Indian Himalaya with Nature, Culture and Wildlife

Arrive Delhi in the early hours upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Later in the forenoon sightseeing of Old and New Delhi. Delhi, the capital city of India has always attracted people towards it. It was the desired destination for many of the kings from different parts of the world. The city has a very rich and 5000 years old history. It was made the capital of the nation by the British. Delhi has been ruled by different kinds of the rulers that belong to different regions and thus follow their own tradition. This is the reason that the capital city of India has vast variety of the traditions and the culture with a different faith in every nook and corner of the city. New Delhi has been acting as host of different types of the cultural programmers and this attracts more tourists towards this charming city. Later drive to old Delhi railway station to board our train to Dehradun.
Overnight train.
Meals – B

Arrive Dehradun in the morning. Upon arrival transfer to Hotel where few rooms are booked for wash and change. After breakfast we drive 01 hour to Mussoorie. Upon arrival transfer to Hotel. Rest of the day is free to explore the beautiful surroundings of Mussoorie.
Overnight at the Hotel.
Meals – B

After breakfast we drive into the lush green valley of Himalayas. Nearly 06 hours drive brings us to this small village called Sankari. From this village we start our trek.
Overnight in a Simple Guest house.
Meals – B, L, D

After breakfast we drive 01 hour to Talula from here we set off to start our trek. Today we trek nearly 06 hours through beautiful forest and along the Supin river. The gradient is moderate throughout with an odd steep patch in between. This region is blessed with a very old & unique culture which thankfully is still preserved. You will get a very up close & personal experience of it today. On the trail you will meet locals from the nearby villages and get to see the special construction style of the local dwellings. We will cross a few villages enroute to reach Seema, a small market place. We will camp ahead of Seema in beautiful fields by the riverside.
Overnight Camping.
Meals – B, L, D

After breakfast fist we walk steep uphill nearly 06 hours to the camp ground of Har Ki Doon. A beautiful day where you have some fabulous views of the Bandarpoonch & Swargarohini peaks and Jaundhar Glacier at the head of the valley. There are interesting forests enroute with lots of opportunities to see variety of birds and meadows having wild flowers. This open valley has been blessed with so many natural elements that one is pleasantly surprised by its beauty. There is a network of streams, many a meadows carpeted with flowers and big and small mountains spread all over.
Overnight Camping
Meals – B, L, D

Full day to explore the beautiful surroundings of Har-ki-dun. We can make a circular trek to Jaundhar Glacier and return back to our campsite later in the afternoon. We get magnificent views from the glacier.
Overnight Camping
Meals – B, L, D

Trekking back to the village of Osla is an easy affair and gives time to relax, stop and admire all of God's wondrous sights giving a lot of opportunity to photograph the beauty of the valley and the villages. The easy downhill walk to Osla takes around 3-4 hours. Here we have a chance to mingle with the locals see the traditional way of living in the mountains.
Home Stay / Overnight Camping
Meals – B, L, D

The walk towards Taluka village is equally easy as the previous day. Absorb the natural beauty while taking the relaxing descent down the breathtaking valley.
Overnight Camping
Meals – B, L, D

After breakfast 07 hours drive to Dehradun. Upon arrival transfer to the Hotel. Later in the evening Dinner with Indian family in Indian house where one has a chance to peep into the life style of Indian family.
Overnight at the Hotel
Meals – B, L, D

One hour drive brings us to Rishikesh. Rishikesh is a celebrated spiritual center and has been a venue of many international personalities including the Beatles who came to Rishikesh early sixties in order to learn Yoga. The holy city is situated on the right bank of river Ganges. Saints and Sages lived in caves and meditated here in ancient days. Learned saints have now set up comfortable Ashrams. Devotees come to these ashrams to meditate and listen to the religious discourses of learned saints. We shall also be visiting the Parmarth Niketan which is the largest Ashram in Rishikesh where everyday activities Niketan include morning universal prayers, daily yoga and meditation classes, lecture programmes, prayers by the banks of Ganga at sunset as well as full nature cure and Ayurvedic treatment and training. Rishikesh is a very interesting place to those who may want to know about Hinduism. Other places in Rishikesh are the ghats (bathing places in the Ganga) and several temples.
Later in the afternoon after lunch 30 minutes drives brings us to Haridwar which is situated on the right bank of river Ganges at the foot of the Shivalik Mountain. Hardwar is one of the four pilgrim center where the Kumbh is held every twelve year. According to mythological belief many Hindu take holy dip in the scared river Ganga, to get rid off from their sins.
Har-ki-Pauri is one of the most sacred ghats (Bathing place). Later in the evening we witness the evening prayers by the banks of River Ganges at the main sacred place “Har Ki pauri” which is attended by thousands of pilgrims, local people and simply the tourist like us!! This is a moment when for few minutes everyone is standstill no matter of what religion and offer the prayers and the respects towards the almighty.
Overnight at the Hotel
Meals – B

Early morning train for Delhi. Upon arrival drive to Agra and directly transfer to the hotel.
Overnight at the Hotel.
Meals – B

