Escorted Tours 2022-23 Brochure - Mercury Holidays

48 Visit our website or call 0800 954 9329 for further details Southern Asia Day 1: UK to Delhi Depart the UK on your overnight flight, via Dubai. Day 2: Delhi L/D On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. In the evening, experience flavoursome local dishes at your welcome meal. Day 3: Delhi B/L/D Following breakfast, a full-day city tour will commence. Travel through narrow streets and along naan scented markets on a rickshaw and pass by the Red Fort before stumbling upon the UNESCO-recognised Humanyun’s Tomb. Admire the transition from Old Delhi to New Delhi; view the minimalistic Mahatma Gandhi Memorial adorned in floral tributes before wandering through the Qutab Minar complex. Day 4: Delhi to Varanasi B/L/D This morning, take a train from Delhi to the sacred ‘City of Life’ – Varanasi. Check-in to your hotel, before an afternoon at leisure exploring one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities. Your evening tour takes you to a ghat to witness the humbling Ganga Aarti Ceremony. Day 5: Varanasi B/L/D Begin today with a sunrise boat trip along the Ganges for a unique perspective of this spiritual watercourse and its vivid embankment of pastel edifices pierced by temple stupas. Spend the rest of your morning on a walking tour through this ancient city to observe other ghats, each with distinct floral decoration and uses including the intriguing ‘burning ghats’ used for funeral processions. Continue your exploration at the Vishwanath Temple, a monument dedicated to Lord Shiva and famed for an illustrious gold-coated dome. Enjoy a half-day tour of Sarnath, a sacred site on which the Buddha gave his first sermon after finding enlightenment in 530 B.C. Later, visit the ancient relics that document the area’s spiritual significance including the Monastery Ruins. Day 6: Varanasi to Jaipur B/L/D This morning, fly to the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur. Your evening is at leisure to explore. Day 7: Jaipur B/L/D A full-day tour begins at the Amber Fort, a former ancient capital centred on a distinctive pink- yellow marbled royal palace. Travel to the fort by Jeep, allowing you to observe harems of the Maharajah, complex mosaic designs and snake charmers. Continue to the UNESCO-recognised Jantar Mantar, a fascinating collection of archaic astronomical instruments including the world’s Tour highlights ✔ City tours of Delhi, Varanasi, Jaipur and Amritsar ✔ Enjoy a tranquil sunrise boat trip along the majestic Ganges ✔ Tour the magnificent Taj Mahal, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World ✔ Visit Shimla, the Summer capital of British India ✔ Traverse scenic, mountainous terrain on the UNESCO- recognised Toy Train ✔ Marvel at the Golden Temple in Amritsar ✔ Wander the courtyards and pavilions of the Amber and Agra Forts ✔ Witness sweeping views of the Himalayas Grand Tour of North India P R I V A T E T O U R U P G R A D E S F R O M £149 Delve into the spiritual fabric of this country, from Hindu rituals upon the Ganges to the Sikh’s golden symbol of brotherhood in Amritsar and the colonial inspired Christ Church which crowns Shimla’s snow-capped Himalayan peaks. Rail Tour  < Varanasi Ranthambore Jaipur Dehli Shimla Amritsar Chandigarh Agra Sarnath < •      • Coach Air Rail Ganges River, Varanasi