Wildlife watching tours - bird watching holidays -
culture tours for independent travellers and groups
Taj Mahal © P Clarke
Diwan i aam at Agra Fort © P ClarkeJodhpur city from Mehrangarh Fort © P VashisthaHumayun's Tomb, Delhi © P ClarkeTaj Mahal, Agra © R F Porter

Indian Culture With Wildlife Tour (14 days) C122B

Tour ref. no. C122B
Duration: 12 nights (14 days taking into account flights which are payable directly)
Delhi – Agra – Chambal - Bharatpur – Jaipur – Jodhpur – Udaipur – Delhi
  • Explore vibrant cities with a wealth of monuments, temples and palaces
  • Enjoy the Taj Mahal’s beauty: see the Amber Fort from elephant back
  • Enjoy a boat safari on the Chambal River – see Crocodiles and lots more
  • Rickshaw rides to see colourful and varied wildlife at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
  • Experience daily life in a Bishnoi community village
Locations:
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Introduction

Enjoy some of India’s sensational monuments and most famous cities on this classic culture tour. Marvel at the intricate details that place the Taj Mahal as one of the most stunning man-made features on earth! Take a boat safari on the Chambal River for incredible views of the rare Gharial (a fish-eating crocodile) and the comical Indian Skimmer. Visit the famous Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary where storks, cranes and egrets nest. Explore the Pink City of Jaipur, famous for silk and gem stones and see the famous Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) and the Amber Fort. Discover the Blue City of Jodhpur, with the impressive Mehrangarh Fort dominating the skyline. Take a boat trip on Lake Pichola and perhaps see Lake Palace as James Bond would have done in the filming of “Octopussy”. This enchanting journey is perfect for anyone interested in architecture, culture, wildlife or photography.

Itinerary and price

Day 1: Flight to be organised by you.

For help with your flight arrangements and to receive a no obligation quote, you can complete the enquiry form on our website or call 0800 280 8947 to speak to a flight advisor at StudentUniverse (in partnership with Gapyear.com), part of the Flight Centre Travel Group, a leading retailer of airfares and worldwide flights.

