Delhi – Pench – Kanha – Bandhavgarh – Khajuraho – Agra – Ranthambhore - Jaipur – Delhi ( 14 days )
Mother Nature bestowed upon India a bounty of blessings… tropical rain forests, mighty rivers, varying seasons making her the chosen habitat of some of the world’s most beautiful and rare flora & fauna. Nowhere in India is this more evident than in her National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries governed under conservation programmes including the prestigious Project Tiger. Pench, Kanha & Bandhavgarh National Parks in the heart of India and Ranthambhore in north-western state of Rajasthan enjoy exemplary success in ‘Project Tiger’ fighting to safeguard the future of this powerful and elusive creature.
This trip brings you a life-enhancing moment when you encounter for the first time one of the world’s endangered species in its natural habitat along with the opportunity to relive the history & chivalry of the Fort & Palaces of the Maharajas of Jaipur, the cultural contrasts of Old & New Delhi and the most famous of all - the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Day 1 – Arrive Delhi
Meet & greet on arrival followed by transfer to hotel.
DELHI: The capital city of modern India has behind it centuries of history which has enriched its culture. Nowhere has tradition blended with modernity on a scale as evident in Delhi. Age - old monuments stand alongside ultra modern high-rise buildings. Delhi has been the seat of power for centuries. Today, the old and new city combine to present a harmonious whole offering the traveler elegant shops, broad laburnum-lined avenues, sun warmed elegant forts and mosques that were once stronghold of Mughal powers and colorful bazaars.
Evening: at leisure.
Overnight: HOTEL - DELHI
Day 2 – In Delhi
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: sightseeing of New Delhi.
Visit the 12th century Qutab Minar, gracefully hand-carved for its entire height of 234ft, and the iron pillar, which has withstood the ravages of time and not rusted even after 1500 years. Visit the mausoleum of emperor Humayun’s Tomb - a forerunner of the Mughal style of architecture and the imposing modern Lakshminarayan Temple. Drive past the India Gate (the war memorial dedicated to the martyr’s of World War I), the President's Palace (formerly the Viceroy's Palace), Parliament House and the Secretariat buildings….overall an interesting blend of the Victorian and 20th century architecture.
Lunch at the hotel or a local restaurant Basil & Thyme at Santhusthi shopping complex (on direct payment).
Afternoon: sightseeing of Old Delhi takes you to Jama Masjid - the largest mosque in India. Visit the magnificent Red Fort - a marvel in red sandstone, built on the banks of river Yamuna by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Drive past Chandni Chowk, once an imperial avenue of the Mughal Royalty which today is the busiest commercial area of the city. Visit Raj Ghat (memorial to Mahatma Gandhi).
Overnight: HOTEL -DELHI
Day 3 – Fly Delhi to Nagpur and drive from Nagpur to Pench Tiger Reserve( 100 km, 2.5 hr )
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: Transfer to airport for flight to Nagpur. Meet & greet on arrival followed by transfer to Pench Tiger Reserve in a private vehicle.
PENCH TIGER RESERVE - nestling in lower southern reaches of the Satpura hills, the park is named after Pench river which flows from north to south through the park. The park was included under the umbrella of the "Project Tiger" as 19th Project Tiger Reserve in 1992.With a total of 758 sq. km, criss-crossed by a number of seasonal streams, dotted with water pools and a reservoir, Pench Tiger Reserve is rich in flora & fauna. A number of endangered species have made it their habitat. There are 39 species of mammals… tigers, leopards, cheetah, sambar, jackals, nilgai, langoors, 13 species of reptiles, 3 species of amphibians and over 210 varieties of birds including peafowl, red jungle fowl, crow pheasant, crimson breasted barbet, cedvented bulbul, cacket tailed drongo, magpie, robin and lesser whistling teal. The flora is tropical dry deciduous teak.
Overnight: HOTEL – PENCH
Day 4 – Drive from Pench to Kanha National Park (200 km, 4 hr)
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: game safari into Pench Tiger Reserve.
Tiger show on the back of the elephant (subject to forest officials organising one on that day or else one in Kanha and Bandhavgarh ).
Post lunch, drive to Kanha National Park in a private vehicle.
