MARWARI HORSE & PUSHKAR FAIR

SEASON: (01 November 2008 - 16 November 2008)

Duration :- 16 Nights / 17 Days

Destinations: Delhi-Ranthambhore-Rajmahal- Junia-Meru- Pachewar-Rehlana- Kishangar-Mahgri- Pushkar-Jaipur-DELHI

Day 01/ Arrival Delhi

Arrival in Delhi and meet with our representatives who will transfer you to the pre-booked hotel for overnight stay.

Day-02/ Delhi

Start your tour of Delhi by visiting Rajghat - to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi and proceed to a tour of Old Delhi covering the 16th century Mughal monuments- Red Fort and Jama Masjid. A short trip to Chandni Chowk and Gurudwara Sis Gunj ends the Old Delhi tour.

Post lunch, drive to the Lotus temple, the historic Qutab Minar, Chattarpur Mandir and Humayun’s tomb. Evening trip to Akshardham Temple and watch the Beautiful Musical Fountain show before returning to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 03 / Delhi-Ranthambhore

Proceed for the morning drive to Sawai Madhopur, Ranthambhore en-route halting for lunch.

Ranthambhore: Counted amongst countries most popular wildlife reserves, it attracts more than 80,000 visitors every year. One of the earliest sanctuary and now a part of Project Tiger, the park apart from a large variety of flora & fauna, is famous of its population of Tigers.

After a game drive into the reserve, return to the forest resort for dinner & overnight stay.

Day 04/ Ranthamhore-Rajmahal

Morning and evening safari to Ranthambhore accompanied by a naturalist to observe its flora and fauna from close quarters. Proceed on the popular Tiger tracking along with sightings of other wildlife attractions.

Later, transfer to Raj Mahal and upon arrival check-into Raj Mahal Palace Hotel. One of the grandeur hotels of Rajasthan, it was built in 1798 as a heritage property on the banks of river Banas. Later, a formal briefing about the horse safari and the ways of handling the creature. Take a short ride around the village for getting familiar with your horse.

Evening bird watching tour on the lakeside followed by nature walk.

Overnight stay at Raj Mahal Garh.

Day 05 / Rajmahal-Junia

After a leisurely breakfast, ride to Junia and upon arrival check-in at Amar Bagh, a luxury hotel offering 38 elegant rooms displaying the royalties of ancient ‘Mahal’s. The richly decorated palace adds to the royal abmience of the town. After a short ride to the quite town, return to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 06 / Junia-Meru

Morning ride to Meru village on the way passing through barren landscape, numerous sand dunes and ancient ruins, feeling the warm wind blow across perched atop the horse. Upon arrival at Meru stay at a luxurious camp and feel the nostalgia of the bygone age. It was in one of these tents that the Rajput Emperors used to stay on their occasional trip to the desert. Dinner and overnight at campsite.

Day 07 / Meru-Pachewar

Morning proceed on the ride to Pachewar - the town shaped by its royalty of bygone age. Ride to the 300 year old fort now converted into a luxurious hotel. After some bird-watching and fishing in the fort, a guided visit to the ancient temples, royal cenotaphs and villages of Pachewar. Evening ride back to the campsite for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 08 / Pachewar-Rehlana

The caravan of marwari horse riders will move towards Rehlana, stopping on the way for lunch and upon arrival transfer to a luxurious camp. Post lunch, horse safari around the tiny village where passing through farm lands you may come across the desert fox apart from Blue Bulls –the largest antelope in the world. Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 09 / Rehlana-Kishangarh

After breakfast, continue riding towards Kishangarh, once ruled by the valiant Rathores. Upon arrival transfer to the Campsite. Later, ride through the sleepy town exploring it and witnessing the famous Bani Thani style of paintings. Overnight in tented accommodation.

Day 10 / Kishangar-Mahgri

Today the horse rider caravan move towards the Maghri Village passing through sand dunes and farm lands and upon arrival stay at a luxurious camp. Later, ride to the local village to observe the nomadic lifestyles of the people.

Spend your night in tented accommodation.

Day 11 / Mangri-Pushkar

Morning drive to Pushkar (135 Km - 03 Hrs) and upon arrival transfer to a luxurious camp located at Thar Marwari. Feel the nostalgia of the bygone age staying at a camp full of all modern facilities. Post lunch, a casual horse ride around the town for sightseeing.

Pushkar: One of the sacred Hindu pilgrimage destinations, Pushkar is a town brimming with colorful people and religious atmosphere. Settled around the holy Pushkar Lake, it is surrounded by more than 500 temples and a dip in the lakes holy waters is believed to wash away one’s sins. Visit the only temple in the world dedicated to Lord Brahma- the creator of the world followed by visit to the Savitri temple located nearby who was his consortium. A brief visit to the cattle fair ground to get a feel of the hustle-bustle of the place.

Spend overnight at the hotel.

Day 12/ Pushkar

After a leisurely breakfast, ride to the cattle fair ground- the site holding the annual Pushkar cattle fair which is also one of the largest and most popular cattle fare in the country. Thronged by pilgrims and tradesmen who come here in thousands from all parts of the country and trade for cows, goat, bulls, sheep apart from almost all variety of camels. Explore the fair which now is one of the most popular tourist attractions of India. walk through the busy cattle grounds, and take an optional bath in one of the 52 sacred ghats(riverfronts) of the lake.

Overnight at campsite.

Day 13 /Pushkar-Jaipur

Morning drive to Jaipur and upon arrival check-in at a royal Haveli. Later, proceed on a sightseeing tour of the city mostly riding the Marwari horse.

Jaipur: Also known as ‘Pink City’ and the capital of Rajasthan, it is one of the most culturally rich cities in India. Proceed to the City Palace displaying a pleasant blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Visit the museum inside the palace exhibiting various rare and unique Rajasthani and Royal articles followed by drive to the unique ‘Hawa Mahal’ and the Jantar Mantar- the 17th century astronomical instruments which are remarkably accurate and still used by students of astronomy for their research and local farmers to predict the weather patters.

Dinner & overnight at hotel.

Day 14 /Jaipur

After a leisurely breakfast, proceed for a short excursion trip to Amber Fort which used to serve as the capital of Kachwaha Rajputs for over 700 years! The magnificent architecture displays a dominant use of Rajput architecture but the Mughal styles prevalent in those days is also visible in the methodical way of plastering the wall by mosaics- a purely Mughal style apparent in most famous Mughal architecture.

Take a joyful elephant ride before returning to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 15 / Jaipur-Agra

Morning drive to Agra en-route visiting Fatehpur sikri, the abandoned capital of the Mughals and upon arrival transfer to a luxury hotel. Later in the day, you will be escorted by our finest guide to visit the Taj Mahal. The historical monument is one of the 7 wonder of the world to westerners but to the Indians it’s the finest symbol of love ever created by man. Emperor Shahjahan- the fondest of building magnificent architectures amongst all Mughal rulers built this in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, but was later imprisoned by his son at Red Fort- our next destination from where he stared longingly at the Taj during his last days.

Visit the Jama Masjid of Agra regarded as Asia’s largest mosque followed by dinner and overnight stay at Agra.

DAY-16: AGRA-DELHI

After a leisurely breakfast, drive to Delhi and upon arrival meet with our representatives who will transfer you to the designated hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.