India Encompassed

Day 1: Delhi

Today is an arrival day and no activities are planned, so you may arrive at any time. If you are arriving early, please check the noticeboard in the foyer of the hotel for suggestions of things to see and do in Delhi. A pre-departure meeting takes place this evening at the hotel. Please also check the noticeboard for details of this meeting and for any other messages from your tour leader. Please also bring your passport and travel insurance documents to the meeting. Afterwards we have the opportunity to go out for an optional group dinner.

Day 2: Delhi - overnight train

Our tour leader takes us into the old city's market area known as Chandni Chowk, as well as Connaught Place - the commercial heart of New Delhi. The rest of the day is free for relaxing or doing some further sightseeing on our own. Red Fort and the impressive Jama Masjid (Great Mosque) are two of the city's most notable landmarks, whilst Raj Ghat is a monument that marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. In the evening we catch our overnight sleeper train bound for Varanasi.

Day 3-5: Varanasi - overnight train

Regarded as the spiritual heart of India, Varanasi is the city of Shiva built on the banks of the sacred Ganges River. Thousands of pilgrims flock to the great ghats to bathe in the holy waters - a ritual that is believed to wash away all sins. The city claims to be one of the oldest in the world and it’s a magical place where we are able to witness the rituals of life and death on the ghats, on an early morning boat ride. Our tour leader also takes us for a walk through the back lanes and crowded alleyways of this timeless city. After our time in Varanasi we board another overnight sleeper train and head back westward to Agra.

Day 6: Agra

Agra is home to India’s most famous site - the majestic Taj Mahal. After settling in we visit this amazing 17th century marble mausoleum, built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his second wife who died giving birth. Started in 1631 the project was completed in 1648 and employed a workforce of over 20,000 people. Construction materials were brought from all over India with the marble from Rajasthan transported by over 1000 elephants. Our tour leader can also help us arrange an optional visit to Agra Fort.

Day 7: Tordi Garh

One of the features of a Gecko’s trip through Rajasthan is visits to small, out of the way villages. Tordi Garh is a small town that we have identified is a true ‘off the beaten track’ experience. After a 4 hour bus trip from Agra, we are met by jeeps and drive a couple of hours through beautiful countryside to Tordi. Very few travelers have even heard of Tordi and even fewer visit it, because it’s hard to get to on your own. We explore the village, meeting potters, visiting an old village temple, walking though markets and meeting families on the way. Ruined temples and a fortress lie further afield and we enjoy a visit to these sites. Our host is the owner of the palace at Tordi. He is a direct descendant of the feudal lord who built the palace in the 16th century. The accommodation has unforgettable ambience and charm and really makes the visit to Tordi a special highlight.

Day 8-9: Jaipur

This morning we travel by jeep to Jaipur - the vibrant and colourful capital of Rajasthan. Here, traditionally dressed Rajput men wearing colourful turbans and sporting magnificent moustaches make their way through crowded streets packed with cars, camel carts, rickshaws, trucks and bicycles. On our second day in Jaipur we travel 11 kilometres out to the stunning medieval Amber Fort. This fort was built in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh and is a superb example of Rajput architecture. Several hours are needed to explore this huge fortification and we include the services of a local guide for our tour. Our tour leader also takes us to an area known as the Old Bazaar where the Hawa Mahal, better known as The Palace of the Winds, is situated. This five-storey façade with its pink, honeycombed sandstone windows is one of Jaipur's best-known landmarks. We also have ample free time in Jaipur and there are many interesting things to see and do; our tour leader will be happy to assist us with getting to some of these places.

Day 10: Nimaj Bagh

Early this morning we take a five-hour local bus ride to the village of Nimaj, arriving there in the afternoon. We stay at the Nimaj Bagh, an orchard run by the erstwhile nobles of Nimaj. Our leader will take us around in the surrounding villages where we meet the local Gujjars (cattle breeders) and other communities. The village of Nimaj is where we will get closest to the locals and have ample opportunities to interact with them and learn about their way of life.

