Premium India and Sri Lanka
Overview
Highlights
- Discover the beauty in famed structures, from Jaipur’s Amber Fort and Royal City Palace, to Agra’s Red Fort and iconic Taj Mahal, and the ruins and stupas of Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa.
- Taste the best of Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine during Exclusive Experiences, including a street food tour in Agra, a wonderful meal in the home of a Brahmin family in Jaipur, a cooking demo with a local grandmother in Polonnaruwa, and a Spice Garden visit in Matale.
- See wildlife in its natural habitat with safaris through Ranthambore National Park in India and Minneriya National Park in Sri Lanka, in search of sloth bears, leopards, elusive tigers, tropical birds, and elephants.
- Historical Feature Stays allow you to experience history first hand, staying at family owned heritage hotel in Jaipur and a colonial-era mansion with a new sustainable lease on life in Nuwara Eliya.
- Take part in Exclusive Experiences to remember – visit to a royal haveli in Jaipur and hear the stories of its owner’s ancestors, cruise down the Ganges at sunset accompanied by local musicians, and get an immersive look at rural life in Ambagasthenna.
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Trip includes
- Complimentary Arrival Transfer
- Delhi - Welcome dinner
- Agra - Taj Mahal
- Agra - Expert-led street food tour (as dinner)
- Agra - Agra Fort
- Ranthambhore National Park - Morning Wildlife Safari
- Ranthambhore National Park - Evening wildlife safari
- Jaipur - Home-cooked dinner
- Jaipur - Leader-led orientation walk
- Jaipur - Amber Fort
- Jaipur - City Palace
- Jaipur - Private Royal Haveli visit with owner
- Jaipur - Rooftop drinks overlooking old walled city (one drink included)
- Varanasi - Sarnath
- Varanasi - Sunrise Ganges boat trip
- Varanasi - Sunset candle flower ceremony
- Varanasi - Sunset Ganges boat trip (musicians on board)
- Orientation Walk in Varanasi
- Delhi - Visit to the Jama Masjid Mosque
- Delhi - Leader-led Old Delhi walking tour
- Delhi - Sheeshganj Gurudwara (Sikh Temple)
- Delhi - Final dinner
- Complimentary Arrival Transfer
- Negombo - Welcome Dinner
- Ridigama - Ridi Viharaya shrine visit and cultural experience
- Ritigala - Monastery Tour and Blessing
- Muriya Kadawala Village - Pottery Making Experience
- Sigiriya - Lion Rock Fortress Visit
- Minneriya National Park - Entrance Fee
- Polonnaruwa - Bicycle Tour
- Polonnaruwa - Cooking demo and lunch
- Matale – Spice Garden Visit.
- Kandy - City Tour with the Temple of the Tooth
- Ambagasthenna - Tea Plantation and Sustainable Farm Tour
- Ambagasthenna - Village and Temple Tour
- Ambagasthenna - Sunset Viewing with Drinks
- Nuwara Eliya - High Tea
- Nanu Oya - Scenic Train Ride
- Nuwara Eliya - Orientation Tour
- Colombo - Farewell Dinner
- Colombo - Orientation Tour
- Labukelle - Tea Plantation and Factory Visit
Itinerary
Welcome to India! On arrival at Delhi Airport, you will be collected and transferred to your hotel. This evening, there will be an important welcome meeting in the hotel at around 6 pm to meet your local leader and fellow group of travellers. Until then, you can use a...
Today, make the drive to Agra. Once arrived, take some time to settle in to your hotel then head out to visit India's most iconic structure at sunset – the spectacular Taj Mahal. Best known as a monument to love and loss, the 17th-century Taj was built by Emperor Shah...
Start the day with a visit to one of the finest looking forts in India – the magnificent Agra Fort. Learn how a fortress and prison was built out of red sandstone by Akbar in 1565, then conversions and additions by Shah Jahan transformed the fort into a palace. Explor...
