INDIA: Boutique Rajasthan Small Group Cultural & Textile Tour - 12 days

Destination:  INDIA. Delhi | Agra | Jaipur | Jodhpur | Udaipur | Mumbai / Delhi

Tour Commences In:  Delhi

Tour Concludes in:  Udaipur

Number of Days:  11 days / 1 nightd

Tour Style:  Small Group Tour (2 -12)

Accommodation:  Boutique Hotels

Meals:  Breakfasts; 10: Lunches; 1: Dinners; 4:

Leaders: Professional guides

Transportation:  Private chauffeur driven air-conditioned vehicles

Tour Grading:  Moderate: Suitable for travellers with an above average level of fitness and mobility

•     Experience New & Old Delhi

•     Discover Raj Gath, Qutab Minar

•     Visit Red Fort, one of the oldest monuments of India

•     Enjoy a rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk

•     Be overwhelmed by the Taj Mahal,

•     Discover the history of Agra Fort

•     Visit a “stepwell’ and be in awe

•     Explore the wonderful sites of the ‘pink city’ bazaars

•     Be in awe of magnificent Hawa Mahal façad (Palace of Winds)

•     Visit the Meherangarh Fort and gaze down on the ’blue city’ of Jodhpur

•     Enjoy a special ‘cocktail’ moment at one of India’s glorious Palaces

•     Walk Jaipur’s old city and immerse yourself in the buzz of the bazaar

•     Be in awe of a brilliant architectural monument comprising of haa, domes and 1444 intricately carved pillars

•     Be captivated by Fateh Prakash Palace and visit the unique Crystal Gallery

•     We offer a variety of wonderful hotel experiences

•     Enjoy fabulous regional cuisine

Day 1:    Thursday:     Arrive Delhi:  
Namaste! Welcome to Delhi; India’s vibrant and chaotic capital city. Upon your arrival at the airport, our team will be there to greet you and ensure your comfortable transfer to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you might have some free time to begin your exploration of Delhi. Your knowledgeable guide is ready to offer you a range of options, be it sightseeing or shopping.

You may wish to arrive a day earlier to shop or maybe just to get your bearings and recover from any jet lag you may have. If you do choose to arrive early, we can extend your hotel bookings and provide any information or advice you may need to make the most of your stay even more enjoyable in this exciting city.

Day 2:    Friday:     Delhi:    (B/D)
This morning after a breakfast we embark on the sightseeing of Delhi. Delhi is the melting pot of different cultures. Whatever is found in East, West, North & South of India can be found in Delhi’s markets. (Both in original and almost original duplicates)
Today, you will explore the Old City and beyond. The walled city of Old Delhi the former Imperial capital is a maze of lanes crowded with shops, crumbling havelies (mansions), in the midst of which lies one of the country’s largest mosques. We will take a rickshaw ride and a walk through the narrow lanes of the 300 year old Chandni Chowk market. It is a busy market selling an extraordinary variety of items – buttons, beads, silver, jewellery, aromatic spices, leather, fruit and vegetables. Apothecaries sell home grown medicinal items, and roadside dentists display their bizarre array of equipment and false teeth. This is an excellent introduction to the organized chaos which is quintessentially Indian. Your rickshaw ride will be planned in such a way that you get to witness the narrowest alleys of Old Delhi selling, textiles, Kinari’s (or Decorative borders), saris, home decor etc. It would be a glimpse into the textile traditions that have been prevalent in this area from over five hundredyears or more. You will disembark at the Jama Masjid, believed to be the largest mosque in India andwhich was Shah Jahan’s last architectural legacy.
Lunch can be enjoyed at any of the local famous restaurants.
Continue to the Humayun’s Tomb. One of the earliest examples of a Mughal Garden Tomb, this mausoleum was designed by a Persian architect, and provided the prototype for future tombs, including the Taj Mahal. Recently taken over by the Agha Khan Trust, the gardens have been restored to their former glory, and the tomb and surrounding monuments restored.
From Humayun’s Tomb we drive along the tree lined avenues of the New City built by the British. The drive takes us past the houses of Parliaments, the India Gate and the jewel of this architectural collection – the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential Palace. Time permitting we shall also visit the Delhi Haat market.
Later this evening, we will gather at the hotel lobby to meet your fellow travelers and enjoy our welcome dinner

