Taj Mahal & the Treasures of India

Luxury Small Group Journeys: The finest small-group travel experience

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Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Mumbai, India

Arrive in Mumbai, perhaps from your pre-tour extension to Aurangabad. On arrival, an A&K representative meets you and transfers to your iconic hotel.

The Taj Mahal Palace

Day 2: Mumbai

Explore the city’s classic sights, including the Gateway of India, an 85-foot-high arch whose design reflects India’s Muslim and Hindu traditions. Visit the Prince of Wales Museum and Mani Bhawan, a small museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. See the Dhobi Ghat, the largest open-air laundry in the world and a sight to behold as hundreds of men and women hand-wash sheets and garments. Enjoy a welcome dinner alongside fellow guests.

The Taj Mahal Palace   |   Meals: B D

Day 3: Mumbai/Udaipur

This morning, privately cruise Mumbai Harbour to Elephanta Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore the island’s world renowned temples, which are carved directly out of the basalt rock and filled with ornamental statues, pillars and friezes dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Later this afternoon, fly to Udaipur and check in to your romantic hotel. After settling in, take in the magnificent views of the City and Jag Mandir palaces from the hotel’s many balconies, and stroll its interior courtyard gardens.

Taj Lake Palace   |   Meals: B D

Day 4: Udaipur

Visit the City Palace, a marble complex of palaces and galleries that offers unforgettable views of the lake and its surroundings. Take a private tour of the Crystal Gallery in Fateh Prakesh Palace, and stroll through Sahelion Ki Bari (Garden of the Maids of Honor). Following an afternoon at leisure, enjoy a private cruise to Jag Mandir, a palace of splendidly carved marble on an island in the middle of Lake Pichola. Later, attend a candlelit performance of Indian folk dancing.

Taj Lake Palace   |   Meals: B

Day 5: Udaipur/Jaipur

After breakfast, travel overland to Jaipur, known as the “pink city” for the abundance of pink plastered stone used to build its massive forts, magnificent palaces and exquisite temples. Arrive at your hotel, the former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur. Tonight, join fellow guests for traditional entertainment on the lawn, followed by a Rajasthani dinner.

Rambagh Palace   |   Meals: B D

Day 6: Jaipur

This morning, explore the Amber Fort; its Mughal-style façade seems to grow out of the rugged hills. Later, head to a village for a pleasant elephant ride through the countryside with the help of a mahout (trainer). Visit Jantar Mantar, an open-air array of astronomical instruments that includes the world’s largest sundial. View the nearby Palace of the Winds, with its ornately screened windows that allowed the women of the palace to gaze out onto the street unobserved.

Rambagh Palace   |   Meals: B L

Day 7: Jaipur/Agra

Travel to Fatehpur Sikri. Built by Emperor Akbar as his palace in the 16th century and then later abandoned, "ruined" Fatehpur Sikri is a fairy-tale ghost city of delicately carved red sandstone. Continue to Agra and your luxury hotel, catching your first glimpse of the Taj Mahal from your window.

The Oberoi Amarvilás   |   Meals: B L D

Day 8: Agra

Today, visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Agra Fort and the immortal Taj Mahal. Flawless in its proportions and breathtaking in its beauty, the Taj Mahal looks as though it were painted onto the sky itself — a vision of unrivaled magnificence. Pay your first visit to the masterpiece this morning, when the rising sun lends a warm pink tint to its marble face. Continue to the impressive Agra Fort. Built of red sandstone and marble, Agra Fort presents a formidable exterior and a graceful interior. Return to the Taj Mahal in the late afternoon, as the setting sun bathes the monument in soft orange, for another view of this iconic site.

The Oberoi Amarvilás   |   Meals: B

Day 9: Agra/Jhansi/Panna National Park

Today you depart from Agra, taking an early morning express train to Jhansi, then continue overland by road to Orchha, visiting its 17th-century abandoned palace. After lunch, continue to remote Panna National Park, checking in to your wilderness lodge.

Pashan Garh   |   Meals: B L D

Day 10: Panna/Khajuraho/Panna

Head overland to the medieval temples of Khajuraho. Here, life in all its aspects — joy, love, divinity, war — is depicted in exquisite detail on every inch of the 85 sandstone Hindu and Jain temples. After lunch, continue exploring and then return to Panna for an evening at leisure. You may choose to relax at the lodge or take a dip in the infinity swimming pool overlooking a tranquil stream.

