India and Nepal epitomize one of the fundamental reasons we travel – to experience the unfamiliar,

to meet and learn from other societies, to encounter a world far removed from our own.

India is surprising, impressive, daunting, compelling – an endlessly fascinating puzzle; and few

countries can match India’s frenetic pace and boundless energy. It is the very definition of contrast - at

once mystical and ever practical. It is infinitely patient while at the same time rushing headlong into

the high-tech world of the future. It has the some of the world’s oldest cities and areas of great natural

beauty from the lush tea plantations at the foot of the Himalayas, to the ancient limestone caves at

Borra. The grand sweep of human history is carved across the face of India; and nowhere has religion

played a more important role in the culture and society of a people than here. Ancient Buddhist

monasteries, the rock caves of Ellora and Ajanta, and the more than 3,000 marble caves in the hills of

Shatrunjaya, all attest to the power of man’s beliefs. There are also national parks to explore, the great

Thar Desert to discover and the lazy backwaters of Kerala to enjoy. India’s palaces, heritage hotels and

desert camps offer astonishing adventures in luxury. The raucous bazaars of Mumbai and Delhi, rare

royal Bengal tigers, the romantic Taj Mahal, and the warmth of the Indian people capture your heart and

imagination. India shares a border with Nepal, which sets quite a different pace with its isolated hamlets,

Buddhist stupas draped with prayer flags, and a way of life that, in many areas, seems almost immune

to modernity. It is a trekker’s paradise with eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including the

highest point on the planet, Mount Everest. It also is home to the medieval city of Bhaktapur. The Royal

Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers a rare chance to glimpse the endangered

royal Bengal tiger, rare one-horned rhinoceros or golden monitor lizard in the dwindling wilderness.

Together or separately, India and Nepal present a tantalizing menu of unique travel experiences.

Big Five Presents

India & Nepal

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Suggested Itinerary

Day 1: Delhi, IndiaIndia’s vibrant capital city has been continuously inhabited since the sixth century BC.Day 2: DelhiDelhi offers a kaleidoscope of images: modern business centers, colonial architecture and ancient winding lanes.Day 3: Delhi / AgraThis jewel of Mughal India is most known as the home of the Taj Mahal and the 16th-century Agra Fort.Day 4: Agra / Fatehpur Sikri / JaipurThe deserted Fatehpur Sikri, the 16th-century “dream city” of Akbar the Great, has been remarkably preserved. Day 5: JaipurJaipur has a number of forts and monuments including Amber Fort, known for its artistic style.Day 6: Jaipur / UdaipurUdaipur is an enchanted landscape of fairytale palaces, green hills and exotic bazaars.Day 7: Udaipur The city is famed for its lakes and palaces, including the enormous City Palace with its masterpiece frescoes.Day 8: Udaipur / BangaloreEven with Bangalore’s high-tech development, vestiges of the city’s historic past can still be discovered.Day 9: Bangalore / MysoreMysore enchants you with its quaint charm, verdant gardens, tree-lined boulevards and sacred temples.Day 10: Mysore / Nagarhole National ParkThe park’s rich forest cover, small streams, hills, valleys and waterfalls conceal tiger, Indian bison and elephants.Days 11/12: Nagarhole National ParkThis was once a hunting reserve of the kings of the Wodeyar dynasty, former rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore.Day 13: Nagarhole National Park / Bangalore / MumbaiMumbai is cosmopolitan with a vibrancy that is, at times, aggressive, reflecting the energy of a bustling city its size.Day 14: Mumbai / Depart

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Aurangabad (2 days)The Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, date between the fifth and tenth centuries.

Kathmandu, Bhaktapur & Dhulikhel (3 days) In Nepal, the combination of these towns offers both culture and dynamic mountain landscapes.

Chitwan National Park (3 days)In Nepal, this is one of the last refuges for the rare royal Bengal tiger and the single-horned Indian rhinoceros.

Eastern India (5 days)Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Puri are distinctly different and together provide a richly varied experience.

Gujarat (5 days)Gujarat in western India encompasses sites of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, and is home to sacred temples.

Himalayas (3-5 days)Spectacular scenery, traditional villages, tea plantations, monasteries and trekking make this area intriguing.

India’s Tiger Circuit (7-8 days)These parks are devoted to preserving the last populations of the rare royal Bengal tiger. Asian lion are found only in a national park in Gujarat.

Khajuraho, Allahabad, Varanasi (3-5 days)The monuments and the sacred Ganges offer glimpses at some of the powerful symbols of man’s faith.