Rise early for a morning safari. Ranthambore National Park is one of the original Project Tiger reserves – a place where nature has reclaimed ancient fortresses and temples and is teeming with wildlife. In 4WD safari vehicles, take game drives to search for animals, i...
Today you will travel to Jaipur, the capital of the Rajasthan region. Arrive at your Feature Stay accommodation, the fabulous Hotel Narain Niwas Palace. This beautiful heritage hotel has been run by the same family since its opening in 1928 and retains the warm feel o...
Begin the day with a visit to the extravagant Amber Fort – the jewel of Jaipur. It is quite a sight, with its soft shades of red, sandstone and white marble with elaborate Hindu-style flourishes. Your leader will share the stories of a fallen empire as you explore orn...
Depart your feature stay accommodation then board a flight bound for Varanasi. On arrival, make a stop off at Sarnath, one of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage destinations. The site is where Buddha preached his message of the path to enlightenment and features a numb...
Today starts early with a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges. Your leader will explain the significance of India’s most sacred river as pass by the many ghats and temples along its banks. Then, join your leader for a walking tour of the Old City and uncover its secrets a...
Depart Varanasi and catch a morning flight to Delhi. In the afternoon, get a real taste of the city during a tour with your leader. Navigate the city’s metro system and arrive in Old Delhi where you’ll wind through its lanes and markets. It’s not the real Delhi withou...
Welcome to Sri Lanka! Upon arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, you will be met by an Intrepid representative and transferred to your hotel in nearby Negombo. Here you will meet your leader and fellow travellers at a 6 pm welcome meeting. If you a...
This morning travel inland, driving northeast towards Habarana. On the way, stop at the Ridi Vihara shrine, a Buddhist cave temple dating back to the second century BC. There are thought to have been almost 500 monks living in these hillside caves at its peak. Watch l...
Set off at around 7.30 am in your private vehicle to reach the ruins of Ritigala Monastery in the foothills of Ritigala Mountain. Explore the shaded complex – which includes stone baths once filled with medicinal herbs and oils from the surrounding forest – before rec...
After breakfast, make your way to Polonnaruwa to continue your explorations of the cultural triangle. Hop on a bicycle to discover well-preserved temples, tombs and stupas in Polonnaruwa’s ancient Quadrangle complex – it’s not hard to imagine what this place looked li...
Today you’ll travel to Kandy. Along the way, stop off in the city of Matale where you will visit a local spice garden and learn about the spices that have played such an important role in Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage. Upon arrival in Kandy, take a guided tour of the ...
After a leisurely morning, drive to Ambagasthenna village, where hotel and tea plantation owner Mr Thilina will guide you around his neighbourhood. For lunch, feast on a delicious home-cooked meal made by Mr Thilina’s mother. You’ll visit the tea plantation, learn abo...
Depart Kandy and board a morning train bound for Nuwara Eliya. Nestled deep in tea plantation country, Nuwara Eliya sits at an elevation of 1800 metres, giving it some of the coolest temperatures in Sri Lanka. Remnants of the region’s colonial past can be seen in the ...
Say goodbye to the green hills of Nuwara Eliya and make the journey by private vehicle to Sri Lanka’s coastal capital, Colombo. After lunch at a local restaurant, take an orientation walk with your leader, who’ll show you Sri Lanka’s colonnaded old parliament buildin...
Your trip comes to an end after breakfast this morning. If you’d like to stay on in Colombo, let us know in advance and we can help to arrange additional accommodation (subject to availability). Why not soak up all that Colombo has to offer on an immersive one-day Urban Adventures tour? Visit www.urbanadventures.com for more details.
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Dates & Availability
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The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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Our group size has an average of just ten travellers, which allows us to get off the beaten track, use local accommodation and transport, and really get to know the culture. It also ensures we are contributing to the local economy; by choosing local suppliers we were able to keep AUD 60 million in local economies in 2012. We’re also working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and were the first in our sector to introduce carbon offset trips. This, along with our many corporate sustainability activities, has meant we’re one of the travel industry’s leaders in responsible travel.
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- 48, Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo 01,
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