Grand Circle

7/29/2019 Grand Circle

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Day 1. YOUR TOUR BEGINS. The vast and

exotic sub-continent o India beckons as we depart

West Coast or East Coast or Delhi, India.

Day 2. ARRIVE DELHI. Late night arrival in

Delhi, capital o India. It’s history goes back 2000

years. Few capitals in the world have as many

ancient monuments as Delhi.

Day 3. DELHI (BD). New Delhi tour thismorning. Visit the impressive Qutab Minar, a

234-t sandstone tower and Humayun’s tomb. See

the Government buildings and presidential palace

along the broad and majestic Rajpath. Aternoon

tour o Old Delhi to see the Red Fort, a symbol

o Mughal power. On return, visit Raj Ghat, a

memorial to the great Mahatma Gandhi.

Day 4. DELHI-VARANASI (BD). Morning we

will fy to one o the most ascinating cities in

India, Varanasi. With its array o shrines, temples

and palaces, rising in several tiers rom the water’s

edge, Varanasi is the holiest city or Hindus. Latervisit Sarnath, the site where Lord Buddha preached

his rst sermon.

Day 5. VARANASI-AGRA (BL). Early morning

boat ride on the Ganges River. Thousands o devout

Hindus descend to the holy waters o the Ganges or

purication. Later we will travel to Agra.

Day 6. AGRA-JAIPUR (BL). Morning we will visit

the Taj Mahal built by Emperor Shah Jehan in 1648

AD in memory o his Queen. It took the world’s best

cratsmen and over 20,000 workers almost 20 years

to build this dream. Later we will visit the AgraFort. Aternoon we will drive towards Jaipur — the

rose-pink capital o Rajasthan en route visiting

Fatehpur Sikri. Surrounded on all sides by rugged

hills and crowned with orts, Jaipur is aptly called

the Pink City o India.

Day 7. JAIPUR (BD). This morning we visit Amber

Fort. Riding on elegantly caparisoned elephants,

we make our way to the ort. Inside, we will nd

lavish courtyards, beautiully decorated halls and

the Chamber o Mirrors. Aternoon tour, visit the

Royal Observatory and Palace Museum. We will

also see the ornate and elaborate Palace o Winds,

the Hawa Mahal, a striking landmark o Jaipur.

Day 8. JAIPUR-UDAIPUR (BL). Today we fy to

Udaipur. The city o Udaipur stands in a valley

amid green hills on the banks o the wide, steel blue

Lake Pichola. Tour o Udaipur, visiting the vast and

exquisite City Palace o the Maharana. Amber, jade

and colored glass gives the palace a sparkling, yet

ethereal quality. See the Fateh Sagar Lake and visit

the Jagdish Temple. Later a scenic cruise on Lake

Pichola including visit to the Jagmandir Palace.

Day 9. UDAIPUR - MUMBAI - AURANGABAD

(BL). Today we fy to Aurangabad via India’s busy

Grand Circle Tour of IndiaThis is a comprehensive India Tour

ESCORTED WITH mINImUm 8 AND mAxImUm 1 PASSENGERS

LOCALLy HOSTED IF LESS THAN 8 OR mAkE IT A WORLDvIEW ‘PRIvATELy GUIDED’ TOUR.

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INCREDIBLE INDIA

India has much to offer—

too much to experience

in a single life time, let

alone a single trip! yet

this Grand Circle Tour of

India is a comprehensive

tour featuring the best

of North and South

India.

From the hol cit of

Varanasi, awe-inspiring

Taj Mahal, irreplaceableforts and palaces of

Rajasthan, 2000 ear

old art at the Ajanta

and Ellora caves, Jewish

town of Cochin, pristine

Backwaters of Kerala

and the temple towns

of South India. This tour

has it all.

DELHI

AGRA

VARANASI

MUMBAI

CHENNAI

TRICHY

MADURAI

PERIYARKUMARAKOM

COCHIN

TANJORE

JAIPUR

UDAIPUR

AURANGABAD

ormous Kailash Temple, Ellora,out of one piece of rock

Extend your tour to

SriLanka for 5-6 days

or to the Maldives Islands.

t City Palace complex dominates the lake and the Lake Palace Hotel



western port o Mumbai, the commercial capital

o India. On arrival a brie sightseeing tour o

Mumbai city. Later fy to Aurangabad, home o one

o the most impressive sights in India.

Day 10. AURANGABAD (BD). Morning we will

visit Ajanta. Completed around the 7th centuryAD

Buddhist monks spent centuries carving 29 caves into

a horseshoe-shaped cli. Aternoon tour o Ellora. Over

2000 years ago stonecutters removed an estimated

200,000 ton o rock to build the 34 caves, sculptures,

columns and decorative acades. The Kailash temple is

perhaps the largest monolith in the world.

Day 11. AURANGABAD-COCHIN (B). Fly to

Cochin, its harbor has been trading spices with the

rest o the world or over 2000 years. Witness a

colorul Kathakali dance perormance.

Day 12. COCHIN (B). Tour o Cochin includesa visit to the Jewish Synagogue, one o the oldest

in India and the Dutch Palace, well known or its

mural paintings. See the Chinese shing nets in

operation, at the entrance o the Kochi Harbor.

Day 13. COCHIN-KUMARAKOM (BL). Drive

today to see the amous Kerala Backwaters.

Aternoon a three-hour cruise on the Backwaters.

Your cruise boat will cross, palm-ringed lakes

studded with shing nets along narrow, shady

canals where coir (coconut ber), coconut and

cashews are loaded on to boats.

CHOOSE yOUR HOTELS

Travelers love our choice of hotels…you can choose either category as

listed OR you ‘Pick and Mix’ from the two categories…please ask us how.

