Contents:-
DAY 1 : France –Delhi
DAY 2 : Delhi – Mandawa – Alsisar – 240 km / 4:30
DAY 3 : Alsisar – Bikaner – 240 km / 4:30
DAY 4 : Bikaner – Jaisalmer – 325 km / 6h
DAY 5 : Jaisalmer
DAY 6 : Jaisalmer – Jodhpur – 300 km / 5:00
DAY 7 : Jodhpur – Pushkar – 190 km / 4:00
DAY 8 : Pushkar– Jaipur – 150 km / 2:30
DAY 9 : Jaipur
DAY 10 : Jaipur
DAY 11 : Jaipur – Abhaneri – Fatehpur Sikri – Agra – 200 km / 2:30
DAY 12 : Agra
DAY 13 : Agra – Delhi – 200 km / 3:30 – France
DAY 1 : France – Delhi
Arrival in Delhi to be defined, Terminal 3, Flight no. Welcome by our Guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel.
Depending on the arrival time of your flight, visit (to be adapted) of Delhi or free time. Night at the hotel.
DAY 2 : Delhi – Mandawa – Alsisar – 240 km / 4:30
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure for the province of Shekhawati where the men still wear long mustaches and are often turbaned.
Lunch en route.
Continuation with a visit to the village of Mandawa which was very prosperous during the time of the Silk Road caravans. The village is dominated by a gigantic medieval fort, still inhabited by the Raja's family. Numerous Havelis decorated with colorful frescoes prove the ancient wealth of this small village. These are residences housing one or more related families.
They are generally decorated with paintings on the outside as well as the inside. These are sometimes real frescoes representing the Ramayana or illustrating the life of Krishna. Walk in the village and discover these Haveli, real settings for house of cards; the superb little Ladhuram Tarkeshvar Goenka Palace and the Dedraj Turmal Bhudarmal Goenka, an illuminated building on 4 floors.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 3 : Alsisar – Bikaner – 240 km / 4:30
Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit the peaceful village of Alsisar where you can admire the finely drawn frescoes in the havelis.
Road to Bikaner. Lunch on the way.
In the afternoon, visit Bikaner by tuk-tuk. Founded in 1488, Bikaner, 'the pearl of Rajasthan', is an ancient city located on the border of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Legend states that the city was founded by Rao Bikaji. Visit the Junagarh fort built in 1578. This fort is a reference in terms of Hindu architecture. The temples and palaces are built of sandstone and marble. The fort also has beautiful gardens. Then, visit the Bhandasar temple considered one of the most beautiful temples in the city.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel
DAY 4 : Bikaner – Jaisalmer – 325 km / 6:00
After breakfast, departure for Jaisalmer, the City of Gold.
The city of Jaisalmer, located at the bottom of the Thar Desert, owes all its wealth to the passage of caravans between the Indus Valley and Central Asia. Halfway, at Kinchan, you will not fail to marvel at the multitude of Demoiselle Cranes. The nature reserve has more than 20,000 preserved birds.
Lunch.
Arrival in Jaisalmer, ‘the Ocher City’. As you approach it, you can see its breathtaking fortress surrounded by a 5 km rampart. You will visit the royal family memorial and enjoy the sunset before arriving at your hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 5 : Jaisalmer
After breakfast, visit the City of Gold.
Visit the Maharawal Palace with its numerous rooms decorated with mosaics and paintings and the Jain Chandraprabhu Temple, with its sumptuous ocher sandstone sculptures. A walk will allow you to admire the magnificent Haveli, ancient palace residences with incredibly ornate balconies, built in the 8th century by rich merchants.
Lunch. In the afternoon, walk through the bazaar.
In the evening, you will enjoy a camel ride, symbol of love, to admire the sunset and the beauties of the desert.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 6 : Jaisalmer – Jodhpur – 300 km / 5h
After breakfast, departure to Jodhpur
Founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, chief of the Rathore clan, Jodhpur is commonly nicknamed the 'Blue City' because most of the houses in the old city are painted in this color.
Lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Mehrangarh Fort, one of the most imposing forts in India. At 122 meters high, it overlooks the city.
Visite du célèbre mémorial Jaswant Thada de Jodhpur.
Jodhpur is also very famous for its textiles and is very famous for the turbans worn by men.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 7 : Jodhpur – Pushkar – 190 km / 4h
After breakfast, departure to Pushkar.
Visit to Pushkar and its sacred lake, “sacred place for Hinduism”. Pilgrims from Rajasthan and all over India come to its "ghats", which descend to the water, where, according to legend, Brahma performed a sacrifice after killing a demon with the petal of a flower. lotus. This same petal allowed Brahma to create the lake where Hindus come to purify themselves. Every year, a pilgrimage as well as a gigantic camel fair are held for 4 days. Walk on the Ghats (banks) of the sacred lake, where you can observe many pilgrims coming to purify themselves. The banks being under renovation, may not be accessible.