Day 2: Delhi
Meals: Payable directly today Arrive at New Delhi airport where you will be welcomed by our representative.  Your driver will then take you to your hotel.  Check-in at most places is from 12 noon – often earlier if the room is available.  Explore Delhi for the remainder of the day (with your driver).  From here we recommend you visit Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar where you should see Black Kites flying overhead, Purple Sunbirds in the shrubbery and Five-striped Palm Squirrels.  If time permits take a drive to see India Gate and the Government buildings.  Note: In the big cities there are plenty of places where you can eat out cheaply, or alternatively you can check the menu at your hotel.  Extra note: We haven’t included any monument entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary details for this tour, as paying directly you can pick and choose which ones you would prefer to visit.  However, if you would like us to price with all the monument entrance fees included, please contact us and we will supply you with a supplement.
Day 3: Delhi – Agra
Meals: Breakfast in Delhi After breakfast leave for Agra.  Expect the journey to take around 4 – 5 hours depending on traffic.  In the afternoon visit the Taj Mahal (closed on Fridays) and the rather splendid Agra Fort if time permits.  Night at hotel in Agra.
Day 4: Agra - Chambal - Fatehpur Sikri - Bharatpur
Meals: Breakfast in Agra, lunch en route and dinner at Bharatpur After breakfast your driver will take you to the Chambal River at Dholpur - a journey of around 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy a one-hour boat safari (guide excluded) to see the amazing Gharial, Marsh Crocodile, various species of turtle and the charismatic Indian Skimmer. Note: if you feel you would like a longer boat safari please let us know and we can supply a supplement.  On the way to Bharatpur, after approximately three hours drive you will stop at the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri.  Explore this fascinating World Heritage Site with a guide before continuing the short distance on to Bharatpur.
Day 5: Bharatpur
Meals: Breakfast, lunch or packed lunch and dinner Today a guide will help you explore for a full day Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary’s myriad of beautiful waterways, open lakes and small pools. Expect to see many species of birds close up including storks, egrets and owls and with luck you may see Jungle Cat, Golden Jackal and Nilgai too. It really is a paradise for photographers and be sure to admire the lovely sunsets too. Night in hotel at Bharatpur.
Day 6: Bharatpur - Jaipur
Meals: Breakfast at Bharatpur After a leisurely start you will be driven (3 1/2 hours) to the Pink City of Jaipur.  Relax in the heat of the day and explore locally (on own with your driver) in the late afternoon/evening.  Night at hotel.
Day 7: Jaipur
Meals: Breakfast Following breakfast you’ll explore the impressive Amber Fort (partly on elephant back), followed by a guided tour of Jaipur, including the City Palace and the Observatory. Return to your hotel for the evening.
Day 8: Jaipur - Jodhpur
Meals: Breakfast Spend a final few hours exploring Jaipur then drive (6 hours) to Jodhpur, the Blue City, located on the edge of the Great Thar Desert. You could, if you wish, visit Pushkar en-route.  On arrival at Jodhpur check in to your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure, admiring views dominated by Mehrangarh Fort or perhaps visit the Clock Tower and colourful Sardar Market in the old part of the city.
Day 9: Jodhpur
Meals: Breakfast Following breakfast enjoy a morning excursion by jeep with guide to the local villages of the Bishnoi community.  You’ll be able to experience the daily life of this tribe, visit the local school, the shepherd and his family, a weaver and a potter.  Often you can see Demoiselle Cranes, Indian Gazelle (Chinkara) and Blackbuck locally.  Drive back to Jodhpur around lunch time and in the afternoon take a guided tour of the impressive Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada, the latter being a memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II.  Spend a second night at your hotel.
Day 10: Jodhpur - Udaipur
Meals: Breakfast After breakfast drive to Udaipur (6 – 7 hours) and check in to your hotel.  Relax for the remainder of the day in what is reputed to be one of the most romantic cities in India with Lake Pichola at its centre. Udaipur has many temples, palaces and havelis to explore.  The James Bond movie Octopussy helped bring extra fame to the Lake Palace Hotel, along with both Shiv Niwas Palace and Monsoon Palace where many of the scenes were filmed.  Night at your hotel.
Day 11: Udaipur
Meals: Breakfast After breakfast spend the morning on a guided tour of City Palace and the beautifully carved Indo-Aryan Jagdish Temple and in the evening take a boat ride on Lake Pichola (by shared boat).  Night at the same hotel.
Day 12: Udaipur - Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur - Udaipur
Meals: Breakfast A full day excursion to Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur Jain temples is suggested today. The drive from Udaipur to Kumbhalgarh is approx. 2 hours. You’ll have plenty of time to explore the Fort before continuing for another 1 hour to Ranakpur where you can expect to be in awe of one of India’s most important Jain temples.  The main temple here, often referred to as the Four-Faced Temple, dates back to 1439.  Drive to Udaipur (approx. 1 ½ hrs) and relax for the remainder of the day.  Night at your hotel.
Day 13: Udaipur - Delhi
Meals: Breakfast After breakfast your driver will take you to the airport for an internal flight back to Delhi (excluded from price).  You will be met outside the airport by your driver and transferred to your hotel in Delhi.  Night at your hotel in Delhi.
Day 14: Delhi and away
Meals: Breakfast (served from 0700 hours) On this day we have included a departure transfer to the airport to connect with your international flight home (flight to be booked by you directly). Tour ends Prices for different hotel categories, the names of hotels and a list of inclusions/exclusions are shown below. There are plenty of ways to extend this tour. Please ask for details. Price per person for low budget hotels option: 2 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £925 3 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £870 4 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £790 Single room supplement £215 Low budget price is based on the following hotels:
Place Hotel name No. of nights
Delhi Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room 1
Agra Hotel Crystal Inn, Deluxe Room 1
Bharatpur Hotel Sunbird, Standard Room 2
Jaipur Hotel Ram Vilas, Deluxe Room  2
Jodhpur Kalinga, Standard Room  2
Udaipur Hotel Sarovar, Standard Room  3
Delhi Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room  1
Price per person for mid budget hotels option: 2 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £995 3 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £935 4 people travelling together (on a twin share basis) £855 Single room supplement £260 Mid budget price is based on the following hotels:
Place Hotel name No. of nights
Delhi Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room 1
Agra Hotel Seven Hills Tower, Deluxe Room 1
Bharatpur Hotel Sunbird, Standard Room 2
Jaipur Park Regis, Deluxe Room  2
Jodhpur Devi Bhawan, Deluxe Room  2
Udaipur Devraj Villa, Deluxe Room  3
Delhi Hotel Almora, Deluxe Room  1
Price includes
  • Accommodation in the above mentioned hotels with meals as listed
  • All mentioned transfers by air-conditioned vehicle
  • A one-hour boat safari on the Chambal river with boat crew (without naturalist guide)
  • Local guide for one full day at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary with entrance fee paid once
  • Elephant ride at Amber Fort, Jaipur
  • Within the deluxe price only one afternoon exploring around the lodge with the lodge naturalist is included
  • Half day jeep safari to Bishnoi villages along with local English speaking guide
  • Boat ride (shared) on Lake Pichola, Udaipur
  • All currently applicable taxes
  • Pre-travel information
Price excludes
  • Any international airfare to/from India including International airport tax
  • Any internal airfare
  • Meals not specified
  • Tourist visa and travel insurance
  • Entrances fees to monuments visited which are listed in the itinerary, except for the sites and experiences mentioned in the inclusions.  If you'd like a cost to include all the moment fee's please email and we will supply
  • Camera fee and camcorder fee where levied
  • Any additional taxes levied by the Government of India on the tourism sector in future
  • Any expenses of personal nature such as hard/soft drinks, laundry, phone/fax calls, tips etc.
  • Any item not mentioned in the price includes section
  • Any increase in the entrance fee to Sanctuaries or monuments in the future. The price is based on the current entrance fee
  • Cost incidental to any change in the itinerary/stay on account of flight cancellation due to bad weather, ill health, roadblocks and/or any factors beyond control

