Cox & Kings Cox INDIA & BEYOND 2018-19 Group Tours & Tailor-Made Travel India & Beyond • 2018-19 • & Beyond India Why entrust your Inspiring Travel for 260 Years holiday to Cox & Kings? • Our extraordinary heritage – In an age that has witnessed an explosion in the popularity of travel, when new travel founded in 1758 companies appear and disappear with bewildering frequency, Cox & Kings is, above all else, • Award-winning holidays a travel company you can trust. Our experience, knowledge, service and business ethics are • Big company value & small all underpinned by 260 years of heritage. company service • The expert advice of your Cox & Kings’ illustrious history is extraordinary, not just in its longevity but in how it has personal tour consultant reinvented itself as the world around it has changed. You can read more about our • Equal expertise at organising company’s story online at coxandkings.co.uk/history. small group tours and private tailor-made travel A common strand running through the entire history is the spirit of innovation, which has • The best guides to bring a remained a driving force for the business to this day. Our company may be old but it’s destination to life full of youthful energy. • Cox & Kings’ network of offices throughout India I am proud that we continue to build on the tradition of high quality service, attention to detail and innovation that made Richard Cox so successful 260 years ago. I very much hope that this brochure will inspire and that you will entrust your next adventure to Cox & Kings. What we offer to India & Beyond • Private tailored travel • Small group tours • Special group tours for solo travellers • Luxury train journeys • Serene river cruises Peter Kerkar • Stylish tented camps Managing Director • Private villas Design & production: Cox & Kings Travel Ltd Printing: Henry Stone Photography: iStock, Shutterstock, Bigstock, Alamy, Getty Images, Cox & Kings Travel Ltd t 020 3930 5073 e [email protected] w CoxandKings.co.uk XXXXXXXXXX 4 Contact us on 020 3930 5073 or [email protected] Contents by Region 6 Introduction Group tours • Private & tailor-made travel • Family adventures • Private villas • Rail journeys & cruises Delhi NEPAL BHUTAN 14 Rajasthan & the North Kathmandu Thimphu Small group tours • Solo travellers tours • Private tailor-made travel • Rail journeys 52 Indian Himalaya INDIA Small group tours • Private tailor-made travel Kolkata 66 Eastern India Small group tours • Private tailor-made travel • River cruises Mumbai 78 Western India Gujarat • Maratha Heartland • Goa Private tailor-made travel • Rail journeys Chennai 88 Central India & its Wildlife Small group tours • Private tailor-made travel SRI LANKA 98 The Deccan Plateau & Tamil Nadu Small group tours • Private tailor-made travel Colombo 114 Kerala Small group tours • Private tailor-made travel Indian Himalaya 130 Sri Lanka & the Maldives 60 Journey through the Himalayan Foothills Standard tour • 13 Days & 11 Nights Small group tours • Private tailor-made travel • Solo travellers tours Eastern India 158 Nepal & Bhutan 72 Taj, Tigers & Trains Superior tour • 14 Days & 12 Nights Small group tours • Private tailor-made travel 170 Important Information Central India & its Wildlife Booking conditions • Travel insurance • Details on travel in 94 An Indian Wildlife Odyssey Superior tour • 13 Days & 12 Nights India • Documents & health • Airline upgrades 178 Cox & Kings Holidays Explained The Deccan Plateau & Tamil Nadu Tour categories • Accommodation ratings • Our prices 108 Treasures of Southern India Superior tour • 14 Days & 12 Nights Kerala 122 Passage through Kerala Small Group Tours Superior tour • 13 Days & 11 Nights Sri Lanka Rajasthan & the North 144 The Enchanted Island 28 The Golden Triangle & Shimla Superior tour • 14 Days & 12 Nights Superior tour • 13 Days & 11 Nights 146 Sri Lanka Summer Explorer 30 Grand Tour of Northern India Superior tour • 14 Days & 12 Nights Superior tour • 15 Days & 13 Nights 148 Splendours of Sri Lanka 32 Passage through Rajasthan Solo travellers tour • Superior tour • 14 Days & 12 Nights Superior tour • 16 Days & 14 Nights Nepal & Bhutan 34 Exotic India 166 Bhutan: The Dragon Kingdom Solo travellers tour • Superior tour • 13 Days & 11 Nights Discovery tour • 11 Days & 9 Nights Image left: Amber fort, Jaipur Find out more at CoxandKings.co.uk or from your travel agent 5 XXXXXXXXXX Escorted Group Tours Designed by Experts • Small Group Sizes • All Entrance Fees Included • Solo Travellers Tours We keep our groups compact and manageable, All sightseeing entrance fees included where This brochure includes a selection of tours with an average group size of 14 and a possible as well as local taxes. specially created for individual travellers (see maximum of 26. tours