Heritage of India
Discover the bustling commercial city of Mumbai and the National Capital Delhi. Admire the beautiful cave paintings at Ajanta, a UNESCO World Heritage saite. Visit the shimmering Lake City of Udaipur and the majestic fort at Jodhpur and enjoy sundowner on the sand dunes at Bikaner. Soak in the colorful Pink City of Jaipur and view the legendary tigers at Ranthambore at close quarters and most importantly one of the seven wonders of the world ‘The Taj Mahal’ – all this and more in utmost luxury.
A train that never falls short of providing you a royal experience, Maharajas’ Express features four cabin configuration – Deluxe Cabin, Junior Suite, Suite and Presidential Suite. Every cabin has large panoramic windows, just so that you can savor every bit of magnificent India. All passenger carriages come with individual temperature controls, the first of its kind in India and have state-of-the-art facilities – Live Televisions, DVD players, Wifi Internet to name a few to keep you entertained through the royal journey. Maharajas’ Express has CCTV cameras, smoke alarms, mini pantries, with a 24-hrs valet service and round the clock services of a Paramedic; the journey on-board is truly an experience extraordinaire!
- Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Ajanta Cave Monuments.
- Indulge in a Royal lunch in Udaipur.
- Enjoy Cocktail Dinner with Marwar Culinary Delight in Jodhpur.
- Camel procession followed by Sundowner Cocktails at the Sand Dunes in Bikaner.
- Witness an Exhibition Elephant Polo Match in Jaipur.
- An exciting Game Drive at Ranthambore National Park.
- Visit the Magnificent Taj Mahal at Agra and enjoy Champagne breakfast.
Day 1
Arrive Mumbai
Welcome to India! You will be met by our representative in the arrival area of the airport after you clear all immigration and customs formalities and transferred to your hotel.
Today Mumbai pulsates with activity. It is a city that is disciplined by no time frame, neither by day nor by night. Mumbai is also the country’s financial powerhouse, the nation’s industrial heartland, and its economic nerve center. With dazzling shopping arcades, exciting sport activity, night clubs & discotheques, theatre & music, gourmet restaurants and interesting sightseeing, Mumbai offers visitors a heady mix of all this and more.
Rest of the day is free at your leisure.
Day 2
Mumbai (B)
After breakfast at your hotel, proceed for a full day of sightseeing in Mumbai.
Arrive at the Gateway of India and after a brief photo stop board the chartered boats to proceed to Elephanta Island to explore the Elephanta Caves. These rock-cut temples are only a 1 hour boat ride from Mumbai and are thought to have been carved between 450 and 750 AD. They remain equal in size, beauty and power to the caves at Ajanta and Ellora. After this interesting and unique visit continue back to Mumbai to explore the city and drive past Marine drive to arrive at Mani Bhawan.
Mani Bhawan Museum, also known as Mani Bhawan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, is situated on the Laburnam Road in Mumbai. It is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the “Father of the Nation.” The Bhawan is a must-visit destination for all those who believe in Gandhi’s philosophy and those who want to know more about the ‘Great Man.’ After this visit drive past Hight Court & University area followed by a brief photo stop at Victoria Terminus form outside. Later drive to Crawford market area and enjoy the walk. This elegant covered market dominates the skyline with its clock tower and steeple.
Day 3
Mumbai (B/D)
Enjoy Breakfast at your hotel before being met by our representative and transferred to your Luxury Train in Mumbai. After traditional welcome, complete your registration formalities and proceed to board the train to head onto Ajanta. Relax with dinner on board.
Day 4
Ajanta (B/L/D)
Enjoy breakfast on board before visiting the Ajanta Caves, a series of caves hewn out of rock by Buddhist monks who found sanctuary and left legend of posterity. These 30 caves with 24 monasteries and 5 temples have we all painting and sculpture of an aesthetic appeal that is timeless. The Ajanta Caves are like a chapter of a splendid epic tale in a visual form. Natural light brightens the caves at different times of the day leaving visitors awe-struck by sheer brilliance of those ancient masters that created this marvel of art and architectural splendor.
Return to your Luxury Train for lunch on board as the train leaves for Udaipur. Dinner on board.
Day 5
Udaipur (B/L/D)
Admire the magnificent landscape as you arrive into Udaipur and enjoy the breakfast on board.
One of the most romantic cities in Rajasthan, Udaipur is also known as the city of lakes. The marble palaces, beautifully laid out gardens and the lakes make Udaipur seem almost like a mirage in the desert.
Proceed for a boat ride and later visit the City Palace and Crystal Gallery (Audio Tour). The huge City Palace, towering over the Lake Pichola is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Though it is conglomeration of buildings built by successive rules, it manages to retain a surprising uniformity of design and affords fine views of the lake and the city from upper terraces.
Have a fabulous lunch at Satkar Hall of Fateh Prakash Palace before returning back to your Luxury Train to relax for the afternoon or proceed on to optional actives. Dinner on board as the train leaves for Jodhpur.
Day 6
Jodhpur (B/L/D)
Enjoy breakfast on board your Luxury Train as you arrive into Jodhpur. Among Rajasthans’s many princely settlements, Jodhpur is one of the most distinctive. Visit a local village or a Spa at a hotel as well as optional activities.
