ITINERARY FOR Taj Mahal Marathon GROUP – 2 CANCELLED
7 days
Price for tour group 2:
Price: USD 1690,- per person sharing
Single room surcharge USD 535,-
Day 1 (March 4th) – Arrival in Delhi
Arrival in Delhi. You are met at the airport in Delhi and transferred to your hotel.
Rest of the day at leisure on your own.
Day 2 (March 5th) – Ranthambore by train
After an early breakfast, we will be transferred to the train station to board The
Golden Temple Mail Train. Departure at 07:10 to Swai Madhopur. Arrival in Swai Madhopur
at 13:05. Here we will be received by a local guide and transferred to our hotel.
One can expect that Ranthambore National Park is one of the most picturesque game
reserves in the world. In this majestic area of the tiger, the entire forest is
being dominated by the serene rudiments of Ranthambore Fort. The sheer sight of
witnessing the man-eater roaring over these ruins is a thrilling episode. The park
has a core area of 158 square miles, and is one of the parks supported by Project
Tiger. The terrain fluctuates between impregnable forests and open bush land. The
forest is the typically dry deciduous type, with dhok, being the most prominent
tree. The entry point to the Park goes straight to the foot of the fort and the
forest rest house, Jogi Mahal. Ranthambore is noted for its tigers, which are not
merely nocturnal, but frequently seen during the day, often stalking their prey
in full view of visitors. The park also has a large population of panthers, although
their habitat does not overlap with that of the tigers, they keep to the outer areas.
Other predators here are the caracal, hyena, jackal and jungle cats. Marsh crocodiles
can also be seen basking by the banks of the lakes. There are various species of
deer, such as sambar, chital, chinkara, and Nilgai. Ranthambore is also known for
its rich birdlife, drawn here by the wide variety of flora and the lakes. In the
afternoon you will be devoted to game viewing by Canter, along with a local park
ranger.
Day 3 (March 6th) - Ranthambore - Agra
Early morning hours will be devoted to one more game viewing after which we drive
back to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast we drive to one of the great Mughal
cities of South Asia, Agra. En-route we stop for lunch at a restaurant and thereafter
we continue driving to Agra, where we arrive late in the Afternoon and check in
to the hotel.
Day 4 (March 7th) - Agra
After breakfast, we proceed for guided sight seeing of Agra City covering Agra Fort.
Rest of the afternoon will be at leisure for the runners to realx before tomorrows
race.
Day 5 (March 8th) – Agra, Race Day
Today we wake up early for the day at 4:30 AM. Breakfast at 5 AM and departure
from the Hotel at 5:30 AM. We go to the Taj Mahal and have a group photo taken in
front of this impressive building. We leave from Taj Mahal at 6:30 to walk 5 mininutes
to reach the Taj Khema hilltop from where The Taj Mahal Marathon – 2008 will start
at 7 AM.
The marathon runners and spectators will be driven to the Taj Mahal parking lounge
from there we change to the Battery vehicles to the Gate of Taj Mahal.
After the marathon we walk to the parking lounge where from all the runners and
participants will be driven to their respective hotels. At 7 PM we all be drive
from the respective hotels for the Gala Dinner. After Gala Dinner we all drive back
to the respective hotels for well deserved good night sleep.
Day 6 (March 9th) - Agra - Jaipur
After breakfast we proceed for a guided sight seeing tour of the famous Taj Mahal.
After this we drive to the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur, popularly known as the
'pink city' because of the pink-colored buildings in its old city. Maharaja Jai
Singh II who ruled from 1699-1744 founded the city in 1727.
En-route we visit magnificent fortified ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri, which was
the capital of the Mughal Empire between 1571 and 1585, during the reign of Emperor
Akbar. Fatehpur Sikri, the 'Perfect City', was constructed in honor of the Sufi
mystic Sheikh Salem Chishti, who Akbar credited with bringing him an heir. Then
we proceed for Jaiipur. On arrival we will check in at our hotel.
In the afternoon we proceed for guided tour to the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the
Winds. Constructed in 1799, this is one of Jaipur's major landmarks, although it
is actually little more than a facade. It was originally built to enable ladies
of the royal household to watch the everyday life and processions of the city. We
stop here for a brief photo-session before we proceed to the Jantar Mantar (Observatory)
& City Palace complex in the heart of the old city. Of the nine blocks in the
city plan, two were apportioned for the palace. It is almost a city within a city.
The City Palace is a superb marriage of the Rajput and Mughal Architecture. Dinner
will be served at the hotel.
Day 7 (March 10th) - Jaipur - Delhi
After breakfast we start our guided excursion tour to Amber Fort, 11 km North East
of Jaipur. Instead of climbing the many steps leading up to the fort, we will take
an elephant ride to the main entrance of the fort. After Amber Fort we drive back
to Delhi. Lunch will be served at city restaurant. After lunch we will proceed for
sightseeing tour of Sir Edward Lutyens' New Delhi, the garden city built in 1911
by the British. We also visit the Birla Mandir Laxminarayan temple, the President's
House, the India Gate, Jama Masjid Mosque and finally we take a cycle rickshaw ride
through the by-lanes of Chandni Chowk.
After the sightseeing tour we will be transferred to a hotel where we can wash and
change before having a late night dinner. After dinner we will be transferred to
International airport for our flight home.
NOTE: If your flight is not scheduled to leave until the next day
and you would prefer to have a good nights rest, please let us know and we can book
a room for you for a small additional surcharge.
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