The Tour Includes:

Package includes

Not included

Itinerary

The follwing itinarary is provisional due to the nature of India we will attempt to stick to it, as much as possible. Anyone who has been to India will understand, so please be patient if everything doesn't happen on exactly the specified day.

DAY ONE Grounding

..... Arrive in New Delhi at 09h15 after our connecting flight from Dubai
Transfer to the Lutyen Bungalows in the South of New Delhi (a quiet & relaxed garden enviroment ...with swimming pool). The Lutyen Bungalows were used by the former British Viceroy of India for his guests built in 1935.....the hospitality as good as then....
Check in and have lunch ....Unpack & Relax.
Tour of Paharganj Shopping District.....Jewellery , Clothes & Natural Perfumes
Evening visit to the Laxmi Narayan Temple Complex to watch the sunset.

DAY TWO Orientation

.......after breakfast we travel to the Crafts museum to enjoy the tranquil 'village life' complex displaying tribal life around India
Then we explore the gardens and tomb of the Moghul Emporer Humayan........Magnificent Persian architecture with fountains in a well maintained garden.
In the late afternoon we will meditate at the famous Lotus shaped Baha'i Temple (open to all religions) before shopping at Haus Khaz village...an ethnic market set among crumbling tombs and a deer park.

DAY THREE Religious Extremes

...we make our way to the busy Chandi Chowk area........ famous for cloth & silver shops.
Our first stop is the Jama Masjid....one of the worlds largest Mosques (holds 25 000 people)where we climb the minaret to view all of Delhi.
We then go to the Digambara Jain Temple....where the monks are naked and all life is revered.....next door is a Jain Hospital for injured birds
Further along Chandi Chowk is Sis Ganj ...a Sikh Gurudwara where we relax as the Guru Granth Sahib is being read aloud all day and share a meal with pilgrims.
In the late afternoon we visit the recently finished Akshardham Complex........built by the Swami Narayan people of Gujarat...one of the biggest temple compounds in the world 'A spiritual Disneyland'.

DAY FOUR The Seventh World Wonder

....wake up early to catch the Shatabdi Express (120 mins) to Agra the home of the Taj.
We will spend the morning at the Red Fort build by Shah Jahan ....visit various Marble Craft Shops..
Have lunch at Zorba the Buddha -an Osho Restaurant....
The afternoon will be spent taking in the overwhelming beauty of the worlds greatest monument to a mans love for his wife...The Taj Mahal.
The Taj is described as a Tear on the Cheek of Time..........the closest manmade object to the perfection of God.
That evening we return towards Delhi by taxi and spend the night in the town of Mathura at the Brijbasi Hotel.

DAY FIVE Land of Sri Krishna

...In the morning we will visit Janmbhoomi ......... the birthplace of Sri Krishna 5000 years ago...in Mathura
We float down the Yamuna river by boat....soak in the atmosphere of wild peacocks...tulasi trees..green parrots and thousands of cows wandering around.
Lunch at the Hare Krishna Temple....Shop for incense and saries at Loi Bazaar.
Late afternoon at Kusum Sarovara ...the abandoned temple next to a tranquil lake...then make our way back to Delhi.

DAY SIX Shopping in the city

...the morning is spent at your own leisure...option of going for an Ayurvedic massage at Ashtaang a Keralan Beauty centre
After lunch we make our way to Janpath Marg an avenue of Tibetan Shops selling everything from Handmade paper to Brass Antiques.
Across the road is the Central Cottage Emporiums - a triple storey air conditioned shop selling everything form silk to tea.
....At 10.15 pm we leave Old Delhi station by overnight train on the Mussoorie Express to the Himalayas.

DAY SEVEN At the Foothills of the Himalayas on Good Friday

..we arrive at 05h35 at Haridwar Station and then travel by jeep to the Village of Rishikesh (14km North) on the Banks of the Ganges River.
Our hotel is the Jaipur Inn with views of the Ganges from every room. Their is also a yoga room & restaurant on roof.
During the rest of the day we explore the town of Rishikesh. Meet all the many Westerners from all over the world that have dedicated their lives to yoga.
Ashrams / Gurus / Astrologers / Healers are everywhere....Shivananda. Omkarananda. Sant Seva. Maharishi. and many others.
.........as evening approaches we make our way down to the Banks of the River with hundreds of children singing to offer lamps and flowers to The River that descended from Heaven...