Lunch.
Visit the Brahma temple with its sculpture of the four-headed god, the most famous of all the temples built around the lake. You can enjoy shopping in the city bazaar.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 8 : Pushkar– Jaipur – 150 km / 2h30
After breakfast, departure to Jaipur.
Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, the city of victory. The city is known worldwide as the 'Pink City'.
Jaipur was built in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh and it was not until 1876, during the visit of Prince Albert of England, that its walls were repainted pink...
Jaipur is a fortified city accessible thanks to its 7 large gates.
Upon arrival, you will enjoy a city tour and a visit to the Palace of Winds, Hawa Mahal.
The Hawa Mahal or "Palace of the Winds", extraordinary section of wall of an ancient baroque style palace, which has 953 niches and windows and where the women of the palace (purdah), observed, without being seen, the spectacle of the street.
In the evening, you will be welcomed by my family who will invite you to share a moment of conviviality around a typically Indian meal.
Night in guest rooms.
DAY 9 : Jaipur
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning visit Amber Fort, located northeast of Jaipur. It was Maharaja Man Singh I, one of the first Rajputs to serve Emperor Akbar, who endowed Amber with fortifications and embellished it with magnificent palaces. Jai Singh I then built new palaces in the Mughal style.
You will ride an elephant to the fort while enjoying the view of Jaipur and its ramparts.
After visiting the Amber Fort, you can admire the Jal Mahal Palace on Man Sagar Lake.
Lunch.
In the afternoon, you will visit the City Palace, Palace of the Maharaja, built in 1728, which is still today the main residence of the royal family of Jaipur and which houses Mughal miniatures.
Continue to visit the Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you can discover the most precise sundial in the world and other impressive astronomical instruments.
Jaipur is also well known for its precious stones and jewelry and you will visit a jewelry factory...
Dinner and night in guest rooms.
DAY 10 : Jaipur
Breakfast at the hotel or guest rooms.
Morning visit to the Galtaji complex. Built by Diwan Rao Kriparam, a courtier of Sawai Jai Singh II, in the 18th century in the Aravalli mountain east of Jaipur, Galtaji is a place of pilgrimage for Hindu ascetics. The main temple is the Galtaji Temple, built of pink stone and includes several pavilions with rounded roofs, sculpted pillars, and painted walls. The complex is made up of two swimming pools fed by water from natural springs, used for bathing by pilgrims. The Balaji Temple is the second important temple in the complex. Also built in the 18th century, the temple culminates over the town of Galta. It is also known as the Sun Temple and is dedicated to Surya, the Sun God in Hinduism. This temple is also famous for the many tribes of monkeys living there.
Lunch then continuation of the visits.
Visit to Birla Mandir. The Birla Temple, also known as Lakshmi Narayan Temple. This magnificent temple of modern architecture in white marble and delicate sculptures is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the goddess Lakshmi. You will also be able to recognize mythological events engraved on the walls like religious idols, images and figures of several religious saints or philosophers, such as Socrates, Buddha, Confucius and Zarathustra.
Visit to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple, also called little Akshardham, in reference to the temple in Delhi. This recent temple is made of pink sandstone from Bansipahadpur and white marble and is made up of 64 pillars, 7 mandovars, 16 ghummats and 55 finely carved ceilings.
Dinner and night in guest rooms.
DAY 11 : Jaipur – Abhaneri– Agra – 200 km / 2h30
After breakfast, drive to Agra.
En route, stop at Abhaneri to visit Chand Baodi, a well with steps dating from the 9th century. You can also admire the temple of Goddess Harshad Mata.
Lunch.
Continuation of the road to Agra,
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 12 : Agra
Breakfast at the hotel.
This morning, the icing on the cake, you will visit the memorial of Love, the famous Taj Mahal! This gem of a palace was built from 1531 to 1553 by Shah Jahan for his beloved Mumtaz Mahal. This monument, classified as the first wonder of the world, is a jewel of Islamic architecture. You will be able to admire the sumptuous mausoleum built with white marble walls and in which semi-precious stones forming floral patterns are inlaid. At the end of the visit, you will take a horse-drawn carriage ride.
Lunch
Visit the Red Fort of Agra, an imposing fort, made up of several palaces. This fort is still occupied by the Indian Army, and we can only visit the 3rd part of the fort.
In the evening, you will attend a Kalakriti show which will immerse you in the fabulous history of the Taj Mahal.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 13:Agra–Delhi–200km/3h30–France
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Delhi. On arrival in Delhi, transfer to the hotel and lunch.
In the afternoon, you will visit Old Delhi, the oldest district of Delhi. Visit the Jama Mosque, the largest mosque in India, built by Shah Jahan in 1950. The visit is followed by an extraordinary rickshaw ride. Continuation to Raj Ghāt (place of cremation of Mahatma Gandhi).
In the evening, transfer to the international airport, Terminal 3, for your flight to France to be defined. Return flight number.
End of our services.
