MeritTravel.com | 1.866.341.1777 Diwan-I-Am Hall of Public Audience, India 9 nights $10,395* p.p. Departs Toronto: Apr. 3, 2019 Group size: 20 maximum Visits to: DECCAN INDIAN ODYSSEY Delhi-Qutab - Sawai Madhopur - Ranthambore National Park - Agra - By land: Delhi to Mumbai Taj Mahal - Jaipur - Udaipur - Vadodara - Champaner - Pavagadh Archaeological Park - Aurangabad - Ellora Caves - Mumbai Since the advent of the Railways in India, train journeys have been the subject of much fascination and mystery. Indian Royalty and the British aristocracy would often set out What’s Included: on shikaar or on celebrations, in the wilderness or deserts or mountains, travelling in the * round-trip airfare luxury of their private palace on wheels. Today, Deccan Odyssey continues this legacy of princely sojourns by introducing fascinating journeys covering the length and breadth of • Plaza Premium airport lounge pass the exotic and enchanting landscape of India. • New Delhi: two nights 5-star hotel accommodation Start your journey with two nights in Delhi, the magnificent capital, and visit the UNESCO site of Qutab which exhibits ancient and medieval structures and ruins. On the way to the metropolis • seven nights onboard Deccan of Mumbai, we will visit and explore the glorious Taj Mahal at Agra, the sparkling city of Jaipur, Odyssey, (deluxe cabin) with meals & non-alcoholic beverages, free WiFi and the lakes and glorious palaces at Udaipur. We’ll also visit the stunning monuments of and personalized guest amenities Vadodara, as well as a number of relatively unexplored destinations of west-central India. • Mumbai: hotel room at Deccan Odyssey is comprised of 21 luxuriously appointed coaches. Eleven coaches to Taj Mahal Palace until 8:00 p.m. accommodate guests, and the rest are used for different purposes such as dining, lounge, on day of departure and a health spa. Inspired by the imperial carriages used by the Maharajas of the yore for • nine breakfasts, six lunches, travelling, each of the coaches of this luxury train is inspired from a different royal era of and eight dinners Maharashtra ruled by diverse dynasties. • sightseeing and entrance fees as per the itinerary Single supplements available! • private motor coach transportation Call your local Merit Travel expert. • local English-speaking tour guide • Merit Travel tour host** • all taxes and gratuities *CDN$ p.p. dbl. occ., taxes Included. Single supplement: $3,400 p.p. Not included: India visa fee (approx. $200 p.p.) Airfare available from most Canadian airports, please enquire. **Minimum 10 passengers required for a Merit Travel tour host. ON-4499356/4499372 | BC-34799 | QC–7002238 | 111 Peter Street, Suite 200, Toronto, ON. M5V 2H1 | Canadian owned ®Merit Travel is a registered trademark of Merit Travel Group Inc. All rights reserved. several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutab Complex. The complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi. We will have a photo stop at the India Gate War Memorial and then drive through the Rajpath, the road which connects India Gate with the Viceregal Lodge (now the President’s Palace) and other government buildings. This place comes to life on January 26th every year when the Republic Day Parade takes place. After the tour, the rest of the afternoon is at our own leisure and in the evening, we enjoy a set menu dinner at the hotel’s Spice Route restaurant. DAY 4 | Apr. 6, 2019 | Delhi - Sawai Madhopur (B, D) We have most of today at our own leisure with our rooms being available for use until 8 p.m. Tonight, we will be transferred to the railway station for our Deccan Odyssey train journey. We will receive a traditional Indian welcome and enjoy a refreshing welcome drink, prior to settling into our delightful cabins. Dinner will be onboard the train. APPROPRIATE FOR: Overnight onboard the Deccan Odyssey (7 nights) Travellers who are physically ACTIVITY LEVEL: fit and comfortable with longer DAY 5 | Apr. 7, 2019 | Sawai Madhopur - Ranthambore Sight-seeing days of touring by transport National Park (B, L, D) and by foot and and do not Prior to setting out for the day, we will have breakfast and then our require mobility aids. first stop will be Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, which is the alighting point for the famous Ranthambore National Park. The park is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country and the most likely place to Your Itinerary | Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner = (B, L, D) spot one of these majestic animals. We will also visit a home of the friendly locals in this area, who are DAY 1 | Apr. 3, 2019 | Toronto - Delhi warm and welcoming and happy to show guests around their villages, Depart Toronto for your overnight flight to Delhi. giving deep insight