Experience the major highlights of India in this nine day tour which covers Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi.

The tour starts in Delhi. From here we travel to Jaipur, known as the Pink City and one of India’s cultural highlights. We visit the imposing Amber Fort as well as the beautiful City Palace and Observatory.

Next we head to Agra, taking time to explore the abandoned and ruined ghost city and ancient capital of the Mughal Dynasty, Fatehpur Sikri on the way. The red sandstone is in complete contrast to the white marble of the Taj Mahal, Agra’s most famous landmark. We head to the spectacular Taj Mahal for sunrise, enabling us to marvel at the changing colour with the rising sun, and then explore the Red Fort and Itmad-Ud-Daulah. We travel by overnight train to Varanasi, where we visit Sarnath and other sights of the city. But the highlight of course is the boat trip along the Holy River Ganges, where we will witness Indian religious rituals and daily life. Back in Delhi, the City tour will open your eyes to the mix of the old and the new found in the bustling capital – India Gate, Jama Masjid, the Parliament Buildings and the World Heritage Humayun's Tomb.

Delhi to Jaipur. After breakfast at the hotel, we leave by road for Jaipur. Jaipur is the capital city of the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Known as the Pink City, it is one of the most vibrant and colourful cities of India, and famous for its colourful culture, forts and palaces.

On arrival we check into our accommodation and in the afternoon visit the City Palace and the Observatory at Jantar Mantar. The City Palace has seven courtyards and seven floors, and is a magnificent sight. This is the present home of the Maharajah of Jaipur, and contains some fantastic museums. Next to the City Palace is the the Astronomical Observatory of Jantar Mantar, home to the largest sundial in the world.

(B)

Jaipur to Agra.  Following breakfast, we set off to Agra  via Fatehpur Sikri - a deserted city of deep red sandstone, perfectly preserved and offering a detailed insight into the life of India’s Moghul emperors. Built by Humayun’s son, the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri was a capital city for a very short time. Look out for the stone-tethering ring for the elephant that was used to crush criminals to death; the Turkish Sultana’s House with stone carvings of animals; the Astrologer’s Pavilion; the outdoor chess court; and the Harem.

From Fatehpur Sikri we travel on to the city of Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh. In the past Agra was a capital city, but it is most famed and most visited for one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World - the Taj Mahal. We will head to the river to get a view of the Taj Mahal from this side.

(B)

Varanasi - Sarnath, Evening Prayer Ceremony at Ganges. Our Train arrives into the station in Varanasi in the morning, where there will be a transfer vehicle waiting for us to take us to the hotel for breakfast and check in.

In the afternoon we visit Sarnath. Sarnath, about 10 km from the holy city of Varanasi, is the place where Buddha chose to deliver his first sermon. There are many Buddhist monuments and edifices in Sarnath, including Dhamekha stupa, the Chaukhandi stupa and monasteries and temples of different schools of Buddhism from Japan, China, Thailand, Burma and others. There is also a vast expanse of ancient ruins at Sarnath. Several Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath between the 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD, and today it presents the most expansive ruins amongst places on the Buddhist trail. The Ashoka pillar of Sarnath is the National emblem of India. We will viist some of the monuments and temples.

In the evening there is the chance to witness the evening prayer ceremony on the banks of the Holy River Ganges.

Dinner is included this evening.

(B,D)

Old And New Delhi. We arrive back into Delhi early, and are transferred to the hotel for breakfast. The morning is free, and in the afternoon we take a tour of the city, followed by a Farewell Dinner (not included).

Delhi must be one of the most bustling capital cities in the world. New Delhi was built for the British Imperial Government of India and remains the administrative centre of the country. It also has a busy commercial sector and a new Parliament building as well as imposing government offices and embassies. We visit the great India Gate, made from Bharatpur Sandstone, and which spans one end of the Rajpath, a wide boulevard originally built for Imperial Processions. At the other end is the Presidential Palace, which comes into view from its prime position on an artificial hill, called Raisana Hill. India Gate was built to commemorate the Indian Army officers who died in World War One, and has the names of approximately 14,000 Indian and British soldiers who died in the First World War. We also visit the Parliament buildings.