Day 3:    Saturday:     Delhi - Agra:    (B)
This morning after breakfast, check out and we drive to Agra. Drive time approx. 3.5 to 4 Hours. (The highway is an express highway, one of the best in the country and drive will be comfortable in our luxury vehicle. (There will be a  ‘comfort stop’ along the way) On arrival check in to our Hotel. Post lunch you will visit the Red Fort.
Today, a visitor to Agra is caught up in a world of contrasting edifices of red sandstone and white marble, narrow gullies and quaint buggies and that irresistible charm that this favourite city of Mughals still preserves, so delicately. Agra is famous for Marble inlay works & Zari Zardozi works. Zardozi is formulated by combination of two persian words, Zar or Zarin (meaning Gold) & Dozi meaning sewing. Designs are often created using gold or silver or other metal threads and can incorporate pearls, beads, and precious stones. We shall visit a crafts place to see the artisans at work.
We will also have time to see artisans who are descendants of those who worked at Taj Mahal, creating magic on Marble. It is a fading art and can only be seen in Agra.
The Mehtab Bagh garden was the last of eleven Mughal-built gardens along the Yamuna opposite the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. It is noted that Emperor Shah Jahan had identified a site from the crescent-shaped, grass-covered floodplain across the Yamuna River as an ideal location for viewing the Taj Mahal. It was then created as "a moonlit pleasure garden called Mehtab Bagh."
Later in evening, witness sun set from Mehtab Bagh or Moonlight Gardens with the setting sun casts a magnificent glow on the Taj Mahal across the river.

Day 4:    Sunday     Agra - Jaipur:    (B/D).    
Early this morning we visit the Taj Mahal at sun rise, the monument built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took 22 years to build this sublime garden tomb, an image of the Islamic garden of paradise. It’s perfect proportions and exquisite craftsmanship was the work of artisans from both India and overseas. The Taj Mahal represents the wealth and luxury of Mughal art.
Return to our hotel for breakfast. After breakfast check out & drive to Jaipur. We drive (approx. 3 hours) to the fabulous 9th century stepwell, Abhaneri, which is one of the deepest stepwells in India.
Continue driving to Jaipur (appox 2hours)  arriving in Jaipur by late afternoon.
This evening we will visit a local family home where you have an option of indulging in the evening cooking. Under the guidance of the host, you can try your hands on Indian cooking learn different recipes and spices. You may also try to make chappatis (Indian bread), an integral part of a Rajasthani meal.
Before proceeding to the cooking place, you may also visit the local markets to buy vegetables and spices and also learn the art of bargaining, a hereditary art of Indian housewives. You will have dinner with the family.

Day 5:    Monday:     Jaipur:    (B)
This morning after breakfast we shall visit the Block printing factory. The art of block printing was developed approx 400 years back in a small town of Sanganer right on the out skirts of present Jaipur. The blocks are carved out of teak wood and colours derived from natural substances. We visit the factory for some hands-on printing skills. This is a brain child of third generation women entrepreneurs Tanu & Shilpa. Combining the age-old techniques developed by master craftsman over the centuries with some modern chic designs, Tanu & Shilpa create ecofriendly magic on cloth.
They take special care of all the artisans and their families who are associated with them. We shall be enriched by their heartwarming stories which are classic example of community development and women empowerment.
This morning activities include, learning the art from block making to colour mixing with ‘Ustads’ and then proceeding to hands on printing our own handkerchiefs/ scarfs.
Lunch can be enjoyed at any of the famous local restaurants.
Post lunch we shall visit the sprawling City Palace which is a superb marriage of the Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. Within the palace complex are several museums including an interesting textile gallery exhibiting a fine selection of textiles and costumes from the royal collection.
We then visit the famous ‘Go To Tailors”. They did all the tailoring for the movie cast of ‘Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’.
There is a huge collection of cotton, silk and other fabrics to choose from and with tailors that can skilfully  stitch western dresses in a few hours, we will have the opportunity to get some dresses made to order.
We shall also visit a Blue Pottery School and learn the art of blue pottery making. This 300 year old art is native to Jaipur.
Stop for photos at the iconic Hawa Mahal or the “Palace of the Winds”, before entering the busy markets of the Old City. We later return to our hotel.

