North India: A Royal Journey with the Diwali Festival and the Pushkar Camel Fair
CANCELLED
Oct. 14 – Oct. 31, 2009
Price: From $7,995 (Air additional from selected gateways)
Tour Length: 20 days
View Brochure (PDF)
Travel through time and the pages of history as you tour exotic India. Your trip is timed to coincide with Diwali or "Festival of Lights," a time that is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm and happiness over five continuous days. It is also the time of the Pushkar Fair. Pushkar has a carnival mood during this trade fair where everything is being bartered and sold, including camels, handmade rugs, exquisitely embroidered skirts, leather bags, wood and stone carvings and ethnic silver jewelry.
Enjoy traveling with a small group of Carolina alumni and friends as you explore forts and palaces of the Maharajas of Rajasthan, experience game drives in Ranthambore to track the elusive tiger and participate in specially arranged cultural interactions with local economists and business leaders, students and families.
This incredible cultural journey throughout northern India is a kaleidoscope of images and colors, from the sublime Taj Mahal at daybreak, to the hundreds of painted and decorated camels patiently resting on the sand dunes as their owners bargain at the camel trading fair.
Return home enriched by this land of diverse and enduring cultures. A four-day extension to Varanasi and Khajuraho with fully guided tours, including a pre-dawn boat ride on the River Ganges and visits to some of India's most magnificent temples, is offered.
Itinerary
Day 1 Depart U.S. to New Delhi, India (provided for air-inclusive participants only)
Day 2 New Delhi
Day 3 Old Delhi
Day 4 New Delhi
Day 5 Agra/Taj Mahal
Day 6 Delhi/Fatehpur Sikri/Ranthambore
Day 7 Ranthambore
Day 8 Ranthambore/Jaipur
Day 9 Jaipur
Day 10 Jaipur/Pushkar
Day 11 Pushkar
Day 12 Pushkar
Day 13 Pushkar/Jodhpur
Day 14 Jodhpur
Day 15 Jodhpur/Udaipur
Day 16 Udaipur
Day 17 Udaipur/Delhi
Day 18 Return to U.S. or post-tour extension in Varanasi and Khajuraho (provided for air-inclusive participants only)
Note: Tour limited to 25 participants. Tour schedule is subject to change due to local conditions. Many excursions in this program involve an element of walking as some of the finest attractions are located in areas not closely accessible by motorcoach.