Vantage World Travel

NorthEast India & Rajasthan – A Luxury Experience - 21D/20N

Himalayas and It’s Culture!!! … The trip takes you through the beauty of the Abode of Snow while unfolding simultaneously the fact that the Himalayas have a culture of its own … the beauty of each day of your journey would lie in its morning mist, the glory of a snowy sunset, curved valleys, the serpentine rivers … The exotic 1st week of the trip then connects with the luxury cruise on river Brahmaputra in Assam. For nearly 200 years, the Brahmaputra river was an important artery for the British East India Company, a vital military and trading tentacle that stretched out of Calcutta towards the borders of China, Burma and Tibet. Paddle-steamers played a vital role in transporting troops up the river and tea down it. But like our canal system, it went into decline as a result of the inevitable rise of the railway and for many years the Brahmaputra became a literal backwater - and one of the world’s largest at that. Make no mistake, this river is colossal. In full flood, it regularly extends over five miles across and remains one of the last great untouched wildernesses…explore these with the Luxurious RV Sukapha / RV Charaidew, which, at first sight, seem as if they have sailed straight out of the film Death on the Nile.

Finally a visit to Rajasthan where amazing legends of heroism and romance still resound from its equally amazing architecture, that still stands to narrate its tale of a bygone era. The magic of Rajasthan is unequalled in the world for its heritage, culture and wildlife, a veritable open-air museum with relic so well preserved for the travelers and the curious of the day.

This itinerary is part of our India Luxury Collection, a serie of programs that take a glimpse into the endearing land of heavenly charms of the scenic beauty, cultural diversity and the people of North-East India…..imagine a luxurious cruise through the picturesque and lush backwaters of Kerala…visualise elegant cabins with serene views of rice boats, village life and tropical greens….picture a relaxing sunset viewed from a roof top deck amidst gentle lapping of water and a balmy breeze….feel the gracious lifestyles of India’s legendary Rajput princes…..experience the hospitality of some of the finest and ultimate luxurious hotels and resorts of Rajasthan…sail on a luxury ship through the meandering rivers and the eerie creeks of Sunderbans… and many more…

Hotels on Tour:

Included: Accommodation on Dbl / Twin Sharing Rooms in the above hotels or Similar as per the Meal Plan Specified, Assisted Airport Transfers at all the places, Transfers and Sightseeing by Air Conditioned Luxury Car In Delhi, Non Air Conditioned Deluxe Car from Arrival Bagdogra till Departure Bagdogra, Transfers in Guwahati by Air Conditioned Deluxe Car, Transfers and Sightseeing by Air Conditioned Luxury Car for Rajastahn portion, Services of Local English Speaking Guides at Delhi, Guwahati, during Cruise, Jaipur and Agra, Monument Entrance Fee, Toy Train Ride in Darjeeling, Elephant Ride at Amber Fort, Buffet Dinner at Samode Palace. Presently Applicable Taxes.

Not included: Personal expenses such as table drinks, rooms services items, laundry, telephone calls at hotels or tips etc., Any additional expenses caused by or liability for disturbance in trip program due to or circumstances, weather conditions, sickness, natural disasters, riots etc., Liability for or insurance against injury, loss of life, accidents or loss of goods, Camera Fees.