Day 6:    Tuesday:     Jaipur:    (B)
This morning after breakfast we shall visit the Amer fort and Palace Hill forts they were always important to the Rajput rulers. Belonging to the Hindu “Kshatriya” or warrior class, they believed in the line from the sacred holy book, the Purana that “a fort is the strength of a king”. They built a number of such forts all over the state of Rajasthan; some made for purely defensive purposes, but most built as fort palaces. Amber is one of the finest examples of a fort palace, built similar in style to the surrounding richly decorated Mughal courts.
Post lunch we shall embark on a crafts tour of Old Jaipur.
Jaipur is also very famous for its sari’s. You shall visit the wedding market in old Jaipur which presents huge sari options. You can also visit a designer well known for the hand painted designer sari’s
Making our way through narrow alleys in Pink city we shall visit the tie and die artisans. Our paths shall lead us through beaders street, lacquer bangle makers, incense makers, jaipur’s famous spice markets etc.
Later we shall visit the famous cooperative to learn the art of rug weaving. Rulers of Amer while lading battles in northwest frontier provinces brought back the art of rug weaving. Now it has become a thriving industry where magical medieval as well as modern designs are woven by artisans. The most impressive of the methods is the burning of rug to check its authenticity! 500 artisans families work here. Every carpet woven has a story behind itself as every artisan is encouraged to weave in their creative intuition with modern patterns. Use of Camel wool for making rugs is what the are highly skilful in. Jaipur, the crafts city is also very famous for cutting and polishing of gem stones. The Johri Bazaar in Pink City has live auctions of stones every day. Time permitting we shall visit a gem design and cutting workshop where everything is done by hand.

Day 7:    Wednesday:     Jaipur – Jodpur:    (B/D).    
This morning after breakfast we drive to Jodhpur. Drive time approx.  6 Hours. On the way we shall visit Bagru village. Bagru is famous for its textile workers and block makers communities. Later we shall continue driving to Jodhpur.
On arrival in Jodhpur we shall check in to our hotel.
Later you shall be escorted to a private and exclusive presentation of an ancient art form of Bhopa performance. This is a unique cultural performance that combines singing, dancing and painting all in one.
You will have dinner at roof top restaurant in the old city

Day 8:    Thursday:     Jodhpur:    (B).    
Of all the many forts in Rajasthan, very few compare to majesty of the Mehrangarh Fort. Almost impregnable, the fort is entered through seven fortified gateways. The fort is divided into three sections – the public areas, the Maharajas palaces, and the zenana, or queens’ palaces. The zenana is decorated with exquisite sandstone filigree work. Within the fort is the museum which among its varied exhibits has an excellent collection of royal palanquins and the howdah section which has perhaps the finest collection of old ornate elephant howdahs in the world.
Next visit Jaswant Thada, the graceful marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II (1873-95) sitting above a small lake 1km northeast of Mehrangarh. It is an array of whimsical domes. It’s a welcome, peaceful spot after the hubbub of the city, and the views across to the fort and over the city are superb. Built in 1899, the cenotaph has some beautiful jalis (carved marble lattice screens) and is hung with portraits of Rathore ruler going back to the 13th  century.
Look out for the memorial to a peacock that flew into a funeral pyre.
After lunch we shall visit a famous textile house. The owners revolutionised thw textile making industry in the desert districts of Rajasthan. Here is the largest collections of textiles and home furnishings in entire North India. The owners work for fashion houses like, Hermes, Kenzos, Loro Piana etc. We shall take an appointment and one of the owners will speak to us on textiles of Rajasthan. He knowledge about textiles is exceptional. Later we shall return to our hotel for a relaxed evening.

 Day 9:   Friday:     Jodhpur – Udaipur:    (B/L).    
After Breakfast we drive to Udaipur. On our way we shall stop at the Salawas village and visit an internationally acclaimed cotton Durry weaver to see his works. We shall also see how the Bishnoi community thrives on weaving of doors from medieval ages.
En route to Udaipur, we visit the fantastic Ranakpur Temple which is one of the most important Jain Temples in India. It lies in a remote and peaceful valley of the ancient Aravali hills range. The main temple is the Chamukha Temple, or Four Faced temple, dedicated to Adinath. Built in 1439, this huge, beautifully crafted and well-kept marble temple is supported by 1444 pillars, no two of which are alike. Within the complex there are two other Jain Temples, Neminath and Parasnath.
Lunch today will be arranged for you at a beautiful countryside Hotel near Ranakpur Jain Temples.
After lunch we continue driving through beautiful Aravali landscape, arriving at our hotel by late afternoon.