Pokhara (3 days)In the Nepalese region around this mostly modern city are medieval ruins dating from the mid-17th century.

Punjab (3 days)Amritsar is a holy city, and home to Harmandir Sahib, Golden Temple, and important religious place to the Sikhs.

Rajasthan & Its Interior (6 days)This is the largest state in India by area, and encompasses much of the Great Thar Desert.

South India & Its Interior (9-15 days)South India encompasses India’s states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

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About India & Nepal

Agra: Begun in 1633, it took some 20,000 workers laboring 17 years to complete the fabled Taj Mahal, a monument of glistening marble and semi-precious stones. This is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Agra. Sunrise or sunset at the monument is one of the iconic experiences of India. Another of India’s great architectural sights is the 16th-century Agra Fort, an elegant synthesis of Hindu and Central Asian styles.

Chitwan National Park: This UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nepal shelters the endangered royal Bengal tiger, rare one-horned rhinoceros and golden monitor lizard. This unique ecosystem is significantly valuable to the world, and to help protect it, only a small portion of the park is used for tourism. Much of the area is made up of subtropical lowlands, forest and hills.

Delhi: India’s national capital is the eighth most populous metropolis in the world. It has been continuously inhabited since sixth century BC. Delhi is a vibrant city of teeming bazaars, British-designed boulevards and powerful Mughal palaces and forts. The many faces of India’s capital are mirrored in its modern business centers, colonial architecture, and in Old Delhi’s winding lanes. Rickshaws weave through throngs of shoppers and vendors clustered around Chandni Chowk. Mughal history comes alive at Red Fort, the ancient Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb, the earliest of the great Mughal garden tombs. India’s largest mosque, Jama Masjid, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, in the year 1650, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. Embassy District’s parliament houses, the presidential palace and Connaught Place date from the British colonial era. Raj Ghat is a poignant memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.

Eastern India: Kolkata is a city of sharp contradictions and a powerful mix of East and West. Its architecture blends European and Mughal. The Indian Museum, built in 1875, ranks among the finest in Asia, and the botanical gardens, circa 1786, are home to a 200-year-old Banyan tree, said to be the largest in the world. Bhubaneswar’s history traces back to the second century BC. It has been called the Temple City of India. It is also home to about 105 engineering colleges, and a center for commerce. Puri is on the Bay of Bengal south of Bhubaneswar and is a holy city for Hindus. According to Hindu teachings, a pilgrimage to the temples of India is not complete without a journey to Puri. It is also a beach resort with one of the best beaches in India. It is positioned so that both sunset and sunrise can be viewed from the beach.

Gujarat: Gujarat has been one of the main centers of the Indus Valley Civilization. Mount Abu’s Hindu temples include rock-carved Adhar Devi Temple and several Jain temples including Dilwara, a group of temples carved out of white marble between the 11th and 13th centuries. At 1,220 meters / 4,003 feet, Mount Abu has been a popular hill station retreat for centuries. The largest city in Gujarat is Ahmedabad, founded in 1411 on the banks of the River Sabarmati. Here, the Calico Museum of Textiles has an impressive and popular collection of historic materials. The city was at the forefront of the Indian independence movement early in the 20th century. Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the movement, was Gujarati. In Bhavnagar district, Palitana is a major pilgrimage city for Jains. Its temples are considered the most sacred by the Jain community. In the hills of Shatrunjaya more than 3,000 temples were exquisitely carved in marble over a period of 900 years. Some 3,800 steps run from the bottom of the hill to the top. Ambaji is another important temple town with millions of devotees visiting annually.

Himalayas: These fabled mountains have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia. The mountain range reaches across 2,736 kilometers / 1,700 miles and six countries. In India, the incomparable landscapes of these towering mountains are complimented with tea plantations, small villages and historic Buddhist monasteries. Ghoom Monastery is the oldest and most famous in Darjeeling. Rishikesh is a small town in the northern state of Uttarakhand, where travelers begin treks to the Himalayan pilgrimage centers, including Haridwar, which is where the sacred Ganges River leaves the mountains and flows onto the plains. This is among the holiest sites of pilgrimage in India with some two million people a year coming to bathe in the river. At sunset, priests perform the river ceremony, chanting as pilgrims place burning candles in the river. The Himalayas cover three quarters of Nepal, which is home to some of the highest, remotest, most rugged mountains in the world, including the highest, Mount Everest. This makes Nepal a natural attraction for mountain trekkers.

