The best tour of Rajasthan (Delhi / Mandawa / Bikaner / Jaisalmer / Jodhpur / Udaipur / Pushkar / Jaipur / Fatehpur Sikri /Agra )

Arrival at the international airport. Welcome with flowers and transfer to the hotel. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Then departure for the guided tour of Delhi, capital of India. With more than 14 million inhabitants it is the third city of the country. You will start your discovery by visiting the old city “Old Delhi”. You will first go to the “Jama Masjid” mosque, dating from the 17th century. (Please note that the mosque is open to everyone but you must have your knees and shoulders covered and you will have to take your shoes off to visit the mosque. We advise you to keep your socks on for hygiene reasons.) is without a doubt the largest and most beautiful mosque in India. Then you will pass through the shopping district of Chandni Chowk. Photo stop in front of the Red Fort “Lal Qila”, located just in front of the mosque. We invite you to take a Rickshaw-bike ride to visit the famous Chandni Chowk district where the crowd is impressive. We will show you deep India. You will pass by the Kinari Bazar and Dariba fabric market and see the main bazaars in the old town. Departure to the Shekhawati region in the middle of the day. Arrival late at night. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, visit some havelis of Shekhawati which is a desert region. What makes this region famous are the havelis (mansion-style houses) of the wealthy Marwaris merchants decorated with murals. Continue to Bikaner, a former princely state founded by a Rajput chief Rao Bikaji. Bikaner was once used as a passage for caravans crossing the Thar Desert to reach the province of Sindh in Pakistan. Arrival in Bikaner. Installation at the hotel. Then visit Fort Junagarh which has been transformed into a museum. You will see beautiful objects in the museum such as the first elevator in Rajasthan and the first telephone in Bikaner. You will see the photos of Maharaja Ganga Singh with Georges Clemenceau. You will also see the private planes of Maharaja Ganga Singh he received as a gift from the British after the First World War. After this visit, we advise you to take the tour of the old town of Bikaner by rickshaw. This is the best way to see the alleys of the old town where you will appreciate the 18th century Havélis in red sandstone. You will be impressed by the harmony between man and animal when you see sacred cows in the street who are not afraid of anything. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure by road to Jaisalmer through the Thar Desert. Arrival in Jaisalmer and installation in the afternoon. Free time during the late afternoon to rest or stroll around town. Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure for the visit of Jaisalmer. You will visit the Citadel built on a hill overlooking the lower town, the Jain temples and the Gadisar reserve. You have to take your shoes off for the Jain temples and any leather object is forbidden in the temple because the Jains are strictly vegetarians and the leather is animal skin. You will descend into the lower town after visiting the Jaisalmer Fort. The upper castes of the city once lived in the upper town and the rest in the lower town. You will have the opportunity to stroll through the small picturesque alleys of Jaisalmer to pass mansions with finely carved facades. You will see the famous Havelis of Jaisalmer such as Patwa Haveli. Return to the hotel. Departure for Khuri or Sam Dunes to watch the sunset in the Thar Desert. Located 40 km from Jaisalmer, it is a place covered with sand dunes for a few kilometers. Return and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel then departure for Jodhpur, the blue city. Arrival in Jodhpur. Jodhpur is a bustling city that perfectly reflects the image of an ancient princely state. Then, you will discover the old town, surrounded by a city wall pierced by seven doors, and its colorful bazaars. During the walk through the bazaars, you will discover beautiful carved stone mansions and temples. Visit of the impressive and arguably the most beautiful citadel in Rajasthan: the “Mehrangarh Fort”. It is a red sandstone fortress, dominating the city with its various palaces of the Maharajas. From the cannon terrace, you will have a splendid view of the city and its bazaars. Visit of Jaswant Thada, the memorial of Maharaja Jaswant Singh in white marble. Installation at the hotel. Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure by road to Ranakpur, located 95 km from Udaipur. Ranakpur is known for its Jain temples. You will visit the temple of Adinath and be captivated by the beauty and complexity of its architecture. Know that short clothing is prohibited in the temple; you have to have your knees and shoulders covered. Leather objects are prohibited in the temple and you must also take your shoes off. A nice place for lunch would be Maharani Bagh, which is 5 minutes from Ranakpur temple. After visiting the temples, departure to Udaipur, a picturesque and romantic city surrounded by five lakes. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure for the visit of Udaipur. You will visit the City Palace located on the shores of Lake Pichola with its superb courtyards and magnificent rooms such as the “Dilkush Mahal”, “Karan Mahal” and “Moti Mahal” built in white marble. From the top of the City Palace, you will have beautiful views of Lake Pichola. You will stop in the “Sahelionki Bari” garden with its basin which is often covered with lotus flowers and its marble fountains. MaharanaSangram Singh built this beautiful garden for the bridesmaids of his queen. At the end of the day, boat trip on Lake Pichola. Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure to Pushkar, holy city of pilgrimage dedicated to Brahma. Arrival in Pushkar and free time to walk around the village and to visit the famous temple of Brahma. Watch out for priests who pretend to pray for you for business purposes! Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure to Jaipur. Founded by the prince astronomer Maharaja Jai ​​Singh II, it is certainly the most colorful city in India which exudes a special atmosphere with its very lively bazaars, bubbling with activity and crowded with human tides with multicolored turbans. The old town, in the form of a square, is surrounded by a thick wall pierced by nine doors. Arrival in Jaipur and installation at the hotel.