Then we travel back in time to Old Delhi for a visit to another of Shahjahan’s great buildings - Jama Masjid which means Friday Mosque. It is built on an outcrop of rock near the Red Fort and is the largest Mosque in India with a 100 square metre courtyard surrounded by colonnades.

Our city tour also includes a visit to the World Heritage Humayun's Tomb. This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.  

In your free time in Delhi, you may like to travel like the locals in rickshaws through the narrow lanes of the Chandani Chowk Bazaar, which are a hive of activity with lots of busy traders selling saris and dresses and many restaurants. From the liveliness of the streets you can move on to reach the calm of Raj Ghat, the memorial garden to Mahatma Ghandi who opposed British rule of India. A square of marble marks the spot where his body was cremated and the trees here were planted by visiting heads of state. 

Alternatively, you could take a taxi to the craft market Dilli Haat in South Delhi for some souvenir shopping, or visit the Tibetan Market near to Connaught Place.

(B)

Hotel Singh Sons

7A/10-11, W.E.A., Channa Market,

Karol Bagh,

New Delhi. 110005

Tel : + 91 11 2574 9500-08

Fax : + 91 11 2574 9510

The Pre-Departure meeting is held at 6pm THE DAY of the scheduled departure date. The pre-departure meeting is held to discuss the tour itinerary in more detail, meet your crew and fellow passengers.

In each departure city we have named a joining hotel from where the tour will leave. It is your responsibility to make your way to this hotel. Your Tour Leader will leave a notice at reception on the first day of departure with information as to where he/she can be contacted and you should inform him/her that you have arrived.

PLEASE ADVISE KUMUKA OR YOUR AGENT IF YOU WILL BE ARRIVING LATE AND ARE THEREFORE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE PRE-DEPARTURE MEETING.

In addition the crew will check that all passengers have the necessary travel documents, insurance and immunization certificates for the tour. It is IMPORTANT that you attend this meeting. Please advise KUMUKA or your AGENT if you CANNOT attend this meeting.

All passengers MUST bring:
1. Passport.
2. Vaccination Certificate.
3. Travel Voucher.
4. Travel Insurance Policy.

In most of the hotels in Asia you may be required to deposit your passport at Reception. This is a perfectly normal practice and nothing to be concerned about. Just make sure that you retrieve it before when you check out of the hotel.

Your passport is a valuable document and you should exercise extreme care in keeping it safe. We recommend that you keep your passport on you at all times, preferably in a money belt that is worn under your clothing. We advise that you take copies of relevant pages in your passport and any visas that you may purchase in case of loss or damage. Your tour leader will require your passport details at the pre-departure meeting. Again, we recommend that you have a photocopy of all passport details, kept separate. Your passport must be valid for six months after the END of your tour, and must have one blank page for each country to be visited.

Departure taxes are generally included in the airline tickets, and no longer payable at Delhi International Airport.

Please note that these taxes are subject to change.

For detailed climate information see www.kumuka.com.   

Tip: Always bring a lightweight, waterproof jacket and/or an umbrella even during the height of summer - this should prepare you for anything!Due to its size and varied topography, India experiences great extremes of climate.

Most of India has three seasons:

Cool – October to April (north India), November to March (south India) The most pleasant time to travel IN Sub Himalayan India. Generally warm clear sunny days and cool nights.

Hot – April to June Hot and Humid by days and night.

Wet - July to September (north India) July to October (south India) Humid and Wet

You might like to read up on the destinations that you are about to visit as these cities all have interesting sites and histories. We recommend a variety of guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, The Rough Guide and Insight Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the countries you visit.

Please use your discretion and be sensitive to cultural differences in the countries that you visit, in particular visits to religious buildings and when taking photographs.  Your Tour Leader will advise you of any specific customs to observe.

Dress discretely, especially if you are visiting religious sites. For women this means skirts or long pants with T-shirt. For men, this means long shorts or trousers with a T-shirt. Always take your shoes off when entering temples or any religious site.

Care should be taken to respect the conventions of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other religious and ethnic groups, particularly in respect of clothing and footwear.

We suggest that you take into account the time of year you will be travelling, and pack accordingly to the season. Quick drying clothes are recommended, and at many hotels there are laundry facilities. Your tour leader will advise where laundry facilities are available.

