Magical India and the Holi Festival 17 Days | Departing Thursday 22Nd February 2018 and Returning Saturday 10Th March 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
relax, explore, discover . new friendships! Head Office Level 1, 361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 T 1300 885 255 [email protected] www.sisterhoodwomenstravel.com.au a unique travel experience just for women Magical India and the Holi Festival 17 Days | Departing Thursday 22nd February 2018 and returning Saturday 10th March 2018 DELHI VARANASI JAIPUR JODHPUR AGRA NARLAI UDAIPUR Join us and take MUMBAI part in the World’s Biggest Colour Party! HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS: PRICE: $6,999.00 per person twin share • Holi Celebrations at Shahpura House - (Outfits provided) SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $1,300.00 • Full Day Sightseeing Tour of Old & New Delhi • Half Day Sightseeing Tour of Agra and Agra Fort PRICE INCLUDES: • Sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal • Visit to Sarnath, Holy Place of Budha • Fully Escorted Tour - Your Sisterhood Tour Hostess is on hand to assist • Visit to Fatehpur Sikri with making your holiday a memorable one • Full Day Sightseeing Tour of Jaipur including • Return Airfares ex Melbourne to India including taxes and baggage with Elephant Ride at Amber Fort (optional) Singapore Airlines (other cities upon request) • Half Day Sightseeing Tour of Jodhpur • Internal Domestic Flights in India • Half Day Sightseeing Tour of Udaipur • Private Transportation Throughout • Boat Ride on Lake Pichola • All meals as described in Itinerary • Dinner at Masala House in Delhi • All sightseeing as described in Itinerary • Visit to Elefantastic • Indian Visa Processing for Australia Passport Holders • High Tea at the Ram Bagh Palace • Willing to Share Option • Beautiful Unique Accommodation • Document Distribution Day Subject to Minimum Numbers itinerary DAY 1 Thursday 22 February 2018 Later we will be picked up from our hotel for a guided tour of Varanasi Melbourne – Singapore – New Delhi ~ (Meals Inflight) which includes a visits to the Ghats. Dinner at leisure. Welcome to Sisterhood Womens Travel. Meet your fellow travellers Overnight: The Gateway Hotel Varanasi. and tour hostess at the Melbourne Airport for your flight to India. DAY 5 Monday 26 February 2018 Sit back, relax and enjoy the airline inflight entertainment as we head Sarnath – Agra – Taj Mahal ~ (B) towards New Delhi. Arriving in mid evening to be transferred to our This morning we’ll travel to Sarnath, located 13kms outside Varanasi hotel, The Lalit New Delhi Hotel. city. It is a holy spot for the followers of Budha. Followed by a transfer Welcome to to India – vast, diverse, deeply spiritual and utterly to the airport for our flight to Agra. unforgettable, India is unlike anywhere else on earth – a melting pot Upon arrival into Agra, we’ll visit Sheroes Hangout which is a small of ethnicities and religions, a treasure trove of history and culture, and café run by acid attack survivors and offer “Pay what you want” a curious mixture of chaos and serenity. service, so there is no fixed price for any food item, and customers can Stretching across more than three million square kilometres, it pay whatever they wish to pay. encompasses a staggering array of landscapes, vistas and environs, Later we’ll enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of the Agra Fort – a and offers unparalled travel experiences – from the beautiful beaches testament to the rise and fall of the Mughal empire built by Emperor of Goa, to the compelling craziness of Kolkata, the sacred Ganges Akbar in red sandstone over 400 years ago – followed by walking tour River banks of Varanasi, the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas in of Agra starts from the Army gate of Agra Fort and passes through Kashmir and the ancient, exquisitely crafted temples dotted across the Ambedkar Park, Overbridge, Rickshaw ride to Jama Masjid, the entire country. Not to mention the vibrant, friendly people, and Chimman Lal Poori Wala (Refreshment Point), Vaidya Ramdutt Gali, the incredible cuisine. Mankameshwar Temple, Lohar Gali, Musician’s Balcony, Radha Krishna DAY 2 Friday 23 February 2018 Mandir, Spice Shop, Patal Hanuman Mandir, Surana Haveli – 1914, Itr New Delhi ~ (B,D) Shop, Gurudwara at HaathiGhat and ends at the MehtabBagh, from This morning after breakfast, we’ll enjoy a guided tour of both Old where there are wonderful views of the Taj Mahal. Dinner at leisure and New Delhi. Our tour includes visits to the Red Fort (photo stop tonight. only); Jama Masjid, one of the country’s largest mosques; Chandni Overnight: The Gateway Hotel Fatehabad Road Agra. Chowk (Silver Street), famous for its colourful bazaars including DAY 6 Tuesday 27 February 2018 Rickshaw Ride, Ghandi Smriti, Birla Mandir, Hindu Temple; India Taj Mahal – Nahargarh Ranthambhore National Park ~ (B,D) Gate; a 42 meter high war memorial; Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s