Aura of the East
13 days / 12 nights
Start anticipating your Indian adventure with a short summary of what you can expect each day to bring.
This adventure begins and ends in Delhi.
Day 1: Delhi
On arrival at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport you will
be warmly welcomed by your &Beyond India host, who will drive you
to your hotel.
Spend two nights in a deluxe ensuite room at The Taj Mahal Hotel, with its rich historical past.
Use the remainder of the day to unpack, settle in and relax, perhaps with an ayurvedic massage.
Day 2: Delhi
After a scrumptious breakfast, you will be taken on a rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, once the grandest of all the markets in India. In Chandni Chowk, you will visit the beautiful and historic Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, built in 1656. Enjoy a delicious lunch before being driven through Delhi's former colonial splendour, passing the magnificent president's house, known as the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the World War I memorial of the India Gate and the Old Secretariat building. Visit the beautiful buildings of the Qutub Minar tower, once used as a minaret, and the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb, India's first garden-tomb.
Day 3 - 6: Glenburn Tea Estate
This
morning you will catch a flight to Bagdogra, where a member of the
&Beyond team will be waiting to take you on a three-hour drive
through magnificent mountain scenery on the way to Glenburn Teas
Estate.
Relax for three nights at Glenburn Tea Estate, a working tea
plantation set on a hillock above the banks of the Rungeet River,
overlooking the mighty Kanchenjunga mountain peak. Enjoy private tours
of the tea estate and hiking along the river, as well as day trips to
Darjeeling or Kalimpong.
Day 7 - 8: Kolkata
Today
you will be driven back to Bagdogra, where you will catch a flight to
Kolkata, with its strong Bengali influence and fine colonial
architecture.
Indulge in two nights at The Oberoi Grand.
Your first day is at leisure, perhaps walking around Park Street,
Kolkata's foremost dining district, or visiting the vibrant and
historical New Market. The next morning you will enjoy the Heritage
Walk in Dalhousie Square, taking in the architecture and history of the
city's many unique and spectacular buildings. In the early evening a
boat cruise will take you up the Hooghly River, with a ringside view of
the river's ghats. You will sail past the attractive religious centre
of Belur Math, as the city's two huge and famous bridges, Howrah and
Vidyasagar Setu, pass overhead.
Day 9 - 12: Kaziranga National Park
A morning flight will take you to Jorhat, where a vehicle will be waiting to take you on the two-hour drive to Kaziranga National Park.
Home of India's one-horned rhino, Kaziranga also offers sightings of
the magnificent tiger. A biodiversity hotspot, the reserve is also
popular with birdwatchers, thanks to the almost 500 species encountered
there.
Spend three nights at Diphlu River Lodge. Morning and evening game drives explore the grasslands and tropical forests in search of wildlife.
Day 13: Departure
You will be driven back to Jorhat, where you will catch a flight to Delhi. Freshen up in a day room at The Oberoi New Delhi before returning to the airport for your flight home.
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