Day 11: Jodhpur

This morning we take the three-hour ride on a private air-conditioned coach to Jodhpur and arrive there around midday. This city lies at the edge of the Thar Desert and is dominated by the imposing Meherangarh Fort, which sits atop a sheer rocky ridge in the middle of town. We visit the fort, which is run by the current Maharaja of Jodhpur, as well as the bustling Sardar Market. It’s a great place to explore with several alleyways leading off to various bazaars selling fruits, vegetables, spices, textiles and handicrafts.

Day 12-13: Udaipur

A six-hour hour local bus journey takes us to Udaipur. Sometimes known as the 'Venice of the East', this beautiful city built around the shores of Lake Pichola is full of fascinating temples, ornate palaces and impressive 'havelis'. The charming setting of the Lake Palace on Jagwinas Island is unforgettable. During our stay we visit the Jagdish Temple, an Indo-Aryan temple containing a black stone image of Vishnu as Jagannath, Lord of the Universe. We also visit the City Palace, surmounted by balconies, towers and cupolas, where there are excellent views of the city and lakeside from the upper terraces. There are many other options available for sightseeing and our tour leader will be happy to assist in arranging these.

Day 14: Mamallapuram

We are transferred to the airport where our tour leader bids us farewell. We will be unescorted for the flight and met on arrival in Chennai by our specialist south India tour leader who will escort us for the remainder of our journey. You may need to change planes in Mumbai, but your baggage will be checked directly through to Chennai. It usually takes about an hour's drive to reach our destination. Lying south of Chennai and overlooking the Bay of Bengal, the ancient seaport of Mamallapuram (also called Mahabalipuram) is now a coastal retreat with a long sandy beach, flanked by volcanic rocks. As southern India is quite different from northern India, there is a short meeting with our new tour leader where we are briefed on what to expect for this next section of our trip. We may also be meeting up with other travellers of ours who are just joining on for this part of the tour.

Day 15: Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, due to its large number of impressive sites. The town has also been a sculpture centre since the 5th century when, at its height during the Pallava Dynasty, many of the temples in the town were constructed. We enjoy some sightseeing today in this village of 12,000 people. The highlights include a visit to the fabulous rock-cut temples, the giant frieze and the Shore Temple, carved out of rock along the Coromandel Coast and decorated with ornately carved figures. There are many man-made caves to explore and at the centre of the village are two massive rocks covered in bas-reliefs, known as Arjuna's Penance and the Krishna Mandapa. We have the afternoon at leisure to take in the seaside ambience and perhaps seek out some of the delicious seafood that this place is famous for.

Day 16: Pondicherry

(Driving time: approx 3 hours) We drive south down the coast from Mamallapuram to the former French settlement of Pondicherry (Puducherry). En route we visit the Auroville community, which was inspired by the founder of Sri Aurobindo Ashram - a Parisian painter named Mirra Alfassa, who was known as the ’Mother’. The centre’s charter states that to live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness. With roughly 1800 residents from 38 nationalities, mainly Europeans, serving the Divine Consciousness, the centre operates as a kind of alternative community, subsisting from handicrafts and alternative technology. Pondicherry was the capital of French India and along the seafront we can still discern traces of the colonial influence in the design of some of the houses and also in the kepi-wearing policemen. An important trading post since ancient times, the town has also been colonised over the years by the Portuguese, the Danes and the British, as well as the French. It is now both a bustling Indian market town, but also takes on the appearance of being a permanently out-of-season seaside resort. Pondicherry attracts visitors who come here to study yoga or practice meditation in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. A heritage walk around town gives us a chance to witness the colonial buildings that makes this city unique. Pondicherry is also famous for its French-influenced cuisine and in the evening we can chose from one of the many great eating spots on offer.

Day 17: Madurai

(Driving time: approx 1 hour; train journey: approx 6 hours) We drive from Pondicherry to a nearby railway station in Velapuram where we board the Guruvayoor Express train for our day journey. The train departs at approximately 10:30 am and arrive at our next destination, Madurai, at around 4:30 pm. Madurai is full of colourful bazaars, street tailors, throngs of pilgrims and joyful religious processions. We have the evening free to wander around the lovely local markets.