Return to your Luxury Train for lunch on board. Proceed to visit the majestic Mehrangarh Fort, one of the largest forts in India, followed by a walking tour of the Old Clock Tower Market or proceeding for optional activities. Later savor cocktails and dinner at Hanwant Mahal, an exclusive venue. Return to your Luxury Train.
Day 7
Bikaner (B/L/D)
Arrive at the desert kingdom of Bikaner as your enjoy breakfast on board your Luxury Train. Bikaner retains the medieval spender that provides the city’s lifestyle more popularly called the camel country; the city is renowned for the best riding camels in the world. The wells of Bikaner, an important source of water are another attraction of the city.
Proceed for optional activities before retiring to your Luxury train for lunch on board. Thereafter, visit the unassailable fortress of Junagarh and the Junagarh Fort, which was constructed between 1588 and 1593 by Raja Jai Singh, a general in the Moghul Emperor Akbar’s army. Visit the Old City and the Karni Mata Tmeple. Also visit one of the wells of Bikaner.
Reach Gajner Palace and participate in a camel-cart precession followed by sundowner cocktails, barbecue and fold performance on the sand dunes. Thereafter, return to your Luxury Train.
Day 8
Jaipur (B/L/D)
Enjoy breakfast a board your Luxury Train as your train reaches Jaipur, also known as the “Pink City.”
As you drive through the old part of town in Jaipur you will witness a life most unlike others. Witness how the city blooms during the day in a kaleidoscope of color and sound. Everywhere you will see the monuments of its Rajput rulers. Jaipur is one of the main centers for shopping in India; especially with regard to textiles, jewelry, stones, carpets, etc.
Enjoy an Exhibiition Elephant Polo Match followed by lunch at City Palace / Jai Mahal Palace. Thereafter, proceed for a visit to the Amber Fort or proceed on optional activities. Return to your Luxury Train for dinner on board.
Day 9
Ranthambore/Fatehpur Sikri (BR,D)
Arrive at Ranthambore where you will proceed on a Jungle safari.
Ranthambore Park is famous for tigers and due to conservation efforts, the tiger population has stabilized if not increased here. The tigers can be spotted quite often even during the day, at their normal pursuits (hunting and taking care of their young ones). Ranthambore is one of the best places to see these majestic predators.
Return to your Luxury Train and enjoy brunch on board as you enter into Fatehpur Sikri. As you enter Sikri from the Agra Gate, Diwan-I-Aam (the hall of public audience) appears first. It is a huge rectangular walled-in courtyard where petitions are heard, proclamations made, ambassadors received and entertainment programs held. It was a veritable fairy tale city and its ‘ruins’ are still in pristine condition. It is not hard to imagine what the court life must have been like in the days of its grandeur.
Enjoy an “India Evening” followed by dinner on board.
Day 10
Agra/Delhi (B/L)
Arrive into Agra in the early morning and disembark your Luxury Train for a morning visit to Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built by an emperor in memory of his beloved queen.
Enjoy a Champagne breakfast at Taj Khema and return to your Luxury Train to relax before lunch on board as the final leg of the train journey towards Delhi begins.
Arrive into Delhi in the afternoon where you will check-out and be met by our representative to be transferred to your hotel.
Day 11
Delhi (B)
Enjoy breakfast at you hotel before you are taken on a full day city tour of Old and New Delhi! The highlight of your day will be a Rickshaw ride in Old Delhi. As you embark on your journey through this land you will experiences the sites and sounds of what is India. Your guide will be at your service to bring you face-to-face with the many faces of this vast land.
In Old Delhi you will see Red Fort, the most opulent Fort and Palace of the Mughal Empire. The fort is Shah Jehan’s symbol of power and elegance, built behind red sandstone walls. Also visit Raj Ghat, the memorial site of Mahatma Gandhi, marking the spot where he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse in 1948. Tour Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India and Chandni Chowk, the bustling and colorful market of the old city. Chandni Chowk was the commercial center of Delhi in the old time and you will see it come sliver in the morning as the trading day starts.
New Delhi is where you will visit two monuments from Delhi’s past: Qutub Minar and Humanyun’s tomb. Qutub Minar is the historical construction of a landmark in 1199. Qutub-ud-Din raised the Qutub Minar either as a victory tower or as a minaret to the adjacent mosque. Humayun’s tomb was built by emperor Humayun’s wife and took eight years to complete. It is regarded as an example of the early Mughal architecture. The emperor’s wife, Begai Begum, was buried in the tomb and the structure is the first of its kind built in the center of a well-planned garden. It is generally regarded as a prototype of the famed Taj Mahal of Agra.
Your drive takes you along the ceremonial avenue, Rajpath, past the imposing India Gate, President House, and Parliament House. The India Gate is an archway in the middle of a crossroad is almost similar to its french counterpart war memorial. It commemorates 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the First World War and bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the North-western Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919. The President House is the palatial building build on an area of 330 acres with a private garden designed by the illustrious Lutyens, as the official residence of the Viceroy of India during British reign, and is now the official residence of the First Citizen. The Parliament House is the symbol of India democracy.
Day 12
Depart Delhi (B)
Breakfast at the hotel before being met by our representative and transferred to the airport of your departure flight to your final destination.
- Meet and greet on arrival at Airport.
- Accommodation and meals as indicated in the itinerary (B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner).
- Entrance fees where applicable.
- Tours as indicated in the itinerary.
- Professional English-speaking guide/driver guide.
- Transfers
- Travel Protection is offered on all packages at an additional cost.
