India

We are flying to Delhi.

We land in Delhi early in the morning and travel by bus the 270 kilometers to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, also known as the Pink City. We stop along the way for breakfast. We already feel like we are really in India. Once in Jaipur we stay at a 4-star hotel where we also have lunch together. The rest of the day is free for rest or your own activities.

Breakfast is served at the hotel and then the journey to Amber Fort by bus and jeep. Once at this castle and palace complex, we admire the well-preserved original paintings and the dizzying view of Moata Lake and the surrounding landscape. Then we visit a craft cooperative.

At lunchtime there is the opportunity to visit a family of doctors who will tell us about Indian everyday life and family traditions. We are invited to a welcome drink and then a cooking demonstration where you can actively participate. Lunch is eaten together. The excursion needs to be pre-booked before departure. Price from $38.

In the afternoon we take a tour with a local guide in Jaipur and see, among other things, Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), Jaipur Observatory Jantar Mantar and Maharaja's Palace City Palace which can basically be considered a city within the city. Dinner is served at the hotel.

Breakfast and drive to Ranthambore through a landscape of impressive mountains and small Indian villages. After lunch at our 4-star hotel , you can choose between a relaxing afternoon by the pool or a stroll in the surroundings. Ranthambore is a famous nature reserve renowned for its tigers. The area was previously the private hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur. Afternoon tea or coffee (with traditional music) is included at the hotel, as is the evening's dinner.

Early morning we gather for a safari drive in an open safari bus through Ranthambore National Park. With its vast forests and open grasslands, the park covers an area of more than 400 square kilometers. If we are lucky we will see atiger but there are also slotted bears, leopards, monkeys, jackals, deer and manybird species (the morning safari is included in the price of the trip). Lunch, afternoon tea/coffee and dinner are included at the hotel.

Breakfast is served at the hotel and then we take the bus to Agra. On the way we stop for lunch and visit the city of Fatehpur Sikri in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The city is known as a "ghost city" and was more or less abandoned at one time due to water shortages, but is now a major tourist attraction. The city includes a large palace area and is home to one of India's largest mosques and a number of monumental tombs. In Agra we check into a new 4-star hotel where we will stay for two nights.

Today it's time for the highlight of the trip: Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan's magical monument of love, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We then continue to Agra Fort. Here Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his own son and is said to have died in one of the fort's towers. We then visit artisans who still know the art of making precious stone inlays in marble. We then have lunch at the hotel and have the afternoon free for your own wanderings.

In the evening there is the opportunity to experience the Mohabbat E Taj show. It is a live concert that depicts Shahjahan & Mumtaz Mahal's love story and shows India's rich cultural and historical heritage . The show needs to be booked in advance before departure. Price from $33.

Breakfast and then travel on the new Yamuna expressway to Delhi. Once there, we have lunch and visit the Jama Mosque, the largest and perhaps the finest in all of India. We are now in Old Delhi's bustling bazaars and street life and take a tour of the alleys by cycle rickshaw. Along the way, there is a full trade of all kinds of fruits and fragrant spices in large piles. Then we continue by bus past the Red Fort and take a walk at Raj Ghat. In Delhi, we check into the hotel Zone connect by Park.

After breakfast we take a tour by bus of New Delhi, an elegant metropolis of impressive buildings and wide boulevards. Here you will find, among other things, the parade street Rajpath, the Presidential Palace and the memorial arch India Gate. With its more than 3000-year history, Delhi has had a unique influence on Indian cultural history. We also visit a gurdwara, the holy temple of the Sikhs. After lunch we go to the Qutab Minar complex, one of India's most fascinating UNESCO-listed sights.

Transfer to the airport. We fly to our hometown.