Day 18: Madurai

Madurai is famous for a temple dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, one of the re-incarnations of Parvati – Shiva’s consort. The Meenakshi Temple is one of the finest and largest examples of Dravidian architecture, has an estimated 33 million sculptures and is always a hive of activity. The most fascinating features of the temple are its musical pillars, each of which is carved out of a single block of granite and each when tapped let out a musical note. Then there is the Hall of a Thousand Pillars, part of which has converted into a museum filled with sculptures and antique treasures. It is well worth returning in the evening to see the closing ceremony, in which an image of Shiva is carried in procession to Parvati’s shrine. This ceremony is accompanied by chanting priests, drummers and torch-bearers, making it an unforgettable experience. In the evening we board the train for our overnight journey to the Kerala coast.

Day 19-20: Varkala

We spend a couple of days in Varkala - a beautiful beach town on the Arabian Sea about an hour's drive from the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). The main beach here is Papanasham Beach, which is long and golden with a backdrop of red laterite cliffs from which mineral water springs forth. It is a chill-out place and in the mornings and evenings we can witness fishermen pulling up their nets from the sea. Our tour leader is able to take us to various beaches in the surrounding areas and advise us on various optional activities such as witnessing an evening Kathakali or Kalaripayatt show. It is also a town famous for Ayurvedic massage centres - ideal for rejuvenation!

Day 21: Alleppey

(Train journey: approx 2 hours and 15 minutes; boat trip: approx 1 hour) We take a late morning train to Alleppey (Alappuzha) – a journey of just over a couple of hours. After arriving we are met and transferred to the boat jetty where we catch a motorised boat to the village, where we stay for the night in a homestay as a guest of the local people. There are about four houses in this village that take in travellers, with all rooms having attached bathrooms. We get treated to typical southern Indian hospitality and enjoy delicious Kerala cuisine at dinner time with the local family.

Day 22: Alleppey

lleppey is set in the midst of the beautiful backwaters of Kerala - a breathtakingly beautiful place. This large aquatic area is a vast network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals, and the people who live in this region have created their own distinct lifestyles. We enjoy a walk in the village where hopefully we may see the village blacksmith at work and also some coir making before hopping on a local fishing boat and cruising down the maze of canals, simultaneously absorbing different scenes - villages, paddy fields, coconut palms, fishermen and everyday local life. We witness the peacefulness of life on these amazing waterways before returning to our homestay for the night.

Day 23-24: Kochi

(Boat journey: approx 1 hour; train journey: approx 1½ hours) We take the motor boat back into town and catch the train on to Kochi (Cochin). Kochi is set on a cluster of peninsulas and islands in the Indian Ocean and is a fascinating blend of cultures. From time immemorial it has been the favourite destination of globe-trotters and explorers. Blessed by one of the finest natural harbours in the world, Kochi has been eulogised as the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea'. We include a tour of the Fort Kochi peninsula where we discover the Dutch Palace, which was restored by the Dutch and presented as a gift to the King of Kochi, and St Francis Church - the oldest Christian church in India, built by Portuguese Franciscan monks in 1503. The church itself is testament to the history of historic Cochin, having been used at various stages by Roman Catholics, Dutch Protestants and Anglicans. We also visit the famous Mattancherry Jewish Synagogue, originally built of wood in 1568. The area surrounding the synagogue is full of spice shops selling cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and a host of other spices. We also take a look at the unique Chinese fishing nets, which are set up close to our hotel. In the evening we can watch a performance of Kathakali dancing (optional).

Day 25: Kochi

Your trip ends today around breakfast time. If you wish to stay on in Kochi, please pre-book your post-tour accommodation before you commence your travels.

Tour Grade: Culture

Whether you’re taking in man’s greatest works at places like Petra or Angkor Wat, experiencing grand set-pieces like the Trans-Mongolian Railway or trying your hand at regional specialities like tango in Buenos Aires, getting to grips with local cultures is what travel’s all about. A few tips from a local guide and a sense of adventure are pretty much all you need. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get the lowdown on high Tibet among Lhasa’s magisterial temples; follow up Delhi’s eye-popping bustle with a fix of its fiery food; and mix manic markets and Incan masterpieces in Peru.