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Cultural India: Lucknow + Varanasi + Bodh Gaya + Taj Mahal

India Cultural Tours Lucknow Dudhwa Varanasi Bodh Gaya Taj Mahal Agra

14 NIGHTS FROM:

$4,038

Per person sharing

International flights quoted separately

IRT14D

• India Cultural Tours

• Delhi

• Lucknow

• Dudhwa National Park

• Varanasi

• Aarti Ceremony

• Bodh Gaya

• Great Buddha

• Taj Mahal

• Agra Fort

Our tailor made India cultural tours visit Old & New Delhi, lovely Lucknow with its beautiful architecture, fascinating Varanasi on the River Ganges, the Great Buddha at Bodh Gaya & the magnificent Taj Mahal in Agra. Enjoy the wildlife of Dudhwa National Park on the border with Nepal, experience an Indian train ride from Lucknow to Varanasi, and observe an evening aarti cerermony. Also visit a sloth bear sanctuary.

Detailed itinerary ▶

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Day 1

You will be met at Delhi Airport and transferred to your hotel in this ancient capital of kingdoms and empires that is now a sprawling metropolis.

Delhi's strategic location was one of the main reasons why successive dynasties chose it as their seat of power and today it is a conglomerate of seven cities. The division between the old walled city and New Delhi marks a division in lifestyles, with the old city retaining its past traditions whilst New Delhi strives to match the pace of the 21st century.

Day 2

Today enjoy a full day private tour of modern New Delhi and the 17th century walled city of Old Delhi, which came to prominence when Shah Jahan moved his capital here from Agra.

In Old Delhi enjoy a cycle rickshaw ride through 300-year old Chandni Chowk market, a maze of lanes crowded with noisy shops selling an extraordinary variety of items and foods, and past the Jama Masjid (or Friday Mosque), the largest in India, and drive past the imposing walls & battlements of the Red Fort, once the most opulent palace in the Mughal Empire. We continue to the Raj Ghat - the simple but moving memorial on the site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated.

In the afternoon our tour of New Delhi starts with a visit to the Qutub Minar, an ancient victory tower built of red sandstone and marble in 1199 and still the tallest minaret in India. With its imposing cylindrical towers and surrounding ruins, it is today a World Heritage Site. Our next stop is Humayun's Tomb, the beautiful mausoleum of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, that inspired the Taj Mahal.

We drive along the Rajpath - the capital's broadest avenue - where you will see the imposing arch of the India Gate war memorial, Parliament House, the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential residence built for the Viceroy of India, and the government buildings on Raisina Hill.

Note: The Red Fort is closed on Mondays.

Day 3

Transfer to Delhi Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Lucknow Airport and transferred 5-hours to Dudhwa National Park in the foothills of the Himalayas, bordering Nepal.

Check in to your hotel in these marshy grasslands that are part of an important Himalayan tiger and wildlife corridor.

Day 4

Today is devoted to enjoying the wildlife of Dudhwa National Park, which covers an area of 155 square miles (400 square km).

Formerly a hunting ground for the British rulers of India, today the grassands, swamps and dense forests of this relatively unknown park provide sanctuary to a wide range of wildlife - including endangered swamp deer and barasingha, tigers, leopards, elephants and sloth bears (although tigers and leopards are rarely seen). One-horned rhinos have recently been relocated to this park from Assam and over 450 different bird species can also be found here.

Enjoy one jeep safari and one game viewing boat ride each day.

Note: This park is closed from mid-June to mid-November each year (although May and June are extremely hot and humid).

Day 5

Today leave Dudhwa and transfer 5.5-hours to the city of Lucknow.

Check in to your hotel in this cultured city that is the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh and known for its beautiful gardens, architecture, poetry, music and fine cuisine.

Day 6

Today enjoy a full day private tour of the fascinating city of Lucknow. With its mix of Islamic and British Raj–era architecture, central Lucknow has wide boulevards and some magnificent faded monuments, parks and gardens. The city also has many bazaars and is famous throughout India for its food.

The 18th-century Bara Imambara ('Big Shrine') was built by Nawab Asaf-Ud-Daula in 1784.and has a huge arched hall that is said to be the largest of its type in the world. Rumi Darwaza is an imposing Mughal gateway also built by him around the same time. Chhota Imambara is another impressive monument that took 54 years to build.

Other sigificant buildings include the British Residency and La Martiniere College. Bhool Bhulaiya is a maze of narrow tunnels with city views from its upper balconies. Close by, the grand Victorian Husainabad Clock Tower was built as a victory column in 1881.

Day 7

At leisure to explore more of the city of Lucknow independently

Day 8

This morning transfer to Lucknow Station to board the express train (air conditioned chair class) departing for Varanasi. Enjoy seeing the countryside unfold, as you travel southeast through northern India.