DAY EIGHT Site of the Worlds Largest Gathering of Human Beings

Haridwar (the door to God ) is the place of the Kumbamela which is held every four years. It is the largest gathering of Human beings and can even be seen from the moon.
The last one recorded 75 million people.We make our way by cablecar to Mansadevi Temple (temple of the mind) to view the mighty Ganges above Haridwar.
Meet the many priests / yogis / pundits at the various bathing Ghats. Visit the tomb of Anandamayima - the Greatest Woman Guru to have lived.

DAY NINE Adventure on the Ganga on Easter Sunday

...in the morning we make our way up river by jeep....and then begin the 26km raft trip down the Holy Ganga River in modern rubber rafts
Before leaving we are taken through the rules of river rafting and each given a life jacket
As we make our way down the river we travel through gorges with several rapids...
We stop for lunch at the Ganga Nature Camp - a tented bush camp 11km upriver from Rishikesh
After lunch we make our way down the river to the town and enjoy the rest of the day at our leisure.

DAY TEN Snow capped as far as the eye can see

...we travel early by private bus through forests up into the mountains until we reach the former British Hillstation of Mussorrie in the clouds
Explore the town used by the British to escape from the heat...ghosts of the Raj linger in the churches,hotels & summer palaces.
By cable car we reach the top of Gunhill to see the spectacular view of the Snowcapped Himalayas
In the afternoon we visit the Tibetan Refugee village of Happy Valley, after having lunch at the Tavern (world cuisine)
...at the Refugee centre built in the sixtees by Norwegians we meet local Tibetans.......
..visit their Buddhist Shrine and walk to the nearby hilltop Stupa, set among Prayer flags carried in the wind to the gods...

DAY ELEVEN At home with Tigers & Elephants

On safari....by jeep we visit the Rajaji National Park covering 820 square kms in the forested foothills near Haridwar.. There are an estimated 469 wild elephants, 208 leopards, 30 tigers and thousands of spotted deer. Over 300 species of birds. Elephant rides can be organised taking 4 people at a time.
We will also visit the tribal village of Gujjar buffalo herders living in the park.

DAY TWELVE The inner jouney

...a day of meditation ...yoga....massage...
Choose one of the many Ashrams to do yoga at........Visit an astrologer and work out your destiny with charts and crytal jewels.
Get pampered at one of the many Ayurvedic centres with hours of massage...Listen to discourses by one of the many gurus on the Bhagavad Gita.or the Ramayan.
Get involved in discussions on the meaning of life with fellow seekers at one of the Street Cafes.
...or browse through the many Esoteric Bookshops in town...

DAY THIRTEEN On Motorbike

..our last day in Rishikesh is optional for those that want to carry on with their inner journey ....
or those that want to hire motorbikes and travel up along the Ganges into the Himalayas to visit Neelkantha Mahadev forest temple, Ananda Spa (voted most luxurious in the world) and visit The Glass House on the Ganga....
...after dinner we make our way back to Haridwar to travel back to New Delhi by train at 11pm....

DAY FOURTEEN Final Day

..arriving at Old Delhi station at 7am...we check into a hotel for breakfast and.... Spend the day doing last minute shopping in Delhi...
Visit to the Baba Kharak Singh Marg..........the avenue of the Emporiums where every state in India is represented in one road...
Visit to Bangla Sahib ..a Sikh Gurudwara with underground healing mineral waters ..
..Lunch at Saravanabhavas Restaurant.. Best of Tamil Cuisine in New Delhi... Visit to the Homespun Gandhi Emporium for last minute shopping.. Please remember only 20kg on Emirates..
..Our evening meditation is at the Aurobindo Ashram at 7pm in silence... where we give thanks to Mother India and prepare ourselves for the journey home.

DAY FIFTEEN Going Home

Our flight leaves in the morning for Dubai at 1045...Then on to Joburg....