India Ecoluxury: history and art in the Taj Hotels

Arrival in Hyderabad. Border and customs formalities, then meet with our representative for transfer to the hotel.

Breakfast. Meeting with the guide for a full-day tour of Hyderabad: the old city centre, the arch and mosque of Char Minar built in 1591.

Continue with a visit to the picturesque Hussain Sagar Lake known for its tranquillity and the iconic Buddha statue in the centre; end with a visit to the Golkonda Fort with its 87 semicircular ramparts and 8 gates.

Free meals and overnight stay.

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and flight to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan.

Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Free lunch.

Afternoon visit to the Jal Mahal, one of the most beautiful architectural palaces built according to the principles of Mughal and Rajput craftsmanship. We finish with a stroll through the characteristic Bapu bazaar.

Free dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, we travel to Amber, the Rajput capital before the founding of Jaipur, for a visit to the impressive Man Singh Fort from the late 16th century. We ascend the fort on a small hill by Jeep.

Photo stop at the Palace of the Winds, made of red sandstone; the façade is a set of niches and windows, almost a thousand in number, finely worked, resembling lace. This building served as an observatory from which the court women, unseen, could watch the life of the city.

Free lunch. Afternoon visit to the City Palace complex, with the palace, the museum, the audience courtyard and the Astrological Observatory of Jai Singh II.

Dinner at leisure and overnight stay. 

NB: Since we cannot guarantee the proper treatment of the elephants used for the ascent to Amber Fort, we have decided that the best option for our travellers is to take this journey by jeep; should you wish to ascend Amber Fort on the back of an elephant, it will be possible to do so by requesting it on site from our staff and signing a waiver.

Breakfast. Early morning departure in the direction of Jodhpur, the Heavenly City, so called because of the predominant colour of the plaster, which with more than 1 million inhabitants is the second largest city in Rajasthan.

Accommodation in a hotel. Free lunch. In the afternoon we visit the Mehrangarh Fort, dating back to 1459, which dominates the city from the top of a cliff and still has magnificent cannons on its ramparts. We finish with the Clock Tower, located in the heart of the old part.

Free dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast. We drive south, leaving the ancient state of Marwar for the Mewar. We arrive at the fantastic temple of Ranakpur (1439) whose roof is supported by 440 historiated columns, one of the wonders of India for the fineness of its sculptures (audio-guide in Italian is available here).

Free lunch. Departure for Udaipur, the “white city” on the shores of Lake Pichola.

Accommodation in a hotel. Late afternoon boat ride on the lake (shared with other passengers).

Free dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast. In the morning, visit the City Palace, a collection of royal palaces built on the banks of Lake Pichola. We finish with a visit to the Jagdish Temple.

Free lunch. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport and flight to Mumbai. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Dinner at leisure and overnight stay.

Breakfast. Motor boat trip on Bombay Bay to visit the ancient caves on Elephanta Island, excavated between 450 and 750 AD, with magnificent statues (site closed on Mondays; excursion subject to sea conditions). Return to the hotel.

Free lunch. Afternoon, orientation tour of the city which, with a population of more than 18 million, is the largest city in India, the economic engine of the country and the centre of the film industry (Bolliwood). We look at the strange Victorian Gothic architecture, the Marine Drive and the Mani Bhawan museum dedicated to Gandhi.

Dinner at leisure. Room at leisure until transfer to the airport.