12-Day Sacred Sands Tour

Morning breakfast at the hotel. Later, a full-day Visit to Old and New Delhi. Visit Old Delhi in Ricksaw. Starting the drive past Red Fort, visit the Bangla Sabih Sikh Temple and observe the fervour with which the Brotherhood members listen to the Book reading. Then, visit the Great Jamma Masjid Mosque, built by the Shah Jahan, rising in the middle of the old city of Old Delhi. Lunch at a local restaurant.

In New Delhi, we pass through the Rajpath. We visit Humayun Tomb, the city Edwin Lutyens built to be the British capital in the so-called Anglo-Indian style, and the India Gate memorial erected in honour of the soldiers who died during various wars. We also visit the Parliament Building, the Presidential Palace, and the ministries. Later, visit the Qutub Minar, the oldest monument in Delhi, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

242km – 5h30. Full board (Breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Breakfast at the hotel. Then, check out the hotel and drive to Mandawa, passing through typical Indian villages situated in the heart of the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. Upon arrival at Mandawa, we check into our hotel, where the ambience reflects the heritage of the region with a blend of comfort and tradition of Mandawa elegance.

Mandawa, renowned for its majestic forts and intricately designed havelis, is one of the quaint gems of India. The 18th-century Mandawa town boasts a rich history that resonates through its grand structures. The quaint gem Mandawa is an Open Art Gallery for its stunning architectural artistry. Mandawa is filled with marvellous mansions and vibrant frescoes, making it a not-to-miss destination in central Rajasthan.

In the afternoon, start the exploratory journey of the beautifully preserved havelis that tell tales of affluent merchant families from a bygone era. Among these architectural wonders is the Hanuman Prasad Goenka Haveli, renowned for its exquisite paintings that vividly depict Lord Shiva seated on a majestic Nandi bull and Indra Dev riding gracefully on an elephant. Next is the Jhunjhunwala Haveli, a charming room painted with gold leaf that exudes grandeur and artistry. The charm continues at the Mohan Lal Saraf Haveli, famous for its captivating depiction of the Maharaja confidently stroking his moustache, embodying royal grandeur. For the ultimate feast for the eyes and mind, visit the Akharam Ka Haveli, a timeless structure that has stories to tell.

After a day full of exploration and cultural immersion, we return to our hotel for an overnight stay, allowing the charm of Mandawa to linger in our hearts.

Accommodation options:

Luxury: Castle Mandawa – 15th-century fort with 80 opulent rooms, frescoed suites, spa, and pool. Enjoy candlelit dinners with folk performances.  Or Vivaana Culture Hotel, meticulously restored 19th-century haveli with mural-painted walls, cooking classes, and vintage car rides. For Mid-Range: Hotel Castle Mandawa – Heritage property with fitness center, terrace, and Rajasthani cuisine, Or Mandawa Kothi, chic hotel with free bikes, garden, and sunset rooftop dining.

255km – 5hrs. Breakfast included.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today, we drive Khimsar, passing through the heart of Rajasthan. Khimsar is known for its magnificent Fort, built by the Ranas of Mewar. Arrive at the hotel and check into the rooms. In the afternoon, explore the Fort and surrounding towns. In the evening, we will take a walking tour of the small village to observe the area’s rural lifestyle—dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

Note: Once you are at Khimsar, we encourage you to experience the rich culture of Khimsar’s dune village dinners, a unique dining experience set in the stunning desert surroundings of Khimsar. These dinners unfold in a village setting, where you can savour the authentic flavours of traditional Rajasthani cuisine and truly connect with the local culture. The allure of the dining setting, under the starry sky, around a crackling bonfire, with the dunes as a backdrop, creates a memorable and atmospheric experience. These dune village dinners are a celebration of hospitality, flavours, and scenic allure, offering visitors a taste of authentic rural life and a dining experience that is as enriching as it is unforgettable.

Accommodation options:

Luxury: Welcomhotel Khimsar Fort & Dunes – 15th-century fort with Royal Chambers (46–65 m²) and luxury desert huts. Experiences include dune safaris, mixology sessions, and starlit rampart dinners. For Mid-Range: Khimsar Fort Resort – heritage rooms with desert views.

190km – 4hrs. Breakfast included.

Breakfast and drive to Pushkar, famous for its annual fair, which coincides each year from October to November. Thousands of devout Hindus and tourists gather to bathe in the sacred waters of Pushkar Lake. This religious festival is also an excellent occasion to enjoy the famous camel market. According to myth, the Pushkar Lake emerged from a lotus flower in the hand of Brahma. Arrive and visit the sacred Lake and the Temple of the Brahma at one end of the town. According to mythology, Brahma dropped a feather and built a temple where it landed, and that place was Pushkar. Overnight at the hotel:

Accommodation options

Luxury: Ananta Spa & Resort – Pools, Ayurvedic spa, and views of Aravalli Hills.  Or Pushkar Bagh, a Palace-style tents with lake-facing verandas. Or the the Jagat Palace, a 3-star hotel.

145km – 3hrs. Breakfast included.

