| country: | India |
| location: | Rajasthan |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor made and adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary. Rathambore National Park is closed between June & September. Alternative tours like birding can be considered in this period |
| price: | From £1075 - £2000 (17 days) per adult and £537 - £1000 per child excluding flights. Price includes B&B accommodation and transfers. Price depends on season & group size. Most activities included |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This holiday takes you down the kaleidoscope road of Rajasthan, beginning in Delhi - the capital of India. All the contrasts and contradictions of India are particularly visible in this city. Before you enter Rajasthan visit the epitome of Love - Taj Mahal in Agra. Embark on your journey to Rajasthan to be spell bound by the deserts, the hills and jungles, the countryside and the cities. From the Pink city of Jaipur to the colorful murals and frescoes in Shekawati to the changing yellows of the Thar desert to the blue roofs in Jodhpur through the green countryside and forests on the way to the glamorous white city of Udaipur, if the colours and Rajasthan are synonymous, then this trip completes it for you.
We visit many forts that remind us of a long forgotten history of Rajasthan and its rulers. There are distinct memories from the Rajputs, warriors that claim to originate from the sun, moon and fire who had inhabited these areas for over a thousand years. They lost their status and richness with the arrival of the British and left behind a rich cultural heritage. Luckily, we can still see some of their works in Rajasthan whether they are converted into heritage hotels, or lying as ruins, or preserved in museums. The flavour of the Rajputs continues to prevail even to date open for travelers to admire.
We visit many forts that remind us of a long forgotten history of Rajasthan and its rulers. There are distinct memories from the Rajputs, warriors that claim to originate from the sun, moon and fire who had inhabited these areas for over a thousand years. They lost their status and richness with the arrival of the British and left behind a rich cultural heritage. Luckily, we can still see some of their works in Rajasthan whether they are converted into heritage hotels, or lying as ruins, or preserved in museums. The flavour of the Rajputs continues to prevail even to date open for travelers to admire.
best time to go
The best time to go is October - April. May and June are hot. July - September period is warm and rainy. day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in Delhi and after lunch, go on a guided tour of the Lutyens New Delhi, drive past the Parliament House, Presidents House and India gate. Terminate your Delhi city tour at the Qutb Complex. Visit the five story Qutb Minar, marvel at the Iron Pillar and return back to Hotel. Overnight in Delhi. |
| Day 2: | Delhi. Wake up early morning to go on a guided history walk through old Delhi. Visit the various eateries in the narrow crowded lanes of Chandni Chowk and taste Delhi through its delicacies (Karims, the most authentic Mughlai eatry). Visit the Kinari bazaar - tightly packed stalls selling bewildering array of tinsel and sequins, Dariba Kalan is the lane of jewellers and silversmiths. Rickshaw rides are the best way to explore if you feel tired of walking in the narrow lanes. Visit the Jami Masjid-Indias largest mosque with its soaring minarets. On return to hotel visit Rajghat-Site of Mahatama Gandhi cremation. For the rest of the day relax or explore on your own. Overnight in Delhi. |
| Day 3: | Drive to Agra (5.5hrs drive). Stop over at Sikandra, a tomb built by Akbar and finished by his son Jahangir. Visit the Agra fort and examine the exquisite architecture of the Mughal empire. Overnight in Agra. |
| Day 4: | Taj Mahal. In the morning we visit one of the seven wonders of the world, the stunning Taj Mahal, the palace built in memory of Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz. Etched in marble, this flawless structure in white marble awaits your entry. Visit Akbar's city Fatehpur Sikri on the way to Rathambore 6.5hrs drive. Overnight in Rathambore. |
| Day 5: | Tiger jeep safari. Go on a early morning tiger jeep safari. Visit the local craft shops which sell unique artefacts and garments. Go on another jeep safari - what you see in the evenings are very different from the morning safaris. Sleep peacefully amidst the silence of the wild. Overnight in Ranthambore. |
| Day 6: | Leave morning for Jaipur (3hrs drive), the pink city of India. Set foot into one of the best planned cities in India. In the afternoon visit City Palace and Observatory and walk in the bazaars. In the evening attend the Folk and Puppetry programs at a nearby village. Meet the authentic performers. Overnight in Jaipur. |
| Day 7: | Drive to Nawalgarh (4hrs drive) in Shekhwati, enroute visit the Amer Fort. Enter the gates of Nawalgarh where you can go on a village walk and visit ancient houses, forts and temples. There are more than 200 ancient havelis in Nawalgarh. Overnight in Nawalgarh. |
