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India's Golden Triangle & Tiger Safari
12 Days from £1,845per
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You are viewing the 2019 itinerary
Itineraries and pricing may vary by departure year
This amazing adventure through historic India takes us to some of the glorious country's most exciting sights. On our fascinating journey we discover thriving cities, spectacular forts, and have a chance to see a tiger in the wild, culminating with a night in a 200-year-old palace.
We leave London Heathrow on our overnight flight to Delhi, arriving in the morning of Day 2. We are then transferred into the heart of Delhi, where we spend two nights at the heritage 4-Star Maidens Hotel, located on the banks of the River Yamuna close to the quaint bazaars of Chandi Chowk.
Today we explore Delhi, India's vibrant, hectic, awe-inspiring capital city. We begin our tour with a rickshaw ride in Old Delhi. We visit Jama Masjid, a 17th-century mosque which is the largest in India, before taking a fascinating rickshaw ride through the narrow streets of Delhi's lively bazaar. As we head towards Chandi Chowk, we wind through a sea of pedestrians going about their everyday lives.
We leave the enticing aromas of street food behind and move on to New Delhi, where we visit Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar - India's tallest stone tower. Other highlights include India Gate, the Parliament Building and Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Early this morning we have our first experience of rail travel in India as we board the Gatimaan Express to Agra, home to the truly magical Taj Mahal. On arrival in Agra we visit the enormous Agra Fort, an enormous UNESCO listed complex that stands over Agra. Its red hued walls were built over 8 years, before being finished in 1573. The building was worked on every single day for that entire time period, due it its invaluable strategic position. We then cross Agra by coach to visit the Taj Mahal, another UNESCO world heritage site, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Our sunset visit ensures we experience the magical aura as the sun's final rays catch the natural pink and red hues of the white marble. We leave the Taj Mahal after a truly captivating day and transfer to the Trident Hotel Agra, where we spend the night.
Today we travel by coach on an excursion to Fatehpur Sikri. Built in the 16th century as the brand new capital city of India, Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned after only 14 years of rule when local water supplies ran dry. The deserted city has been preserved in almost the exact state it was left in 400 years ago and provides a vivid glimpse into life during the time of the Mughal Empire.
After time to explore, we continue to Bharatpur where we take lunch together at a local restaurant. Later we travel by train to Sawai Madhopur, where we transfer to the Taj Sawai Madhopur Lodge, once a hunting lodge for the Maharajas, for a two-night stay.
Today we head into the Ranthambore National Park for an early morning game drive in open-topped safari vehicles called 'Canters', which are for the exclusive use of Great Rail Journeys' customers.
Many rare creatures such as leopards and panthers can be found here including hyenas, marsh crocodiles and sloth bears. The park's most popular resident, however, is the tiger. In fact, the park is one of the only places in India where the incredible tiger can still be found in the wild, thanks to the successful efforts of Project Tiger. To increase our chances of seeing all of the creatures, we embark on a second game drive in the afternoon.
Today we travel by coach to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It is popularly known as the 'Pink City', as pink sandstone was used to construct the pretty buildings within the old city walls. On arrival, we check into our hotel for the next three nights.
This morning we embark on an exciting sightseeing tour of Jaipur. We head to the grand City Palace, which is home to the current Maharaja of Jaipur. The ornate building was completed in 1728, and is now enclosed by high walls and set in fine gardens. We also see the early 18th century Astronomical Observatory, a splendid complex featuring a number of early geometric devices for tracking locations of planets.
We then see the spectacular Palace of the Winds, an opulent red and pink sandstone building created for royal ladies to overlook the city without being seen. Your afternoon is spent at leisure.
Today we transfer to the ancient village of Amber, to visit the immense Amber Fort. Located high on a hillside, the fort was traditionally the royal stronghold, before Rajasthan's capital relocated to Jaipur. After ascending by jeep, you are free to stroll through the sprawling complex of courtyards and halls.
The views of the fortifications on the surrounding mountains are stunning. The imposing exterior of the defensive building contrasts with the intricate and detailed interior of the rooms. Many of the rooms have beautiful wall paintings with mirrors and precious stones inlaid in the walls.
We travel by coach to the town of Patan today. On arrival, we are transferred by camel cart to the Patan Mahal Palace Hotel. Built around 1790, shortly after the battle of Badal- Mahal, the Patan Mahal Palace has been lovingly turned into a heritage hotel, and is ours for today and this evening. As befi tting visitors to a palace, we receive a royal welcome when we reach the grounds, and are decorated with flowers and rangoli.
This afternoon we enjoy a guided walking tour of Patan town, a wonderful opportunity to see life in an unspoilt rural Indian town, a world away from the hustle and bustle of the big Indian cities. Tonight we are indulge with a farewell gala dinner in the grounds of our palace hotel, a fitting end to our Indian odyssey.
Today we bid farewell to the Patan Mahal, and drive to Delhi. Here we connect with our overnight flight to London, where we arrive on Day 12.
Please note that while every departure of this tour will feature the same excursions, the order may differ from that shown above.
Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.
An escorted experience and all travel arrangements
Comfortable accommodation in your destination
Delicious meals included
Exciting excursions and free time to explore
Enhancing your tour
British Citizens require a visa to enter India. We can help you with visa applications up to 21 days before departure - please see the Visa section of 'Things You Should Know' for further details.
This tour may be suitable for reduced mobility passengers, please call for further information.
of travellers would recommend this tour
Tour Rating
based on 16 verified reviews
An unforgettable trip with Great Rail. Straightforward booking procedures, smooth travel, very easy transfers, very good accommodation throughout. Excellent food. The places we visited were all magnificent, particularly the Taj Mahal, the Red and Amber Forts and Ranthambore. Our local guide, Sadir, and his wealth of knowledge were the making of the trip. Every day was full and busy with interesting places to visit and magnificent sights to see.
Fantastic experience, wonderful sights & visits, unbelievable value for money. Best holiday we've ever had!!
Amazing holiday with everything taken care of. Nothing to worry about just able to relax and savour the experience.
Fantastic trip with some unique experiences. Extremely well organised and our tour guide Rob was brilliant and you couldn't have asked for more. The Rickshaw and Tuk Tuk rides through Delia and Jaipur were unbelievable.
Exceptionally well-organised tour, with a brilliant tour manager and excellent local guide. The whole trip was an "experience" and the tour manager also made it a lot of fun.
Most things were included in the holiday price,we were well looked after,hotels and coach very good.
An excellent experience!!
i enjoyed the holiday and have booked to travel with them again. I would have liked a little more free time though and the trident hotel gave poor service
From start to finish we were looked after by our guides expertly.very slick operation with 30 in the party not easy .the holiday was just magical .the hotels particularly the older ones were fantastic all that history .
From the very beginning when booking the holiday the company kept me fully informed and up to date with the process and anything that might affect the package. It was well organised and the tour manager and local guide were superb. Nothing was too much trouble and the whole experience was amazing from start to finish. I would certainly recommend the company and would look to holiday with them again.
India's most exciting sights by train
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