House); Humayun’s Tomb; the Qutub Minar, a 73 m high victory tower. This morning a special treat – a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal, one of Tonight we’ll enjoy dinner at Masala House. the wonders of the world – a monument of love created by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal and Overnight: The Lalit New Delhi Hotel. perhaps the most perfect architectural monument of the world. DAY 3 Saturday 24 February 2018 After breakfast at our hotel and check-out we’ll begin our drive to New Delhi – Varanasi ~ (B) Ranthambore where upon arrival at our lodge the afternoon is free. This morning after breakfast and check-out of our hotel, we’ll fly to Ranthambore National Park is one of the largest national parks in Varanasi. Upon arrival we’ll be transferred to our hotel. northern India, celebrated for the superb sightings of Bengal tiger Varanasi, an ancient and deeply sacred city, rests along the banks in its natural habitat. Formerly the hunting ground of the Maharajas of the holy River Ganges and encompasses a wealth of beautiful of Jaipur, the area boasts deciduous forests, stretching for over 1,000 riverside temples, stately old forts and vibrant markets. It’s considered sq km and recognised as one of the last forest strongholds in arid the spiritual capital of Hinduism, and it’s widely believed that dying northern India. Many other mammals, such as leopard, caracal, jungle here will bring salvation. As a result, the city is home to a multitude of cat, wild boar, sloth bears and jackals, can be found here too. ghats – stone steps leading to the river – some of which are used for Nahargarh is a luxurious hotel nestled in the foothills of the ‘Aravali bathing rituals and others as cremation sites. An early morning boat Ranges’ neighboring the Ranthambore National Park. Surrounded ride along the Ganges offers an excellent way to take in the ghats and by a 16th-century style fortress, Nahargarh is built like a traditional the bustling activity centred on them. Rajput hunting palace complete with a vast “Char Bagh” or formal Every evening at sunset an elaborate ganga aarti (river worship) Mughal garden. It is the perfect base to explore Ranthambore from ceremony with fire and dance is staged at the Dasaswamedh Ghat the lap of luxury. Nahargarh is a complete habitat in itself as one can and is best viewed from a boat on the river. Led by a group of young see several animals and birds performing their playful acts in the pandits (priests), the ceremony commences with the blowing of a surrounding grasslands. conch shell, and continues with the waving of incense sticks and Overnight: Nahargarh Ranthambhore. circling of large flaming lamps that stand out dramatically against the darkened sky. Dinner at leisure tonight. DAY 7 Wednesday 28 February 2018 Nahargarh Ranthambhore National Park ~ (B,L,D) Overnight: The Gateway Hotel Varanasi. Today we’ll enjoy a morning and an afternoon game drive into the DAY 4 Sunday 25 February 2018 Ranthambore National Park accompanied by an English speaking Varanasi – Dawn Boat Ride on River Ganges ~ (B) naturalist. Game drives in Ranthambore are conducted using 4WD Our day begins early with a dawn boat ride on the holy River Ganges. vehicles and there is plenty of opportunity to see an array of animals. The City and the River Ganges come alive at dawn, when hundreds Dinner tonight at the Lodge. and thousands of devotees come to the river to worship the Sun God. Overnight: Nahargarh Ranthambhore. itinerary DAY 8 Thursday 1 March 2018 much time with the elephant family. We will then have the chance to Jaipur – High Tea at Rambagh Palace ~ (B,HT) paint the elephant with the natural colours which are gentle to their Our day begins with an early morning game safari accompanied by skin. From here we’ll get the chance to experience a safari with the an English speaking naturalist. same elephant in the reserved forest area passing by 300 years old Hindu temple. We’ll then enjoy dinner as our Elephant Safari comes to After a relaxing breakfast we farewell Ranthambore National Park and an end. An amazing experience. begin our drive to Jaipur. Upon arrival, we’ll check into our hotel and continue on to Rambagh Palace to enjoy a lovely high tea. Overnight: Glamping – Dera Amer Camp. Jaipure, gateway to the state of Rajasthan, offers a heady mix of old DAY 11 Sunday 4 March 2018 and new India. Famously known as the “Pink City”, Jaipur’s nickname Ajit Bhawan, Jodhpur ~ (B) was coined in 1876 when a visit by the Prince of Wales prompted the After a relaxed breakfast at our hotel, we’ll enjoy a guided sightseeing government to paint the Old City terracotta pink, traditionally the tour of Jaipur including a photo stop at the Hawa Mahal (Palace of colour of hospitality, to welcome the Royal. winds), the facade of which is all pink windows and filigree screens, Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a soldier, City Palace, still the home of the former royalty.