GOLDEN TRIANGLE

Arrive in Delhi, India’s bustling capital city. You will be greeted with a traditional Indian welcome and escorted to your hotel. New Delhi reflects the legacy left by the British. The division between New and Old Delhi is the segregation between the capitals of the British and Mughals respectively. The rest of your day is at leisure. HOTEL

Breakfast at your hotel is followed by a tour of Old Delhi. Your first stop is the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at Raj Ghat and the famous Chandni Chowk bazaars, once the shopping arcade of Mughal royalty. Take a rickshaw ride through the narrow and colorful lanes of the old market, and visit the marble domes and slender minarets of the Jama Masjid. After lunch, your sightseeing tour of New Delhi includes visiting Bangla Sahib, a Sikh temple, and driving along Rajpath to photograph the Parliament House, President’s Palace and India Gate, a memorial to India’s soldiers. Continue to Humayun’s tomb, the forerunner to the Taj Mahal. Your final stop visits the Qutab Minar, Iron Pillar and the ruins of Hindu temples destroyed during the Qutabshahi Period. HOTEL (B, L)

After breakfast, you are free to explore the city on your own. Travel by air to Jaipur this afternoon. The city owes its name, foundations and careful planning to the great warrior and astronomer, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Meeting assistance and transfer to your hotel will be provided. HOTEL (B, L)

Proceed to the ancient capital of Amber, ascending the Palace Fortress on the back of a gaily-caparisoned elephant, touring the intricate chambers and hallway. En route to Amber, stop to photograph the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), built in 1799. After lunch, tour the City Palace, once the formal residence of the royal family, built in a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Continue to the Jantar Mantar, a stone observatory, and the largest of Jai Singh’s five remarkable observatories. HOTEL (B, L)

Travel this morning by express train to Bharatpur and overland to Agra visiting Fatehpur Sikri, once an imperial capital frozen in time, constructed by Akbar the Great around 1570. It was abandoned as abruptly as it had been built. Then, explore Sheikh Salim Chisti Dargah. Originally constructed of red sandstone, it was later rebuilt in white marble by Jehangir. Continue to Agra, a sublime destination for the art lover and the traveler seeking the wonders of India. The rest of the day is at your leisure. HOTEL (B, L)

Visit Agra Fort, built by three of the greatest Mughal emperors. Continue to the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631-52, as a tomb and memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (Jewel of the Palace). Stop at the Taj Museum of Agra for a close look at pieces of the original drawings of this wonderful marble monument. This afternoon, travel overland to Delhi, stopping en route to visit Sikandra, the tomb of Emperor Akbar. Arrive in Delhi and transfer to the airport to board your international flight. (B, L)