In the afternoon, you will visit the “Jantar Mantar” Observatory, built in 1728 by the prince astronomer Maharaja Jai ​​Singh II, the Maharaja’s Palace (City Palace) in pink sandstone and white marble. It was turned into a museum by the last Maharaja and contains a fine collection of weapons and costumes. Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure for an excursion to Amber Fort, the old capital, located 10 km from Jaipur. A stop en route to take a beautiful photo of Palace of the Winds, the symbol of Jaipur. We recommend that you stop there early in the morning to get the best light.

Amber Fort is built on a hill in a very beautiful landscape. You will access the Palace on the back of an elephant as the Maharajas did at the time. You will visit the temple dedicated to the destructive goddess Kali, the rooms of the private audiences located around a pleasant small garden and richly decorated doors. From there, you will have very nice panoramic views to take some pictures. The ascent is on the back of an elephant and the descent on foot.

Some free time to see the very colorful and lively bazaars. This will be an opportunity for you to make some purchases there. There are very beautiful rugs, precious stones, gold and silver jewelry, sandalwood sculptures, pottery, embroidery, ivory miniatures and fabrics … it is the capital of shopping . The vehicle remains at your disposal for shopping. Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure to Agra. Along the way, visit the city of Fatehpur Sikri. It was built in 1569 to be the capital of Emperor Akbar and then abandoned ten years later for lack of water. It is thanks to this abandonment that the city did not suffer any destruction during the wars of the end of the Mughal era and has remained completely intact. You will discover the courtrooms, private rooms, residences of ministers, the pillar grouping together the symbols of the Aine-é-Akbri religion, invented by Akbar, the Punch Mahal, a curious five-storey building resembling a monument Buddhist, the caravanserai, the Birbal Palace, the great mosque, the tomb of a Muslim saint, Sheikh Salim Chisti. According to legend, Akbar had his son Aurangzeb by praying to this saint. This tomb is still venerated by women wishing to have a child. You will end your discovery of this ghost town by the “BulandDarwaza” Victory Gate, the largest in Asia, measuring 53 m high. Continuation to Agra. Arrival in Agra. Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, visit the Taj Mahal, the most beautiful monument in India: this Mughal monument, was built by Emperor Shah Jehan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the “lady of the Taj”. It is considered the most extravagant monument ever built for love, as the emperor was heartbroken when Mumtaz Mahal, to whom he had been married for 17 years, died in childbirth in 1629, after giving birth to his 14th child. The construction of the Taj was undertaken in 1631 and was completed in 1653. The Taj deserves more than a simple visit because its appearance and the atmosphere which emerges from it changes according to the hours of the day.