Kathmandu, Dhulikhel & Bhaktapur: Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, is known for its central Durbar Square, which is packed with extraordinary temples and monuments. Outdoor enthusiasts come to Nepal seeking to explore isolated settlements, Buddhist stupas and ageless monasteries, and to encounter established societies still relatively unaffected by outside influences. This is also a paradise for mountain climbers, who come to hike among the highest mountains in the world. Dhulikhel’s magnificent high-altitude landscapes have been called one of the finest panoramic views in the world. It has for centuries been an important trading center on the ancient commercial route linking Nepal to Tibet. Bhaktapur’s fascinating Durbar Square is noted for its Golden Gate and extraordinary Palace of Fifty-Five Windows. Bhaktapur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site noted for its rich culture and temples. It is also known for wood, metal, stone artwork and pottery. Thimi, close to Bhaktapur, is the potter’s town, where a simple medieval lifestyle is still prevalent.

Khajuraho, Allahabad & Varanasi: The powerful expression of man’s relationship to religion is keenly felt in these cities. The amazing, medieval Hindu and Jain temples of Khajuraho are a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for their beautiful and erotic rock carvings. They are considered to be one of the “seven wonders” of India. These temples were built by the Chandela kings following the tradition of Tantric art. Although famed for their erotic sculptures, the temples are a celebration of all aspects of life. Allahabad in southeastern Uttar Pradesh was originally founded in 1526. Today it is home to well-recognized colleges and research institutions. Allahabad also plays a central role in the Hindu scriptures with a number of temples and palaces. Four times every 12 years, millions of Hindus celebrate Kumbh Mela, a colorful Hindu Pilgrimage that rotates between four locations in India, including Allahabad. It truly is a spectacle, regardless of religion. Varanasi is the holiest city in India, revered by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Each dawn, along the sacred Ganges, hundreds of pilgrims and worshippers gather on the riverbanks to reenact centuries-old rituals and prayers. They congregate along rows of stone steps, the ghats that stretch the length of the city. The city itself is a maze of narrow alleys, shrines and pilgrim shops. Varanasi is an experience not to be missed.

Nagarhole National Park: This is one of India’s Project Tiger reserves, established in 1999 to help protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The park spreads over the foothills of the Western Ghats down the Brahmagiri Hills and south towards Kerala state. It has astonishing wildlife including large mammals such as leopards, Indian wild dogs, elephant, spotted deer, four horned antelope, wild boar, sloth bear and mongoose.

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Pokhara, Nepal: Today, the modern city of Pokhara is the third largest in Nepal. It sits on an ancient trading route between Tibet and India. The old city center features old shops and warehouses in the indigenous style of architecture used by the Newari people in the Kathmandu valley. It is marked by striking brick work and a unique style of wood carving rarely seen outside Nepal. Mule caravans still come here through the Himalayas. Temples worth visiting in the older part of town are Bindhyabasini and Bhimsen. Elevations in the area can rise from 1,000 meters / 3,280 feet to over 7,315 meters / 24,000 feet in a fairly short distance. The region is also home to medieval ruins dating from the mid-17th century.

Punjab: This state in northwest India forms part of the larger Punjab region. Amritsar is a holy city, home to the Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple. This is the most important religious place in the Sikh tradition. It is a beautiful complex, and always busy with pilgrims from across India. Amritsar’s central walled city has narrow streets mostly developed in the 17th and 18th century. It is the land where most of the Gurus were born, and is rich with their history and spirit. The city lies on the main Grand Trunk Road from Delhi to Amritsar to Lahore, Pakistan.

Rajasthan & its Interior: The historic desert cities of Rajasthan include Jaipur,Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer. Jaipur, once the capital of royalty, has fascinating forts, including Amber Fort, a rose-colored walled city of Mughal courtyards, gardens, and royal apartments. Its bejeweled interiors reflect the sumptuous style of Mughal courts. It is known for blending Hindu and Rajput elements. The heart of City Palace is the smaller Chandra Palace with its richly decorated rooms. The elegant Palace of the Winds of pink sandstone once served the royal harem. The city has an international reputation for arts and crafts – especially jewelry, from tribal to enameled gold pieces. Jodhpur is the second largest city in Rajasthan and is near the geographic center of the state. This remarkable medieval fortress city encircles Mehrangarh Fort, which is bounded by a wall with several gates. It is one of the largest in India, and is perched on a hill 122 meters / 400 feet above the city. Its palaces display intricate carvings and sprawling courtyards. The fort stands as a testament to medieval art, weaponry and sumptuous living. Udaipur is an enchanted landscape of fairytale palaces, green hills, and exotic bazaars. The enormous City Palace houses masterpiece frescoes and Mughal-inspired art, and the 17th-century Jagadish Temple, built in classical Hindu style. A splendid and luxurious heritage property sits on an island in Lake Pichola. Jaisalmer was once an important caravan stop. Founded in 1156, the old city is dotted with preserved mansions and narrow lanes crowded with finely sculptured houses and temples. The town stands on a sandstone ridge crowned by a fort that houses a palace and several ornate Jain temples. These historic areas serve as access points to the less traveled regions in Rajasthan. For example, the city of Nagaur has impressive Nagaur Fort, with its interior palaces and temples. Other sites of note include Tarkeen Dargah, a sacred pilgrimage center for the Muslims, Jain temples, Cenotaph of Amar Singh Rathore, and Bansiwala Temple.

