visit Jagdish Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, followed by a walk around the local markets, tasting some local sweets, sugar cane juice and exotic fruits. If you like, you can also learn how to cook real Indian masala chai, pakora, chapattis, and curry or you can have a lesson in one of the many painting studios.

In the late afternoon we will get a bit of exercise by cycling around Fateh Sagar lake, afterwards enjoying a fresh coconut water or tea. In the evening, we will enjoy a dinner with a local family, understanding more about life in the village and if you wish, the children can make some “henna” on your hands.

Included:
– Local Guide at the City Palace
– Bicycle ride around the lake
– Dinner with a local family

Not included
– Boat ride on Lake Pichola: INR 300pp
– Entry fees for City Palace: INR 500pp
– Cooking class: INR 1,500 to 2,000pp
– Painting workshop : INR 500pp

Today we take the morning flight to Delhi and reach Delhi by the afternoon. On arrival we will transfer you to the hotel and in the afternoon, you have the option to rest or do some last minute sightseeing.

Please note that Udaipur is ideally located to visit other parts of India so if you wish to continue your travels elsewhere instead of returning back to Delhi, either with us or independently, do let us know.

Included:
– Sightseeing in Delhi (entrance to monuments not included)

This morning we will finish the tour and we will transfer you to the airport.

Included:
– Airport transfer

The tour itineraries have been carefully selected to provide you with what we think are the best routes to see the country, but as the tours are all private, we can customise them exactly as you want!

If you want to travel by air instead of train, or want to upgrade the hotel, see another city, this is all perfectly possible!

Unlike many operators, we directly arrange all the tour services ourselves without using any agents. This makes sure we are confident in the quality of the service offered and allows us to focus on our unique local community connections in the areas visited.

All our tours are private. We don’t currently offer shared tours.

We understand that good accommodation is vitally important and all our hotels are chosen for a mixture of location, character, cleanliness and security. We particularly like small and locally owned hotels or homestays as per our responsible travel policy. Unless requested, we do not provide luxury accommodation but they are of comfortable standard in keeping with our general travel standards and those found locally. Mostly being of 3-star standard. Rooming is on twin share basis unless you request otherwise. For the private Tours there is option to upgrade the accommodations.

Whilst the majority of accommodation does have air-conditioning this is not guaranteed and may be not be available on occasion.

Wi-fi is generally available in most hotels. Where it’s not, we can provide you with a SIM card for your phone which you can top up with data to allow you to use your phone or other device to connect online.

Wifi is quite widely available during the tour however not guaranteed. Most of our hotels do have internet access but not all.

Many cafes provide access to wifi connections and in general there should not be a problem in finding regular opportunities for any internet use. If you wish, our guides will help you to buy a local sim card with data.

We do include some meals as part of the itinerary including welcome dinners on most of the tours, as well as some dinners with local families as part of our community experience.

Lunch is sometimes included during travel days. Breakfast is guaranteed at the hotel / guest house unless you are travelling on an overnight train.

Some activities are included in your itinerary and some are not; these will be clearly marked. In general, we prefer not to include activities where possible to give you the flexibility to choose what you would like to do

Once the booking has been confirmed, we request a payment of 50% of the total booking value. The balance of all monies due must be paid and received by us at least 30 days before your tour starts.

We prefer that you do a bank transfer for payments, although we do have an online card payment system where this is not possible.

In general, we do offer airport transfers both on arrival and departure as part of the tour unless you specifically ask us not to.

We do not arrange international flights apart from where it’s included as part of the tour.