Gourmet tour - North India tour

After buffet breakfast at hotel, you will proceed for sightseeing tour of Old & New Delhi.

The tour will begin with a visit to Raj Ghat, a simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi; drive past the Red Fort continuing to the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque, walk down the narrow streets of Chandi Chawk to reach mosque. It is the largest mosque in India, accommodating up to 25,000 worshippers at one time. Designed by Shah Jahan, this grand red sandstone and white marble mosque was said to have been built by 5,000 artisans from 1644 to 1656.

You will also visit the markets of Old Delhi. Sacks of spices and nuts, edible sheets of silver, and local pickles make for an aromatic day out. In the lanes of Khari Baoli you will be introduced to saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, by one of the oldest and largest distributors of this exotic spice in the world.You will also visit the markets of Old Delhi. This experience takes you back to the markets of Old Delhi. Sacks of spices and nuts, edible sheets of silver, and local pickles make for an aromatic day out. In the lanes of Khari Baoli you will be introduced to saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, by one of the oldest and largest distributors of this exotic spice in the world.

After sightseeing you will be taken to Sagar Ratna restaurant for South Indian vegetarian meal for lunch. The restaurant offers rare pleasures of authentic regional specialities of South India such as dosas, vadas, appams, parathas, chutneys, sambar, rasam and other south Indian dishes. Add to it the freshness, purity, hygiene, taste, variety, homely service. This is cooked with coconut oil and coconut is major ingredient of almost all cuisines.

After lunch, you will be driven to New Delhi, which reflects the legacy the British left behind. Designed and built by the British architect Edwin Lutyens and his friend Sir Herbert Baker, the new capital was formally inaugurated in 1931. The division between New and Old Delhi is the division between the capitals of the British and the Mughals respectively. The walled city is all tradition where one will be able to glean a past life-style in all its facets, colours and spells. New Delhi in contrast, is a city trying to live up to the best of 21st century standards.

The tour to Imperial Delhi will include a visit to the Qutub Minar, The five-storied tower with a 14.4 metre base that tapers up to two and a half metres at the top is visible for a long distance around. Pulling down 27 Hindu and Jain temples and using their columns erected the attached Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque also built by him. Then visit Humayun’s tomb, built by the widow of the second Mughal Emperor, Humayun, it is an outstanding monument in the Indo-Persian style, a precursor of the Taj Mahal. The tour also includes a drive past the imposing India Gate, the Parliament building and the Rastrapathi Bhawan, the President’s residence.

Your dinner tonight is at Punjabi by Nature for a north Indian Punjabi fare in a contemporary setting, Unique and authentic, the culinary selection at Punjabi By Nature is reminiscent of the food from the Northern terrains and its royal inflections. Gourmet food of the Mughal era with its intricate masalas and elaborate preparations is a discerning diner’s delight.

Punjabi people are robust people with robust appetites and their food is like the Punjabis themselves, simple, sizeable and hearty with no unnecessary frills or exotic accompaniments. The Punjabi tandoori cooking is celebrated as one of the most popular cuisines throughout the world. Huge earthen ovens are half buried in the ground and heated with a coal fire lit below it. Marinated meat, chicken, fish, paneer, rotis and naans of many types are cooked in this novel oven and the results are absolutely scrumptious! Punjab has imbibed some aspects of its cuisine from external influences. Connoisseurs of the cuisine say that the gravy component of Punjabi cuisine came from the Mughals. The most popular example is the murg makhani. It served the state well to combine this influence in its cooking since it had a lot of pure ghee and butter. Murg makhani also provided a balance to tandoori chicken, which was dry because it was charcoal cooked. Nans and parathas, rotis made of maize flour are typical Punjabi breads. Of course, over the years the roti has been modified to add more variety, so there is the rumali roti, the naan and the laccha parathas, all cooked in the tandoor.

Winter, in Punjab, brings in the season of the famous makki ki roti(maize flour bread) and sarson ka saag(mustard leaf gravy). No meal is complete without a serving of lassi( sweet or salted drink made with curd) or fresh curd and white butter which is consumed in large quantities. The other popular dishes, which belong exclusively to Punjab, are ma ki dal, rajma (kidney beans) and stuffed parathas.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 06 - Delhi - Agra

Early in the morning you will be driven to the railway station for your train to Agra (0600/0810 hrs). Arrive Agra, met and transfer to the hotel. After freshen up you will proceed for brief sightseeing of Agra including the incomparable Taj Mahal.