Day 10:    Saturday:     Udaipur:    (B/D).    
Today we visit the City Palace. The detailed art and workmanship is a tribute to the skills of local artisans and craftspeople. Built as a stepped palace encompassing a hill, the four places illustrate various architectural styles, reflecting prevailing influences, mostly Mughal and Rajput. In keeping with the claim of the royal family that they are “Surya vansh” – descendants of the Sun, the whole structure faces east, and a stunning bejewelled image of the sun greets you at the entrance. Also of interest here is the remarkable collection of Rajput miniature paintings and the Crystal Gallery with its rather eccentric collection of Object d’art, household items and furniture.
After visiting the City Palace we walk in the old city with our guide, sharing space with cows, elephants, people. The walk through the winding lanes is an interesting insight into lifestyles in what is referred to as “small town India”. Shops selling a variety of items, unexpected folk art decorating the walls of houses and small architectural gems like a latticed work Haveli window.
Later we shall visit a painting school to learn about the Mewar School of Painting. Run by Harendra Pujari it is one of the leading art places in North India. They work closely with state government in preservation of miniature paintings, antiques and object d’art. Mr Harendra is an active priest in Jagdish Temple (one of the largest and most respected temple) of Udaipur. It is quite interesting to learn about the Squirrel hair brushes and Crystallised Cow Urine Colours etc.
This afternoon is at your leisure.
In evening enjoy dinner at roof top restaurant.

Day 11:    Sunday:    Udaipur – Ahmedabad:    (B/D)
Today is a free day at leisure.

Day 12:    Monday:    Ahmedabad – Mumba / Delhi:    (B)
Our small group tour concludes on after breakfast. For most guests today it is time to say farewell to new-found friends and India.

Depending on your departure itinerary, you may have time for some last-minute shopping. We are able to organize our private guide to accompany you.

Transfer to the airport for your onward or homebound journey.

Please advise to arrange flights to Delhi / Mumbai (Costs not included in Tour)

 Please don’t hesitate to contact Boutique Tours & Travel for further travel arrangements.

Our specially curated itineraries are carefully planned and well thought out and we often can find some wonderful surprises. The magic of travelling in such a small group allows us to cater for this spontaneity and it is sometimes these unplanned occurrences that can be the most memorable. The rich tapestry of experiences and the characters you meet along the way will make this guided tour something special and one you will remember for a lifetime.

Flexibility
The itinerary can be flexible, sometimes due to weather or on-going events which guests may want to see. If there is something else you’d like to do or see on your trip please contact us and we’ll try our best to ensure it can be done.

A 2 or 3 day tour of Mumbai is available on request

• A specially curated itinerary for Boutique Tours & Travel

• A Small Group Tour (2- 12 Guests)

• Private international airport arrival and departure transfers for all guests

• Hand selected modern & boutique hotel accommodation

• Meals as indicated in Itinerary; B = Breakfast: L=Lunch: D=Dinner:

• Internet Access where possible 

• Private services of local bilingual cultural foodie & textile tour guide

• Concierge / Bellhop services throughout tour

• 24 hour on call support service 

• Private chauffeur driven air- conditioned vehicles for transfers & sightseeing

• Admission fees to all monuments, activities, excursions and shows as per the itinerary

• Bottled water whilst touring in vehicle

• Porterage, tipping and gratuities

• An exclusive BT&T Travel Information App

• Room Sharing options for singles / solo travellers available  

Not Included:

• International airfares

• Arrival & Departure Taxes, levies or other charges

• Internal Domestic flight ; departing Udaipur

• Passport & Visa Fees

• City Taxes for hotels if required

• Personal Travel Insurance

• Excess baggage charges

• Cost of any ‘luggage delivery’. – via FedEx or postal services

• Late check-out at hotels

• Porterage and gratuities on your arrival at airport and hotel and in free time

• Extra gratuities to tour guides and drivers and others.

• Meals and Alcoholic beverages not included in the itinerary

• Expenditure of personal nature

• Optional activities not included in tour