Indien & Nepal

Day 1 to 1 – Arrive Delhi

Delhi is India’s bustling capital, political and cultural centre, with a population of almost 13 million and is bound to be a city that keeps you on your toes no matter what time of day it is!

Many dynasties have ruled here and they have all left their own legacies in the architecture, culture and monuments. The city has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times in its long history. Distances are long in the city and walking to places can be futile. Take a bike rickshaw or a motorised rickshaw to get around some of the sites. You can visit the Gandhi Memorial Museum or the infamous Red Fort, maybe make your way to Humayun’s Tomb in south Delhi, near Hazrat Nizamuddin station, one of Delhi’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A popular way to discover Delhi for many people is to take a bicycle rickshaw tour and check out the view from Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India.

Included on your tour is an orientation walk through the Karol Burgh area in Delhi. This excursion is only available in the evening of the first day of your tour, before your pre-departure meeting. Ask a member of the reservations team for more details.

Tucan Travel’s group tours operate on a modular system with smaller tour sections joining the main tour throughout its duration. Please note that on this tour, you will join the main India and Nepal tour in Agra/Jaipur . Upon your arrival to Delhi, your Tour leader will have left information for you at the hotel reception and a time to meet the local Tucan Travel guide who will provide a brief pre- departure meeting and your bus/train tickets to join the main tour in Agra/Jaipur. The Tucan Travel local guide will also escort you to the bus/train station to ensure that your boarding is easy and problem free. Upon arrival at Agra/Jaipur you will be met by your Tour Leader who will escort you to the hotel to join your new friends at the hotel.

Included Excursions

Evening walk around Karol Bagh

Optional Excursions

Red Fort – US$10 • Qutab Minar – US$10 • Gandhi Memorial Museum – free • National Museum – INR 150 • Jama Masjid – free (camera charge INR 200) • Humayun’s Tomb – INR 250 • Salam Balak Trust (This trust offers educational opportunities and meals to street children, teaching them trades and giving them the chance of a brighter future. If time allows your tour leader may bring you here or you can donate money through your tour leader.)

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels at Hotel Perfect or similar

Day 2 to 3 – Agra

Today you will travel by train to the industrial city of Agra, steeped in history and tradition, and home to the world-famous Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal never ceases to amaze all who visit to marvel at what is possibly the greatest testimonial to love and romance ever built. It was commissioned between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife.

There is more to Agra than monuments of love, and other popular attractions include the Agra Fort and Tomb of Itimad-Ud-Daulah. You will have free time in Agra to explore at your leisure or book some optional excursions. Your tour leader will offer suggestions and assist you with these.

You have the option to watch the sun set over the Taj Mahal – a truly incredible sight (this will be organised with your tour leader). You might also like to visit Fatehpur Sikri – a complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style. Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire for 10 years. The day will be free to explore Agra further and admire some of Hinduism’s most holy sights.

Included Excursions

Entry & guided tour of the Taj Mahal

Optional Excursions

Fatehpur Sikiri guided tour – US$5 • Agra Fort – INR 300 • Sikandara – INR 150 • Akbar’s Mausoleum – INR 300 • Itmad-ud-Daula – INR 150

Accommodation

2 night(s) in hotels at Hotel Mani Ram Palace or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 4 to 5 – Orchha

In Orchha we will visit the Ram Temple as well as enjoying an heritage walk around the city. You can also visit the beautiful Fort. Built by the first King of Orchha in 1501, it was built on the banks of the Betwa River, surrounded by a battlement wall. It consists of intricate temples and a roof with eight domes on top. Along with the fort there are several other temples to enjoy or sit back and relax on the river.

Included Excursions

Orchha Heritage Walk,Evening Visit to Ram Temple

Optional Excursions

Jahaghir Mahal/Orchha Palace – US$6 • Rafting – US$7 (Seasonal) • Village Visit – US$6

Accommodation

2 night(s) in hotels at Hotel Aditya or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 6 to 6 – Basari Village

Get a feel for local life in the small village of Basari. Here we can enjoy a tour through Basari, discovering the makeshift religious shrines, the smell of incense wafting in the air. Visit a local school (except in school holidays), and discover the caste system that differentiates the houses.

A perfect place to get off the beaten track with friendly locals, Basari Village will take you away from the hustle and bustle of the big Indian cities, for an authentic Indian experience.

Included Excursions

Village Walk,Visit a local school (exc school holidays)

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels at Hotel Hammer Ghari or similar

Day 7 to 7 – Khajuraho

Khajuraho has been growing in popularity in recent years due to the nearby temple. Here exotic architecture has given the temple the nickname of the Kama Sutra temple. You will be able to view the sculptures here, watch the sound and light show in the evening and learn about the story behind the statues.

Included Excursions

,Walk about Khajuraho market

Optional Excursions

Western Group of Temples at the Kama Sutra – US$6 • Panna Tiger Reserve – US$30 • Sound and Light Show at the Kama Sutra Temple – US$6

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels at Hotel Siddharth Khajuraho or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 8 to 8 – Overnight Train to Varanasi

Day 9 to 9 – Varanasi

Varanasi is one of India’s most holy cities and attracts many Hindu pilgrims. We join the crowds along the holy ghats (steps leading down to the water) lining the sacred Ganges where pilgrims take a purifying dip in the river. We also can enjoy an evening boat trip to view the river in all its glory and the significance it plays in the lives of the people. The rest of the day is free to wander through the old city with its maze of narrow alleyways, and visit the temples of one of the oldest and longest inhabited cities in the world.

