Palace on Wheels

Evening departure by Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow to Delhi arriving the following morning.

On arrival in Delhi you will be met and transferred to the Imperial Hotel for one night. The afternoon is at leisure with the option to arrange some sightseeing locally.

Morning at leisure. This afternoon transfer to the railway station to board the Palace on Wheels train for your seven night journey. The train departs from Delhi in the early evening with dinner on board, arriving in Jaipur at about midnight.

Today is spent in Jaipur, known as the “Pink City”. Your sightseeing begins with the Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds, followed by a visit to the Amber Fort, riding on canopied elephants (subject to permission from the local authorities) in pomp and royal style of ancient maharajas. After a brief shopping opportunity, lunch is served at one of the cities palace hotels. After lunch visit the City Palace, now a museum, and the Jantar Mantar (Royal Astronomical Observatory). Return to the train for dinner which heads overnight further into Rajasthan.

Today arrival at Sawai Madhopur, the railhead for Ranthambhor National Park, home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, the most majestic of the big cats. Ranthambhor is one of the prime examples of Project Tiger. The park itself consists of 400 square kilometres of dry deciduous forest (once a part of the magnificent jungles of Central India), an excellent natural habitat for tigers. As well as tiger, Ranthambhor has large numbers of sambar, chital and nilgai as well as boar and an occasional gazelle. The lakes and pools at the park are where the deer congregate and where it is easiest to see the animals. The imposing ramparts of the beautiful 10th century fort of Ranthambhor fort soaring above make this a special park. After the game drive, a safari canter will take you back to Palace on Wheels, where breakfast is served in your sleeper cabin. Lunch will be served on board as we head for Chittorgarh, when one gets an opportunity to watch the colourful countryside passing by in the daylight. Sightseeing in Chittorgarh, with the opportunity to witness the sound and light show at the majestic Chittorgarh Fort. The coach will take you back to Palace on Wheels where dinner will be served on board. The Palace on Wheels stays in Chittorgarh station until the early morning before departing for Udaipur.

Arrive into Udaipur, the Lake City for an early breakfast. The city was founded by Maharana Udai Singh of Mewar, after the Sisodia dynasty was driven away by the Mughals. Following visits to the Garden of Fountains and the Durbar Museum, lunch will be taken at a lakeside hotel. After lunch see one of the most beautiful sites of Udaipur, as we cross Lake Pichola by boat, past the majestic Lake Palace Hotel idyllically situated in the middle of the lake, and a visit to the City Palace takes in the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Return to the Palace on Wheels where dinner will be served on board.

Arrive at the 12th century city of Jaisalmer this morning. Jaisalmer is dominated by its sandstone fort of 93 bastions and a visit is made to the exquisitely carved havelis and palaces with their latticed windows, balconies, cupolas and facades. After lunch on board experience the famed camel safaris and desert camps of Rajasthan. Dinner is in Jaisalmer before returning to the train to travel on to Jodhpur.

Arrive this morning in Jodhpur with its vast Meherangarh Fort looming large over this 15th century city. Visit this magnificent fort and Jaswant Thada, a royal cenotaph close by. Lunch is at one of the cities palace hotels before returning to the train for the departure in the afternoon for Bharatpur.

Early this morning the train arrives at the renowned Keoladeo Ghana National Park, once the preserve of the Maharaja of Bharatpur and now a world heritage site. It is home to 300 species of birds, some flying in from as far as Siberia and China. After a visit board the train and proceed to Agra where the first stop is Agra Fort. After lunch visit the most famous eternal symbol of love, the Taj Mahal. Dressed in white marble, this splendid monument was built in the 17th century by the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The precious stones used in its inlay, and the craftsmen employed for the twenty-two years its construction took, came not only from India, but from all over the world. Return to the train for dinner, later departing for Delhi.

Breakfast on board and transfer to The Imperial Hotel where the afternoon is at leisure. Our local agents would be pleased to assist in arranging some further sightseeing of the Indian capital.

Morning departure by Virgin Atlantic to London Heathrow, arriving later the same morning.