Visit North India's enticing destinations from Delhi to Varanasi
Visit northern India and join an adventure to one of the planet's most enticing destinations. See towering fortresses above city squares, vibrant colours in busy bazaars, pilgrims praying on river banks, Maharajah mementos in a ghostly palace and camels silhouetted on a desert landscape – welcome to a land of magic and life. Discover well-known sites and hidden secrets, from the beating heart of Delhi to the holy city of Varanasi – this is chaotic and inspiring India.
India can be a daunting place at times, even for experienced travellers. With a local leader to support you the whole way and take care of all the logistics, you’ll build plenty of confidence in how to find the best food, activities and fun in each destination.
This comprehensive trip covers many of the diverse sights and destinations in Rajasthan and North India. There is a lot of travelling, but plenty of free time to decide on what you are most interested in seeing and doing.
A group size of up to 16 other travellers means you will have plenty of new friends to share experiences, meals and good times with during your trip.
Rajasthan is the India that many people imagine when they dream of travelling to this captivating country: ancient forts, palaces, rural villages and colourful cities: sandy red Jaisalmer, blue Jodhpur, white Udaipur and pink Jaipur.
Pushkar and Varanasi are among the holiest cities in India. Climb to hilltop temples at sunrise, dodge cows in the street, and observe pilgrims praying along the ghats of the sacred Ganges River during a boat cruise.
The Taj Mahal in Agra may be one of the most recognisable buildings in the world, but it somehow has the power to surprise and impress even the most sceptical of travellers. Read one first hand account of a visit here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/taj-mahal-firsthand-account/
Along with staying in simple hotels and guesthouses, you’ll spend nights traversing the country on overnight sleeper trains and one very memorable night out in the Thar desert where you’ll share a local-style meal at sunset before bunking down to camp between the sand dunes.
As this is a Basix trip, there is plenty of free time built into the itinerary for you to enjoy as you wish in each destination. Your leader will take you on an orientation walk in each destination to get your bearings and give you plenty of suggestions - then what comes next is up to you! Please take into account spending money for optional sightseeing (including local transport to and forom sights) that isn't included in the trip cost when budgeting for your journey.
We are covering a lot of distance in a vast country, so this trip involves some very long bus and train rides. These can at times be a bit gruelling, but offer a quintessential and authentic Indian experience. You’ll be taking a overnight trains between some destinations, including a 19-hour trip from Delhi to Jaisalmer, a 12-hour trip from Agra to Varanasi and a 15-hour trip from Varanasi to Delhi.
Sleeper trains are a great way to travel long distances while still getting maximum time in each place. Beds are padded berths with sheets, pillow and blanket provided (although some people prefer to bring their own sleeping sheet). Please note that you may be sharing with locals of the same or opposite gender. More information can be found in the Transport section of these notes. Read about what it's like travelling on overnight trains in India, and around the world, here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/overnight-train-travel-around-...
If you'd prefer an itinerary in Rajasthan with more inclusions, higher standard of accommodation or less overnight trains, check out our HHSR & HHSC (Original) or HHKR (Comfort) trips. If you are 18-29 and would prefer to travel with others of the same age, look for our HHYJ trip.
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There are currently no scheduled departures on our North India Revealed trip. If you are interested in other trips in the region visit one of the links below.
1. A single supplement is available on this trip. The single supplement is available for all nights with the exception of overnight sleeper trains as well as the night at the Thar desert camp.
2. Hot air balloon flights are operated by Sky Waltz in Jaipur. Flights operate mornings from September to June and morning and evening from September to March. Morning flights depart around sunrise and evening flights late afternoon and last 60 mins. Return transfers, tea and coffee plus light refreshments and a certificate of flight are included in the cost. You can register your interest and pay your tour leader at your joining meeting on day 1 of your trip. Payment must be made by cash in either INR/AUD/USD/GBP only and is USD$250pp (subject to change) Flights are subject to weather conditions and tickets are fully refundable in case of poor weather.
4. Using mud pack therapy the Archaeological Survey of India is planning to clean the four small canopies around the main dome of the Taj Mahal from the start of April 2018. This will be followed by the cleaning of the main dome but that could take some time as ASI is yet to calculate its load bearing capacity. The ASI’s science branch officials have stated that cleaning the four canopies will take approximately 2 months while main dome cleaning will be completed in phases. We will continue to update as information becomes available.
Our North India Revealed trips score an average of 4.77 out of 5 based on 415 reviews in the last year.
This trip is a great way to experience India for the first time, especially as a female traveller. It was well organised and I saw and experienced quite a lot of the local culture. There was plenty of free time to do your own thing too and I really appreciated the fact that we got an orientation walk in each place we arrived in, soon after we checked in. I wrote a blog about it while I was there too, so if you want to see the ins and outs of the tour check it out at https://bakingwith-t.com.
Review submitted 13 Aug 2018
Great trip with many interesting experiences! Lovely accommodation and a good insight into local India!
Review submitted 13 Aug 2018