into their daily lives. Afterwards, we will return to the Deccan Odyssey, enjoy a leisurely lunch DAY 2 | Apr. 4, 2019 | Delhi and then set out for a game drive. Ranthambore is home to several other species as well, including deer, boar, antelope and gazelles as well as We will be met as we exit the arrivals terminal and transferred to the sloth bear, leopards and crocodiles and extensive bird life. hotel for check in. After our game drive, we will relax with a high tea at the Sawai Overnight at The Imperial - Heritage room (2 nights) Madhopur Lodge, the former hunting lodge of the royal family of Jaipur. Then we return to the Deccan Odyssey, where we can relax DAY 3 | Apr. 5, 2019 | Delhi (B, D) with a drink before dinner onboard. Following breakfast we commence our sightseeing tour of New Delhi. When the British chose Delhi as their capital in 1911, they appointed DAY 6 | Apr. 8, 2019 | Ranthambore National Park - Agra (B, L, D) two architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker, to plan and Arriving at Agra, you will realize that the Mughals were India’s build a new city to rival the fabled cities of the Mughals. greatest builders. After a leisurely breakfast on board, we will visit New Delhi was thus built in true colonial style with tree-lined avenues, the Taj Mahal, which was Emperor Shah Jahan’s gift of love to his colonial bungalows, the Parliament House, the War Memorial Arch and beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and is truly the world’s most wondrous the Viceregal Palace, now the official residence of the President of India. monument. It took 20,000 men 22 years to build this unrivaled Alongside these British architectural gems are several monuments of mausoleum. Its exquisite white marble was brought from 200 miles other invaders including the second Mughal emperor’s mausoleum away by caravans of elephants and camels. called the Humayun’s Tomb - the blue print of the Taj Mahal. This is a We will dine for lunch at a city hotel and afterwards our tour of Agra World Heritage Monument with beautiful gardens and water features. continues as we visit Itmad-ud-Daulah; sometimes called the ‘Baby We’ll also visit Qutab Minar, the tallest stone tower in India, built by Taj’, it is beautifully conceived in white marble, mosaic and lattice. Qutab-ud-din Aibak. Construction of Qutub Minar commenced in Thereafter we proceed to Agra Fort, another outstanding example of 1193, and the top most storey of the minaret was completed in 1386. Mughal architecture, and the seat of Mughal reign and administration The Qutab Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most for three generations. A visit to the Diwan-e-Am, ‘Hall of Public Audience’ prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by and the Royal Pavilions is not to be missed. Later, we have the opportunity to visit the local markets to admire the After an early lunch, we will disembark and proceed to visit exquisite Pietra Dura (marble inlay) artefacts and Mughal ornaments. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Alternatively, instead of the markets, we have a choice to enjoy a spa Site, and the only complete and unchanged pre-Mughal Islamic city treatment at a hotel before completing your tour of this historical city. in India. This concentration of largely unexcavated archaeological, In the evening we return to the Deccan Odyssey for dinner. historic and living cultural heritage properties is cradled in an impressive landscape. We drive to the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, originally constructed DAY 7 | Apr. 9, 2019 | Agra - Jaipur (B, L, D) as a school for the Maharaja's children. A large number of works of art Legendary for the triumphs of its proud Rajputs, Jaipur, the City of are displayed in the museum including a collection of the paintings of Victory, is surrounded by the rugged Aravali Hills, which are crowned Raja Ravi Varma and other renowned European Masters as well as a by formidable forts and beautiful palaces, mansions and gardens. The collection of sculptures in marble and bronze. city is a colourful oasis in the desert and you will notice a timeless Afterwards, we enjoy high tea and a traditional folk performance at the quality to Jaipur's bazaars and its people. resplendent Laxmi Vilas Palace, built in 1890, and the residence of the After breakfast we drive to Maharaja Mansingh’s 17th century Royal family even today. Reputedly four times the size of Buckingham masterpiece, the Amber Fort that overlooks the beautiful Maota Palace, its overwhelming Durbar Hall boasts a Venetian mosaic Lake. The fort is a sprawling complex of courtyards, halls and rooms floor, Belgian stained-glass windows and walls with intricate mosaic adorned with beautiful paintings, precious stones and mirrors.