Pashan Garh   |   Meals: B L D

Day 11: Panna/Varanasi

Take an early morning game drive on a four-wheel-drive vehicle over rocky terrain and through lush teak forests, perhaps spotting crocodiles along the Ken River or even the elusive Bengal tiger. After breakfast, fly to Varanasi, a city of more than a thousand Hindu and Buddhist temples and shrines, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. At dusk, head to the banks of the sacred Ganges River to witness the Aarti ceremony. Take in the sounds of chanted prayers and rhythmic drumming as you watch the Hindu priests — holding lanterns to keep the darkness at bay — bid the gods and goddesses a restful slumber. Return to the hotel for dinner.

The Gateway Hotel Ganges Varanasi   |   Meals: B D

Day 12: Varanasi

Today, you visit Varanasi’s highlights, including Banaras Hindu University; the 18th-century Durga Temple, devoted to the Hindu deity, Durga; and Bharat Mata Temple, dedicated by Mahatma Gandhi to Mother India. In the afternoon, explore nearby Sarnath, a park where Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first sermon 25 centuries ago.

The Gateway Hotel Ganges Varanasi   |   Meals: B

Day 13: Varanasi/Delhi

Today you rise early for a private sunrise cruise on the Ganges River for a view of the activity along the ghats, the embankments of stone steps leading down to the river and where the locals and pilgrims alike cleanse themselves, literally and spiritually. In the afternoon, fly to Delhi, India’s capital. Gather tonight for a farewell dinner.

The Taj Mahal Hotel   |   Meals: B D

Day 14: Delhi

Wind down your journey by discovering the best of Old and New Delhi. Visit the great Jama Masjid, the most important mosque in India. Then set off on an exciting rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, the bustling main street of Old Delhi, inching your way through a maze of ox carts filled with fresh produce, cars and the occasional wandering cow. Pause for lunch, and then visit New Delhi, including Humayun’s Tomb, a Mughal complex whose symmetrical designs prefigured the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal Hotel   |   Meals: B L

Day 15: Depart Delhi

Board your homebound flight.

Meals: B

Optional Pre-tour Extension: Aurangabad

Enhance your journey with a pre-tour small-group extension.
4 days, priced from $1,295. Available on the Jan 24, Feb 21, Mar 14, Oct 8, Oct 10, Oct 17, Nov 8, Nov 10, Nov 21, Dec 19 and Dec 21 departures.
Please call A&K or speak to your travel professional to reserve this special extension with this journey.

Day 1: Fly to Mumbai. On arrival, you are met and transferred to your hotel. The Taj Mahal Palace

Days 2-3: Fly to Aurangabad. Discover the Ajanta Caves, where 24 monasteries and five temples, embedded in rock in a gorge, contain some of the finest Buddhist mural art in the world. These caves date as far back as 200 BC. Then, explore the Ellora Caves, which consist of temples and monasteries hewn from rock by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain craftsmen and monks. More than 2,000 years old, these structures have been compared to the Pyramids of Giza for their construction. Taj Residency | Meals: B

Day 4: Fly to Mumbai to join the main program. Meals: B

Optional Post-tour Extension: Nepal

Enhance your journey with a post-tour small-group extension.
4 days, priced from $1,395. Available on the Oct 17, Nov 8, Nov 10, Nov 21,Dec 19 and Dec 21 departures.
Please call A&K or speak to your travel professional to reserve this special extension with this journey.

Day 1 Fly from Delhi to Kathmandu, where you are met and transferred to your heritage hotel, featuring local textiles and intricately carved woodwork. If time permits, explore Kathmandu’s medieval streets, including buildings dating as far back as the 16th century. Dwarika's Hotel

Day 2 Weather permitting, start your day with an optional scenic flight over the Himalaya. Or begin your morning visiting Kathmandu’s main sites, including Durbar Square, Teleju Temple and the House of the Living Goddess. Next, visit Swayambhunath, perched high on a hill overlooking Kathmandu Valley. From here you can see the mighty Himalaya rising above the valley. Journey to nearby Patan, the city of arts and architecture founded in AD 250 and known for its fine works in bronze, silver and copper. Many of these treasures can be seen in the new Patan Museum. Also visit the Tibetan Refugee Camp to watch a demonstration in carpet weaving. Dwarika's Hotel | Meals: B

Day 3 Visit Pashupatinath Temple, the most sacred of all Hindu temples, before heading to Boudhanath and joining Tibetan pilgrims for a walk around its Buddhist stupa. Next, drive to Bhaktapur, a town with abundant medieval architecture. As you walk along its cobblestone streets, notice the many ornately carved windows for which the town is famous. Dwarika's Hotel | Meals: B

Day 4 Transfer to Kathmandu’s airport and board your onward flight. Meals: B