Spiritual Journey to India (13 Days Tour)

Dynamic Delhi

Welcome to Delhi, the capital of India. You immediately feel the energy of the streets and the people.

Women wear elegant saris that burst with bright colors. The scent of grilled kebabs lingers in the air. Your private transfer takes you from the airport to your hotel near the center of the city. Delhi’s history is palpable, apparent in the Old City walls and towering minarets. The Hauz Khas Complex contains ruins that date back to the 14th century.

Students study and relax on the grass that surrounds ancient tombs and a celebrated water tank. An outdoor shopping center is filled with lively boutique stores and delicious high-end restaurants. The city is a blend of the past and present. You settle into your hotel and are ready to explore.

What’s Included: transfer, accommodation.

Capital Streets to Holy Streets

After breakfast your private transfer takes you to the airport for your flight to Varanasi. Colors bursts from every corner of the city. At first what seems like chaos turns into an elegant movement, like a dance you never learned but always knew. Women are colorfully wrapped in saris that run the gambit of the rainbow. Ancient buildings and temples sit at the top of the city’s famous ghats.

Your private transfer meets you at the airport and takes you to the coveted Chamek Stupa that dates back to the 10th century. It currently rises over 129 feet. The conical stone commemorates the location where Buddha gave his first sermon after reaching enlightenment. The leaves sway in the quiet breeze. You notice the absence of speed. Visitors and locals seem to wander at a slower pace. Everyone seems to be in search of a tangible peace, even if just for the moment.

The exterior stone is decorated with chiseled floral carvings and the images of the origins of the Gupta Empire. In the evening you find the ghats filled with people ready to partake in the Aarti Ceremony. Every ghat has a particular meaning.

Some are reserved for washing while others are meant for worshipping or bathing. A man holds a large oil lantern that is filed with a single flame.

He stands at the top of the steps as people begin to sing. They are being blessed with the symbols of the five elements: space, wind, fire, water, and earth. The graceful dance from the morning continues. The fast paced music of the city at work has slowed to the devoted hymns of the people around you. You have found a new image of India.

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

Tibetan Influence

The morning is a familiar blend of energy and spices. You can see the men lining up for their masala chia. After breakfast your private transfer takes you to the airport where will soon arrive in Dharamsala. This city is known as the home of the Dalai Lama. The scents of oak and conifer trees fill the city. You can see the rolling snowcapped mountains in the distance.

The temple of Tsuglagkhang is also known as Dalai Lama’s temple. Many Buddhist pilgrims and interested people come to the temple to pay their respects to the religion and the Dalai Lama.

A 9-foot tall gilded statue of the Buddha is located within the temple complex. There is compassion and tranquility in the complex that feels worlds apart from the fast paced streets Dharamsala.

The images of Buddha are refined and historic. The ambiance of the temple is unique. Monks stroll through the city and the temple in red robes. They chat amongst one another and work diligently within the complex walls. You watch pilgrims make a clockwise circle around the outer walls before entering the temple itself.

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

Fortress of Solitude

The morning mountain air is crisp and cool. Once again you can spend today indulging in the spiritual majesty of the city or you can venture just outside the city limits to see the exceptional strength and devotion of the Kangra Fort. The fortress was first mentiond in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great. The epic history of the imposing walls and impressive precipice has shaped the surrounding culture. You enter the parapets through a small courtyard and follow the narrow passage to the structure’s top.

The view overlooks the river and the mountainside’s endless greenery. Defaced images of deities, believed to be Ganga and Yamuna, mark the entrance gate walls. In town you can visit the local museum that exhibits the history of the fort. You find joy in the little things today, such as the sun soaked canopy of the surrounding forest.

What’s Included: breakfast, accommodation.

More than Ancient Gold

The images of the previous night’s ceremony continue to replay in your head. The gilded temple was magnificent and the spectacle was one of a kind. Today you will venture through the old city to view the splendid history of Akal Takht, known as the Immortal Throne, located within the Golden Temple complex. In the early afternoon you will venture to the Wagah Border to experience another truly unique moment special to Amritsar. The changing of the guard between Pakistan and India at this particular crossing has become an exhibition of energy and pride.

People come from all around the country and the world to witness the rambunctious and fun display that has become the daily border closing. Bleachers surround the large gates that separate the two countries.

They are filled with women wearing saris and men in slacks and button down shirts. People line up and carry the flag up and down the street. The ranking officer stands at attention and calls the other soldiers to arms with an incredible yawp. The crow cheers along. The sound reverberates across the border. Both sides compete for sound supremacy.

When the border closes the energetic yells and whistles disappear. You return to Amritsar and revisit the evening ceremony at the Golden Temple.  

What’s Included: breakfast, tour, accommodation.

In the Footsteps of John and Paul (and George and Ringo)

You step out into the cold dawn air to see the city come alive. Visit the Triveni Ghat to see local women pour milk into the river as an offering to the gods. The fish are large yet graceful. A shrine stands at the top of the platform.

The elegant colors of morning blanket the sky. Later you will come to the steps of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram. After the Beatles spent time with the Yogi his ashram became an icon of spiritual enlightenment and a picture of India.

You find the undergrowth of the forest slowly running over the steps of the ashram. It creates a beautiful connection with nature. The large archways and conical stone huts embody the past images of India. There is a local gallery in the old building called the Beatles Cathedral. Various paintings depict artist interpretations of songs and even the band members themselves.

In the moment that nature, history, and modernity intersect there is serenity.

What’s Included: breakfast, accommodation.