Beyond India's Golden Triangle

11 Day Escorted Tour

India, Indian Subcontinent
27 Meals Included
8 Excursions
Intermediate Pace

Experience the marble memorials, gilded domes and elegant minarets of India's lavish Mughal-era architecture as you explore the ancient palaces and forts of the north. Journey from the Golden Triangle to the cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur, visiting the historic sights of Delhi, four spectacular forts and the iconic Taj Mahal on this 11-day tour of the subcontinent's royal residences.

Highlights

  • Visit Mughal-era cities and the beautiful palaces of Rajasthan
  • Explore the monuments of Old and New Delhi on a tour of the city
  • Enjoy a sunrise tour of the spectacular Taj Mahal
  • Take a Jeep ride to the imposing Amber Fort
  • Wander the palaces and pavilions of the Agra and Mehrangarh Forts
  • See the Jain temple complex of Ranakpur
  • Soak in the sights and sounds of Jodhpur's Clock Tower market

Map Key

Train
Coach
Boat
Airplane
Walking
1
Number of nights

Itinerary

Day 1
UK to Delhi

Depart London on your scheduled, overnight flight to Delhi.

Day 2
Delhi

Lunch & Dinner

On arrival in Delhi, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. An afternoon tour of India's lively capital visits the wartime monument of India Gate, the gilded domes of Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple and the cremation grounds of Mahatma Gandhi. Return to your hotel for dinner.

Day 3
Delhi to Udaipur

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Take in the sights of historic Old Delhi on this morning's tour, stopping at the ornate mosque of Jama Masjid before a rickshaw carries you through the winding lanes of Chandni Chowk market and past the vermillion walls of the Red Fort. Later, transfer to the airport for your flight to Udaipur.

Day 4
Udaipur

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Explore the legacy of Udaipur's Royals as you visit the City Palace, Jagdish Temple and the Sahelion Ki Bari gardens. Drive around Fateh Sagar Lake then walk through the city's bustling old market. An optional excursion later today takes you on a boat cruise around Lake Pichola.

Day 5
Udaipur to Jodhpur

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Depart Udaipur this morning, travelling first to the beautiful temple complex of Ranakpur Jain in Ranakpur. Continue onward to Jodhpur for your overnight stay, arriving in time for an evening walk around the colourful Clock Tower market.

Day 6
Jodhpur

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

This morning's tour of Jodhpur takes you to the vast Mehrangarh Fort and its magnificent palaces. Explore the marbled pavilions of Jaswant Thada before an afternoon at leisure. Alternatively, visit the Bishnoi Village to experience rural Rajasthan.

Day 7
Jodhpur to Jaipur

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Journey to Jaipur where you will have the rest of the day at leisure. Alternatively, take an optional evening trip to Birla Temple to witness a prayer ceremony.

Day 8
Jaipur

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

This morning, a brief stop at Hawa Mahal allows you to take pictures of the 952 windows of this elaborate, pink palace. Next, take a Jeep ride to the Amber Fort whose rugged exterior walls shield a lavishly bejewelled interior. This afternoon, explore another monument of the Maharajas at the City Palace.

Day 9
Jaipur to Agra

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Depart for your journey to the city of Agra, stopping en route at Chand Baori, an 8th-century structure which features 3,500 symmetrical steps leading to the bottom of a well. On arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 10
Agra

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

See India's most iconic landmark bathed in an early morning glow on a sunrise visit to the spectacular Taj Mahal. After breakfast, wander the imposing red stone battlements of the Agra Fort. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure or take an optional excursion to the tranquil garden complex of Mehtab Bagh.

Day 11
Agra to UK or extension

Breakfast

Transfer to the airport in Delhi for your return flight to the UK, via Delhi, or continue on to your extension.

View Full Itinerary

Accommodation

The hotels listed below are provided for guidance only and final confirmation of your accommodation will be sent to you approximately 10 days before you travel
The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa
1 nights
Delhi, India
More details
Howard Johnson by Wyndham Updaipur
2 nights
Udaipur, India
More details
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Tour Testimonials

Pearl Cooper

17 May 24

The whole trip was full on and great value. Yes, we did see a Bengal Tiger at the National Park - an experience will never forget. The team we had was professional, polite, helpful, and informative.

Darren Galbraith

22 Mar 24

A fantastic tour, stopping at some of India's most iconic landmarks. Our guide, Amar, was very knowledgeable and made sure we had everything we needed. The driver was also very good, travelling hundreds of miles between our hotels getting us there safely, all our hotels were to the standard we expected. All the places of interest visited were amazing.

