Forts and Palaces Tour

Major attractions :

Delhi: Qutub Minar, India Gate, Laxmi Narayan Temple, President's estate, Parliament House, Secretariat building, Raj Ghat, Jama Masjid, Red Fort.

Pachewar: 300 years old fort

Bundi: Hada Kingdom,

Udaipur: City Palace, Jagdish Temple, Fatehsagar Lake, Shaelion Ki Bari and Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir

Luni: Fort Chanwa

Ossian: Brahmanical and Jain Temples, Sun Temple, Sachiya Mata Temple

Jaipur: Hawa Mahal, Amber Palace, Jantar Mantar Observatory, etc.

Agra: Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, etc.

The tour is a personalized individual tour & can be started any time of year / month . The car, guides will be exclusively for you only. The tour is based on private departures , whereby you can benefit from having a private air-conditioned car, stop en-route for breaks or photo opportunities.


Day 1: Delhi
Arrive Delhi meet assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel

Day 2: Delhi
Morning, combined sightseeing of Old and New Delhi visiting Qutub Minar. India Gate (war memorial), Laxmi Narayan Temple a (modern Hindu temple), drive past President's estate, Parliament House, Secretariat building, Raj Ghat and Shanti van, the cremation sites of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Jama Masjid, the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk. Overnight at hotel.

Day 3: Delhi / Pachewar
Early morning express train to Jaipur. From here we continue by road to the small village of Pachewar and stay in the 300 years old fort. Overnight at hotel.

Day 04: Pachewar / Bundi
Morning, drive to Bundi. Arrive Bundi and check in hotel. Afternoon visit Hada Kingdom located in the saddle- like fold of the hills. This is a beautifully located fortified settlement. Its fort and palaces are impressive especially for the delicacy and profusion of their architectural embellishments. Bundi is equally well known for its step wells as well as for its school of paintings. Overnight at hotel.


Day 5: Bundi / Castle Bijaipur
Morning, drive to Bijaipur. Arrive Bijaipur & check in hotel. Afternoon, visit the forests. Located 40 Kms from Chittorgarh this Sisodia principality is now more easily accessible and far less hostile to its visitors. Overnight at hotel.

Day 6: Castle Bijaipur / Udaipur
Morning, drive to Udaipur. Arrive Udaipur & check in hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Day 7: Udaipur
Morning, sightseeing of Udaipur visiting the City Palace, Jagdish Temple, drive around Fatehsagar Lake, Shaelion Ki Bari (queen's resort for her friends) and Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir (folk art museum). Overnight at hotel.

Day 8: Udaipur / Dungarpur
Morning, drive to Dungarpur. Arrive Dungarpur & check in hotel. Afternoon, visit deep in the heart of Bhil Country surrounded by hills. The house of Dungarpur was a 13th century hostile offshoot of Chittorgarh that later made peace with it. Off the beaten track, Dungarpur has two beautiful palaces whose architecture is worth exploring since they consist of every known embellishment used in the making of any building. Overnight at hotel.

Day 9: Dungarpur / Narlai
Morning, drive to Narlai. Arrive Narlai & check in hotel. Afternoon visit the Narlai. Legend says that it was here that the sage Narad Muni meditated long before it was inhabited. Later it became a hunting preserve for the Sisodias. Overnight at hotel.

Day 10: Narlai / Luni
Morning, drive to Luni. Arrive Luni & check in hotel. Afternoon visit the Luni River thathas provided a lifeline to dwellers in the desert, even though it has been a seasonal phenomenon and its floods in the past have wrought havoc. Overnight at hotel.


Day 11: Luni
Sightseeing of Luni. Visit the Fort Chanwa. Luni built by the youngest son of Jodhpur's Maharaja Umaid Singh a hundred years ago, used large blocks of sandstone to create a handsome building and includes jharokhas and cupolas characteristic of the architecture of the region. The interiors are 19 rooms, serves Rajasthani cuisine and makes a delightful excursion into the idyllic world of a desert community. Overnight at hotel.

Day 12: Luni / Ossian
Morning, drive to Ossian. Arrive Ossian & check in hotel. Afternoon Sightseeing of Ossian. An ancient town of the Thar Desert, renowned for a cluster of ruined Brahmanical and Jain Temples dating from 8th to 11th century. The most important temples are the Surya or Sun Temple and the Sachiya Mata Temple. The latter has a "Shikhar" clustered by a row of tarots an ambulatory and a large assembly hall with an elaborate ceiling. Overnight at hotel.

Day 13: Ossian / Kuchaman
Morning, drive to Kuchaman. Arrive Kuchaman & check in hotel. Located in Nagaur District, Kuchaman Fort has had a strategic role to play in Rajasthan's history which unravels as one moves around its 17th century battlements. Its picturesque village is idyllic for those who would like to discover the charm of walking through it. Overnight at hotel.

Day 14: Kuchaman / Nawalgarh
Morning, drive to Nawalgarh. Arrive Nawalgarh & check in hotel. Afternoon, visit Nawalgarh, the seat of the Poddar families. Nawalgarh is known for the high quality of its paintings, even in the richly frescoed Shekhawati area its Poddar school has some excellent old work. Nawalgarh was founded in 1737 by Thakur Nawal Singh, a warrior- statesman. Evening visit to Mandawa, Dundlod. The Mandawa Castle is one of the finest castle of Rajasthan, is now a beautiful hotel and it has beautiful frescoes, Havelis & mansions. Overnight at hotel.

Day 15: Nawalgarh / Jaipur
Morning, drive to Jaipur. Check in hotel. Afternoon visit the bazaars of Jaipur. Overnight at hotel.

Day 16: Jaipur
Morning excursion to Amber Fort. Elephant ride ascent to the fort.




AMBER FORT PALACE -

Amber is the classic romantic Rajasthani fort palace. Its construction was started by Man Singh I in 1592, and completed by his descendent Jai Singh I. Its forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise where a beautiful fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles finds it's ultimate expression.
Continue sight-seeing.
CITY PALACE -
A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area in the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.

JANTAR MANTAR -
This is the largest and the best preserved of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II in different parts of the country. This observatory consisting of outsized astronomical instruments is still in use.

HAWA MAHAL -
The ornamental facade of this "Palace of Winds" is a prominent landmark in Jaipur. Their five-story structures of sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows. Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal grandstand for the palace women. Overnight at hotel.

Day 17: Jaipur / Agra
Morning, departure by car for the fabled city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal. En route visit Fatehpur Sikri, the deserted "ghost" capital of the Emperor Akbar with its beautifully preserved forts, palaces and mosques. Arrive Agra and check into your hotel. Visit the magnificent Taj Mahal built by the Emperor Shah Jehan between 1631 and 1653 as an expression of his love for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal. Overnight at hotel.

Day 18: Agra / Delhi
Sightseeing of Agra. Visit the Taj Mahal once again and later visit the Red Fort and Moti Mosque. After lunch transfer to Delhi via Sikandra to visit the Tomb of Emperor Akbar. On arrival in Delhi you will be transferred to your hotel or the airport for your onward journey.