Personal Effects:
Camera & film, Spare passport photos, Water bottle, Money belt, Torch, Sewing kit, Sunhat/ Sunglasses, Music cassettes /CDs, Books, Wet Ones, Soap to wash clothes, Writing materials, Swiss Army knife, Calculator, Personal toiletries, including tampons, Contraceptives, Insect Repellent, Sunscreen.

NOTE: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are uncommon. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

English will be spoken in the larger cities. You might like to take the time before your trip to read up on the country you will be visiting and perhaps learn a few words of the language. Your effort will always be welcomed and will make your trip all the more enjoyable.

One of the great myths about travelling in India is that the food is poor. We are delighted to inform you that on our trips this is definitely not the case. Indeed many people find the delicious food to be one of the highlights of a visit to India. Another myth is that Indian food is always hot. In fact North India food, whilst often very rich in flavour, usually does not contain very many spices. These are found more in Southern Indian food. South Indian food is also predominately vegetarian whereas North Indian food is more often based around meat, although there are always vegetarian options available even here. A further surprise is that many of the dishes familiar to you from Indian restaurants at home cannot be found in India (there is no such thing as a Madras) as they have been created to cater to foreign tastes. Finally there is no such thing as curry. This term is rarely, if ever, used in India as each dish is made with different individual spices. As these have to be mixed specifically for each order you should expect to have to wait at least 30 minutes for a-la-carte food orders in India.

In major cities there will usually be a number of excellent restaurants available serving a wide variety of dishes to order. In more remote places hotels often prepare an evening buffet, again with a wide range of food, much of it vegetarian.

Vegetarians or those with special dietary needs can also be catered for, however in some countries the type of food may be limited. Please let the Reservations team know your special requirements as soon as possible so we can do all possible to assist your needs.

The variety of food will differ, as you will be visiting a number of different areas. We try to ensure that you get the most experience from your Kumuka trip and one of the ways to do this is by trying local cuisine.

Pre-booked transfers - If you have booked an arrival transfer, please look for our representative who will be holding a sign with your name or Kumuka once you have cleared Customs and Immigration.

Making Your Own Way - The Meeting Point for your tour is advised at the beginning of this dossier. If you have not arranged for us to meet and transfer you on arrival and are therefore making your own way to the Meeting Point it is best upon arrival at to take a metered taxi. Drivers may want to negotiate a price before leaving the airport. Do not agree to this, insist that they switch on the meters and pay the amount that it displays when you arrive at your destination.

Kumuka endeavors to advertise a compliment of optional activities available locally during tours with selected ground handlers to make your tour more enjoyable. These ground handlers and activity partners are selected for their standards in quality, professional ability and reputation. Although Kumuka has developed a travel insurance policy to cover all activities offered during your journey, Kumuka cannot be held responsible for injuries or claims arising from adventurous activities by a third party.

Details and prices of optional activities will be advised by your tour leader.

Whilst on tour you will probably want to stay in touch with family and friends. There are several ways of doing this:

Mobile Phone – Before departing your home country check with your phone supplier to see if it compatible with the mobile phone networks in the countries that you are traveling to, and how much will it cost to use abroad.

Email – Internet Cafes are very cheap and popular, and you are sure to come across several during your tour. If you haven’t done so already, set up a free Google Mail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email account which you can then access from any computer. Internet Cafes will charge a nominal fee for using their computers. Within Europe some hotels charge a wifi connection fee and we cannot guarantee a wifi connection at all hotels we use.

Twitter – A method of communication that is rapidly gaining in popularity on the Internet especially amongst travelers. Twitter allows you to send short messages and update your friends and family with where you are on tour and what you are doing. Create your free account at http://twitter.com. Visit Kumuka’s page on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kumuka

Facebook – Very popular website that allows you to upload stories, get in touch with fellow travellers before and after your Kumuka tour, upload photos and videos to share with other travellers, your family and friends. To create a free account, go to www.facebook.com and then become a fan of Kumuka’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kumuka-Worldwide/26617121087?ref=ts

Postcards – The good ol’ fashioned postcard. But you will probably get home before the postcard does!

KUMUKA WORLDWIDE

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www.kumuka.com

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