Wilson Christopher

30 Oct 22

Our guide was excellent, and very attentive in making sure our holiday was all we could hope for. There was a highlight daily for us and it would be very difficult to define one in particular. We asked our guide if we could be involved in the Diwali celebrations. He listened to the group and arranged this for us, WOW!! an amazing evening. Our one regret is that we didn’t add on Kerala at the end of our tour.

Extend Your Tour

Beyond Indias Golden Triangle with Shimla City Stay

5 Day Extension
from

£2,028

pp

Beyond Indias Golden Triangle with Tigers of Ranthambore Extension

4 Day Extension
from

£1,898

pp

Beyond Indias Golden Triangle with Delhi City Stay

3 Day Extension
from

£1,777

pp

Beyond Indias Golden Triangle with Kerala Beach Stay

5 Day Extension
from

£1,957

pp

Beyond Indias Golden Triangle with Goa Beach Stay

5 Day Extension
from

£1,954

pp

Important Information

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

A visa is required for entry into India. British Citizen Passport Holders will need to obtain a tourist visa. You can apply for an E-visa here no more than 120 days in advance e-visa. Alternatively you can visit The Indian Visa Application Centre in London: 142-148 Goswell Road, London, EC1B 7DU. We also work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months before you enter India. Visa requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your e-ticket and final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0871 360 2000, quoting HX313.

IMPORTANT: A printed e-ticket or boarding pass, along with your passport, is required for entry into Indian airports. Ensure you print your tickets before travelling, as digital copies on mobile devices are not accepted. It's also recommended to carry your invoice with flight details for reference.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Beyond Indias Golden Triangle is rated Intermediate. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, and you will be getting on and off coaches, trains and boats and climbing steps which may be irregular. You will stay in variety of hotels throughout the tour. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary. Early morning trains and flights depending upon the schedule and some early morning sightseeing’s are also in this tour.

The currency in India is the Rupee or Rs. The Rupee is a closed currency and officially you are not allowed to take any cash out of India. US Dollars and GBP are also widely accepted in India should you wish to keep an alternative currency on you. There are restrictions on taking Indian rupees into India. Visitors, including tourists, are not permitted to take any amount of Indian currency into the country. You can take cash or travellers' cheques (in pounds sterling or another foreign currency) and/or a bank card with you and exchange or withdraw rupees once in India. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in your local currency. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £350-£400 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.

Tipping

It is customary to tip your guide and driver. This is at your discretion, but we recommend you allow approximately £4-£5 for each guide and £2-£3 for each driver per person per day. It is asked that you tip in pounds and not local currency, please do not give coins as these are difficult to exchange. If you want to tip your bell boy, porter etc this is at your discretion, All tips will be collected by your guide at the beginning of your tour for your convenience.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10, and the maximum will be 30. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival by your national guide who will remain with you for the duration of your trip. You will also be joined by a local guide in some of the cities that you visit, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Private Tour: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all of the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Breakfast is always a combination of Indian and western style and served in the hotel each morning (sometimes a packed breakfast depending on train journey). Lunch and dinner where applicable will be taken in hotel/wayside restaurants. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian and non-spicy meal options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. Two bottles of water are supplied per person per day on the coach during sightseeing and intercity journeys on your tour.

There are some dry hotels in India, and some hotels where alcohol can be consumed on the premise but must be brought in from outside. Your guide will pre-warn you of this and if anyone in the group would like to purchase drinks before getting then he will arrange for you to visit a local shop and get what you need wherever possible.

Dry days are when the sale of alcohol is not allowed. Most of the Indian states observe these days on major national festivals/occasions such as Republic Day in January, Independence Day in August and Gandhi Jayanti in October. Dry days are also observed during elections in India

During visits to Churches/Temples please note long trousers or skirts should be worn to cover knees, long sleeved tops should be worn to cover shoulders and ladies should bring a scarf to cover your head.

On your arrival in Delhi you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Earthen Experiences, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Earthen Experiences, representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day should you have any queries.

If you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are: Earthen Experiences Earthen Experiences, 2 DDA Commercial Complex, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017 Telephone Number: 0091 11 4921 1000 (09:30 – 18:00) E-mail: info@earthenexperiences.com

Emergency contact information: Please find below the emergency contact details for Earthen Experiences: Mr. Mohammad Kaushar – General Manager: 24 hour number: 0091 98 9974 0800 E-mail Address: mohammad.kaushar@earthenexperiences.com Mr. Anuj Negi – Director: 24 hour number: 0091 99 1085 9004 E-mail Address: anuj.negi@earthenexperiences.com