Included Excursions

Puja Ceremony & boat ride down the River Ganges

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels at Hotel Siddharth Varanasi or similar

Day 10 to 10 – Lumbini

Today we travel down the dusty roads to Lumbini which lies in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. Lumbini is said to be the place where Gautama Buddha ‚the apostle of peace and the light of Asia‘ was born in 623 B.C. The most important temple at Lumbini is the Maya Devi Temple, marking the traditional site of the Buddha’s birth. The temple stands on the site of earlier temples and has been a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years. The area around Lumbini is entirely Hindu, but many Buddhist temples and shrines from various nations are scattered around the holy site itself.

Included Excursions

Maya Devi Temple

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels at Lumbini Guesthouse or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 11 to 12 – Chitwan National Park

We travel to Chitwan National Park. The park is UNESCO World Heritage listed (1984) and is home to one of the last populations of single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros and also of the Bengal tiger. The park is situated in south central Nepal, covering 932 square kilometres in the subtropical lowlands of the inner Terai. The area comprises the Tikauli forest – from Rapti river to the foothills of the Mahabharat – extending over an area of 175 square kilometres. The area became the country’s first National Park in 1973.

We stay inside Chitwan National Park and you will have a choice of optional excursions to enjoy from canoeing and jungle walks to jeep safaris as you keep an eye out for the elusive tiger. In the evening, after a delicious dal baat dinner we watch a Tharu Cultural Dance Show, understanding the different interpretations of the Tharu dances.

Included Excursions

Entry to Chitwan National Park,Tharu Cultural dance show

Optional Excursions

Canoeing – US$10 • Jungle Walk – US$10 • Elephant Breeding Centre – US$5 • Jeep Safari – US$20

Accommodation

2 night(s) in hotels at Chitwan Cottage or similar

Meals

2 Breakfast(s)

Day 13 to 13 – Pokhara

We head to the stunning lake town of Pokhara with spectacular views of the Annapurna mountains. The town is situated on the banks of Lake Phewa Ta, the second largest lake in Nepal. This town itself is very quiet and laid back providing a great base for trekking. Here you can grab some last minute equipment in preparation for your hike in the morning.

Optional Excursions

Paragliding – NPR 8500 • Boat ride on lake – NPR 400/hr • Mountain biking – NPR 200/hr or NPR 800 full day • Kayaking on lake – NPR 200/hr

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels at Baba Lodge or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 14 to 15 – Annapurna Foothills

After a big breakfast, we take a car to the start of our trek and we begin our climb in to the Annapurna Foothills, the views become even more beautiful as we climb to our first nights accommodation at 1900m. We enjoy snow-capped peaks, blue lakes and rivers. The deep valleys and high mountains surrounding the Annapurna Himal include varied terrain, from subtropical jungle to a high, dry landscape.

We spend two days hiking through the Annapurna foothills. The views are breathtaking and the trails are scenic. A guide explains the flora and fauna that we pass and we are assisted by porters who carry your toiletries and a change of clothes. We sleep in rustic lodges along the way and pick up litter along the route. It is a magical two days where you get the opportunity to walk through small villages.

Included Excursions

Annapurna Foothills Trek

Accommodation

2 night(s) in lodges at Hari Lodge or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 16 to 17 – Pokhara

After two nights in the foothills, we return to Pokhara where you can rest your aching feet by the lake and take in the scenery. We visit a Tibetan Refugee Camp to watch how the women make silk rugs and you can hire a boat out on to the lake and also hike up to the Japanese Peace Pagoda. You can hire mountain bike to explore the countryside around the lake.

Included Excursions

Visit Tibetan Refugee Camp,Walk up to World Peace Pagoda

Accommodation

2 night(s) in hotels at Baba Lodge or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 18 to 18 – Kathmandu

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is surrounded by snow-capped mountains while Kathmandu Valley has the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in such a small area and is surrounded by verdant agricultural hills scattered with traditional villages and ancient holy temples and shrines used by both Buddhists and Hindu worshippers.

Explore the many attractions this city has to offer. The backstreets around Durbar Square and Palace are bustling with life with throngs of people going about their lives and selling on the road. Random cows wander the streets, taxis hoot and narrow alleyways overflow with spices, vegetables and handicraft shops with intriguing and unpleasant smells, incessant noise and pollution – triggering a sensory overload. You could also venture to ominously named freak street or Jochne named by the hippies during the 1970s.

Optional Excursions

Car for full day tour – NPR 3500 • Van for full day tour – NPR 5000 • Local guide full day – NPR 2800 • Local guide half day – NPR 1400 • Swyambhunath Temple – NPR 200 • Boudhanath Temple – NPR 1500 • Everest mountain flight – US$191 + USD $2 airport tax

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels at Hotel Kathmandu Prince or similar

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 19 to 19 – Depart Kathmandu

Your adventure of a lifetime comes to an end today. If you have a late flight or have lengthened your stay by adding post tour accommodation you will have more time to explore the sights.

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)