That magnificent monument to love – Taj Mahal, built by an emperor in memory of his beloved queen. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1631, and is believed to have taken 18 years to complete, with over 20,000 craftsmen working around the clock. The design and construction is said to be that of the legendary architect, Ustad Ahamad Lahori. Legend has it that once construction was completed, Shah Jehan had Lahori’s hands cut off, and blinded, so he would never be able to duplicate the structure. What makes the Taj Mahal unique is its perfect proportions, distinct femininity, medium of construction and ornamentation. Its marble exterior reflects rose and golden tints at sunrise and sunset, while it is dazzling white during the day. It is impossible to visualize the Taj Mahal in any surrounding others than its paradoxical garden. Paradise, in Islam, is visualized as lush garden where running streams flow . When the Moguls brought this concept to India they elevated it to the heights of incomparable. (TAJ MAHAL REMAINS CLOSED ON FRIDAYS)

Return to hotel for Breakfast after after the sightseeing tour.

Lunch at your own.

In the evening, you will be taken to Peshwari restaurant for dinner.

In an ambience reminiscent of the rustic charm of dining in the warmth of tents under a starry sky in the cold desert terrain of the North West Frontier, Peshawri brings to Agra an award winning menu of delicacies cooked in the clay tandoor. Experience the wonder of this cuisine with a lavish spread of delicious kebabs – vegetarian and non-vegetarian that are cooked in myriad ways, a range of Indian breads from the decadently indulgent to light and fluffy breads and of course, the inimitable Dal Bukhara – all of which is paired with an exclusive collection of wines and other beverages.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 07 - Agra - Sikri - Jaipur

This morning you will be driven to Jaipur ( hillie 5.5 hours) – en route visiting Fatehpur Sikri. Lunch will be served at Laxmi Vilas Palace near Bharatpur. The Laxmi Vilas Palace lies in the beautiful location enhanced by the sumptuous lunch preparation.

Upon arrival at Jaipur, proceed to check-in at your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure.

Your dinner tonight will be at the ethnic village, Chokhi Dhani, for a Rajasthani fare

Rajasthani cuisine is perhaps the most sensitive among Indian cuisines. Rajasthan cooking in general has its own unique hilli where the simplest and the most basic of ingredients go into the preparation of most dishes. Perhaps due to general scarcity of water, cooking is done with minimum use of water, instead milk, buttermilk and clarified butter is used.

Non-availability of vegetables like tomatoes has led to the usage of dried mango powder while hillies is used instead of onion and garlic. Gram flour is a major ingredient and is used to make some of the delicacies like khatta, hil ki sabzi, pakodi; powdered lentils are used for mangodi, papad; bajra and corn is used all over the state for preparations of rabdi, khichdi and rotis. Various chutneys are made from locally available spices like turmeric, coriander, mint and garlic.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 08 - Jaipur

Enjoy tour of Jaipur city.

Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh II and is a marvelous synthesis of architectural influences – Hindu and Mughal. The bazaars teem with people, camels, horses and a multitude of vehicles, while around them loom magnificent palaces and buildings. In the morning you will drive past the Hawa Mahal, otherwise known as the palace of Winds, and continue to Amber Fort.

Hawa Mahal is just an elaborate facade behind which the ladies of the court used to sit and observe life in the streets below. Amber, the ancient capital of the region, still recalls its heydays in the majestic ramparts rising steeply along the contoured hillsides. Here, elephant still carry visitors in stately splendor to the main Palace, through unusually high gateways, obviously designed to accommodate this archaic mode of transport. It is an extremely well preserved building and very delightful to explore. Visit the Jagmandir or the Hall of Victory glittering with mirrors, Jai Mahal and Temple of Kali.

You lunch is arranged at Samode Haveli – The exquisite former dining hall that serves as a restaurant is bedecked with colourful hand-painted murals. There’s a choice between the traditional Rajasthani cuisine and international flavours within these frescoed interiors.

Later, you will be drive to Dera Amer to enjoy elephant safari followed by dinner:

The elephant Safari is conducted in the natural and serene area surrounding the camp of Dera Amer. At dusk upon arrival the guests are welcomed by the elephants, after feeding the elephants, welcome drink and face towels and the guests are seated on the cushioned seat (2 adults on each elephant) and sent on a picturesque track following a local tribal guide passing through a private jungle area surrounding the camp, as the sun sets over the hills passing by village hutments, fields, a medieval fortress lit up by flame torches – mashaals (at night) and monument finally arriving at the camp situated in the middle of the forest to a grand welcome. The elephant ride culminates at the camp or the exclusive jungle spots.

The guests arrive at these surprise locations lit by Mashals and Diyas, local traditional instrument playing from the distance, exclusive seating and dining with a luxurious candle lit layout and live barbecue.

Overnight at the hotel.