Escorted Tours 2020 & 2021 - 2nd Edition - Mercury Holidays

16 INDIAN SUBCONTINENT MEAL PLAN: All meals included ACCOMMODATION Delhi 2 nights 4 ★ The Metropolitan New Delhi Agra 1 night 4 ★ Ramada Plaza Jaipur 2 nights 4 ★ Lemon Tree Premier Jodhpur 2 nights 4 ★ The Ummed Deogarh 1 night 4 ★ Deogarh Palace Udaipur 2 nights 4 ★ Just Rajputana Ahmedabad 1 night 4 ★ Lemon Tree or The Ummed Mumbai 2 nights 4 ★ The Fern Residency DAY 1: UK TO DELHI Depart London on your scheduled overnight flight to Delhi, via Dubai. DAY 2: DELHI L/D On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. After lunch and some time to settle in, enjoy a short tour of the beautifully planned city of New Delhi. Offering a taste of its imperial glory, you’ll drive past the India Gate, President’s House, Parliament Building and visit the Birla Temple, made purely out of 2,000 tons of Rajasthani white marble. DAY 3: DELHI B/L/D A full-day tour of Delhi commences after breakfast, beginning with historic Old Delhi in the morning. Travel through narrow and crowded streets on a rickshaw, passing vibrant food markets where bread makers bake delicious scented naan and chai wallahs brew their sweet tea. A visit to the regal Red Fort gives you a sense of the lavish life once led by the former rulers before stopping for lunch in a local restaurant. Your tour will continue on to New Delhi to see the Mahatma Gandhi memorial and the 12th century Qutab Minar - a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture. DAY 4: DELHI TO AGRA B/L/D Waking early, board the Taj Express (or similar) to Agra. Despite being a small city, Agra was once the capital of the mighty Mughal dynasty whose strength manifested itself in the huge forts and buildings, built to maintain its power. Marvel at the gigantic pavilions, grand palaces and spectacular courtyards of the vast red sandstone Agra Fort, a colossal walled city, built in 1573 A.D. DAY 5: AGRA TO JAIPUR B/L/D Enjoy a morning tour of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. Taking 17 years and 20,000 men to build, the heartbroken Mughal Emperor Shahjahan dedicated this stunning white marble monument to his deceased wife, to enshrine her mortal remains. After breakfast at the hotel, visit the ancient capital of Akbar, known as the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri, and enjoy some time at leisure in the afternoon before proceeding to catch your evening train to Jaipur. DAY 6: JAIPUR B/L/D Begin your first day in Jaipur travelling to the centre of the spectacular Amber Fort by Jeep, passing snake charmers and the Palace of Mirrors along the way. This afternoon, take in some of Jaipur’s major sights, including the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and the Hawa Mahal. Known to many as the Palace of the Winds, marvel at the hundreds of tiny windows. After lunch, spend some time walking through Jaipur’s colourful bazaars before returning to the hotel for dinner. DAY 7: JAIPUR TO JODHPUR B/L/D After breakfast, travel by train to Pushkar. Renowned as an important Hindu pilgrimage site, the town has hundreds of temples, the most famous being Brahma Temple, said to be one of the few in the world dedicated to this deity. The town winds around a vast lake where Hindus come and use one of the 52 ghats to enter and bathe in the holy water during religious ceremonies and festivals. After a tour of the city, continue by coach to Jodhpur, arriving in time for dinner at your hotel. DAY 8: JODHPUR B/L/D Begin your day-long tour with a visit to the Mehrangarh Fort, a beautiful fort founded in the 15th century, which appears to rise from bluff-coloured sandstone within the hill itself. Later, visit Jaswanth Thada, the traditional cremation ground of the rulers of Jodhpur with grandiose white marble memorials amongst ornamental gardens. DAY 9: JODHPUR TO DEOGARH B/L/D En route to Deogarh visit the world famous Ranakpur temple complex. The temples are the largest of the Jain cult and form one of the five major pilgrimage sites. There will be a break for lunch in a local restaurant before continuing the journey to Deogarh, arriving in time for dinner at the hotel. From Delhi to Mumbai, this journey through royal Rajasthan delves into the history of India’s Maharajas. Discover magnificent forts and breath-taking scenery along colonial railways as you travel deep into the heart of this country. A ROYAL INDIAN ODYSSEY 15 days from £1,699pp TOUR HIGHLIGHTS ✔ Delight in the magnificent Taj Mahal ✔ City tours of Delhi, Agra, the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Mumbai ✔ Embark on four scenic train journeys ✔ Marvel at the Agra, Amber and Mehrangarh Forts ✔ Admire the sacred lake at Pushkar ✔ Visit the pilgrimage site of Ranakpur temple ✔ Boat ride and tour of Elephanta Island ✔ Travel on Deogarh’s metre gauge train RAIL TOUR PACE: Ranakpur Temple To book or for further information visit your local travel agent or call us FREE on 0800 408 0556