2019 5 SENSES EXPERIENCE 16 DAYS - OCTOBER ITINERARY Taking in the Jodhpur RIFF Music Festival ARRIVAL DAY 5th October Saturday 2019 Arriving into New Delhi I will meet you, we transfer to our guesthouse where you will have time to relax after your long flight. Overnight New Delhi 2 nights. DAY 1-6th Sunday We meet up at 8am & make our way for breakfast at New Delhi s famous landmark Imperial Hotel known for it s heritage & legacy. Today tour Old Delhi, see Red Fort, traveling thru Chandi Chowk on a rickshaw & the bustling aromatic spice market where spices can be purchased to take back home, packaged to pass strict Australian Customs rules. Afternoon away from the crowds, we go to Gandhi s Remembrance Museum, later we will explore the fascinating area of Nizamuddin my home away from home base in New Delhi. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight New Delhi. DAY 2-7th Monday Early breakfast. Today we leave New Delhi flying for 1 hour west onto Rajasthan s capital Jaipur the Pink City. Why the Pink City? In 1879 the city was painted terracotta pink to welcome Prince Albert & Queen Victoria. A lot to see & do in Jaipur; catch a Bollywood film in the famous Raj Mandir cinema, see the historic forts & palace s, an elephant farm in an elephant care village or visit the many Jewellery stores, you are in the Gem Stone capital of the World. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Jaipur 3 nights.
DAY 3 8th Tuesday Option of morning yoga to suit all levels in the hotel if you wish. Enjoy a free morning. Afternoon of history & everyday Jaipur bustle. We walk through Hawa Mahal the imposing Palace of Winds & City Palace built in 1799 inside the old walled Pink City. The many small windows decorated with intricate stone lattice allowed Royal ladies observing strict purdah (face cover) to view everyday life in the street below without being seen. We explore old Jaipur city, inside the 6 meter high 3 meter thick walls, are a series of bazaars for local residents as well tourists. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Jaipur. DAY 4 9th Wednesday Option of early morning yoga to suit all levels in the hotel if you wish. Hotel breakfast. Today we take a morning elephant ride up the huge ramparts thru gates along cobbled paths into Amber Fort, an opulent palace fort. Afternoon is free. Plenty to choose from; catch a Bollywood film in the famous Raj Mandir cinema, spend part of the day in a cooking class followed by feasting or our beautiful boutique hotel has Ayuverda treatments available, why not have a day in-house, total relaxation. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Jaipur. DAY 5 10th Thursday Morning yoga in our hotel to suit all levels, breakfast. This morning we visit the small farming village of Sawarda 1 hour outside of Jaipur where I have connections with the local school. Visiting this rural school gives us a chance to interact with very keen English speaking young students, the future of India can be seen in the faces & smiles of these enthusiastic children. If you have any second hand children s English reading books please bring them along for their English book collection. Afternoon we arrive at the peaceful surrounds of Samode Bagh with time for a swim to cool off. We stay in tented cottages amongst the 16th-century Mughal style garden spread 8 hectors, enclosed by a 14 meter high wall. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Samode 2 nights.
DAY 6-11th Friday A day to go about at your own pace. Yoga if you wish, breakfast, have the day by the pool relaxing or walking to the village of Samode thru dusty country lanes past farmer families tending their crops, goats & bullocks grazing. Our heritage hotel offers desert camel & cart rides into the sand hills where we can enjoy the sunset. A tour of nearby Samode Palace, sunset drinks & if you wish stay on for dinner in their beautiful elegant dinning room. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Samode. DAY 7-12th Saturday Optional early morning yoga to suit all levels if you wish. Time for a leisureley hotel breakfast, maybe a morning swim then we drive north west to Jodhpur Blue City approx. 6 hours, home of the Jodhpur Riff Music Festival. Wash the Thar Desert dust off, then into the bustle of the old city for a fantastic roof top dinner at one of my favourite locations. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Jodhpur 2 nights. DAY 8-13th Sunday Morning yoga in our hotel if you wish. Relaxing breakfast. We visit the stunning 17th century Mehrangarh Fort standing on a perpendicular cliff four hundred feet above Jodhpur. Afternoon relax by the pool or explore Jodhpur town, famous for antique Indian furniture, buyers from all over the world come to purchase container loads. In the evening enjoy fun, music & feasting at the open air Jodhpur Riff Music Festival set inside majestic Mehrangarh Fort with former Maharaja of Jodhpur, former Maharini & Foreign Embassy officials from New Delhi along with music enthusiasts from India & internationally. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight in Jodhpur. DAY 9-14th Monday Optional early morning yoga to suit all levels in our hotel if you wish. Hotel breakfast. Driving 6 hours south west, on our travels we view the holy Jain Temple, Ranakpur, a great example of the refined skills of Rajasthani craftsman of a bygone era. Arriving in time to soak up the beautiful sunset view, lakeside from our historic overnight Haveli, what is a Haveli? Haveli is the private mansion of rich merchants this one dating back to 1750 s. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Udaipur 2 nights.
