Day 1 : Delhi
After breakfast, the day is dedicated to exploring Delhi.Bathed by the holy waters of the Yamuna, Delhi was twice the capital of an empire, first with the Mughals, then in 1911, with the British.The afternoon is dedicated to the discovery of Delhi.The city is divided into 2 very contrasting parts: New Delhi, the Victorian city with wide avenues, its business district, and the parliament grouped around Connaught Place; and Old Delhi, the old city and capital of Muslim India, with alleys lined with bustling markets. The old city houses the Red Fort, a testament to the power of the Mughal emperors, as well as the largest mosque in the country: Jama Masjid.You will explore Old Delhi on foot, then visit Raj Ghat, the mausoleum of Mahatma Gandhi. Next, you will visit the tomb of Humayun, a beautiful example of Mughal architecture that is said to have inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal.
After lunch, you will visit the Qutub Minar, the tallest tower in the country at 72.5 meters high.In the late afternoon, you will discover New Delhi passing through RajPath, the Royal Way, before admiring the India Gate, the Parliament, and the Presidential Palace.In the evening, you will share a moment of fervor with the Sikh community at the Bangla Sahib temple.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 2 : Delhi / Agra (4h / 230 km)
After breakfast, depart to Agra.Arrival and check in at the hotel. After lunch, you set out to discover the Taj Mahal. You then explore this pinnacle of Mughal art and architecture, a luminous white marble mausoleum inlaid with semi-precious stones. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal and is considered the third wonder of the world. At the end of the day, you visit the Red Fort of Agra, whose high red sandstone walls dominate the Yamuna River. It marks the birth of the Mughal imperial style and offers you the opportunity to take a last look at the Taj Mahal.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 3 : Agra / Gwalior (2h30 /119 km)
After breakfast, depart for Gwalior. Arrival and check in at the hotel. Your afternoon will be filled with visits to the vertiginous Fort, the Man Singh Palace with its colorful ceramics, and the archaeological museum (closed on Wednesdays). You will also discover the baroque palace decorated with unusual European objects,
which is still inhabited by the Maharaja and his family.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 4 : Gwalior / Datia / Orchha (3h30 / 200 km)
After breakfast, you will head towards the town of Datia, the former capital of a Rajput principality. You will visit the Govind Palace, a beautiful example of 17th-century Mughal and Rajput architecture. After breakfast, you will depart for Orchha. You continue your journey towards romantic Orchha, the jewel of Madhya Pradesh. Situated on the banks of the Betwa River and the former capital of the Bundela kings, Orchha remained the capital of a powerful Rajput kingdom until 1783. Today, it is a small medieval village, nestled among palaces and temples preserved from the ravages of time. Upon arrival in Orchha, you will check into your hotel.
As you arrive in Orchha, you will explore the impressive Jahangir Mahal Palace, the Rajmahal Palace with its beautiful frescoes, and the Raj Praveen Mahal, a small palace set in a garden. In the evening, you will attend a religious ceremony (Aarti) at the Rama Temple.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 5 : Orchha / Khajuraho (4h30 / 200 km)
After breakfast, depart for Khajuraho, once the capital of the Chandela kings from the 6th to the 8th century. You will visit the western part of the Khajuraho site and its sculpted temples, featuring gigantic frescoes of entwined human figures practicing the arts of love. Sexuality becomes a spiritual path dedicated to the challenge of recognizing, at every moment in life, the sacred power of love to achieve the absolute. This is what the sculptures of Khajuraho reveal: scenes of ordinary life in the fields, scenes of war, and scenes of love unfold under the benevolent gaze of the gods. To fully understand and appreciate the purity of the divinity, one must leave their sexual desires outside the temple… in theory, of course ! After lunch, you will attend a colorful dance show representing different regions of India.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 6 : Khajuraho / Panna (1h /45 km)
After breakfast, you will depart for the Panna Sanctuary, a national reserve established in 1981. Upon arrival, you will check in at the hotel. In the park, you will have the chance to see vultures, cheetahs, chinkaras, sambhars, and sloth bears. Panna is also a good habitat for the kings of the jungle, the royal tigers, as well as leopards, wolves, hyenas, caracals, and other smaller felines.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 7 : Panna / Bandhavgarh (4h / 215 km)
After breakfast, depart for a safari in the park, discovering the immense variety of flora and fauna that the reserve holds. You might even have the chance to spot a royal tiger !Depart for Bandhavgarh. Upon arrival, check in at the hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the
Day 8 : Bandhavgarh
After breakfast, two safaris are planned for today (morning and late afternoon) to explore the reserve with a naturalist guide. You will encounter deer, gaurs (Indian bison), panthers, monkeys, langurs, white tigers, bears, wild boars, jackals, and 250 species of birds during the safari. Return to the hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 9 : Bandhavgarh / Kanha (6h / 225 km)
After breakfast, you will go on your last safari before heading to Kanha National Park, one of the largest, richest, and best-preserved parks in Asia. Spread over an area of 940 km², Kanha is traversed by two rivers where animals come to drink: tigers (estimated to number around a hundred), a few panthers, bears, hyenas, gaur, sambar (the very large Indian deer), chousingha (the only four-horned antelope in the world), wild dogs, and langurs. Kanha is also renowned for its 230 species of birds. Check in at the hotel in the late afternoon.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 10 : Kanha
After breakfast, today, two safaris are planned, one in the morning and another in the late afternoon, each offering two totally different atmospheres. This park, founded in 1974, is part of the Project Tiger launched in 1994. Originally, it was designed to prevent the extinction of the rare Duvaucel's deer (Barasingha).
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 11 : Kanha / Pench (5h / 140 km)
After breakfast, depart for your third safari in Kanha, then continue your journey to Pench National Park.
This region inspired Kipling for the creation of The Jungle Book.The flora, very different from the previous parks, consists mainly of teak forests, and the fauna in this reserve includes several animals (notably tigers, leopards, jackals, jungle cats, wild dogs, wild boars, spotted deer, barking deer, crocodiles, chameleons, pythons, cobras, and black turtles).
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 12 : Pench / Nagpur (2h30 / 170 km) / Delhi / Flight back
After breakfast, you will go on one last safari before being transferred to Delhi, and then to the airport for your return flight.