Delhi to Bhopal Drive To See Taj, Temple & Tiger

Day 1: Arrive Delhi

On arrival at Delhi airport assistance and transfer to hotel (hotel check in/ out time 1200hrs afternoon early check in subject to rooms availability). Rest time free and easy to relax nand personal activities. You can opt to go out for dinner with your driver. Overnight at hotel.

Day 2: Delhi

Breakfast at hotel, city tour of Delhi. Visit landmark of Old Delhi which include Red Fort the residence of the Mughal emperor for nearly 200 years until 1857. Jama Masjid one of the largest mosques in the world, built by Shah Jahan. Cycle Rickshaw ride in Chandni chowk & Khari Baoli Spice Market a busy shopping area with markets full of spices, dried fruit, silver jewelry and vivid saris, while the narrow side streets are crowded with tiny shops selling essential oils, stationery and traditional Indian sweets. Raj Gath the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi where he was cremated after his assassination.

In New Delhi visit Humayun Tomb the first garden-tomb in Indian subcontinent and an early example of Mughal architecture commissioned by Humayun's first wife Empress Bega Begum in 1569-70. Qutab Minar a 73-metres tall minaret that forms part of the Qutb complex a fine examples of Afghan architecture. Lotus Temple a Baháʼí House of Worship notable for its flowerlike shape open to all, regardless of religion. Drive thrugh VVIP areas passing President House, Parliament & India Gate etc.

Rest time free and easy to relax and personal activities. Overnight at hotel.

Day 3: Delhi - Agra (210kms/ 4hrs approx)

Breakfast at hotel, drive to Agra check in at hotel.

Later city tour of Agra. Visit Taj Mahal an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the bank of the Yamuna river commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. Agra Fort the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. Itmad-ud-Daula Tomb a Mughal mausoleum commissioned by Nur Jahan, the wife of Jahangir, for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg. Overnight at hotel.

Day 4: Agra - Gwalior - Orchha (240kms/ 5hrs approx)

Breakfast at hotel, drive to Orchha. Enroute visit Gwalior Fort, situated on top of a hill one of the best fortresses of India, known for its great architecture and rich past. With well-maintained premises, the fort complex includes several temples, palaces and water tanks. Jain temples form unique monuments inside the fort, with the Siddhachal Caves and Gopachal rock-cut Jain monuments being the two areas, complete with thousands of Jain Tirthankar idols defaced during the Mughal invasion. Teli Ka Mandir and Sahastrabahu (Sas-Bahu) Ka Mandir are the two architecturally rich Hindu temples here. Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhor is another holy place built inside the fort’s complex, and it was where Sikh Guru Hargobind Sahib was kept as a captive by Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Man Mandir Palace, Gujari Mahal, Assi Khamba Ki Baoli, and Suraj Kund are other important monuments found in the complex.

After sightseeing drive to Orchha check in at hotel. Later city tour of Orchha.

Visit the Orchha Fort complex, which houses a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort, palaces, temple, and other edifices. The early 16th century fort complex which is accessed from an arched causeway, leads to a large gateway. This is followed by a large quadrangular open yard surrounded by palaces. These are Raja Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Jahangir Mahal, a temple, gardens and pavilions. The battlements of the fort have ornamentation. Notable architectural features in the fort complex are projected balconies, open flat areas and decorated latticed windows. Chaturbhuj Temple a multi-storied structure which is a blend of temple, fort and palace architectural features. The temple was originally built to deify an image of Rama, as the chief deity, which was installed in the Rama Raja Temple inside the Orchha Fort complex. The temple is noted for having one of the tallest Vimana among Hindu temples.

Rest time free and easy to relax. Overnight at hotel.

Day 5: Orchha - Khajuraho (190kms/ 4hrs approx)

Breakfast at hotel, drive to Khajuraho check in at hotel.