South India & Its Interior: The region has a rich medley of cultural, historic, religious and natural attributes. The human history here is among the oldest in the world, and the region is known for unique styles in dance, architecture and painting. Here, too, are some of the finest examples of Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture. It has two biosphere reserves, five national parks and several wildlife sanctuaries. Kerala is known for its tranquil backwaters journeys, sand beaches, pristine rain forests, and lush tea estates. The art forms such as Kathakali and Mohini Attam were perfected here. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary was one of India’s first tiger reserves. The state of Andhra Pradesh has golden beaches as well as Ettipotala waterfalls and the rich bio-diversity of Talakona. The Borra Caves are famous for million-year-old stalactite and stalagmite formations while the Belum Caves are the second largest natural caves on the subcontinent. Karnataka is the

sixth largest state in India, and has seen some of the most powerful empires of medieval India. Its sculptured temples, modern cities, scenic hill ranges, unexplored forests and beaches make it a popular destination. It encompasses 25 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks. Shravanabelagola is an important Jain pilgrimage site. It has a monolith of Gomateshwara Bahubali, 17.38 meters / 58 feet tall. It is said to be the world’s largest monolithic stone statue, and was carved from a single block of rock in 981. Bangalore is one of Asia’s fastest growing cities, and it is the principal cultural, commercial and industrial center of Karnataka. It is often described as Asia’s Silicon Valley because of its thriving information technology industry. Yet, its past is still seen in Old Bangalore such as Tipu’s Palace a mud-brick fort built in 1537. Mysore is noted for its palaces, most especially Mysore Maharaja Palace. Completed in 1912, it was built in Indo-Sacracenic style, blending Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles of architecture. Now a museum, this is a beautiful treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world. On the outskirts of the city, Chamundi Hill is the Nandi Bull statue carved in 1659 from a single boulder. The temple of Chamundeshwari on top of the hill dates from the 11th century. Also of interest are the colorful Devaraja Fruit and Vegetable Market, Jumma Masjid Mosque and Srirangapatnam, an island fortress in the Kaveri River. This was the site of historic battles between the British and Tipu Sultan, the “Tiger of Mysore.”

Tiger Circuit: Asia’s extraordinary royal Bengal tigers are increasingly rare in the world they once ruled. India has set aside ‘tiger parks’ to help these superb animals survive. Four national parks – Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Panna are part of the tiger circuit. Although the tiger is the main attraction, these parks have impressive rosters of other animals, including spotted deer, wild boar, wild dogs, sloth bear, Indian fox, wolf and jungle cat. Hundreds of bird species also thrive here such as fish eagle, plum-headed parakeet and Asian paradise flycatcher. Ranthambhore National Park was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973. Ranthambore sanctuary is one of the best places in India to see these majestic predators. In Gujarat, the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only place in the world where the pure Asiatic lion are found. A recent census recorded 411 lions in the park. Also known as the Indian lion, it is a subspecies of lion that once ranged from the Mediterranean to the northeastern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Best Time To Go India’s size and varied climates make it impossible to pin down a single best time to visit weather-wise. In general, October to March are the most pleasant months over much of the country. In the far south, the monsoon weather makes June to September pleasant; while northeastern India tends to be better between March and August. Mountain regions are most accessible between May and September. The deserts of Rajasthan and the northwestern Indian Himalayan region are at their best during the monsoon.

Note: India is known for its wealth of national and regional festivals. Ask your Destination Specialist for more information.

$400 - $800 per person per dayLand only, double occupancy

Consider enhancing your adventure by including the following destinations: Bhutan (p45-48), Myanmar (p77-80), UAE & Oman (p145-148), Thailand (p81-84), Malaysia & Singapore (p69-72)

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