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Golden Triangle Extension

Grade

This trip is graded B. It is well within the capabilities of any normally active person, but to cope with the heat and bustle of India, you should be physically fit.

Climate

Weather in the area is warm all year, although evenings can be chilly during the winter period. Particularly warm from May. Monsoon Period late May through September  humid, hot and wet: but does not rain continuously. October to May are the most ‘comfortable times for a visit.

Included

Bed & Breakfast accommodation in good standard hotels. Train journey between Delhi and Agra. Transport by car between Agra and Jaipur.  Entrance fees to all the monuments visited on the guided tours. Elephant ride at the Amber Fort. Services of an English speaking guide. Car transport back to Delhi at the end of your tour .  (note that a  tour of Delhi is  not included as the amount of time  you are in the capital  depends upon  your flight time ).

Not Included

Passport, visa, insurance, immunization fees, lunch and evening meals, tips, airport transfers and taxes.

Health Matters

We however, recommend that you carry a small personal first aid kit. A suggested list of contents will be sent to all members, as well as more general information on health matters.

Documents

A visa is required for India and you must have a valid passport.

Outline Itinerary

The following itinerary is intended as a working guide only and may be subject to variation as a result of local conditions and weather.

We reserve the right to alter (lengthen or shorten) any trek at any time if necessary.

1000m = 3281ft.  1km = 0.62 miles.

Day 1: FROM DELHI TRAVEL BY TRAIN TO AGRA, SIGHTSEEING, VISIT THE TAJ MAHAL. Today we board the 06:15am Shatabdi Express Train for the 200 kms/124 mi journey to Agra that stands, like Delhi, on the right bank of the River Yamuna. Agra, home of the fabulous Taj Mahal, was one of the great Mughal cities of South Asia, alternating with Delhi as the capital of their empire.

Arrive at 08:15hrs and you will be met and transferred by taxi to your hotel. In the afternoon we will take a sightseeing tour around the many places of interest, including the magnificent Red Fort, local bazaar and the marble stone cutting centres before visiting the Taj Mahal at sunset.

Attractions include Agra Fort, a Moghul Fort to which successive Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jaghan each contributed.

The Taj Mahal was built as a memorial to Shah Jehan’s wife Mumtaz, construction begun in 1632 and finished in 1653. The building stands on a raised marble platform with tall white minarets at each corner. The central structure has four smaller domes surrounding a large central dome. The tombs of Mumtaz and Shah Jehan are in the basement with two false tombs in the central chamber. The close up detail of the building is amazing. It is constructed of fine white marble, with superb craftsmanship. If you are lucky enough to be in Agra when there is a full moon, there is nothing like viewing this spectacular palace with the eerie moonlight filtering through the windows.

The Red Fort, a massive expanse of building, was begun in 1665. The fort is a city within a city containing many fine palaces, mosques and audience halls. It is a lovely place to stroll about, imaging the people of a bygone era going about their daily lives. After our tour you will return to the hotel for the night.

Overnight at the 4 star Oberoi Trident Hotel.

Day 2: MORNING DRIVE TO JAIPUR.  En-route we stop and explore Fatehpur-Sikri, a perfectly preserved example of a  city that was once the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1570 to 1586. It was built by the Moghul Emperor Akbar but abandoned for Agra 40kms away, soon after it was first occupied because of the shortage of water.  (Drive time to Jaipur approximately 5 hours).  Lunch en-route.  Arrive Jaipur and check into the 4 star Oberoi Trident for immediate occupancy.  In the evening we will visit Choki Dhani, an ethnic village resort for a cultural evening out.

Day 3: MORNING CITY SIGHSEEING. AFTERNOON DRIVE TO AMBER FORT.  In Jaipur the numerous places of interest include the City Palace and its museum, built in 1728-32 and dominating the centre of Jaipur, the Jantar Mantar (Observatory), also built in the 1700s, yet even today looking futuristic or even surrealistic and the Hawa Mahal or Palace of the Winds. 20 kms north of the city across the plains lies Amber, ancient capital of the Kacchawaha region from 1037 until Sawai Jai Singh II moved to the newly-created Jaipur. The building of the fort-palace, with its distinctly Mughal architecture, was begun by Raja Man Singh, a noted Rajput general in Akbar’s army in 1600 and later added to by successive rulers. The most popular way to enter the hilltop palace is on the back of one of the colourfully-decorated elephants, which walk up and down the entrance ramp in a continuous train. Overnight the 4 star Oberoi Trident Hotel.

DAY 4:  DRIVE TO DELHI.  After breakfast drive to Delhi.  (Approximately 4.5hrs drive time)  Arrive Delhi and Check into your Hotel.  The rest of the day is free for any last minute shopping before your return flight home.

You could go on a short tour of New Delhi. Delhi is divided into Old and New Delhi. Old Delhi is the 17th century city of narrow crowded alleys, and some gates of the old wall remain. Of particular interest are the enormous Red Fort, the Jami Masjit mosque and the famous street, the Chadni Chock. The streets are teeming with life, and you can watch peddlers hawking their wares in the age-old traditional style of India.

New Delhi was constructed by the British and inaugurated in 1911. It is a planned city of wide streets and spacious parks centered on the great circle of Connaught Place. Here you can see modern India, as it is a functioning, organized and cosmopolitan city. The contrast of old and new is one of the most fascinating aspects of Delhi, as you observe the old ways co-existing with some of the most up to date fashions and technologies.