Tour Plan
Duration | 10 Nights / 11 Days |
Destination Covered | Mumbai – Nagpur – Kanha – Bandhavgarh – Khajuraho – Jhansi – Agra – Delhi |
Exclusions |
|
Itinerary
You will arrive at Mumbai’s International Airport. Following customs, immigration formalities and baggage collection, a VACATIONS INTERNATIONAL representative will meet you as you EXIT the ARRIVALS TERMINAL building after which you would be transferred to your hotel. Upon arrival check-in at hotel Overnight at the hotel
Buffet breakfast at hotel, morning is at leisure to catch up with your jet lag Afternoon proceed for sightseeing tour of Mumbai. The tour starts from the Gateway of India. Gateway of India is the landmark of Bombay, which, was before the advent of air travel, the only gateway to India. It was built to commemorate the visit of King George and Queen Mary to India in 1911. You will be then driven along Marine Drive, the sea - Front Boulevard. It is also known as the Queen’s Necklace as in the evening, the breeze from the Arabian Sea comes over Marine Drive and as the streetlights on this U-shaped road light up, the view from south Bombay’s skyscrapers or from the exclusive residential area, is that of a Queen’s Necklace. Your first stop will be the Jain Temples, built of marble and dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara. From the temples you will be driven along Malabar Hill via the Tower of Silence - a round stone construction on which Parsis place their dead to be eaten by the vultures and Hanging Gardens which is built over Bombay’s reservoir. From here one can get a panoramic view of picturesque Marine Drive. From Malabar Hill you will be driven to the Dhobi Ghats a huge open-air laundry, which makes an interesting viewing. After sightseeing return to your hotel Overnight at the hotel
Early morning you will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Nagpur. Upon arrival you will be driven to Kanha national Park (197 Km / 4 hours), upon arrival check-in at your hotel. Late Buffet lunch at the hotel Rest of the day at leisure Dinner & Overnight at the hotel
Two days of game viewing around the park. Spread over a massive area of 1945 sq. km, Kanha is in the heart of Kipling Country, the setting of the Jungle Book. It offers a great diversity of wildlife. Chances of seeing the Indian Bison here are much better than Bandhavgarh. You also might spot a pack of Dholes - the Indian Wild Dog, also known as the whistling hunters, Dholes are known for their perseverance in hunting down their quarry. Kanha is also the last refuge of the Swamp Deer (Hard Ground), only 400 or so survive in the wildlife and all of them are to be found in Kanha. KANHA NATIONAL PARK and Tiger Reserve is considered one of Asia's finest protected areas and probably the best place in the world to see tigers in the wild. Tracts of Kanha have been a wildlife sanctuary since 1933. In 1955, 318 sq km was declared a National Park and in 1973, 940 sq Kms became one of the first nine Project Tiger Reserves. Kanha was expanded in 1976 - the National Park now has a core area of 940 sq km and a buffer zone of 1005 sq km. Buffet lunch, dinner & overnight at the hotel
Morning and Evening Game Driver. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at the Hotel. Overnight stay at Hotel
After breakfast you will be driven to Bandhavgarh (265 Km / 6 hours). Upon arrival, proceed for check-in at your hotel. Late buffet lunch at the hotel Afternoon hop on to your jeeps for Game viewing Dinner & Overnight at the hotel
Two game viewing drives around the park The reserve is named after the highest hill in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh has been an excellent habitat of tiger and is known for the highest density of tigers in the world. Considering the importance and potentiality of the National park, it was included in the Project Tiger Network in 1993. The adjoining Panpatha Sanctuary too was declared as a part of the Reserve. Buffet lunch, dinner & overnight at the hotel
Morning hop on to your jeeps for another game drive After breakfast, drive to Khajuraho, home of the famed erotic stone carved temples. (275 Km / 6 hours). Khajuraho is not something that can be described in words - it has to be experienced. Overnight at the hotel
After buffet breakfast, you will proceed for sightseeing tour of the Chandela Temple Complex. The tour concentrates on the famous erotic temples, which represent some of the finest examples of temple architecture in Northern India. The remote location of Khajuraho meant that the temples were unharmed by Muslim invaders and as a result, the intricately fine carvings are in very good condition and are said to represent life in heaven. Later you will be driven to the Jhansi Railway station (200 Kms / 5 Hours) in time to board your train to Agra. Upon arrival, a VACATIONS INTERNATIONAL representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. Overnight at the hotel
Early morning, you will proceed for a sunrise tour of the Taj Mahal (closed on Fridays). Midway Tonga’s “horse carriages” would be waiting for you and will drop you at the gates of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is everything that has been said about it and more. Taking 22 years and 20,000 men to build, the white marble was quarried 200 miles away and was transported to the site by a fleet of 1000 elephants. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as an expression of his love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, in mid 17th century, the Taj Mahal is truly one of the wonders of the world. Though the Taj appears to be amazingly perfect from almost any angle, it is the close-up marble inlay work, which is really astounding. Return to your hotel after the sunrise tour for buffet breakfast. After breakfast, proceed to visit the Agra Fort, an outstanding example of Mughal architecture. Agra Fort - the seat and the stronghold of the Mughal Empire under successive generations. This was the seat of Mughal rule and administration and the present structure owes its origins to Akbar who erected the walls and gates and the first buildings on the eastern banks of Yamuna River. Shah Jehan added the impressive quarters and the mosque while Aurangzeb added the outer ramparts. Visit its Hall of Public Audience and its Royal Pavilions. In the afternoon you would be driven from Agra to Delhi (204 KMS/ 04 HRS). Overnight at the hotel
After buffet breakfast at the hotel, you will proceed for a full day city tour of Old & New Delhi. You will first visit Old Delhi. The tour will begin with a visit to Raj Ghat, a simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi; drive past the Red Fort continuing to the Jama Masjid by bicycle rickshaw, one of Asia’s largest mosques and which is viewed from the outside. People stream in and out of the mosque continuously and the presence of a nearby bazaar means that the area is rarely quiet. After visiting Old Delhi, you will be driven to New Delhi, which reflects the legacy the British left behind. The division between New and Old Delhi is the division between the capitals of the British and the Mughals respectively. The division in the walled city and New Delhi also marks the division in the life-styles. The walled city is all tradition where one will be able to glean a past life-style in all its facets, colours and spells. New Delhi in contrast, is a city trying to live up to the best of 21st century standards. The tour to Imperial Delhi will include a visit to the Qutub Minar, the tallest stone tower in India. Qutub-ud-din Aibak started it in 1199. Pulling down 27 Hindu and Jain temples and using their columns erected the attached Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque also built by him. Then visit Humayun’s tomb, built by the widow of the second Mughal Emperor, Humayun, it is an outstanding monument in the Indo-Persian style, a precursor of the Taj Mahal. The tour also includes a drive past the imposing India Gate, the Parliament building and the Rastrapathi Bhawan, the President’s residence. Later in the evening a VACATIONS INTERNATIONAL representative will transfer you to International Airport, in time to board your flight back home.