DESCRIPTION:

Water has been an object of worship in India from time immemorial, and rivers are considered to be most sacred. Experience the range of cities and wildlife habitats along many of India’s mightiest rivers, including the Indus, the Brahmaputra, and the most sacred Ganges (including the Chambal and Hugli tributaries).

 

Witness village life up close and personal in Bharatpur, including meeting with the locals of Bharatpur, participating in a cooking class, and witnessing a special Raas leela dance/drama performance. Visit the famed World Heritage Site of Khajuraho, which is home to India’s largest collection of medieval Jain and Hindu temples, with remarkable carvings.

 

Take a rickshaw ride through the winding alleyways and bustling bazaars of Varanasi and discover the rich history of this holy city, located on the banks of the sacred Ganges, and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in India as well as one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Cruise aboard wooden rowboats on the river Ganges to witness pilgrims bathing, offering morning prayers and even cremating their dead at the eerie burning ghats.

 

Explore wildlife sanctuaries that are home to tigers, sambar, leopard, the rare Indian one-horned rhinoceros, indigenous birds, and more. Explore Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and bird reserve. Go on safari into the Panna National Park, where leopards, wild dog, wolf, hyena, sambar, nilgai, chinkaras and, with a great deal of luck, perhaps even a tiger may be seen. Enjoy two full days of game rides at Kaziranga National Park, famous for its population of the rare Indian one-horned rhinoceros, among other species.

 

Marvel at the beauty of the Taj Mahal, with both a sunrise and sunset visit, seeing how the colors of this icon of India change from morning to night. And, of course, witness the breathtaking Taj Mahal at sunrise and sunset. 

 

This unique journey includes stays at some of India’s most opulent palace hotels.

 

CONSIDER:

The trip can be taken in palace hotels or in less expensive international chain hotels.

 

OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS & ADD-ONS:

Fascinating Amanbagh, formerly a Maharaja’s hunting lodge, among other options.