Departure Day: Friday

Day per Day Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrive Delhi - Welcome to India. You will be received at the airport in a traditional manner and proceed to your hotel for overnight stay.
• Day 2 Delhi - Morning tour of Old Delhi to discover the colorful history of Old Delhi which goes back thousands of years. Visits include Chandani Chowk or Silver Square (once the centre of Delhi) and The Red Fort (Delhi’s most magnificent monument). Afternoon visit to The Qutab Minar. (B)
• Day 3 Darjeeling - Breakfast and transfer to the Domestic Airport for the flight to Bagdogra. Representative will receive you at Bagdogra Airport and transfer you to Darjeeling. Drive takes four hours with short tea break at Kurseong.Overnight in Darjeeling. (B,D)
• Day 4 Darjeeling - Full day discovery from Tiger Hill (view the magnificent sunrise over Mount Kanchenjunga and the Eastern Himalay), Ghum Monastery, Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute to the Famous Toy Train of Darjeeling and upper market. (B,L,D)
• Day 5 Gangtok - Full day drive via Rumtek Monastery (seat of the Karma - Kagyupa sect of Tibetian Buddhism) to Gangtok. Arrive Gangtok in the evening and check-in at the hotel for overnight stay. (B,L,D)
• Day 6 Gangtok - Morning to explore Gangtok, capital of the state of Sikkim. Its captivating architectural beauty radiates with Pagoda shaped roofs painted mostly bluish while the Sikkimese people in their elegant costumes and their smiling faces add an old mystical touch of beauty. (B,L,D)
• Day 7 Kalimpong - Morning drive down to Kalimpong. Arrrive and check-in at your hotel. Afternoon guided tour of the city. Overnight. (B,L,D)
• Day 8 Guwahati - Early breakfast and transfer to Bagdogra airport along the beautiful river Teesta. Fly to Guwahati where a representative will receive you and transfer you to the hotel. Evening visit to Shankardev Kalakshetra (the artistic excellence of Assam and rest of the north-eastern region is displayed here. There are eateries, places of worship, emporiums and open air theatres within the sprawling Kalakshetra premises). Later back to the hotel for overnight stay. (B,L,D)
• Day 9 Silghat - Brahmaputra river Cruise - Morning transfer to Silghat – the starting point of the Brahmaputra river cruise (Itinerary subject to river conditions. Elephant rides subject to availability). Cruise upstream until dusk, with Kaziranga National Park on the right bank - wild elephant can sometimes be spotted. (B,L,D)
• Day 10 Cruise - The morning is spent cruising, and around midday we reach Vishnath, with an Ahom-period Shiva temple. There are other later temples too, and we can walk through the town before reboarding and setting off again. (B,L,D)
• Day 11 Cruise - The day is spent on the river, and we have a good chance of spotting Gangetic dolphin, as well as creating a sensation in bankside villages as we pass. We should arrive in the evening at lonely Dhansiri Mukh. (B,L,D)
• Day 12 Cruise - This morning we land and take a jeep safari in Kaziranga’s little-visited Eastern Range, with good woodland as well as grasslands where you may spot the rare Bengal Florican. Returning to the boat, we continue our cruise upstream. (B,L,D)
• Day 13 Cruise - Another day spent cruising upstream. We shall take time to pause and walk through a village, getting an insight into the life of Indian villagers. (B,L,D)
• Day 14 Cruise - Around breakfast time we should reach Majuli Island, supposedly the world’s largest river island, and possessing unique Hindu monasteries famed for their dance-drama performances. We visit a monastery at Kamalbari and the nearby tribal museum at Auniati before reboarding and cruising (B,L,D)
• Day 15 Cruise - Visit Sibsagar, the one-time capital of the Kings of Assam to see temples with stupa-like profiles, and palaces of distinctive form. Later we visit the Tocklai Tea Research Station to learn about the different processes of growing, picking and processing tea. Return to the boat in the evening for overnight stay. (B,L,D)
• Day 16 Delhi - The cruise will come to an end today. You will be transferred to Dibrugarh Airport to board flight to Delhi. A representative will receive you at Delhi Airport and take you to your hotel for overnight stay. (B)
• Day 17 Jaipur - Morning transfer to Jaipur, a prime example of the culture and tradition of the Rajputana Empire. Being the capital of Rajasthan, the city is mirror to every thing that Rajasthan signifies, be its culture, tradition, society, and, most important, the people). Evening at leisure. Overnight at your hotel. (B)
• Day 18 Jaipur - Morning excursion to Amber Fort where a rugged forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise where a beautiful fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles finds its ultimate refinement. Then to The City Palace in the heart of the old city. In the later afternoon, travel to Samode Palace, one of India’s most charming and romantic hotels, the 150-year-old Samode Palace is a magnificent example of Rajput-Mughal architecture. Dinner at the Palace. Return to your hotel for overnight. (B,D)
• Day 19 Agra - Morning drive to Agra via Fatehpur Sikri, a built city predominantly in Red Sandstone. where you stop to visit. Once in Agra check in at your hotel and overnight. (B)
• Day 20 Agra - Early morning visit of the Taj Mahal to enjoy its Sunrise View. The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India, a white-splendored tomb was by Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal (”Chosen of the Palace”). Afternoon tour of Agra Fort, a citadel of the past that has witnessed centuries slip by. Built in red stone, the Agra fort stretches almost two kilometres on the bank of the Yamuna. Evening at leisure. Overnight at your hotel. (B)
• Day 21 Return - Morning drive back to Delhi with “Photo Stop” at Sikandra’s Emperor Akbar mausoleum. Wash and Change rooms available upon your arrival, then “Farewell Dinner” and late transfer to the International Airport to board flight for onward destination. (B,D)

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