Ancient cities of India and leisure in Goa

Arrive to Delhi and take your free time to explore this ancient city, and the capital New Delhi. The old city served as the centre of the Mughal Empire for a long time; however, during the British rule the new district was built and declared the capital of the nation after regaining of independence in 1947. There are no group excursions in Delhi planned, so come earlier if you want to see more of the city. Take a train to Agra to visit the impressive Taj Mahal and to attend the Agra Fort, Baby Taj, which is the smaller copy of Taj Mahal, yet more humble, and the market on the next day. Later hit the road to the Pink City – Jaipur, which was initially built following the pattern of Pithapada mandala that makes the atmosphere of the city unusual. Enjoy an orientation walk and visit the Amber Fort and the palace of Winds or Hawa Mahal as an option.

Head to the village of Tordi Sagar to dive into rural life visiting the potters, cobblers and markets. Take a camel cart ride to the dunes for sunset, hike in the hills or make bangles and try henna paint with the local women. Hit the road to Pushkar visiting the Planeterra-supported learning center visit en route on the next day. Enjoy the city excursion in Pushkar and climb to the hilltop Savitri temple to watch the sunrise over this holy place. After that you will spend two days in one of the most romantic cities of India, Udaipur, and visit the Lake Palace. Take a boat ride, a cooking lesson, visit the hilltop Monsoon Palace, the Jagdish Temple, Saheliyon-ki-Bari (the Garden of Maidens) and the City Palace with its museums, crystal gallery and wealth of royal treasures to explore.

After that have a visit to Mahatama Gandhi's ashram, national monument and site of a museum in Ahmadabad, and head to Mumbai (former Bombay). This is the fifth biggest metropolis in the world with naturally deep harbour, the commercial centre of India, the home to the world-famous Hindi-language film industry, Bollywood, and place of residence for over 20 million of people. Fly to the resort of Goa in the closing part of the tour and have a transfer to the beach accommodation to stay for two days there. Goa was the Portuguese overseas territory for about 450 years, until it was captured by India in 1961; therefore Goa has influences of both Portuguese and Indian in architecture, as well as the unique cuisine. Visit the churches, temples, spice, tea and coffee plantations, as well as enjoy leisure at the beach.