| Day 8: | At Nawalgarh, we organize a Tie and dye workshop organised by local artists. Design your clothes with natural dyes by twisting and tying them to form pretty patterns in whichever colour you choose. Buy directly from the artisans. Learn the art of making bangles. Overnight in Nawalgarh. |
| Day 9: | Leave for Bikaner (4hrs drive), the desert city, the most arid part of Rajasthan. Enjoy the unique eateries of Bikaner. Walk along the sand dunes of this desert city. Visit the majestic Fort. Overnight in Bikaner. |
| Day 10: | Drive out of Bikaner (3hr drive) and stop over at the Karni Mata Temple, where a thousands of rats are worshipped. Enter the silent village of Bhap and go on a village walk. Spend some time with yourself and relax. Overnight in Bhap. |
| Day 11: | Jaisalmer. Leave for the beautiful deserted landscape to Jaisalmer (4hrs drive). Visit the Jaisalmer fort and enjoy the desert winds. Overnight in Jaisalmer. |
| Day 12: | Today we spend time with the camels and shepherds. A window into the nomadic life and the struggles of keeping their culture alive. You cannot afford to miss the delicious camel ice cream! Overnight in Jaisalmer. |
| Day 13: | On the way to Jodhpur (6.5hrs drive), we visit Pokaran, a traditional pottery village where we see the family business still in practice. Drive into the blue city of Jodhpur. |
| Day 14: | Visit the Mehrangarh Fort, the background of this city. Visit the clock tower and explore the bazaar street that resembles the markets of the 1500s. Overnight in Jodhpur. |
| Day 15: | Drive to Udaipur via the Jain temples in Ranakpur and Kumbalgarh fort. (Optional stay in Kumbalgarh.) This is the second largest structure after the great wall of China. Overnight in Udaipur. |
| Day 16: | Spent a day in Rajasthan's most romantic city, Udaipur. From authentic jewellery to colourful clothes and dance forms and folk songs, Udaipur welcomes you with a brimful. |
| Day 17: | Depart for Mumbai/Delhi. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment:
Our company was set up to help raise funds for a river foundation. This doesn't restrict our support to any other organisations in destinations where we offer holidays. This is not necessarily in the form of donations, but by being part of the wealth creation and providing social benefits (quantifiable, visible for our travellers) that we have carefully incorporated into the Responsible travel itinerary. We advise cooperating hotels to use the 3R policy: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. For our transfer we use regularly tuned cars and we promote walking tours in cities like Delhi to reduce pollution and congestion of traffic. Community: Being one of the pioneers of Responsible Tourism in India, our company works closely with government authorities, industry stake holders and communities to promote Responsible Tourism in the state. Most of the properties we recommend in this holiday are locally owned, but as in many cases the final call is with the guests on where they choose to stay. However, we are working with many owners to maintain their properties responsibly. Since our holiday involves visit to local communities and villages, we ensure that our guests are briefed thoroughly on the cultural background, for eg. Certain do's and don'ts like practicing responsible photography are made available before they go on our holidays. Our activity partners are not show pieces for tourists, but hosts who work with us with dignity. Most rural area visits lead you to optional visits to local schools and interaction with villagers. For most guests, these visits are eye openers to understand the resilience of local communities who live with minimal resources. We promote responsible shopping in Rajasthan - buying local handicrafts directly from the artists, thereby ensuring that the artist gets his worth. We promote home stays so that the benefits go directly to local people. What better way to learn about the Rajasthani culture than to stay with an ordinary family enjoying home cooked food. We organise workshops that provides an opportunity to not only learn their craft but also understand their social environment. One of the off shoots of these workshops is responsible shopping where travellers can purchase products directly without paying middle men who make unreasonable profits at the expense of the real artists. We work with the Kalakar Vikas Samiti, a small group of traditional artists who make a living out of art and handicrafts. Most of the hotels and restaurants showcase Rajasthani artists and except for a visual contact, there is real no connection with the artist. Our holidays give you an opportunity to understand where they come from, their art and culture. You can visit them in their houses and villages during the trip. This ensures that they don't compromise on their dignity and perform just for the sake of making a living. Our involvement with the community ensures their capacity building, training on social skills and building networks of artists in different parts of the Rajasthan so that the benefits of Responsible Tourism is spread across the state and not restricted to certain tourist places. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |









