Inde : Amritsar’s Golden temple, Rajasthan and Varanasi

In flight.

Stopover in Doha and flight to Amritsar.

Welcome and assistance on arrival in Amritsar and transfer to your hotel.

Assistance on arrival, transfer to the hotel.

Breakfast and free time.

Lunch at the hotel.

In the afternoon, visit of Wagha Border to see a ceremony.

In the evening, visit of the Golden Temple.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, visit of the Golden Temple and stroll in Amritsar’s colorful market. Then, city tour of Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh, Durgiana temple).

Lunch at the hotel. Transferring to the train station for the ride to Delhi. Assistance on arrival to Delhi and transferring to the hotel.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visits: Jama Masjid, the biggest mosque of the country. From the south minaret, see the city. See Lal Qila (the Red Fort) taking its name from the red sandstone with ahiwh it’s built. Raj Ghat and the Gandhi Museum: the square black marble board marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated after is assassination in 1948.

Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, discovery of New Delhi and its surroundings.  Tomb of Humayun: built in the 16th century by Haji Begum, Humayun’s first wife, who himself was the 2^nd Mogul emperor. It is said to have inspired the Taj Mahal.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving for the Shekhawati area, in Rajasthan, also known as an open sky art galery.

Lunch and checking in at the hotel. In the afternoon, visit of Mandawa. The city is home to havelis, houses of rich merchands who were trading camels between India and Pakistan. These palaces are like art.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving for Bikaner and checking in at the hotel on arrival.

Lunch. Visit of Fort Junnagarh, a fortress built in the 16th century with palaces and temples. You’ll visit the Coronation Hall, the Hall of Mirrors, the Maharadjah’s bedroom and the Armament Museum where you can see elephant pods, the Conference Hall and its Silver Throne and the first fakir nail boards.

Tuk Tuk ride in the bazar, followed by a stroll on foot at Heritage walk in the old city.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving for Jaisalmer.

Lunch. Arriving in Jaisalmer and checking in at your hotel. In the afternoon, discover Bara Bagh’s Cenotaphs at sunset.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit of Jaisalmer. Stroll in the citadel of Jaisalmer to see havelis.

Visit of the Jaïn Temple and stroll in the bazar. Back to the hotel and lunch. Free time.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving for Dechu, at the heart of the desert. Checking in tents for the night.

Lunch. Then, Jeep ride and ride a camel. Leaving the camp and discovery of the incredible sight that is a sunset in the desert.

Dinner in the desert with a dance show. Sitting on pillows around a campfire, you’ll experience an amazing evening where the only sound comes from the râjasthâni music.

Night in the desert.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Checking in at the hotel on arrival.

Lunch. Visit of the beautiful Fort Mehrangarh, built on top of the hill like an eagle’s nest. Seven enormous doors give access to the fort. Inside, numerous yards surround palaces.

The Fort Museum has palanquins, elephant pods, armament, sabres, swords, daggers and cannons. The Takhat Mahal is entirely decorated with mirrors and paintings with colored glass balls suspended to the ceiling and the Jankhi Mahal has an astonishing collection of royal craddles. From the ramparts, the view over the BlueCity is amazing.

Stroll in the old city and its colorful market (about 2 hours).

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving for Ranakpur.

Lunch. In the afternoon, see the great Jains Temples, on mt. Aravelli. A uniquecharm comes from this solitary area. One of the most beautiful temple, it has incredible carvings. Continuing to Udaipur. Checking in at the hotel on arrival.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Discover the City Palace, a former palace of Udaipur’s Maharani. Built in the 18^th century, this palace is still partially inhabited by descendants of the Maharani of Udaipur. It overlooks lake Pichola. This labirynth of marble halls, loiunges, yards and gardens is beautiful.

Visit of Sahelion Ki Bari  a magnificent park with fountains.

