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From September 16, 2023 to September 28, 2023
Summary Itinerary
Clicking on the days of travel in the summary itinerary will take you to the detailed itinerary for that day and vice versa clicking on the day in the detailed itinerary will return you to the summary itinerary. In the detailed itinerary, in addition to the images and description of the days, we also have the day of the month and the week
Main Program
Detailed Itinerary
Main Program
Arrival. Transfer to the hotel organized with the hotel itself. Cell phone chip at the hotel. Transfer back to the airport for flight to Kandla.
Transfer back to the airport: approx. 13:00 p.m.
Flight 17SEP Spice Jet SG2348 Delhi T1D 15:05 Kandla 17:20
Refinery day and return to Delhi
Flight 18SEP Spice Jet SG2349 Kandla 17:50 Delhi T1C 20:20
Lakshmi Narayan Temple
Raj Ghat
Kartavya Path (Rajpath)
Gandhi Smriti
Meetings from morning maybe until evening (maybe noon ok)
In the central region of Delhi is the Lakshminarayan Hindu temple, also known as Birla (important Indian family) Mandir (temple in Hindi). We will see many Hindu temples during the trip, from smaller ones on the sidewalks and in front of houses, to larger ones, as in this case. These are opportunities for us to learn and reflect a little on the knowledge, wisdom and learning method that has been practiced for millennia across the Asian subcontinent: from the Hindu River Valley (from Mt. Kailash in Tibet to Pakistan), extending across the Gangetic Plain ( from Rishikesh to Kolkata), passing through the Himalayas to South India. Take advantage and ask your guide about your doubts and curiosities about Hinduism, as well as the temple goers, including the priests. We heard different responses, from different approaches and levels of understanding of this knowledge, from the most beginners to the most accomplished, from the most popular to the most academic.
Heading towards the Yamuna River, we will pay homage to the memorial where Gandhi was cremated, the Raj Ghat. We will see what his last word was, a sign of great achievement on his spiritual path. If you like photographs, look for images taken by Cartier-Bresson, one of the greatest photographers who ever lived, who was in Delhi that day.
Back in the central region of Delhi, we have the esplanade built by the English in the 17th century. XX, called Kartavya Path (Rajpath). It contains the India Gate, the city's landmark, built in honor of the combatants in the Great War. We usually end up passing by it more than once during our days in Delhi. Depending on the rules on the day, what has sometimes been possible is for us to arrange with the guide and driver to get off near India Gate to take a photo, the driver goes around, then passes by again to pick us up in a few minutes or parks there close. Another possibility is, when we pass through Kartavya Path, our driver passes slowly so that we can take photos of the car. See how you prefer, ok? On the other side of Kartavya Path is the house of the current president of India.
Another special visit for our day, is the last house where Gandhi lived, known as Birla House. We will learn a little about this important part of the history of this nation, as well as about the life and the final moment of this great leader, an example of the practice of Ahimsa (non-violence) and the culture of peace until today all over the world. Today, in the format of an interactive museum, with a collection of photographs and objects by Gandhi, called Gandhi Smriti. We probably wouldn't recommend looking at the entire museum with all the time in the world to allow time to experience the museum, Gandhi's history up close, like other important places in Delhi. A walk around the museum, looking longer at one or another part of Gandhi's life, usually works very well. Suggestion: go to the back of the house where Gandhi was assassinated on the way to the place where he said his daily prayers. Go back into Gandhi's room by visiting this floor. When going up the stairs, there are volunteers, sometimes students, available to present the museum. Experience: They can be really cool while presenting them can take a lot of time. Ask if they can come up with the 3 or 4 most important parts and then go on your own.
Daurala Sugar Mill
Meetings and event
Event (maybe with dinner at night)
Car trip
Agra Fort
Baby Taj
Sunset
After our breakfast, we will travel today on a new road to Agra (between 4 and 5 am). The time we leave Delhi will greatly influence the use of the afternoon in Agra. See the suggestions for today's end of the day below. Perhaps having breakfast at the beginning of the hotel's hours and then leaving is a good option.
Arranged time so far: 7:30 am. We agreed with the driver's Aamir to show up between 15 and 30 minutes before.
If there is time, we will check in to our hotel or take advantage of our time to visit Agra Fort. This Red Fort in Agra, more beautiful and with more history than the one in Delhi. It was first used by Babur, the first Mughal emperor, in the 17th century. XVI, and built in its current form by Akbar. We will visit its gardens, public and private audience halls, mosque and quarters, including where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son and what Akbar built for his son, with symbols of all the main religious and philosophical traditions of the time.
It's been agreed so far: when you arrive in Agra, go straight to the fort to make the most of the day. It is important that the suitcase, which will be in the car, is locked. Backpack so you can carry water for the trip, a hat, it might even be worth taking or buying a cheap umbrella to protect yourself from the sun. Between walking at the beginning and end of the visit plus the visit itself, minimum 1h30min. 2 hours calmly, maximum 2 hours and 30 minutes, but we need to manage the time of the guides who easily spend more than 3 hours in the fort. Remember to bring food for the day. In the middle of the trip to Agra there is a stop where we can buy food and drinks. Good bathroom (for India standards).
If, together with the guide, we take good care of the weather, we can visit the Baby Taj in a region a little further away from the city. A miniature version of the Taj. As well as being careful with the weather today, as well as the time of sunset, transits and a bit of luck with nature, there is the possibility of seeing the sun setting on the other side of the Yamuna River. , behind the Taj.