DAY 10-15th Tuesday Optional early morning walk up to the vista point of Neenach Mata Temple, 850 meters up hill walk above Udaipur. On return to our haveli time for a relaxed breakfast. Free day, you choose; midday cooking lesson, walking in the old city great for photography, loose many hours in the flamboyant City Palace, palaces within the Palace & viewing the forgotten amazing crystal gallery. Excellent textile shopping in this small vibrant city.lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Udaipur. DAY 11-16th Wednesday Midday we depart our hotel to fly back to New Delhi. This evening I invite you as my guest to join me feasting at one of my favorite restaurants, savouring North West Frontier foods. Before India was partitioned in 1947, the Province of North West Frontier included parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan & Punjab. This restaurant is popular with former President of United States Bill Clinton. He is often in New Delhi working with NGO s involved with the Clinton Foundation. Lunch your expense. Overnight New Delhi 2 nights.
DAY 12-17th Thursday Depart New Delhi on an incredible return day trip. With a picnic breakfast, we board the infamous Indian Railway, this institution moves nearly 20 million people every day through out all India. Traveling on Indian Rail will add a fascinating new dimension to your Indian experience. There is virtually no better way to make friends with the local people & see the diverse Indian countryside. Our train journey takes us south to the state of Uttar Pradesh, into the city of Agra to visit the world s most grand monument to love, a Wonder of the World, built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz. After soaking in the beauty & mystic of the Taj we explore Agra Fort where in the final years of Shah Jahan s life he was imprisoned by his son. We take the train back to New Delhi, reflecting on our day, the sense of grandeur, the story of Shah Jahan, his beloved wife Mumtaz & Taj Mahal! Arriving back in New Delhi early evening. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight New Delhi. DAY 13 18th Friday Mid morning after hotel breakfast we fly north & drive an hour up the famous Ganges River to our heritage hotel situated where the Ganga/Ganges turns around & flows north towards its source. It is a magical natural spot with a sandy riverside. Set amongst a lychee & mango orchard of the Maharajas of Tehri Garhwal, with a garden of tropical plants, full of rare birds & butterflies. We are in Rishikesh where over the next 2 days we view sacred devotions & rituals on the Ganges, giving you an insight to the depth of belief Hindus have for the Ganges, not just a sacred river but also a goddess & the life source of India. Some Hindus believe that life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganges. This is a great area for walking & water rafting. We visit where The Beatles stayed with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968. The banks of the Ganga/ Ganges is where they learnt the sitar & composed over 40 songs during their time at the Maharishi s ashram, many of which appear on the White Album. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Rishikesh 2 nights. DAY 14 19th Saturday Early morning option we partake in a priest lead Havan - worship thru a sacred fire. Yoga to suit all levels on the edge of the Ganges River. The very serene & peaceful environment is conducive to yoga & meditation. In house Ayurvedic treatments in The Spa offering fresh seasonal treatments specifically designed to your Ayurverdic Dosha with the purest ingredients. In the evening, breezes blow down the valley, setting temple bells ringing as sadhus (spiritual men), pilgrims & tourists prepare for the nightly Ganga Aarti. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Rishikesh.
DAY 15 20 t th Sunday In our hotel we partake for a final time a priest lead Havan- worship thru a sacred fire- & yoga on the edge of the Ganges if you wish. A relaxed hotel breakfast with time for a morning visit to The Spa. We fly away from the Land of Gods, this name refers to the many holy Hindu temples & pilgrimage ashrams found throughout Uttarakhand State. Arriving back into New Delhi late afternoon. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight New Delhi. DEPARTURE DAY- 21 st Monday Final day of the tour is free to fill the hours before your departure.