First Class/Delue Preier Luur

Delhi (2) Taj Palace/ *Taj Mahal/The OberoiMetropolitan Nikko

Varanasi (1) Taj GangesAgra (1) Taj View *Oberoi Amarvilas

Jaipur (2) Taj Jai Mahal Palace *Rambagh Pa lace /Oberoi Rajvila sUdaipur (1) Trident Hilton *Lake Palace/Oberoi UdaivilasAurangabad (2) Taj ResidencyCochin (2) Brunton BoatyardKumarakom (1) Coconut Lagoon *Kumarakom Lake Resort

Periyar (1) Spice Village ResortTanjore (2) Parisutham HotelMadurai (1) Taj Garden Retreat

Chennai (1) Le Meridien Hotel *Taj Coromandel Hotel

The amazing Ajanta caves

Brihadeswara Temple, Tanjore

8

Boys with a catch near Mahabalipuram.

Backwaters of Kerala



Day 14. KUMARAKOM - PERIYAR (BD).

Today we drive to Periyar National Park. Park has

elephants, tiger, sambar, barking deer, lion-tailed

macaque and a rich bird lie. Nature tours are

provided on orest department run boat rides.

Day 15. PERIYAR-TRICHY-TANJORE (BL).

Morning we drive through an interesting coun-

tryside to Tanjore en route visit Trichy. Visit the

Srirangam temple, which is one o the largest and

most interesting temple complexes in India. Tanjore

is the city o the Chola rulers and bears their stamp

in an array o temples nely sculpted and carved. It

is the home o Carnatic music, musical instruments,

dance and traditional handicrats.

Day 16. TANJORE (BD). Morning tour o Tanjore.

The Brihadeswara Temple built by Raja Chola is

said to have been the tallest monument in ancient

India, rising to a height o 241-t in pyramidal orm.

It is rightly said o the Cholas that they conceivedlike giants and nished like jewelers.

Day 17. TANJORE-KARAIKUDI-MADURAI

(BL). Today drive to Madurai en route visiting

ew Chettinad villages. Tour o Madurai and the

Meenakshi temple. It is one o the biggest temple

complexes in India. The ve pagodas that surround

the temple are known or their intricate stucco

work and the 156-t high southern gopuram is the

tallest. Thirumalai Mahal Palace is constructed

in the Indo-Saracenic style. In the evening attend

special temple prayer ceremonies.

LAND TOUR PRICE INCLUDES

nFirst Class train tickets for any train

travel n17 nights hotel accommoda-

tions in your choice of hotels

n17 American breakfasts, 7 lunches

and 7 dinners table d’hote nSight-

seeing tours including entrance fees

nRound trip transfers nIndia expert

Tour Escort or locally hosted

nBaggage handling nTips/gratui-

ties for porters, guides, drivers and

included features nService charges

and hotel taxes nPassport cases and

baggage tags.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

nCruise on Holy river Ganges

nVisit to the Taj Mahal

nVisit the exquisite City Palace of the

Maharana of Udaipur

n Impressive Ajanta and Ellora Caves

n Jewish town of Cochin

nCruise on Backwaters of Kerala

nThousand pillared hall inMeenakshi Temple

nVisit Chettinad villages

nWorld heritage Mahabalipuramtemples

nWorldview special ethnicencounters.

‘PRIvATELy GUIDED’ –

TRAvEL ANy DAy

To customize this tour to travel

any day or to modify this program

with locally hosted ground arrange-

ments please call 800 373 0388 or

[email protected]

TOUR ExTENSIONS

Please see pages 37-39 for possible

tour extensions to ‘Grand Circle

of India’ tour.

Day 18. MADURAI-CHENNAI (BD). Fly today

to Chennai, the capital o Tamil Nadu. It has a rich

heritage o ne arts, sculpture and architecture.

Aternoon tour includes visits to St. Thomas

Cathedral, which houses the grave o St. Thomas,

the Apostle, the Bronze Museum etc.

Day 19. CHENNAI-HOMEBOUND (B). A 37-

mile drive to Mahabalipuram — the ‘city o the

seven pagodas’ that was once the main harbor

and naval base o the great Pallava Empire. See

the bas relie work including the masterpiece at

Mahabalipuram, the ‘Penance o Bhagirath’, the

world’s largest bas-relie in stone. Aternoon at

leisure. Late evening transer to the airport or

homebound fights.

Day 20. ARRIVE West Coast or East Coast.

The Indian craftsman has been

perfecting his art for centuries,

passing on traditions and

techniques from generation to

generation. Each region has its

own specialties, each town its

own local craftsmen, its own

particular skills. Most shops

accept credit cards and will

ship the goods to your home.

Agra

Fine jewelry, Marble

inlay work

mubai

Fashion, Leather goods

Cochin

Antiques, Woodcarvings

Delhi

Handicrafts from all over India,

rugs, Jewelry, Fashion, Antiques

Jaipur

Gems/Jewelry, Rugs,

Fabrics, Blue pottery

Jodhpur

Antiques, Rajasthani paintings

khajuraho

Handicrafts, Tribal art

kathandu

Tibetan rugs, Tibetan art,Paintings, Sculptures, etc

Chennai

Cotton and Silk, Handicrafts,

Woodcarvings, Antiques

msore

Sandalwood and Rosewood

carvings, Antiques

Udaipur

Miniature paintings,

Handicrafts, Jewelry, Antiques.

varanasi

Silks and Brocades

Shopping in India

Kettuvalam, or a houseboat

Relaxing in your houseboat

Photo credit: Gloria Rubino

Photo credit: Gloria Rubino

ephants, Periyar

Exotic fabrics

Documents

Grand Circle