How to book

The booking of this itinerary is with Wild About Travel Limited and our booking terms and conditions apply. In order to protect your payments we operate a trust account in accordance with the requirements of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

Please contact Jo Thomas at Wild About Travel (jo@wildabouttravel.co.uk) / 01480-370593 to register your interest and request a booking form.

To confirm your booking please complete the booking form and send a 25% deposit by £ sterling cheque * payable to Wild About Travel Trust to the Wild About Travel Office, 27, Reeve Way, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 2PH, UK. The balance payment would be due 40 - 60 days (to be confirmed at the time of booking) prior to your travel dates.

* Note: Where a price is given in another currency you can pay in £ sterling. We will use the Lloyds Bank exchange rate at the time of making the deposit payment and the balance payment to convert the figure to £. If you would prefer to make a payment by internet banking please let us know and we can supply you with the bank details.

Flights

We can advise on appropriate flights and timings that you may wish to book, but we do not organise or arrange flights on our customers’ behalf. You will need to make your own flight arrangements directly with a flight retailer or the airline concerned.

For any help or advice please call or email Wild About Travel and we would be happy to assist.
Tel: +44 (0)1480 370593 Mobile: +44 (0)7817 574235
Email: jo@wildabouttravel.co.uk
Wild About Travel Limited is a company registered in England and Wales.
Reg. no. 5522066. Registered Office: 27, Reeve Way, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 2PH, UK

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