KANHA NATIONAL PARK is the most picturesque park in Asia and is known for being the inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling’s unforgettable classic “Jungle Book”. It stretches over 940 sq km with the famous Banjar valley & Halon valley forming its western and eastern halves. The valleys had been famous for deer and tiger populations. Established in 1955, the most striking feature of the region are open grassy meadows, where sightings of the black buck, swamp deer, sambhar and chital are common. The park is sole habitat of the rare hardground barasingha (12 horned deer). The park boasts 22 species of mammals including gaur – the largest of the world’s cattle; the sambar – the largest Indian deer, the chausingha – the only four horned antelope in the world. Some 200 species of birds inhabit the park including cattle egret, black ibis, hawk eagle and the red-wattled lapwing.
On arrival, check-in at hotel.
Overnight: HOTEL – KANHA
Day 5 – At Kanha
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: Game safari into the National Park
Afternoon: Post lunch game safari into the National Park
Overnight: HOTEL – KANHA
Day 6 – Drive from Kanha to Bandhavgarh National Park ( 250 km, 6 hrs )
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: drive to Bandhavgarh in a private vehicle.
BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK: The park has highest known density of the Tiger population in India. Prior to becoming a National park, the forest of Bandhavgarh had long been maintained as a Shikargah or a game preserve of the Maharajahs of Rewa. Hunting was carried out by the Maharajahs and their guests, otherwise the wildlife was relatively well-protected. It was considered a good omen for a Maharajah of Rewa to shoot 109 Tigers. In 1968, the Maharaja of Rewa handed over the area to the government. At this time, the entire park covered an area of 106 square kilometers whereas it presently consists of an area of 448 square kilometers. These much required extensions to the northern and southern areas, of the park were done in 1982. These areas consisted primarily of Sal forests, which is the main tree-cover found in the entire park along with bamboo. It was finally declared a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1993
Bandhavgarh is blessed with a large variety of residents -both in terms of animals and birds. In the category of animals, it is possible to sight tigers, chital (spotted deer), Sambar deer, nilgais, wild boars, chinkaras, sloth bears, rhesus macaques, black faced langurs, jungle cats, hyenas, porcupines, jackals, foxes, wild dogs, chausinghas and ratels, among others.
On arrival, check-in at hotel.
Overnight: HOTEL – BANDHAVGARH
Day 7 – At Bandhavgarh
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: Game safari into the National Park
Afternoon: Game safari into the National Park
Overnight: HOTEL – BANDHAVGARH
Day 08 – Drive Bandhavgarh to Khajuraho ( 270 km, 6 hr )
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: drive to Khajuraho in a private vehicle.
KHAJURAHO is also called the land of the Moon God as it oozes with passion, eroticism, dance & music and other finesses of creative arts depicted in sculpture and images of its temples. The temples of Khajuraho are famous for the eroticism etched on its walls in the form of sculptures. These 9th to 12th century temples are evidence of the architectural genius during the times of Chandela dynasty.
On arrival, check-in at hotel.
Evening: Sound & Light show in the complex of the western group of temples. In this 50-minute spectacle, Amitabh Bachchan, the Indian star narrates the story of Khajuraho in his mesmerising voice. He relays the life and times of the great Chandela kings and traces the story of these unique temples from the 10th Century to the present day.
Overnight: HOTEL – KHAJURAHO
Day 09 – Drive from Khajuraho to Jhansi (190 km, 4.5 hr) and train from Jhansi to Agra
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: Visit the famous western and eastern group of temples – a World Heritage Site.
Afternoon: transfer to Jhansi railway station to board train to Agra departing at 1756 hr.
On arrival at Agra railway station at 2025 hr, meet & greet followed by transfer to hotel.
AGRA is located on the right bank of the river Yamuna. It boasts a glorious past created by Mughal warriors as skilled in art and architecture as they were on the battlefield. For the lover of art and to the traveller seeking the wonders of India, Agra will not disappoint.
Check-in at hotel.
Overnight: HOTEL – AGRA
Day 10 – Drive from Agra to Bharatpur (56 km, 2 hr) and train from Bharatpur to Ranthambhore
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: visit Taj Mahal -the seventh wonder of world, built by Shah Jahan as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz Mahal by the banks river Yamuna. After her untimely death, Shah Jahan had her mortal remains buried in this mausoleum. And after his own demise he was placed to rest next to his beloved queen in the same mausoleum The Taj has been called the most extravagant monument ever built in the name of love. The great monument took almost 22 years to build and was completed in 1653.
Also visit the Agra Fort -the seat and the stronghold of the Mughal Empire for many generations. Foundation of the fort was laid by Emperor Akbar in 1565.
Depart for Bharatpur by private vehicle.