on pages 34 and 148 for further details). • Balanced Pace • Local Tour Managers Opportunities to relax or explore • 24-Hour Emergency Support We employ local tour managers for their independently are built into most tours. While you are away you will have in-depth knowledge of the places, people 24- hour phone numbers for both our local and culture, which in turn supports the local • Tailored to You representatives and our UK emergency phone. community. We are delighted to organise extensions before or after your tour, as well as room and • Full Holiday Protection • Excellent Value for Money flight upgrades. We are members of AITO and ABTA, our air For those seeking a premium touring holidays are fully ATOL protected and we experience, comparing all inclusions, • Flight Flexibility follow British Foreign & Commonwealth Office Cox & Kings tours offer superb value for money. Flights are included as standard with the (FCO) advice regarding destination safety (see option to choose an alternative airline (where page 174 for details). • High Quality Accommodation available), add regional flights or join the tour We take great care in our selection of on a land-only basis. Please see page 5 for a list of all the group accommodation. Typically, we feature well- tours featured in this brochure. If you would located, 4- and 5-star, character hotels. • Special Tours like to find out more about how our holidays In addition to our main group tours, operate, please refer to Cox & Kings Holidays • Cox & Kings Signature Experiences we also offer expert-accompanied art tours, Explained on pages 178-179 of this brochure. Each tour includes a number of exceptional specially created tours for solo travellers experiences, revealing hidden wonders and (see page 178 for further details) and tours cultural secrets. for private groups. 6 Contact us on 020 3930 5073 or [email protected] XXXXXXXXXX Private Travel Tailored for You • 100% Flexibility • Private Guides • Private Groups All our itineraries can be tailored to suit your An English-speaking local guide will If you are a member of a club, society or simply needs, or we can create an itinerary for you accompany most sightseeing excursions, so a group of friends with a common interest, we entirely from scratch, no matter how complex you can ask as many questions as you like, can create an itinerary to suit the particular your requirements. based on your particular interests. interests, dates and budget of the group. • Planned by Experts • Cox & Kings Signature Experiences • 24-Hour Emergency Support Throughout the planning process you will be From market tours and cooking classes to hot While you are away you will have 24- guided by your personal tour consultant, who air balloon rides and epicurean dining, we can hour phone numbers for both our local will design an itinerary around your particular arrange a whole variety of experiences. representatives and our UK emergency phone. interests and requirements. • Wide Choice of Accommodation • Full Holiday Protection • Support on the Ground Whether it’s a sophisticated city centre hotel We are members of AITO and ABTA, our air At each new destination on your journey, or a ‘back-to-nature’ wilderness lodge, we can holidays are fully ATOL protected and we you will be welcomed by a Cox & Kings cater to all tastes and a range of budgets. follow British Foreign & Commonwealth Office representative who will accompany you to (FCO) advice regarding destination safety your hotel and ensure you are happy with all • Multi-Country Itineraries (see page 174 for details). the arrangements. We are experts at combining multiple countries in a single journey. If you would like to find out more about • Private Car Travel how our holidays operate, please refer to For road journeys, you will be driven by • Family Holidays Cox & Kings Holidays Explained on pages air-conditioned private car, allowing the We arrange seamless itineraries that include 178-179 of this brochure. There is also a flexibility to make stops en route, where and experiences to inspire older and younger wealth of additional information about when you wish. generations alike (see page 8 for details). the countries featured in this brochure in the Indian Subcontinent and Indian Ocean sections of our website, reached via the ‘Destinations’ link. Please visit CoxandKings.co.uk Find out more at CoxandKings.co.uk or from your travel agent 7 INTRODUCTION Family Adventures Inspiring Travel for Generations Cox & Kings family holidays are specially created for families seeking adventure and discovery without compromising on comfort and peace of mind. All families are unique, so the ideas we have put together in our Family Adventures range are intended purely as suggestions – our specialist