Later visit exceptionally well maintained UNESCO World Heritage Site, exploring the different temples and marvelling at their astonishing beauty. Over the course of the 11th and 12th centuries the Chandela dynasty created the most sublime examples of erotic sculpture in India. The temple of Khajuraho are India’s unique gift to the world, representing, as they do, a paean to life, to love, to joy, perfect in execution and sublime in expression on account of their remarkable erotic sculptures. Khajuraho is breath taking and its temples are amongst the most popular in India. Evening watch the light and sound show. Overnight at hotel.

Day 6: Khajuraho - Sanchi - Bhopal (375kms/ 8hrs approx)

Breakfast at hotel drive to Bhopal via visiting UNESCO World Heritage Site Budhist Stupas at Sanchi & Udayagiri Caves.

Sanchi is a serene hill crowned by a group of stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD. Sanchi is an ancient place of pilgrimage for Buddhists and its uniqueness lies in the fact that Buddha is not represented through figures, but through symbols.

Udayagiri Caves are early Hindu ritual site, they were extensively carved and reworked under the command of Chandragupta II, Emperor of the Gupta Empire, in the late 4th and 5th century AD. Udayagiri has a series of rock-shelters and petroglyphs, ruined buildings, inscriptions, water systems, fortifications and habitation mounds, all of which have been only partially excavated.

Continue drive to Bhopal and check in at hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Day 7: Bhopal excursion to Bhimbetka & Bhojpur (50kms/ 1hrs approx one way)

Breakfast at hotel. Full day excursion to visit Bhimbetka & Bhojpur.

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site dating back to the Paleolithic age. They exhibit the earliest traces of human life on the Indian subcontinent, and show a gimps into the beginning of the South Asian during the Stone Age. Some of the shelters were inhabited by the homo erectus more than 100,000 years ago. Some of the stone age rock paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are roughly 30,000 years old. Next proceed to Bhojpur and see its famous temple that is dedicated to Shiva. The temple houses one of the largest lingas in India and it's crafted out a single rock.

On return city tour of Bhopal. Visit historic mosques Jama Masjid, Moti Masjid & Taj ul Masajid and the arts center in Bharat Bhawan. Evening boat ride in Upper Lake. Overnight at hotel.

Day 8: Bhopal - Satpura National Park (Pachmarhi) (170kms/ 3hrs approx)

Breakfast at hotel, drive to Satpura National Park, check in at resort.

Later visit Panch Pandav Caves according to a legend, these caves were built by five Pandava brothers of Mahabharatha era during their fourteen years of exile. The caves are situated on a hilltop and provide an excellent vantage point. Captain James Forsyth of the British Army along with Subhedar Major Nathoo Ramji Powar who was later made the Kotwal (Incharge of the armoury (Koth) of Pachmarhi, spotted the plateau in the Pachmarhi region in 1857, while leading his troops on the way to Jhansi. It quickly developed into hill station and sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces of India.

Sunset visit Dhoopgarh the highest peak in the Satpura Range. It has an altitude of 1350 m. It is not only the highest point of Pachmarhi but also the highest point of central India. It is an amazing experience to see the sunset at Pachmarhi. Dinner & overnight at hotel.

Day 9: Satpura National Park (Pachmarhi)

Breakfast at resort. Joyride of three safari including jeep safari, elephant and boat safari which will take you on a trip amidst the poised habitat of flora and fauna. The dense forest of Satpura is enriched with thrilling hilly terrains, exquisite runnels, compelling waterfalls and alluring valleys rich in biodiversity. The animals here include Tiger, leopard, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, wild boar, bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, and Indian giant squirrel. There are a variety of birds. Hornbills and peafowl are common birds found here. The flora consists of mainly sal, teak, tendu, Phyllanthus emblica, mahua, bel, bamboo, and grasses and medicinal plants. Lunchm, dinner & overnight at resort.

Day 10: Satpura National Park (Pachmarhi) - Bhopal (170kms/ 3hrs approx) / Departure

Breakfast at resort drive to Bhopal airport to board flight for onward destination.