You will be met at Varanasi Station and transferred to your hotel in this holy city, situated on the sacred River Ganges. Varanasi is regarded as the spiritual capital of India and is a holy city for both Jains and Hindus, who believe dying here can bring salvation. The Benares Gharana form of Indian classical music developed here and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers and musicians have made it their home.

In the late afternoon your guide will walk with you to the bathing ghats (steps) on the River Ganges to witness the moving daily aarti ceremony, a religious ritual performed as an offering to the gods. It includes the lighting of hundreds of candles that are released in baskets onto the river, which will leave you spellbound. The ceremony lasts about 1.5 hours.

Note: To avoid unnecessary stress, on the train you will be accompanied part of the way by a local helper. Please note he is not a guide and may have limited English. Always be alert for possible theft (eg do not wear expensive watches or jewellery & never leave your belongings unattended); do not buy any food or drink from hawkers and know the toilets are likely to be in a poor condition. Because of the very short (2-minute) stops at each station, train travel in India is not recommended for the elderly or those travelling with children.

Hotels situated on the Ganges River or next to a temple are not allowed to serve alcohol. These same hotels often only serve vegetarian food.

Day 9

Rise early today for a very special experience - a boat ride on the River Ganges as the sun rises. View the remarkable colours on its waters as you pass the bathing ghats, a series of steps leading down to the river where the faithful come to bathe and pay homage to the sun god. Also see the cremation ghats.

Afterwards enjoy a short walking tour of the temples of Bharat Mata, Durga and Vishwanath, followed by a visit to the ruins and museum at Sarnath - an important pilgrimage site where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Here you will see many stupas (shrines) including the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar, a Tibetan Buddhist shrine containing a life-sized golden image of Buddha.

Note: Sarnath Museum is closed every Friday.

Day 10

Leave Varanasi today and transfer 5.5-hours to Bodh Gaya in the northeastern state of Bihar.

Check in to your hotel in this town which is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India.

Day 11

Today enjoy a private tour of the Mahadobi Temple Complex.

This ancient brick temple was built to mark the site where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment beneath a sacred Bodhi Tree, after meditating for three days and three nights. A direct offshoot from this tree is growing within the complex today. There are six other sacred sites within the temple complex, including a beautiful lotus pond, and a diamond throne.

We also visit some monasteries built by various countries around the temple and the enormous 80 ft (24 m) statue of the Buddha, located in a garden at the end of Temple Street. Seated in a meditation pose, the Great Buddha Statue took seven years to complete using the labor of 12,000 stonemasons. At the time of its construction in 1982, it was the largest Buddha statue in India, with an interior spiral staircase leading up to his chest and shelves on the walls displaing 16,300 small bronze images of the Buddha.

Day 12

Transfer to Bodh Gaya Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Delhi Airport by your driver who will transfer you 3.5-hours to the ancient city of Agra, set along the banks of the Yamuna River and originally the capital of the Mughal Empire.

Agra is world renowned as the home of the Taj Mahal - that great symbol of love built by emperor Shah Jahan in the 16th century as a memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal.

After checking in to your hotel in this ancient city, we visit the Mehtab Bagh Gardens that are located across the river from the Taj Mahal, to enjoys your first views of this magnificent edifice at sunset.

Day 13

Rise early this morning to visit the stunning Taj Mahal at sunrise. This magnificent white marble mausoleum took 22 years to build and, apart from its stunning design and perfect symmetry, it is noted for its elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best marble inlay work ever done. Sunrise and sunset are particularly good times to visit and see the dome subtly change its colour.

After returning to your hotel for breakfast, later in the day visit Agra Fort, a massive structure with walls over 70-ft high and 1.5-miles long that encompasses an astounding collection of well preserved buildings, many of them completed during the reign of Shah Jahan. After he was deposed by his son, he was imprisoned in this fort where he remained until his death - spending the rest of his life looking out along the river to the final resting place of his beloved wife.

Note: Taj Mahal is closed every Friday. You are allowed a maximum of 3-hours at the monument and cannot take in anything except your camera, water and essential medicine. From mid-January to mid-February there may be early morning fog, in which case you will visit the Taj Mahal a little later.

Day 14

This morning we transfer 3.5-hours to Delhi.

Along the way we visit the Agra Bear Rescue Centre for 2-hours. This facility provides sanctuary to over 200 orphaned and distressed sloth bears, including many rescued dancing circus bears.

Afterwards we continue to Delhi where you will be dropped off at your hotel conveniently situated near Delhi Airport.

Note: The bear sanctuary visiting times are from 9-11 am, 12-2 pm and 2-4 pm.

Day 15

Transfer to Delhi Airport for your flight home.

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