9 days 8 nights
North India
Cultural Tour, Special Tour, Festival Tour
Group & Private
01 Pax onwards
One of India’s most popular travel experiences has to be the Pushkar Camel Fair. This is an incredible spectacle where the small town of Pushkar in Rajasthan comes alive, and yes, it is filled with camels, but there is so much more! It is a festival to delight your senses with the many colours, sights and sounds as well as amazing food…. a lot of fun all around. We offer this holiday combined with a tour of the Golden Triangle comprising the 3 cities of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:-
“EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE LARGEST AND FAMOUS CATTLE FAIR OF INDIA KNOWN AS PUSHKAR FESTIVAL”
NOTE:- This tour has a group departure with fixed dates and can also be booked as a private tour for couple or a family or group of friends with your own private vehicle and personal guides and drivers. Please raise a request for the same to us and we will revert to you.
*This tour has Simple, Standard and Deluxe departures. Please check with us for details
Your journey begins in Delhi. With a colourful mix of history, culture and modernisation, Delhi is a fantastic place to explore.
On arrival in Delhi you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for check in.
If your arrival is during the day, your guide will hand over all your documents including hotel vouchers, flight and train tickets, discuss the whole tour with you, answer any questions you may have and arrange the meeting time for the next day. If your arrival is late we give you a chance to rest first and go through the handover the next day followed by your first sightseeing tour.
Overnight in Delhi
Meals included: Dinner
A special opportunity to soak in the sounds and aromas of Delhi and discover why it is known as the heart of India...
In the morning enjoy a guided tour of Delhi. Explore Old Delhi's heritage walking through the narrow lanes and experience a rickshaw ride.Visit key places such as: Jama Masjid – one of the largest mosques in India, Raj Ghat – Mahatma Gandhi's monument, Sikh Gurdwara – an important Sikh temple and quiet refuge in the busy city and the iconic Lotus Temple.
Later drive to India Gate, the President's House and Lutyen's buildings and have the opportunity to shop at some local markets.
Overnight in Delhi
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
This morning you will be collected from your hotel and taken to the station for your early morning train to Ajmer (the train departs at 6am and arrives into Ajmer at 12:45pm). On arrival in Ajmer, you will be met at the station and taken to your camp in Pushkar. Your driver this afternoon will take you to the Camel Fair where you can explore on your own. This is far more than just a place to trade livestock, it is an extraordinary event where camels come from afar as do the musicians, snake charmers, mystics and travellers. Make sure your camera is charged and ready - it is a festival of sights and colours.
Your accommodation for your time in Pushkar is at the Royal Desert Camp. Staying at the camps is a fantastic way to experience the Camel Fair. From here you can either use the car and driver (at your disposal) or you can use the camel carts and camel rides which the camp provides.
There are also various cultural programs run in the evenings. The tents are air-conditioned with an ensuite bathroom (western toilet and hot showers).
Overnight in Pushkar
*If you would prefer to stay in a hotel in Pushkar, please contact us for rates.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Today your guide and driver will take you on a guided tour of Pushkar - including the Brahma Temple.
In the afternoon, you may wish to explore more of the Camel Fair, enjoy the festivities or relax as you like.
Overnight in Pushkar
*If you would prefer to stay in a hotel in Pushkar, please contact us for rates.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
After breakfast, you will be driven to Jaipur in Rajasthan (around 3 hours drive). This bustling and fascinating city has some of the finest examples of Rajasthani architecture and whilst it is a growing city with a modern outlook, camels can be found wandering the streets and rickshaws blend in with the traffic.
On arrival you will be taken to your hotel for check-in. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure. In the evening you will be taken to a lovely but simple cafe located in Nahargarh Palace. Perched on top of a hill, it offers a superb bird’s eye view of the city. Enjoy watching the sun going down over the city.
Overnight in Jaipur
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
After breakfast visit the ancient palace of Amber Fort*, which is exquisite in many ways – size, scale, craftsmanship, history and sits on a hilltop with stunning views.
One of the most spectacular buildings contained in the fort is the Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors), with its walls completely covered with tiny mirrors. It has been designed so that even if a single ray of light enters the hall, this light is reflected in all the mirrors and the entire hall lights up.
Later visit the key sights and wonders of the Pink City in the heart of Jaipur. Visit the Observatory, the Maharaja's City Palace and Hawa Mahal (also known as Palace of the Winds and viewed from the outside only). Built of red and pink sandstone it is said to resemble the honeycomb structure of a bee’s nest. It was called the Palace of Winds as in the original design it had a clever cooling system that allowed a gentle breeze to pass through the Palace – very welcome in the hot Rajasthani summers.It is said to have been built as an observatory where the women of the Maharaja's City Palace could observe the outside world whilst remaining inside the palace.
