Golden Triangle and Varanasi + Holi Festival

Tour dates: March 22 - April 1

Your impressions.

• You will feel all the energy of the holiday of colors Holi. Unrestrained fun and fireworks of colors 360 degrees. A tradition that has been waiting all year!
• Visit Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, Mathur and Jodhpur. Multiple states in one round. Squeeze all the most interesting and beautiful in the north of India.
• Meet the dawn at the walls of the majestic Taj Mahal and take unforgettable photos.
• Learn about ancient Hindu rituals and visit the most mystical city on the sacred river Ganges - Varanasi.
• Walk through the colorful streets of the cities of Rajasthan, watching the life of the local population and exchanging selfies and smiles with them.
• Taste the national cuisine. I bet you didn’t know the meaning of the word “sharp” until now.
• Spend time in an atmosphere of friendly communication and enjoying the journey.

Tour programme

Day 1

Delhi

The tour of India begins. Today the day will be devoted to organizational issues, acquaintance of the participants of the trip and, of course, adaptation to the Indian flavor. Group meeting at 4-30 am (Aeroflot flight), transfer and early check-in to the hotel. Rest. At 13:00 we will go for a walk around the capital. You will visit the classic Indian well Agrasen Ki Baoli, which is a huge multi-level structure below ground level. Then visit the open-air observatory Jantar Mantar. Tall and unusual buildings of crimson color served to observe the sun and celestial bodies many centuries ago. Lunch. Walk through Connaught Square, a green and quiet oasis in the city center. Visit the shopping and main tourist street of New Delhi Main Bazaar. It is here that you will first plunge into the usual rhythm of the Indian city: hundreds of tuk-tuks, rickshaws, wagons, merchants, shops, pedestrians, a kaleidoscope of sounds and smells. Back to the hotel.

Day 2

Delhi - Agra

Breakfast. Free time. At 11-30 train to the city of Agra (2.5 hours on the way). Hotel accommodation. Inspection of the Red Fort (inscribed in the list of UNESCO heritage sites), a fortress, inside which a huge amount of decor, interesting courtyards and colonial color. From the height of its walls, it is clearly visible in the warm sunset rays of the Taj Mahal. Rest.

Day 3

Agra - Mathura

Around 6 a.m., we will set out to meet the first rays of the sun against the walls of the great Taj Mahal. To visit the complex, the ticket provides for a stay on the territory for no more than 3 hours. There is so much to enjoy and get inspiration. Slowly walk, take hundreds of photos, smile at the warm sun. Breakfast. Visit to the laundry washer community on the opposite bank of the Yamuna River. People here manually wash colorful things and fabrics in the river, leaving them to dry in the sun. Free time. Train (about 1 hour) to Mathura, where Krishna was born. See the sights and ghats (steps to the water). Observing preparations for Holi celebrations. On this evening, bonfires will be lit everywhere, where the statue of Holiki, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, will be burned. Rest. Gaining strength before the holiday.

Day 4

Mathura Delhi Varanasi

Before breakfast, we will try to visit the Dwarkadheesh Temple (depending on how many people there are). The most active celebrations of Holi begin here and then spread throughout the city. Breakfast. Continued inspection of Mathura in the atmosphere of fountains of paints and liquids of all colors. Of course, we will prepare for this in the beginning, because you will have to throw away all your clothes at the end of the day. But do not worry, finding and bringing unnecessary things from home will not be a problem for anyone. Paints, both natural and artificial, will be completely washed away only after a couple of days, just ignore them and feel like children. In the evening, we take a night train to Varanasi.

Day 5

Varanasi

Arrival by train to Varanasi, transfer from the station to the hotel. Accommodation and rest. In the afternoon we will make a small inspection of the coastal part of the city, streets, temples, souvenir shops. The main "life" on the banks of the sacred Ganges will begin after 16 hours, when the heat will subside and evening rituals will begin on the ghats. At dusk, candles, incense and pujas will be lit. The space around will be filled with the sounds of hundreds of bells and prayer mantras. Around 6pm we will be in one of the central ghats of Varanasi and witness the Ganga Maha Aarti offering ceremony. After that, we will walk to Manicarnik Ghat - an open-air crematorium, the lights of which have not faded for more than 2.5 thousand years. Shiva himself lit the fire here. In the dark, watching cremation ceremonies is particularly spectacular. Do not be afraid, the spectacle is not terrible, and the atmosphere is amazing and unique. Rest.

Day 6

Varanasi

Dawn meeting on the Ganges. We get on boats and go for an hour walk on the water surface. It is from the water that the panorama of all Varanasi ghats will open to you, and the silence of the early morning will create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. We meet the sunrise on the river. We land on the beach and walk a little to our hotel, along the way, watching the morning ablutions and rituals. Breakfast. Continuation of inspections of ghats and Varanasi embankment. Free time. Rest.

Day 7

Varanasi - Jaipur

Today we will be on our way to Jaipur. By train or plane (timetable and choice of transport will be known closer to the date of travel). Due to the long distance, both options include a day on the road. In the evening, arrive in Jaipur and check in at the hotel.

Day 8

jaipur

Today will be dedicated to exploring the pink city and the capital of Rajasthan - Jaipur. You will visit the City Palace, an ancient observatory (here it is completely different from the twin in Delhi), visit the Temple of the Monkeys (except for monkeys, there are amusing langurs here). Visit the Albert Hall Museum and take photos with many pigeons in the background. Drink coffee at sunset overlooking the Hawa Mahal Wind Palace (business card of the city).

Day 9

Jaipur - Jodhpur

The new day will begin on the shore of the lake overlooking the Jal Mahal Palace, the summer residence of 18th-century Indian rulers. Inspection of the fortress-palace of Amber. Sometimes there is an opportunity to climb to its walls on elephants. Eviction from the hotel and moving to Jodhpur.

Day 10

Jodhpur

Breakfast. View of the Blue City of Jodhpur. Numerous Brahman houses painted with blue paint look amazing. We walk through different streets, looking into different corners, watching the life of the locals. Also today you will see the second after Delhi interesting well. It will be a different shape, but architecturally no less grandiose. In the evening we will visit the Mehrangarh fortress from where the chic panorama of Jodhpur and Jaswan Thada opens - the place where the tombs of the princes are located. The day will end in a cafe overlooking the fortress.

Day 11

Jodhpur-Delhi

Breakfast. Moving to Delhi. Hotel check-in. Rest. We share impressions, memories and adventures in the cafe. The tour of the Golden Triangle of India is over, but we are sure that you will remember it with warm feelings for a long time. India is an amazing country, and it deserves to come back many times. See you again!

1. Accommodation in 4-5* hotels and boutique hotels along the route.

2. Breakfast based meals.

3. Entrance tickets to museums, fortresses, forts, attractions.

4. Program transfers, including trains (or plane to Jaipur)

5. Services of accompanying and local Russian-speaking guides.

6. Photo guide services.