Indian Odyssey Tour: Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, Jaipur, UNESCO Ellora Caves & More (14 Days Tour)

Cave Adventures

Welcome in the morning and its rich scents with a smile and a wave as you enjoy a sumptuos breakfast that allows you to sample the traditional flavors of India within the comforts of your hotel. The cinnamon and fennel scent of chai is luscious, while the chapatti, baked flatbread, are fresh, warm, and soft. After breakfast you will venture to Elephanta Island, known for the magnificent caves that were carved into temples during the mid-fifth to sixth-centuries.

The high cliffs give way to stone pillars etched out of the rock’s base, chiseled and refined beneath a series of different precipices, from full stone to those overrun with fields.

Once inside, the earthen scent and cool temperature adds to the atmosphere of the surrounding reliefs. Images of Shiva protrude from the walls in various sizes, bringing to light the god as creator, protector, and destroyer eternally etched into stone, hidden from the elements.

Later in the afternoon you will meander through the monuments of Mumbai, from the Hanging Gardens to Marine Drive, where you can see the uniqueness of the Parsi “Towers of Silence,” a 19th century engraving representing the Zoroastrian religion meant to be a final resting place.  

What’s Included: breakfast, tour, accommodation.

The Captivating Architecture 

The morning brings you energy because every morning brings another stretch of adventure; like Odysseus through the Mediterranean, you are discovering the majesty of India, above and below ground. After breakfast you will leave the glistening replica of the Taj Mahal behind and find yourself at the Ajanta Caves, full of spectacular paintings and cave temples that date as far back as the second-century BC.

Walking along the vast greenery you can barely see the architecture displayed through the forest, it looks like limestone mountains peaking through the canopy. The present scent of fallen rain and wet stone brings fresh life to the day. 

When you enter the prayer hall your breath literally leaves your body, amazed by the power and elegance that people have made out of a cave, with its ribbed, vaulted ceilings towering over thick, smooth pillars. The tremendous artistry is not just in the architecture but the reliefs that line the walls. Where many children have dreamed of being Indiana Jones and happening upon a lost world hidden within the earth, you are embodying such a discovery here, where images of gods and myths are carved and painted onto the walls in detail difficult to create in stone and in colors that continue to inspire with their vibrancy.

You will arrive at the airport in the afternoon and quickly find yourself settling into India’s capital city of Delhi.

What’s Included: breakfast, tour, transfer, accommodation. 

Red Fortress to Pink City 

You can spend some time reveling in the active sounds and scents of early morning Delhi. The shops come to life; the streets fill with men pushing carts along the road, selling fresh brewed tea and surrounded by locals on their way to work. India’s capital streets are soon behind you as you make your way to Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan.

The old city is awash with pink from the sandstone architecture that graces the skyline, making the open blue air look like sunset. In the late afternoon you will come to Lakshmi Narayan Temple, a lavish marble construction whose spires rise, each one taller than the last. The interior is decorated with fabulous depictions of devout patrons of various faiths bringing a tranquil bond to those that visit and frequent the ornate temple grounds

What’s Included: breakfast, tour, transfer, accommodation. 

Finding Ghosts

The morning comes soft and easy over the city bringing the pink hue back to the streets and the sky.

After breakfast, you venture beyond the fringes of the city and come to Fatehpur Sikri on the way to Agra. The imperial ghost city was constricted by Emperor Akbar and continues to shimmer the quintessential pink of Indian sandstone. What was once the short-lived capital of the Mughal Empire in the latter half of the16th century, it became desolate of empirical custom but continued to house the natural grandeur inherent in the architecture.

Within the palace walls you can find the main courtyard where a splendid platform is raised over a pond, reached by bridges that extend over the waterway on either side of the square shaped podium. Cupolas rise over the walls offering terraced views over the empty squares and cityscape as the fabulous Hall of Private Audience is as majestic outside, with a large Moorish arch, as it is on the inside where a column rises into a blossoming textured sphere that helps support the structure.

In the evening you will come to Agra where the luxuries of the city sit within the legendary shadow of the Taj Mahal. 

What’s Included: breakfast, transfer, tour, accommodation. 

En Route to Reliefs

After breakfast you will depart from the marbled wonder that sits within Agra and climb aboard a first-class train ride that will have you on your way to Khajuraho, known for its sensational temples decorated with thousands of remarkable images celebrating religion and legends within an open space surrounded by lush forest. Along the path of the train you can see villages sweep past, goat herds meandering beside the tracks, and flashes of shaded clotheslines adding to the vivacious scenery.

Once in Jhansi you will be taken the rest of the way by private transfer, able to settle into your accommodation with unrivaled anticipation of the majesty to come. 

What’s Included: breakfast, tour, transfer, accommodation.

Sacred City

When you wake up in the sacred city you will come to a world that is seemingly chaotic and rich, organized and spiritual, misunderstood and magnetic. The scent of chai brings with it new memories; the cinnamon now reminds you of the bright red sari that you witnessed along the riverbank as you step aboard a boat to view the endless activity of the city.

Once on the Ganges River you can see where the true heart of the city lies, where women wash their clothing and men lather their bodies and bathe. Children swim in the wandering heat of the summer but you feel the drifting breeze sweep across your skin from the gentle speed of the boat. 

The stonework along the river harkens back to history, where the deep roots of the city lie. You will come to the Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath just outside of Varanasi, the site where Buddha gave his first address after reaching enlightenment.

The park is set aside from the energy of the city, embraced by tranquility and overlooked by the 132 foot high Dhamekh Stupa, decorated by fifth-century floral and geometric carvings. There is an endless source of spirituality in and around Varanasi, filled with pilgrims and color, where a lifetime of stress can be washed away in the scared waters of the river.

What’s Included: breakfast, tour, accommodation.

Adventurous Memories

The day brings the marvelous sights and sounds of the capital city back to you with the scent of parathalingering in the air. After your joyous breakfast you will have a private transfer to the airport to the plane that will soon carry you home. Your Indian odyssey took you through the colors and landscapes of the country, finding the incredible cultures along the way, from religious life to village life, where the spirit of the temples are as important as the vibrancy of the people.

What’s Included: breakfast, transfer.