The bustling bazaars of the old city are a great place to shop and explore and are some of the most vibrant in Asia – Rajasthan is known for its colour!
*You have the option to take an elephant ride to Amber Fort. The cost of this is USD 12 per person (2 people on an elephant) or USD 24 (one person atop an elephant). There are strict regulations in place to limit the total number of journeys each elephant can do in a day, and they are only allowed to carry 2 passengers at a time to prevent any over-working of elephants.
Overnight in Jaipur
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
After breakfast you will be collected for the drive to Agra (around 5 hours). On the way stop at the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Located in the Keoladeo National Park, a world heritage site and protected sanctuary, home to thousands of birds. Enjoy this wonder of India as you ride through the park on a rickshaw.
Visit a local school (subject to the school being open) and village before having lunch at a local restaurant. Continue on to the deserted Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri. Walk through the city with your guide hearing the intriguing story behind the abandoning of the city and learn about its great architecture.
Overnight in Agra
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Visiting the Taj Mahal in the early morning is something special. Watch as the marble changes colour as the sun rises and wander the grounds of the Taj Mahal with your guide marvelling at its wonder. You will then be taken back to your hotel for breakfast.
Later in the morning, visit the majestic Agra Fort. Step back to an era of great palaces and grand forts. The fort itself is magnificent and has wonderful views of the Taj Mahal in the distance.
Later visit a Marble factory where you see the fascinating inlay work of local artisans whose forefathers built the Taj Mahal.
In the afternoon you will be driven back to Delhi.
Overnight in Delhi
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Today the tour ends. You will be taken to the airport in time for your flight home or onto your next adventure.
Meals included: Breakfast
Official Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
* Guest House or a similar Homestay
Official Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4* Modern or similar Superior Heritage Hotel
Official Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5* Modern or similar Deluxe Heritage Hotel
8 nights' accommodation
Check-in & check-out time: generally, check in is after 2 pm and check out before12 pm. Early check-in and late check-out FOC are subject to room availability at the discretion of hotel. Guaranteed early check-in and late check-out may generate additional charges.
18 meals as per itinerary - 8 breakfasts, 5 lunch, 5 dinners.
All airport transfers - by private vehicle.
Assistance by rep/driver at the airport during International arrival and departure.
All transportation throughout the tour in a private air-conditioned vehicle. The vehicle used will depend on the size of your group and will range from an air-conditioned car for groups of 2, a Toyota Innova for groups of 2 or 3, a minivan for groups of 4-10 people and for groups over 10 a coach will be used.
English speaking guides. Private or small group tour you will have a local guide in each location but for large group of 8 pax or more will have an accompanying guide/escort for the trip.
Entrance and sightseeing fees as stated in the itinerary.
Free wifi available at the hotel lobby or room (as per availability in hotels).
Mineral water on tour days with our compliments.
Taxes and service fees.Upon purchase of your tour online you will immediately receive a receipt and order confirmation. Travelbay will contact the tour operator to confirm availability for all accommodation and transportation for your tour. As soon as we have confirmed the dates (usually within 48 hours sometimes a little longer at weekends) we will email you your booking confirmation. We will request further information from you to ensure that all your personal preferences are taken care of. This will include details such as your accommodation preferences, dietary requests, allergies, health issues, emergency contact and any special requirements. We will also request a copy of each traveller’s passport
Capital City: New Delhi
Population: 1.366 billion
Languages: There is no national language in India. Hindi and English are both official languages. India has over 1,000 spoken languages. The languages with the most number of speakers are Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi and Tamil.
Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
Time Zone: (GMT+05:30) Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi
Dialling code: +91
Religion: Hinduism is the predominant followed by Islam, Christianity, Sikh, Buddhism and Jainism
The best time to visit India is from October through to March. At this time, the weather across India is mostly warm and dry.
India is a large country with a huge range of varying climates. Most of the country is sub tropical with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Below is a very general overview to give you some idea of what to expect.
North India
South India:
How to get there
This tour starts and ends in Delhi.
Flights from Australia to India are approximately $900 – $1,200 per person return. The actual price varies depending on departure city, time of year and luck of the draw!
Travelbay works together with an excellent corporate flight booking company and we would be happy to provide you with a free quote.
If you choose to book your flights with Travelbay, we charge a $50 booking fee for this service.
Most nationalities require a visa when travelling to India. You need to apply for and receive your visa before you depart.
You can apply for an e-visa online or you can apply for your visa via VSF Global who works in conjunction with the Indian embassy. For more information you can visit our visa information page.
To find out the visa requirements for India, you can also check here with Visalink.
Please note: We attempt to provide you with the latest information and links. However, please be aware that it is each traveller’s responsibility (and not Travelbay’s) to ensure that you have a valid visa if required for any country you visit.
