Introduction
Forest & Wildlife Conservation is not new to India. Here since time immemorial, wildlife has enjoyed a privileged position of protection through religious ideals and sentiment. Early Indian literature, including the Hindu epics, the Buddhist Jatakas and the Jain strictures, teach nonviolence and respect for all sentient beings. Many of the Gods are associated with animals, Brahma with the deer, Vishnu the lion; and Ganesh the eternal symbol of wisdom, is half man and half elephant. A visit to one or more of these wildlife refuges is a must on any traveller’s itinerary.
ITINERARY:
Day 01 -Arrive Delhi Meet our representative and transfer to hotel.
Day 02 - Delhi/Jabalpur AM. Sightseeing tour of New Delhi with visits to the Qutab Minar and other sites.
PM. Transfer to Railway Station and board train.
Overnight on board the train.
Day 03 - Jabalpur/Kanha Arrive Jabalpur and drive to Kanha.Check into hotel on arrival. Kanha National Park is located in the heart of India’s Kipling country. It has open grasslands, dense deciduous forests, high plateaus and offers good wildlife spotting from elephant back or jeep. It is not uncommon to see tigers from elephant-back in the late morning. There are enormous herds of the beautiful chital spotted deer. The once rare swamp deer also appears quite often. You might also spot the very elegant blackbuck, the 4-horned antelope and tiny mouse deer. Evening view wildlife and a spectacular sunset. Overnight at Forest Lodge.
Day 04 - Kanha Morning and evening game viewing. Overnight at lodge.
Day 05 - Kanha Full day Jungle activities. Overnight at lodge.
Day 06 - Kanha to Bandhavgarh Morning drive to Bandhavgarh (155 miles/6 hrs). Arrive Bandhavgarh and check into hotel. The Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India is one of India’s few remaining areas of natural forest. Steep cliffs and rocky hills covered with acres of dense Sal & Bamboo forests make it an ideal terrain for Tigers. Gaur (the world’s largest Oxen) Sloth Bear, Wild Boar and Leopard are some of the many animals found here.
At sunset view the wildlife from a jeep. Overnight at Forest Lodge.
Day 07 - Bandhavgarh Full day jungle activities. Overnight at Lodge.
Day 08 - Bandhavgarh/Khajuraho Morning drive to Khajuraho (167 miles)PM. Sightseeing tour of the the Eastern
group of temples. The largest temple is Kandariya Mahadev dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Day 09 - Khajuraho/Agra AM. Visit the western group of temples. In the western group is the Chaunsat Yogini
temple. Other noteworthy temples are Viswanath. Lakshmana, Varaha and the Chitragupta temple. Later drive Khajuraho to Jhansi to connect train for Agra.
Arrive Agra and transfer to hotel.
Day 10 - Agra/Jaipur Morning visit the world famous Taj Mahal built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal. Also visit Agra Fort, an impressive cluster of palaces, fortresses and mosques, on the banks of river Yamuna across from the Taj Mahal.
PM. Drive to Jaipur (5 hrs) stopping enroute with visit to Fatehpur Sikri the deserted capital of Emperor Akbar.
Day 11 - Jaipur AM. Take an excursion to the 11th Century Amber Fort atop a gaily-decorated elephant. PM. Visit the Maharaja’s City Palace, which now houses a museum containing rare manuscripts, fine specimens of Rajput and Mughal
paintings, textiles and weaponry. Visit the Observatory and drive past Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) and the pink-rose residential and business areas.
Day 12 - Jaipur/Mandawa Morning drive to Mandawa (3hrs). On arrival check into your hotel.
Mandawa a prominent town in the Shekhawati region is know as Rajasthan’s open art gallery.
PM. Explore it’s quaint havelies (pavilions)with their walls adorned with frescos.
Day 13 - Mandawa/Delhi After breakfast drive to Delhi (6 hrs). Arrive Delhi and take a tour of Old Delhi -visiting Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk and Raj Ghat - the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi.
Evening transfer to international airport for flight home.
Rates
Hotel
2 Persons
3 or more
Air Fare
Deluxe
$2330
$2300
$1360
Tourist / Economy
$1906
$1875
$1360
Hotels In order to make the travel experience more convenient and confortable, we have selected the following hotels in the various stops.
Cities
Deluxe
Economy
Agra
Taj View
Hotel Trident
Aurangabad
Taj Residency
same
Bombay
Taj Mahal
Ambassador
Bandhavgarh
Nature Camp
Tiger Trails
Cochin
Malabar
Taj Residency
Delhi
Taj Mahal
Ambassador/Hans Plaza
Daspan
Castle
same
Jaipur
Ram-Bagh Palace
Trident Hotel
Jaisalmer
Gorbandh
same
Jodhpur
Umaid Bhawan
Bal Samand
Khajuraho
Jass Oberoi
Holiday Inn
Kumarakom
Coconut Lagoon
Taj Retreat
Kumarakom
Coconut Lagoon
Taj Retreat
Madras
Taj Coromandal
Hotel Savera
Madurai
Taj Garden
same
Mysore
Lalitha Mahal Palace
same
Nagarhole
Jungle Lodge
same
Periyar
Spice Village
Taj Gardens
Rantambhor
Sawai Madho Lodge
same
Rohet
Castle Rohert
same
Udaipur
Lake Palace
Laxmi Vilas
Varanasi
Taj Ganges
Clarks
Cost includes Accommodation on twin sharing basis with breakfast. All transfers between airport-hotel-airport. Sightseeing & English speaking guides.
Cost does not include Expenses of a private nature ie, laundry, drinks, telephone calls, meals (unless specified), insurance, airport taxes, excess baggage charges and all manner of gratuities.
Optional Tours Based on minimum of two persons- Costs are per person
Bhutan
4 nights/5 days
$1360
Glimpses of the Himalayas ( Darjeeling/Sikkim )
4 nights/5 days
$995
Chitwan Jungle Safari
3 nights/4 days
$385
Mountain Flight ( closeup views of the Himalayas )
$135
Tibet
4 nights/5 days
$675
NOTE: Airfares quoted are estimates only and are based on West Coast departures (Los Angeles or San Francisco). A High season surcharge of $200 will be charched for departure during the following months:
June-July-August & December 1- January 15.