Early in the morning, walk to the top of the hill to enjoy a panoramic view of Pushkar and see the sunrise. Then, return to the hotel and have breakfast. Check out the formalities and depart for Jaipur by road, a three-hour drive away. Arrival and distribution into rooms. Jaipur, known as the Pick City, the capital of Rajasthan, still seems cradled and well-protected. Jaipur is named after Maharaja Jai Singh, who became King of Amber in the early 1700s at the age of thirteen. Despite his precocious age, he was a distinguished student, adding to his credentials the careers of architecture and astronomy. He designed the new capital with exquisite pink terracotta buildings, which earned it the nickname “Pink City” due to its predominant colours of pink and orange; the sunset effect is magical.

For the rest of the afternoon, you can explore the city and visit the local market without a guide.

Accommodation options

Luxury: Rambagh Palace – former Maharaja’s residence with polo bar, spa, and 47-acre gardens. Or Raj Palace, India’s first palace hotel featuring Swarovski chandeliers and antique furniture.  The third option is a Boutique Heritage, Samode Haveli with courtyard pool and hand-painted murals.  For Mid-Range: Shahpura House – ornate rooms with silk drapes, pool, and spa. Or Hotel Pearl Palace, vibrant rooftop Peacock Restaurant.

Breakfast at the hotel. Later, visit the Amber Fort, stunningly situated on a hillside overlooking a lake, 11km from Jaipur. Amber was the capital of Rajasthan for six centuries and the core land of Rajput history. Nowadays, the city is practically abandoned. The objective of the visit is to see and admire its imposing palace. The palace stands on the steep hill slope behind Maota Lake, retaining an air of great beauty. The visit to the palace can be made on foot, by Jeep, or by elephant-back safari, which is the most preferred option. The construction of the Palace/Fort was initiated in the 1592s by Raja Man Singh, the Rajput commander of Akbar’s army and later extended and completed by Jai Singh. The “Hall of Public Audience,” with a double row of columns and latticed galleries, is reached by an imposing stairway. The Fortress also contains a temple with doors made of Silver dedicated to Goddess Kali. Next, walk over to the Hall of Victory, noted for its inlaid panels and glittering mirror ceiling. The “Hall of Pleasure” is on the opposite side with an ivory-inlaid sandalwood door, and the “Hall of Private Audience” is extraordinary with exquisite murals. However, the highlight of the Fort is the “Hall of Mirrors”, whose interior is encrusted with tiny mirrors, sparkling like a diamond in candlelight. The oldest part of the palace is Raja Man Singh’s apartments, where each of his dozen wives had a separate suite.

Afternoon: Tour of Jaipur City. Jaipur city is a living testament to one of the most remarkable rulers of his age, Jai Singh II, a highly talented ruler in politics and warfare. However, the credit for the pinkness of the city goes to Maharaja Man Singh, who dressed up the city in the welcoming symbolic colour following the visit of the Prince of Wales and, later, Edward VII, who visited Jaipur in the 1876s.

The City Palace and Museum visit comprises several courtyards, gardens, and buildings that blend Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. The former Maharaja still resides in one of its wings, dating back to the 18th century, and features a blend of Rajput and Mughal styles. The museum contains an extensive collection of art, miniature paintings, carpets, costumes and dresses, enamelware, old weapons, and an armoury of guns and swords. The Jantar Mantar, a renowned astronomical observatory built in 1728 by Jai Singh, and Hawa Mahal, also known as the Palace of the Winds, constructed in the 1790s, are Jaipur’s most famous monuments of Rajput architecture. Hawa Mahal consists of 5 floors, of which only the multi-windowed façade remains.

NOTE: The Archaeology department has limited the number of trips and times to Amber Fort by elephant, so it is possible that Amber Fort may not be accessible on the day of the visit, and we will have to access it by Jeep instead. Therefore, an elephant-back tour cannot be guaranteed.

245km – 4h30. Breakfast included.

Breakfast and drive to Agra. En route to Agra, visit Abhaner without a guide, originally called Abha Nagri, which means “The Shining City”. Abhaner has “Baoris” (stairwells), which are the invention of the natives to collect rainwater. We will also visit Fatehpur Sikri, known as the “ghost city”. The city’s history began when Akbar, concerned about not having an heir, sought the counsel of a Muslim holy man, Salim Chisti, who blessed Akbar. Therefore, the emperor had a long-awaited son, whom he named Salim, in honour of the Muslim saint. Salim would one day take the throne from Jahangir. The grateful Akbar moved his capital to the small town where he died in 1569. Fatehpur Sikri stands on a rocky ridge for 2 miles. He raised his hand at the foot of the cliffs and created an artificial lake that extended 20 miles in all directions. Walking through the Fatehpur Sikri’s empty palaces, one cannot but be transported back 400 years and visualize the glory and the splendour that must have existed. Finalize the visit and continue by road to Agra, another 50 kilometres. Arrive and get distributed into the rooms at the Hotel.

Accommodation options

Luxury: Tajview IHCL and for Mid-Range, Crystal Sarinee Premier

Breakfast included.

Agra is famous for its Seven Wonders of the World—the Taj Mahal. It was the ancient capital of the Mughal Empire, which is reflected in this city. The Mughals were passionate about architecture, and theirs were among the finest in the world.

