Description
The diversity of India is on offer on this journey, a chance to explore the many facets that make up the patchwork quilt of Indian culture. Your journey begins in Lucknow, once the literary centre of Mughal India and home to countless monuments and pristine streets. The British annexation of Oudh in 1856 partly spurred the Indian Mutiny and it was in Lucknow that the Residency was surrounded and almost 3000 British inhabitants were there for 87 days before relief.
The city of Varanasi, or Benares as it was once known is a complex and enchanting vision of India in its most graphic and absorbing. The sacred Ganges runs though a plethora of ghats (or terraced steps on the river bank leading to the river), with thousands of devotees, burning pyres and solemn chanting. Nothing can quite prepare you for the wonderful experience that is Varanasi.
A short flight to Khajuraho will bring you to the home of the graphically and wonderfully ornately carved Chandela Temples. You will pass through the sleepy town of Orchha before taking the train to Gwalior, with the impressive Gwailor Fort rising above the town and home to some brutal fighting in the closing chapters of the Indian Mutiny in 1857.
You will then take the train to Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh and offering a superb range of things to see and do that are off the main tourist trail such as the World Heritage site at the Bhimbetka Caves where you can see 9,000 year old rock art and the Buddhist remains at Sanchi.
Your final stop is the delightful Ahilya Fort, located on the banks of the Narmada River and the perfect finish to your journey. You can spend your final days wandering around the town, reading a book in the ramparts of the fort or taking a boat out on the Narmada River at sunset. It is a place where you can easily spend 4 days just relaxing in a magical location well away from any other tourists.
Please see our itinerary below. It is a suggested itinerary and can be tailored to meet your individual needs.
Guide price
£3,326 per person
£3,326 Per person for 14 nights, based on 2 people sharing including Jet Airways flights and transfers. Price based on departures from 01 October 2011 until 31 March 2012 (except 20 Dec - 10 Jan).
Itinerary
Location and directions
India
18kms from the airport or 4kms from the city centre
How to get there
8.5hr flight, 1hr domestic flight