Lunch. Visit of a centre of silk painting. At the end of the afternoon, transferring to the pier for a mini cruise on lake Pichola with a stopover on Jag Mandir island.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving for Jaipur, The vibrant capital of Rajasthan, is called the Pink City from the pink paint covering the buildings in the old city. Built on the bed of a dried up lake, it is surrounded by hills sporting fortresses and ramparts.

Lunch in a local restaurant. Continuing to Jaipur. Checking in on arrival.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Tour at Fort d’Amber, about 10 km from Jaipur. Amber is the old capital of the state, founded by the Minas, then abandoned some centuries later when maharadjah Jai Singh went to Jaipur. Located at the entrance of a rocky gorge, overlooking a superb lake, the strategic location of the fortress is emphased even more by its architecture. The labyrinth of walls and towers goes from one hill to another, making it an incomparable alert and defense system.

The inside of the fort is made of numerous yards and gardens, where monkeys abound. The Palace has Persian-style mosaics and doors with ivory and wood watermarks. Visit of the palace’s rooms and the temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali. The Rajpouts became masters of the fort in 1037, and kept it until 1728, when they left the city for Jaipur.

Lunch in a local restaurant. Discovery of the city:

City Palace, the Maharajah’s palace, is still partially inhabited by the maharajah and has mogholes miniatures.

Hawa Mahal or Wind Palace, is an extraordinary part of the wall of an ancient baroque-style palace.

Rickshaw ride and discovery of Jaipur’s market. Free time.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving for Jaipur and visit of Fatehpur Sikri on the way. Fathepur Sikri was the capital during moghol emperor Akbar reign.

This site is spectacular due to its varied roots : indo-Muslim and Hindu. Visit of:

The Great Mosque, with the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti. Jewel House also known as Diwan-I-Khas (Audiences Hall) is home to Akbar’s Pillar, the giant chessboard.

Lunch in a local restaurant. Continuing to Agra. Checking in at the hotel.

The Red Fort: essentially of miliilary use, it was partially transformed into a palace. To see: Machchi Bhavan (Fish Palace) and Saman Burj: a tower from where you can see the Taj Mahal. Behing these walls, discover a city within the city.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visitof the Taj Mahal (closed on Friday), built in the 17th century by the emperor Shah Jahan to show the love he had for his wife. In 1631, Shah Jahan lost his favorite wife Mumtaz-i-Mahal while she was giving birth to their 14th child. He then transformed it into a mausoleum to show his sadness. Transferring by horsedrawn carriage to the Taj Mahal’s entrance, an enormous door made of redstone, covered with words from the Coran in arabic.

Once inside, the Taj Mahal reveals itself in all its whiteness. On a platform, each corner with a white minaret and a central structure made of white marble with flowers sculpted on it and semi-precious gems embedded. Under the central dome, cenotaphs of emperor Shah Jahan and his wifeMumtaz Mahal can be seen.

Leaving for Delhi. Lunch in a local restaurant. Transferring to the airport for your flight to Varanasi. Assistance on arrival and transferring to the hotel.

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

At sunrise, transferring to the pier for a cruise on the Gange where thousands of pilgrims come to be purified by the sacred water.

The Gange is worshipped by Hindus. See the fascinating ghâts, stairs going down to the river where many devouts, faithful, priests, merchants and pilgrims.

Back to the hotel for breakfast.

Leaving for a visit of Varanasi – Tulsi manas temple, Durga temple and Bharat Mata temple.

Leaving for a visit of Sarnath, the cradle of Buddhist teachings. This where Bddha first preached in 528 before Christ. Visit of the museum. Also, visit of the Buddhist museum and temple.

Lunch.

At the end of the afternoon, rickshaw ride on the ghâts at Puja (ceremony where priests pray before the Gange and bless the faithful).

Dinner and return to the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Free time.

Lunch. Transferring to the airport for your flight to Delhi. Assistance on arrival and transferring to the hotel. Room available until you leave for the airport.

Farewell dinner. Transferring to the airport for the flight back home.

Night on board.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Transfer to the airport around midnight.

Return to Montreal.