In the morning, visit The Taj Mahal, one of the world’s most beautiful buildings. Called “A Dream in Marble,” the Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jah as a memorial to his queen Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jah built the Taj to enshrine the body of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal (the elect of the palace), who died shortly after giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. The Taj Mahal, or the ever-built monument of love, was constructed by 20,000 men from Asia, commenced in 1632 and was completed in 1653. The marble used for the memorial was sourced from Makrana, near Jodhpur, and precious stones, including amethyst, malachite, onyx, lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade, crystal, and mother-of-pearl, were imported from Persia, Russia, Afghanistan, Tibet, China, and the Indian Ocean. The Taj Mahal is located at the banks of the river Yamuna, reflecting her in the waters of Yamuna, and you can look at it from nearby Agra Fort.

After the visit, return to the hotel for breakfast and continue visiting the city of Agra, including Red Fort –and Marble factory. The imposing Red Fort, or red sandstone Agra Fort, was principally erected as a military establishment by Akbar in 1565, when he was just 23, and was partially converted into a palace during Shah Jahan’s time. Within the Fort are several fascinating buildings, including the Octagonal Tower, the Jehangir Palace built by Akbar for his son Jehangir, and the Pearl Mosque made of marble. Then there is the Hall of Public Audience, best known for its Peacock Throne and white marble-built private palace known as the Khas Mahal. Agra is also famously known as the city of Marble; therefore, visit its marble factories. If time permits one can explore the markets of Agra on foot and buy souvenirs for families. In the late afternoon, transfer to Tundla station to take the night train to Varanasi (leaves at 8:40 p.m. and arrives at Banaras at 6:15 a.m.)—night on the Poorva Express train.

NOTE: The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays. The hotel rooms get booked for day use until the transfer to the train station.

Accommodation options: Ovenight in Poorva Express train

Arrive in Varanasi at the Mughal Sarai station. Assistance on arrival and transfer to the hotel (rooms are usually unavailable until mid-morning)—breakfast and a half-day city tour. Varanasi, later the religious capital of Hindu India and a microcosm of Indian life, is the sacred place where the Buddha preached to his five disciples on the Four Noble Truths. Nobody knows the birth of time of Varanasi. When Buddha arrived in 500 B.C., he found an ancient settlement. We will visit the Mother India Temple, Durga Temple, Sankat Mochan Temple, Birla Temple, and Banaras Hindu University, among other notable attractions in this vibrant city. In the afternoon, we visit the old part of the city and take an Aarti tour at sunset. We drive to the town for the Arati tour and then walk through the alleys until we reach the Burning Ghat, where we take a boat to see the Aarti Puja and sunset from the Ganges River. Hundreds of devotees make offerings to the Sun God to eliminate all their sins in this sacred river (Arati time is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.). Return to the hotel, walking through the old part of the city and a rickshaw ride to the hotel.

Accommodation options

Luxury: Taj Ganges – Mughal-inspired architecture, boat-ride tours to ghats. Or BrijRama Palace, a 18th-century riverside palace with private ghat access. For Mid-Range: Ganpati Guesthouse – Rooftop views of the Ganges. Or Hotel Surya, a traditional decor near Dashashwamedh Ghat.

In the early morning, take a boat trip on the Ganges River to see the sunrise, observe the temples along the river, and the rituals of hundreds of pilgrims who flock here daily and observe the purifying bath in the Ghats of River Ganges. Disembark and walk through the narrow streets, watching how the pilgrims worship in the Golden Temple; tourists are allowed to see it only from outside after purifying themselves in the sacred river.

10km from Varanasi is one of the foremost Buddhist centres. Varanasi is the holy site where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon on the Four Noble Truths, or, in religious language, the Wheel of Law (Maha-Dharmachakra-Pravartan), setting in motion the principles of his teachings as laws. Two hundred years later, in the third century B.C., the Great Mauryan Emperor Ashoka spread the Buddha’s teachings of love and compassion throughout his vast empire, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and neighbouring countries. He built 84-thousand massive stupas, including in Nepal. Countless viharas and monasteries were built, and India became the only centre of the Buddhist world until the 15th century. From the third century B.C. to the 11th century A.D., several important Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath, and today, it presents the most expansive ruins among places on the Buddhist trail. There are two ancient stupas for ceremonial public worship, and their present names are Dhamekh and Dharmarajika. Jagat Singh of Varanasi dismantled Dharmarajika in the 18th century. Emperor Ashoka erected several monuments here. Chaukhandi Stupa comes first. Akbar repaired the same to commemorate his father’s visit to Sarnath.

The Sarnath Museum boasts a rich collection of Buddhist sculptures and images of numerous Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, considered among the finest specimens of Buddhist art. It also has the magnificent Lion Capital, the National Emblem of India.

After breakfast, transfer to Varanasi airport for a regular flight to Delhi. Arrive in New Delhi and free time to enjoy shopping in the bustling markets of Delhi. In the evening, we farewell you and transfer you to the airport, check-in formalities, pass through immigration and depart for your onward destination.