Newmarket Holidays is offering 15% off worldwide adventures, from South Africa to Japan until Monday, 30 June.
Explore the teeming, colourful cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur on this superb-value Indian holiday. Step into a landscape said to have inspired Kipling as you spend two nights 'on safari' in Ranthambhore National Park, the home of the legendary Tigers of Ranthambhore, and see the Red Fort, the Palace of the Winds and the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal. It's the perfect introduction to one of the world's most fascinating and alluring destinations.
Extend your holiday and visit Goa, with white sand beaches backed by swaying palms, is a perfect ending to your holiday. It’s a charming blend of Portuguese and Indian cultures, laid back, green and generally untouched by mass tourism.
Highlights
- The historic Red Fort, the India Gate war memorial and the magnificent Humayun's Tomb
- The magical Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Searching for Ranthambhore's tigers on two included safaris
- Jaipur's exquisite Palace of the Winds
- The sights and sounds of New Delhi
- A guided tour of Agra, India's city of love
- Exploring the ramparts, gates and cobbled paths of Rajasthan's Amber Fort
- Enjoy a camel cart ride and an Indian cookery demonstration
- Chand Baori, Abhaneri's astonishing 13-story stepwell
- Staying in cottage accommodation at Vanaashrya resort
- Spend four nights in a beachfront resort in Goa
- Take a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi
- Dinner with a local family in Jaipur
Inclusions
- Twelve nights' dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation in a series of four-star and five-star standard hotels, 1 night Delhi, 1 night Agra, 2 nights Ranthambore, 2 nights Jaipur, 2 nights Vanaashrya and 4 nights Goa, plus two nights on the aircraft
- Six lunches
- Porterage at all hotels
- Return flights from your chosen UK airport to Delhi returning from Goa via Delhi.
- An internal flight from Delhi to Goa
- Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers
- The services of a friendly, experienced Tour Manager on the tour
Day 1
Overnight flight to India - Your Indian holiday begins with an overnight flight from the UK to Delhi.
Day 2
Arrival in Delhi and included Humayun's Tomb visit - Arrive in Delhi, this morning, to be greeted by your Tour Manager, and transferred to your hotel. Later, after some time to freshen up, join your tour manager on a guided tour to the sixteenth century red sandstone and marble Humuyan's tomb, an impressive example of Mughal architecture with lush Persian style gardens.
Day 3
Included Delhi city tour and travel to Agra - Today's guided tour will introduce Delhi's vibrant Old City. Drive by the historic Red Fort, Jama Masjid Mosque and Raj Ghat – Gandhi’s cremation site close to the Yamuna River – and enjoy an exhilarating rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk.
You’ll also experience the grandeur of New Delhi, built by the British Raj to reflect the glories of the Empire. Highlights will include the historic India Gate war memorial and the vast boulevard of the Rajpath.
Later, after an included lunch in Delhi, travel to Agra, India's City of Love and site of the exquisite Taj Mahal. After a visit to the royal pavilions, palaces and courtyards of majestic Agra Fort, you’ll make your first visit to the Taj, a monument to undying love, to see it in all its glory at sunset.
Day 4
Included excursions to the Taj Mahal and Abhaneri, and travel to Ranthambhore - Start your day with the unforgettable view of the Taj Mahal at dawn, seen from across the Yamuna River. After breakfast, you'll journey to Abhaneri, a small town famed for its amazing baoris (stepwells). Discover the intricate beauty of Chand Baori, one of the deepest and largest stepwells in India, and its carved panels.
Leaving Abhaneri, you'll travel to Ranthambhore National Park, stopping en route for lunch at the sumptuous Umaid Lake Palace, a lovely heritage hotel and organic retreat that grows produce for its fine restaurant. Once the hunting ground of Indian princes, Ranthambhore is landscape of thorn trees, scrub and grasslands dotted with beautiful ponds, streams and lakes is a perfect habitat for the famous, elusive (and still endangered) Tigers of Ranthambhore, and other species.
Relax for the afternoon, then enjoy an evening tiger talk with a local naturalist: the perfect preparation for tomorrow's adventures.
Day 5
Included guided wildlife safaris - Today’s two canter (open-air vehicle) safaris in Ranthambhore Park are sure to be among the highlights of your entire holiday. In the company of a knowledgeable naturalist guide, you'll go in search of the park's most animal inhabitants: striped hyenas, sambar deer, sloth bears and, of course, tigers (and perhaps even a leopard).
Day 6
From Ranthambhore to Jaipur - Rest and relax this morning, or join our optional excursion to climb the gradual, 273 steps to ancient Ranthambhore Fort, which sits atop a 600-metre-high hill range, and offers stupendous views of the park below.
This afternoon, after lunch at the hotel, you’ll bid farewell to Ranthambhore and journey to the Pink City of Jaipur, where you'll stay for the next two nights.
Day 7
Included Amber Fort and Jaipur sightseeing - After breakfast, visit Amber, the ancient capital of the Rajput Empire. Climb by jeep to the city's vast sixth-century hill-top fort to wander its Royal Halls and take in the magnificent views from the ramparts. After an included lunch, you'll tour Jaipur to see the City Palace complex, with its museums and ancient astronomical observatory, and drive past the innumerable windows and screened balconies of the 18th-century Palace of the Winds.
This evening, enjoy dinner a special dinner at the Nokha House, hosted in traditional Rajasthani style by the Rathore family.
Day 8
From Jaipur to Vanaashrya - Bid farewell to Jaipur and journey across the desert plain into the Aravali Hills to the jungle-resort of Vanaashyra. En route you'll stop at Bhangarh, a ruined fort dating from the 17th Century.
This afternoon, take a camel cart to visit the local village and enjoy a pre-dinner cookery demonstration. You'll spend the night in aa private cottage designed to give you a sense of the India of the past with the little luxuries of the present (like air conditioning).
Day 9
Relax in Vanaashrya - Enjoy today at leisure in Vanaashrya - swim in the pool or reflect on your journey through India.
Day 10
Fly to Goa - Fly from Delhi to Goa, meet your guide at the airport and transfer south along the coast to your hotel, for a four-night stay. Spend the rest of the day relaxing by the expansive pool or enjoying an ayurvedic massage in the hotel’s tranquil spa.
Day 11
Enjoy Goa - Spend a few days soaking up the southern Indian sun, perhaps by the hotel’s pool, or venturing further afield to explore the beaches that lie just a moment’s walk from your hotel. Why not join us on an optional excursion to Aguada Fort and the Basilica of Bom Jesus?
Day 12
Enjoy Goa - Spend a few days soaking up the southern Indian sun, perhaps by the hotel’s pool, or venturing further afield to explore the beaches that lie just a moment’s walk from your hotel. Why not join us on an optional excursion to Aguada Fort and the Basilica of Bom Jesus?
Day 13
Enjoy Goa - Spend a few days soaking up the southern Indian sun, perhaps by the hotel’s pool, or venturing further afield to explore the beaches that lie just a moment’s walk from your hotel. Why not join us on an optional excursion to Aguada Fort and the Basilica of Bom Jesus?
Day 14
Fly home - Bid a fond farewell to Portuguese-influenced Goa, as you transfer from your hotel to the airport in the late evening, and board your flight home via Delhi.
Day 15
Arrive in the UK - Arrive back home after a spectacular holiday.
