Golden Triangle with Kathmandu

After breakfast in the morning, you’ll be driven around Old Delhi visiting Raj Ghat – The Mausoleum of Mahatma Gandhi, Jama Masjid and drive past the Red Fort.

In the afternoon you’ll drive to Agra (about 4 hours away) and check in to your luxury hotel.

Overnight in Agra.

After breakfast it’s time for one of the highlights of your trip – a visit to the world famous Taj Mahal built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in the year 1652 as a memorial for his beloved wife Mumtaz.

The grandeur called the Taj is perhaps the most photographed, filmed, described and sketched building of the world. Taj Mahal is where fantasy coincides with reality in perfect harmony. An inspiration for numerous artists over the centuries, the Taj is an ode to love. It took 22 years to create this jewel.

You’ll then visit Agra Fort which was built and renovated over the centuries – a massive fort gained recognition only during the Mughal reign. Then it’s on to what’s sometimes known as the Baby Taj, the Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daullah – built by Empress Noorjehan in the memory of her father.

After lunch, you’ll drive to Jaipur – the pink city of India. The capital of Rajasthan was given a colour coat of pink, a century ago in the honour of a visiting Prince and ever since it has retained the pink colour.

En-route you’ll visit Fatehpur Sikri – once the capital of Mughal Empire and abandoned after 15 years due to the scarcity of water. Its fortifications and Palaces are in a wonderful state of preservation.

Upon arrival at Jaipur check-in at your hotel.

Overnight in Jaipur.

After breakfast, you’ll visit Amber Fort – remarkable for the majestic grandeur of its surroundings as for its sturdy battlements and beautiful palaces. Climb up to the fort on the back of an elephant or by jeeps.

In the afternoon take a tour of the city visiting City Palace – where the former Maharaja still resides in a part of it and the rest now serves as a museum. Also visit Jantar Mantar, an observatory built by a great astronomer Sawai Jai Singh and then drive past Hawa Mahal named because it was essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could observe street festivities and not be observed from the outside.

Overnight in Jaipur.

After breakfast, you’ll drive back to Delhi before catching a flight to Kathmandu. If you prefer, we can book a flight from Jaipur to Delhi and then on to Kathmandu.

You’ll check in to your hotel, the luxury Yak and Yeti. Its modern day sophistication greets cultural heritage in the ample grounds of the 100-year-old palace and newly designed structure of the hotel. Find refuge among antique fountains, gilded temples and emerald gardens.

Overnight in Kathmandu.

In the morning you’ll visit the city known as Kantipur, the capital of the Kingdom of Nepal. Then it’s on to Swayambhunath – an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in the north-west parts of the temple. It suffered damage in the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

In the afternoon you’ll visit Patan, also known as Lalitpur. It is the city of fine arts, enclosed within four stupas said to be built in 3rd century AD, by Emperor Ashoka. Visit the Tibetan Handicraft Centre – where one can witness the hand weaving of Tibetan carpets and moulding of metal statues.

Overnight in Kathmandu.

Today is yours to enjoy at leisure. How about an early morning mountain flight to Everest view? Perhaps a walk through Thamel, the tourist district or take a short trip to Pashupatinath, a temple picturesquely situated near the river. The majority of it remained intact after the 2015 earthquake with only some of the outer buildings receiving damage.

Maybe a Nepalese Khukuri rum on the rocks? There is much to see in the capital of Nepal.

Overnight in Kathmandu.