Time permitting, en route visit Fatehpur Sikri -an extraordinary place to wander around with its buildings in near perfect condition even after more than 400 yrs. Built by Emperior Akbar in 1569, it remained the capital of the Mughal emperor between 1570 to 1586 but was abandoned due to scarcity of water. The sprawling structure is made of red sandstone and combines both Hindu and Muslim architecture. The main entrance to this walled city is through the 175 feet Buland Darwaza.
Continue to Bharatpur for lunch.
Post lunch board train to Ranthambhore departing at 1548 hr.
Meet & greet on arrival at 1800 hr at Ranthambhore railway station followed by transfer to hotel.
Check - in at hotel.
Overnight: HOTEL – RANTHAMBHORE
Day 11 – In Ranthambhore
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: Game safari into the National Park
RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK -one of the best places to view tigers. It was the hunting ground of Maharaja of Jaipur. The park was declared a game sanctuary back in 1955 followed by National Park status in 1980 and finally becoming one of the ‘original 9’ parks to be earmarked for conservation under the Project Tiger in 1972.
Between the Aravalli and Vindhya mountain ranges and bound by the rivers Chambal in the south and Banas in the north, the Park has a total area of 1,334 sq km area with the core area is 392 sq km. The terrain is rugged with rocky ridges, hills, open valleys with lakes & pools, and deciduous forests which were once a part of the magnifice nt jungles of central India. Ranthambore is also a heritage site because of the picturesque ruins that dot the wildlife park. There are lake palaces and a majestic 1,000-year-old fort, overlooking the park. With over 300 types of trees, 272 species of birds and approximately 30 different types of mammals including smallest and largest antelopes, chinkara and nilgri (‘blue bull’), Ranthambhore is packed full with wildlife.
Afternoon: Game safari into the National Park
Evening: at leisure to enjoy a after dinner drink at the hotel’s bonfire (weather permitting).
Overnight: HOTEL – RANTHAMBHORE
Day 12 – Drive from Ranthambhore to Jaipur (180 km, 3.5 hr)
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: leave for Jaipur by private car with photo stops en route.
JAIPUR: the Capital of Rajasthan and built by Sawai Jai Singh, the city of Jaipur is among the first of India’s planned cities. The ancient heart of the Pink City still beats in its fairy tale palaces; rugged fortresses perched on barren hills and broad avenues. Jaipur has a timeless appeal in its colorful bazaars. Beautifully laid out gardens and parks, attractive monuments and marvellous heritage hotels once the residence of Maharajas, all join to make the visit of this city a memorable one.
On arrival, check-in at hotel.
Evening: at leisure.
Overnight: HOTEL– JAIPUR
Day 13 – In Jaipur
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning: visit of Amber Fort. Amber is a classic romantic Rajasthani Fort Palace. Precious stones and mirrors are embedded into the plaster. Inside the fort visit the Jag Mandir – the famed room with all the four walls and ceiling completely embedded with glittering mirror pieces which were specially imported from Belgium during that period. En-route to Amber Fort, you will have a brief photography stop at Hawa Mahal - the Palace of Winds.
Afternoon: City tour of Jaipur which begins with a visit to the Maharaja's City Palace, a modern 18th century palace built by the ruler of Amber state in the style of a fortified campus, is still the residence of the royal family of Jaipur. Part of the palace is converted into the Sawai Man Singh II museum.
Enjoy a memorable experience of fine dining at The Palace Café (on direct payment) - situated in premises of the Sawai Man Singh II museum, it creates a matchless royal ambience in the air-conditioned buffet restaurant and has an exquisite courtyard for alfresco dining.
Later visit the Jantar Mantar, which is the largest stone and marble crafted Observatory in the world. Situated near the gate of the City Palace, the observatory has 17 large instruments, many of them still in working condition.
Evening: at leisure.
Overnight: HOTEL – JAIPUR
Day 14 – Drive Jaipur to Delhi and Depart Delhi
Breakfast at hotel.
Leisurely, drive Jaipur to Delhi. On arrival, freshen up at the airport hotel (lobby usage only, meals on direct payment) before transfer to airport for return flights.
END OF PROGRAM
PRICES (valid till 30th April 2013)
4* hotel – From EURO 1650 per person sharing
5* hotel – From EURO 1750 per person sharing
THE ABOVE PRICES INCLUDES :
Hotel accommodation on B&B basis
All local taxes,
All transport by private car & driver
English speaking guide at each city
Entrance fees
Meet and Greet services of our local representatives in Delhi
EXCLUDES
International airfare, Visa fee, travel insurance, lunches, dinners and drinks
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