Full day sightseeing of Agra.
Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. The construction of Taj Mahal is credited to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who erected this mausoleum in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Besides Taj Mahal there are many interesting sights in Agra and Agra Fort is one of them. Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, India. The Fort built by Akbar in Red Sandstone in 1654, Agra Fort worked both as a military strategic point as well as the royal residence.
In the morning we will be visiting Taj Mahal and later after lunch we visit Red Fort.
Overnight at the Hotel.
Meals – B

After breakfast we check-out from hotel and then drive one hour to a place called Fatehpur Sikri.
Fatehpur Sikri was a city, founded in 1569 by the Emperor Akbar, and served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585. After his military victories over Chittor and Ranthambore, Akbar decided to shift his capital from Agra to a new location 37 km to honour the Sufi saint Salim Chishti. Here he commenced the construction of a planned walled city, which took the next fifteen years in planning. He named the city Fatehabad, with Fateh, a word of Arabic origin in Persian, meaning "victorious." It was later called Fatehpur Sikri. The Imperial complex was abandoned in 1585, shortly after its completion, due to the exhaustion of the small, spring-fed lake that supplied the city with water.
Later half an hour’s drive brings us to Bharatpur.
Bharatpur the Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan is the birds Kingdom!! The beautiful forest popularly known as Bharatpur Birds Sanctuary or Keoladeo Bird sanctuary is spread over in an area of 40 sq Km and also features in the UNESCO’S list of world Heritage site is a unique bird place and a true delight of bird watchers.. The Park has an estimated population of 375 species of birds, numerous mammals and reptiles. With the onset of winter, migratory birds from all over world come here. They arrive by August and leave in February. These migratory birds include Coot Snipes, Spanish Sparrow, Red Crested Porhard, Rosy Pelican and Flamingo. The special attraction, however, remains the arrival of the rare Siberian Crane. The park is also rich in Pythons, Spotted Deer, Sambhars, Blue Bull, Black Buck, Jackals, Otters, Fishing Cats, Monitor Lizards. There are well-defined treks, which can easily be covered on foot or on a cycle Rickshaw. The sanctuary not only attracts birds from India but also from places like Europe, Siberia, China and Tibet. Cycle Rickshaw pullers are very well trained and have very good knowledge of birds.
Upon arrival transfer to the Hotel. Later in the afternoon we will visit the Park by cycle Rickshaws.
Overnight at the Hotel.
Meals – B, D

After breakfast we drive 04 hours to Ranthambore. Upon arrival transfer to the Hotel.
Overnight at the Hotel.
Meals – B, D

Today we do two jungle safaris, one early in the morning and second in the afternoon after lunch.
Ranthambore: The Tiger reserve spreads over an area of 392 sq.kms of dry deciduous and tropical thorn forest. The Jungle is considered to be one of the best sites to observe and photographing the majestic tiger. Other animal in the park includes leopard, Hyena, fox, jungle cat, sloth bear, different species of deer’s including the biggest in the family “Sambhar”, blue bull and Chinkaara. Wild Boars and languars (Black faced monkeys) area common sight in this reserve. There are over 300 varieties of birds in the sanctuary. The commonly sighted birds include pea fowls, parakeets, partridges, storks, egrets, flycatchers, eagles and owls. Some rare birds like the black eagle and the crested hawk eagle can also be seen here. There are several lakes in this reserve which houses crocodiles which are very commonly seen.
Overnight at the Hotel.
Meals – B, L, D

04 hours drive bring us to the Pink city “Jaipur”. In the afternoon we shall be visiting Jantar Mantar and City palace.
Jaipur: One of the most important magnets for visitors to India, the “pink city” of Jaipur and nearby Amber fort. Visitors can find all the exotic majesty of the Indian princely states ruled until recently by the bejeweled, Elephant riding maharajas. This city was considered a marvel of town planning and drew the peace loving merchants and craftsmen to its wide streets and shopping areas which were earmarked for them. Traditional crafts like Jewelry, metalwork, enameling, tie dye, stone carving pottery, leather work and miniature painting patronized by the rulers in the 18th century still continue to thrive to this day. It is a city with a timeless quality to it, a city where the ancient and the modern coexist in complete harmony. The palace of winds “Hawa Mahal” is a remarkable structure which overlooks one of the main streets and also provides some excellent views of the city. In the not-too-distant past, ladies of the court found it convenient to watch the activities on the streets below without being observed themselves. Dedicated to lord Krishna, it is shaped like a crown, which adorns the lord’s head. It has over 900 ninches and is quite an unusual structure the likes of which are not to be found anywhere else.
We shall be visiting Amber Fort. Amber was the ancient capital of the region. Now a deserted complex, it however still recalls it’s hey days in the majestic ramparts rising steeply along the contoured hillsides. Here Elephants still carry visitors in stately splendors to the main Palace through unusually high gateways obviously designed to accommodate this archaic mode of transport. We also visit the city palace and its Museum. Half of the part of the city palace still remains the residence of the Jaipur Royal family, the Jantar Mantar an 18th century observatory and the legendary Hawa Mahal.
Overnight at the hotel.
Meals – B

After breakfast we visit the Palace of Winds and the Amber Fort. Arrive Delhi. Upon arrive transfer to hotel where few rooms are booked for wash and change. Late transfer to International airport.
Meals – B