Day 1 : Delhi :
You are welcomed at the Delhi airport by a representative of our local agency or your French-speaking guide to welcome you to India. They will assist you with the transfer to the hotel we have reserved for you for the night.
Lunch, followed by an afternoon dedicated to discovering Delhi.
Bathed by the sacred waters of the Yamuna, Delhi has twice been an imperial capital, first with the Mughals, then in 1911 with the British. The city is divided into two very contrasting parts: New Delhi, the Victorian city with its wide avenues, business district, and parliament gathered around Connaught Place; and Old Delhi, the old city and capital of Muslim India, with its bustling bazaars. The old city houses the Red Fort, a testament to the power of the Mughal emperors, and the country’s largest mosque, Jama Masjid.
You will explore Old Delhi on foot, then visit Raj Ghat, the mausoleum of Mahatma
Gandhi. In the evening, you will share a moment of devotion with the Sikh community at the Bangla Sahib temple.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 2 : Delhi / Bhopal : (By train)
After breakfast, depart to Bhopal by train. Arrival and check in at the hotel overlooking the huge lake.
Visit the temple of Bhojpur which houses a huge monolithic lingam more than five meters in circumference.
In Bhimbetka, a declared World Heritage site, you will discover rock paintings dating back to the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 3 : Bhopal :
After breakfast, you will discover the Buddhist monuments of Sanchi, classified by Unesco World Heritage (schedules can vary during Holi Festival). Splendid sculptures represent the former existences of Buddha. Visit the archaeological museum which houses interesting sculpted pieces discovered on the site.
In Udayagiri, visit the rock caves dedicated to Jain and Hindu cults.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 4 : Bhopal / Ujjain (190 km / 3h30)
After breakfast,depart to Ujjain, a great Hindu holy city full of fervor. The sanctuary of the great temple of Mahakaleshwar contains one of the twelve jyotirlingas of India, a manifestation of divine energy (the heart of the sanctuary reserved for Hindus). Walk on the famous ghats where pilgrims gather. Stop at the Jai Singh II observatory built in 1733.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 5 : Ujjain / Amla (400 km / 8hr) :
After breakfast, depart to the village of Amla. Installation at the private fort of the local Raja and dinner.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 6 : Amla / Mandu (100km / 2h) :
After breakfast, you take the departure for Mandu. It is one of the main sites in central India. From its tormented past, the ghost town has retained grandiose testimony and has one of the most prestigious collections of Afghan architecture in India.
Visit the main monuments of the huge Jama Masjid mosque dating back to the 15th century, the mausoleum of Hoshang Shah, the palace of Prince BazBahadur and the romantic pavilion of Rupmati.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 7 : Mandu / Maheshwar (3h) :
After breakfast, you take the road to Maheshwar (3h), a legendary city-temple mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata located on the banks of the Narmada, one of the sacred rivers of India.
Visit the finely crafted temples where you discover the curious and endearing marble image of the goddess Parvati holding the child Ganesh on her knees. Walk along the lively ghats until the palace was built in the 16th century and adorned with rich sculptures.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 8 : Maheshwar (80 km / 1h30) Omkareshwar (120 km / 2h30) Burhanpur :
After breakfast, you go to Omkareshwar, located at the confluence of Narmada and Kaveri. A boat trip is available to explore the temples. Then, you reach Burhanpur where you visit the Sikh Gurudwara Bari Sangat temple, the great Jama Masjid mosque and the Mughal palace.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 9 : Burhanpur / Ajanta (127 km / 3h) / Aurangabad (96km / 2h20) :
After a 3 hour drive, discover the caves of Ajanta, (Closed on Monday). The site is considered one of the jewels of Buddhist sculpture and painting. The caves, suspended on the sides of hills between heaven and earth, cut in the steep cliffs of the Waghora River, present a collection of splendid frescoes, the oldest of them dates back to the 2nd century BC.
After lunch, depart for Aurangabad.
Check in, dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 10 : Aurangabad :
This morning, after breakfast, you take the road to Khuladabad to visit Aurangzeb, tomb of Mughal.
On the road, you stop to visit the Fort of Daulatabad.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 11 : Aurangabad (Ellora) :
After breakfast, excursion to the famous rock temples of Ellora (Closed on Tuesdays). Here you will find admirable paintings of allegorical sculptures depicting the golden legend of Buddhism. Classified as Unesco World Heritage, these caves are the jewel of the Deccan's rock architecture.
Ascension to the fortress of Daulatabad which offers a magnificent panorama and discovery of the impressive monolithic temple of Kailashnath. A glance at the Bibi-Ka-Maqbara mausoleum built in 1679, modest replica of the TajMahal.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 12 : Aurangabad / Nasik (190 km / 4h):
After breakfast, you take the road to Nasik, a sacred city located on the banks of the Godavari, nicknamed the Ganges of Deccan. It was here that Rama and his wife Sita, the central characters of Ramayana, were exiled. Visit the Pandu Lena caves with refined sculptures.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 13 : Nasik / Mumbai (180km / 4h):
Early in the morning, following the flood of pilgrims, you set out to explore the main temples of the city, the ghats and the great basin of ablution. Depart to Mumbai.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 14 : Mumbai :
After breakfast, you will discover the Dabbawala, an army of 5000 people who deliver "lunchboxes" to more than 200,000 Indians per day at their workplaces and homes, offering traditional homemade dishes. Next, visit the Gandhi Museum and the private house where the famous Mahatma Gandhi lived. No visit to Bombay is complete without stopping at the famous Dhobi Ghat laundries. Here, nearly 10,000 dhobis (washermen community) wash, dry, and iron all of Bombay's laundry under the hot sun.
To end the day, you will explore Dharavi, one of the largest slums in India.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 15 : Mumbai :
After breakfast, departure by boat from Gateway of India (unless the sea is rough) towards the caves of theElephanta island, (Closed on Monday) beautiful rock group dating from the 7th and 8th centuries. You will discover in particular the representations of the three aspects of the god Shiva.
In the afternoon, a city tour of one of the most busy cities of India. You pass the colonial buildings: Art Deco Regal Cinema, St. Thomas Cathedral, Victoria Station and Crawford Market, the largest in Bombay. If time permits (depending on boat connections), visit the main halls of the beautiful Prince of Wales museum, paintings and sculptures
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 16 : Mumbai (Flight back) :
After breakfast, you are transferred to Mumbai Airport to catch your return flight.