Foothills of the Himalayas

Day 1 - Delhi

A representative will meet you in the arrival area of the airport after you clear all immigration and custom formalities. They will assist you and transfer you to your hotel where you will check in for your stay.

India’s capital and a major gateway to the country, contemporary Delhi is a bustling metropolis, which successfully combines in its folds - the ancient with the modern.

Meals Included: None

Day 2 - Delhi

After breakfast, proceed for the full day city tour of Old & New Delhi including a visit to the 17th century Jama Masjid and enjoy a rickshaw ride through the narrow, winding lanes of colourful and bustling Chandni Chowk. Also stop in front of the Mughal Empire’s Red Fort for a photo stop. Later Visit Raj Ghat where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. 

In the afternoon proceed to New Delhi where you will drive past The Presidential Palace, the one-time imperial residence of the British viceroys, the India Gate, a memorial raised in honour of the Indian soldiers martyred during the Afghan war and a drive along the Rajpath past the Parliament House and secretarial buildings.  Afterwards visit Qutab Minar, the 12th century tower of victory built by a slave king and prototype of all minars (towers) in India. Also visit the 16th century Humayun’s tomb, a precursor to the Taj Mahal. 

Meals Included – Breakfast

Day 3 - Delhi - Amritsar

This morning, you will be assisted & transferred in your private car to Delhi railway station for the 07:20 train to Amritsar, arriving 13:45.

Amritsar - Founded in 1577 by Guru Ram Das, fourth Guru of the Sikhs, Amritsar (Pool of the Nectar of Immortality) is considered the centre of the Sikh religion. Now the second largest city of the Punjab state, it was once a junction of trade routes. The main attraction of Amritsar is the Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh sites. The city itself is named after the sacred tank within this temple.

Arrive Amritsar and you will be met by a representative outside your train coach who will then transfer you to your hotel.

Afternoon at leisure.

In the late evening around 2100 hrs you will be transferred to the Golden Temple to witness the Palki ceremony - dozens of devotees act as a human conveyor belt to carry the Granth Sahib (a shrine containing the Adi Grantha) from the main shrine to the sanctum, where it is kept until the opening ceremony the following morning. Visitors may participate in the ceremony, taking their turn to shoulder the weight of the enormous shrine.

Meals Included - Breakfast

Day 4 - Amritsar

Start your day to visit the Golden Temple, the spiritual nerve-center of the Sikh faith. Also called Harmandir, the temple is made of white marble and copper gilt with its dome covered with gold leaf. Within is the Guru Granth Sahib, holy book of the Sikhs. See the community kitchen (langar) where volunteers’ feed 75,000 people free daily. Later visit the historic Jallianwala Bagh, which commemorates the hundreds of innocent Indians killed or wounded by British bullets in the most notorious massacre under their rule. Next to it is the Partition Museum which comprehensively charts the In the afternoon, you will be taken to Wagah Border to witness the retreat ceremony. From Amritsar 35 Km on the road to Lahore (Pakistan), is India-Pakistan border, which is also known as "Attari (India)-"Wagah" (Pakistan) border. A visit to the border is an interesting experience, especially at sun-set, when the retreat ceremony takes place with the Border Security Force (B.S.F.) on the Indian side and The Sutlej Rangers on the Pakistan side putting up a well-coordinated and spectacular display which compares very favourably with the changing of royal guard in London. 

Meals Included – Breakfast

Day 5 - Amritsar - Dharamshala.

After breakfast, check-out and you will be driven through the hills to  Dharamshala.

Dharamshala, situated in Kangra Valley, captures your imagination with its picturesque natural beauty and is a unique mix of Tibetan, British and Himachali cultures. Dharamshala was founded by the British to serve as summer retreat.  It is because of this that you still find a number of colonial buildings, adding much to the overall beauty of the quaint hill station. This hilltop, also known as Little Lhasa, is now the abode of the Holy Dalai Lama and is a major pilgrimage place for Buddhists.

Spend the rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the surroundings.

Meals Included -  Breakfast

Day 6 - Dharamshala

Distinguished as the city of Dalai Lama, Dharamshala is a tourist spot as well as a spiritual centre for Buddhists and Hindus alike. You will be visiting the Tibetan Museum, Bhagsunag Temple, Norbulingka Monastery and Institute, Gyuto Monastery, St. John’s Church, Kangra Art Museum, the Namgyal Monastery and Dalai Lama's residence.

Day 7 - Pragpur

After breakfast, check-out and transfer to Pragpur. En-route visits the Kangra Fort & Museum. Kangra Fort is India’s oldest built 3500 years ago and the largest in the Himalayas. The fort has not only withstood many invasions but also the devastating earthquake of 1905. The Kangra Art Museum holds an interesting collection of art, traditional dress and wood carvings from remote mountain cultures, many of whom can still be seen at the Kotwali Bazaar, after the visit continue the drive to Pragpur. 

Pragpur situated in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges of beautiful Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Pragpur is the first certified Heritage Village of India, founded about three centuries ago and till date holds onto the essence of an earlier era - unchanged shops, cobbled streets, ornamental village tank, mud plastered and slate roofed houses. The heritage village is the home to the renowned Kangra School of Painting which is the well-preserved and a protected ancient architecture.  Spend the rest of the day at leisure. 

Meals Included – Breakfast

Day 8 - Pragpur - Shimla

After breakfast you will be transferred in your private car to Shimla.

On arrival in Shimla, you will be met by a representative & proceed to check-in at your hotel. Known as the Queen of Hill Stations, Shimla became the summer capital of the British Raj during the latter half of the 19th century when the soldiers of the British army, merchants and civil servants moved to Shimla to get relief from the scorching heat of the plains.  

Meals Included - Breakfast

Day 9 - Shimla

Post breakfast set out to visit Shimla with your guide. Start by visiting the Vice regal Lodge,  the British architecture here is amazing. The wooden work inside the building is still kept alive as it was during the British rule. The building is now used by Indian scholars and is called Institute for Advanced Studies. Later, enjoy a leisurely stroll back along the Mall to Scandal Point. En route, it may be possible to have a quick look inside the Gaiety Theatre or Christ Church. Alternatively find a spot for refreshments whilst viewing snow-capped Himalayan peaks

Meals Included - Breakfast

Day 10 - Shimla

Spend the day at leisure in Shimla

There is an option to go on a Nature Walk starting from the house where Rudyard Kipling wrote ‘Kim’ and ‘Plain Tales from the Hills’, past a haunted hill, villages, brooks, meadows, grasslands and forests to arrive at the art gallery of a Shimla painter. Alternatively, you could take an excursion to Dhami, once a princely state, to spend the day with the hosts, walking and bird watching, as they share their personal stories.

Meals Included - Breakfast

Day 11 - Shimla - Delhi

After breakfast, you will be meet by a representative & transferred in your private car to Shimla Railway Station to connect the Toy Train till Kalka (10:40 – 16:10). Listed under the world heritage list of UNESCO,  the toy train is the best mode of transport to view the treasuries of the great Himalayas. The Kalka–Shimla Railway was built to connect Shimla, the summer capital of India during the British Raj, with the rest of the Indian rail system. At the time of construction 107 tunnels and 864 bridges were built throughout the course of the track.

In Kalka, change trains to Delhi  (17:45 – 21:55)

Meals Included – Breakfast

Day 12 - Delhi

Today your tour concludes. A representative will meet you at the hotel’s lobby and will provide you with an assisted departure transfer to the airport to board your onward flight.