India’s Golden Triangle with Ranthambore

Day 1 London – In Flight
Titan’s VIP Home Departure Service® transports you from your front door to London Heathrow Airport in time for a direct, scheduled overnight Jet Airways or Virgin Atlantic flight to Delhi.

Day 2 Delhi
Upon arrival, we transfer to the 4★ Maidens Hotel or 4★ Jaypee Siddharth Hotel. After a little time for refreshment and relaxation, we head out to explore the extraordinary city of Delhi. We begin in the stunning colonial administrative district of New Delhi designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens; a complex of grandiose governmental buildings and broad processional avenues that once formed the ‘jewel in the crown’ of imperial India and ranks amongst the finest architectural achievements of the 20th century. We visit also the atmospheric remnants of medieval Qutab Minar, the tallest brick minaret in the world, and later, Humayun’s Tomb, dating back to 1570, and inspiration for the Taj Mahal.

Day 3 Delhi – Agra
This morning we turn our focus to Old Delhi (17th century Shah Jahanabad) and the great monuments of the city’s Mughal heyday – the vast Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque), which can accommodate up to 25,000 worshippers, and the Red Fort, residence and stronghold of the imperial family. We also make a stop at the simple and serene black marble memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. We drive to the riverside city of Agra in the afternoon, where our hotel for two nights is the 5★ Trident.

Day 4 Agra
Often described as the greatest monument to love ever created, the Taj is another grand edifice that dates back to the glory days of India’s Mughal emperors. 20,000 skilled labourers worked for 12 years (1631-43) to create this mausoleum and memorial to Shah Jahan’s favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Some see it as a profoundly sad creation, infused in every stone with grief and loss, others an exuberant celebration of love and life. All that can be said for certain is that it is sublime: in the translucence of the marble, the exquisite proportions and decoration of the tomb, and the geometrical perspective of the grounds, balanced with a hugely ornate stone gate to the south, the river to the north and two identical mosques on either side. After a morning dedicated to contemplation of this undoubted wonder of the world, we visit Agra’s imposing fort – a walled city of palaces, mosques, halls and residences occupied for more than 900 years.

Day 5 Agra – Ranthambore
Our journey continues with a visit to Fatehpur Sikri. As the political capital of the Mughal Empire for a little over a decade in the 16th century, Fatehpur Sikri must have been a breathtaking sight to behold – an architecturally harmonious wonderland of palaces, pavilions, public residences, mosques and parks, described by English traveller Ralph Fitch in 1585 as being “considerably larger than London and more populous”. But, superseded by a new capital at Lahore – better located for waging war on the Afghan tribes – Fatehpur Sikri remained abandoned and virtually unknown for hundreds of years. Visitors today may appreciate the original buildings in a stunningly good state of preservation, along with the palpable mystique of a ‘ghost city’.
Later, we continue by road to Bharatpur and join our train bound for Sawai Madhopur. On arrival we take the short transfer to Ranthambore National Park. Formerly the private hunting ground of the maharajas of Jaipur, the park is now better known for its 1,000-year-old fort, surrendering slowly to the encroaching jungle, its picturesque turquoise lakes and, of course, its Bengal tiger reserve, Ranthambore Regency is our lodge for two nights.

Day 6 Ranthambore National Park
Two safari drives present the opportunity to spot characterful residents of this wildlife haven, including leopard, monkey, sloth bear and myriad species of bird. The grand prize is a sighting of the Bengal tiger – a greater possibility thanks to the work of the Ranthambore Foundation, which has striven to conserve the forest cover and increase the bodies of water; work which has borne fruit in a tiger population much increased since 1998.

Day 7 Ranthambore – Jaipur
A third safari drive inspires yet more fond memories of this fine national park and its enchanting residents, and then we drive to Jaipur, popularly known as the ‘pink city’, where our hotel for two nights is the 4★ Trident.

Day 8 Jaipur
A full day tour of Jaipur and its environs reveals why this great city is considered one of India’s foremost cultural attractions. After an early breakfast, we drive up to Amber Fort, as remarkable for the majestic grandeur of its surroundings as for its sturdy battlements and beautiful red sandstone palaces. We tour the hilltop redoubt, then head to the serene foothill lake, where the fort is romantically reflected and where elephants are often seen to bathe.
Back in Jaipur itself, the splendid City Palace, an engaging fusion of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture, the 18th century Jantar Mantar observatory, with its huge stone instruments use to study the movement of the constellations, and the stunning Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), with its instantly recognisable latticed façade, occupy our afternoon.

Day 9 Jaipur – Delhi
We depart Jaipur for Delhi and a final night at the 4★ Maidens Hotel or 4★ Jaypee Siddharth Hotel.

Day 10 Delhi – London
Our Indian journey at an end, we transfer to Delhi Airport in time for a direct, scheduled Jet Airways or Virgin Atlantic flight to London Heathrow, where our staff will greet you and transfer you to Titan transport for the journey home to your own front door.

Titan Travel have a reputation for innovative and enthralling escorted holiday itineraries, and through the guidance of their founding principles, “quality, service and value” which have remained unchanged since the 1970′s, their expertise and experience are second to none.

Titan Travel strive to ensure that aspect of their holidays whispers quality, before you fly, you get to appreciate a comfortable, chauffeur-driven transfer from your front door to the airport with our peerless VIP Home Departure Service, check-in assistance and complimentary porterage. All international flights are with world-renowned scheduled airlines and cruises with acclaimed operators. Touring holidays are expertly designed by the product team to present a comprehensive, imaginative introduction to the destination of choice yet still offer plenty of time for relaxation. The services of a tour manager or cruise manager are included throughout. When you return to the UK, you are met in the arrivals hall of the airport and shown to your VIP Home Departure Service vehicle, waiting to return you to your front door.

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