Calculation:
– I suggest arriving 40 minutes or a little before sunset (18:14 pm here) to enjoy and have more chances to see a beautiful light (which depends a lot on the weather, but it's still always worth it). We see the time it must take from where we are to the Baby Taj (here), bearing in mind that after the bridge we pass through the neighborhood market with narrow and sometimes congested streets. Visit that takes around 20 minutes (according to our pace). Baby Taj time as far as car can go near sunset location (here). About 10 or 15 min walk (there is the option of a paid garden with entrance close to where the cars stop and a place next door without paying. Both have beautiful views in different ways). For example:
7:30 am departure Delhi
Approx. 12:30pm Arrive Agra and visit Agra Fort by 15pm – 15:30pm
Trip to Baby Taj 15:30 pm
Visit Baby Taj 16pm – 16:30pm and return to Taj View Point parking lot
Taj View Point 16:45 pm – 17:00 pm
You can enjoy the end of the day, let's see what the lights will be like, from 17 pm until the sun sets completely at 18:14 pm with a certain margin
Tips on starting tomorrow:
– A suggestion to rest well that day, not ending too late, to visit the Taj very early tomorrow. In addition to the possibility of beautiful light, it is also quieter than during the day. There may be a fog, which will almost always open at some point (and then come back). But even if it doesn't open, quite rare, it's still quite beautiful. All travellers to this day were grateful for having gone early.
– To calculate the departure time from our hotel, we use two main pieces of information: the time when the Taj gates are opening (it varies from month to month so we ask the guide and the hotel, bearing in mind that this time is always associated with sunrise) and sunrise time in Agra on that day (here). They are approx. 10-15 min drive from hotel to car park, then approx. 5 minutes by electric cart to the gate where there may be a queue and we have to wait for them to open (we suggest arriving a little before opening time to avoid queuing even if there is a specific queue for foreigners). So, no queue, another 10-15 minutes for inspection and walk to the platform where we see the Taj. – Leave food at the hotel, creams, travel knife, nail trim, practically everything except camera, cell phone for photos, temple kit and, depending on the time of year, clothing. Talk to your guide about what can and cannot be taken as it also varies a lot from season to season. – Confirming the time that breakfast ends at the hotel can also be a good help to calculate time to return from the tour tomorrow: from the Taj to the gate and then to the car.. 30-40min, plus 10-15min from the car to the hotel. Or, if you prefer, from the Taj back to Delhi. But maybe it was worth enjoying a good breakfast, yes? For example:
4:45am I would leave the hotel calmly (10-15min)
5:05 am I would take an electric cart from our car parking lot to the entrance of the Taj (10 minutes)
5:15 am at the latest would arrive at the Taj entrance queue
5:30 am Security check
5:45am Walk to the gate (5-10min)
5:55 am Arrival gate already inside the Taj where we have a better view of it
6:07 start of sunrise
6:45 am approx. I would walk to the middle of the path where there is a platform for more good photos
7:00 am approx walk to the mosque on the left side of the Taj
7:30 am would visit the Taj
Between 8:15 am and 8:30 am I would start walking back to the entrance of the Taj
Approx. 9am – 9:15am would arrive at the car parking lot
For coffee approx. 9:30 am
Taj Mahal
Car trip
Lotus Temple
Hare Krishna Temple
Today we will wake up very early for our visit to the Taj Mahal (see suggestions above at the end of the day before). Built by Shah Jahan for his wife, Muntaz Mahal, in the 20th century. XVII, thousands of workers and architects from different regions of the world, for XNUMX years, used the famous white marble of India and precious stones. Early in the morning, in addition to the possibility of beautiful light, it is also quieter than during the day. Our local guide will tell you many stories about this monument. Return to the hotel for a good breakfast.
After breakfast, or even if you have a little time left the afternoon before between the fort and the Baby Taj, if you wish, you can visit a workshop working on stone inlaid (pietra dura) in marble, like the Taj, in the way to the airport.
Travel for approx. 5h back to Delhi.
Further south of the city, we will visit the beautiful Lotus Temple. Built in the format of its name, it belongs to the religion called Bahá'í, founded in the XNUMXth century. XIX, in ancient Persia, when visiting it we will all be invited to be silent for a moment. An interesting opportunity and experience in the midst of this great bustling city. After visiting the temple, which is sometimes open, further along the way out (before turning right to the street gate), there are stairs that lead to an exhibition about the history and work on this religion. Interesting to take a look and get in touch with brief expositions about his thoughts.
DCM Shriram Ltd in Lucknow (starting the day early and returning very late)
Flights
Air India AI0411 Delhi 07:10 Lucknow 08:20
Air India AI0812 Lucknow 20:45 Delhi 21:45
Old Delhi.
National museum
We will begin our tours with what is actually one of several Delhis, which have existed at different times and empires in a succession of neighboring cities. The last and eighth Delhi is where we stayed, built by the British, called New Delhi. The seventh was built by Shah Jahan, one of the great Mughai emperors, the same one who built the Taj Mahal, then known as Shajahanabad. Today we call it Old Delhi or Old Delhi. We will visit the great mosque of the Emperor, the Jama Masjid. In it, for those who want, there is the possibility of a walk up the minaret! From where we have a view of the city and the Red Fort from above. Talk to your guide. He doesn't need to go up. Just be very careful on the platform above, please.
Then we'll walk through the alleys of its old bazaar. There is a very old shop, passed from father to son for a long time, selling essences (sandalwood, etc.) and incense called Gulab Singh Johri Mal, which in itself is a walk. You can buy an oil in a box along with one of the very typical bottles of this Muslim region of Delhi. Following the walk through the alleys of the bazaars, most guides like to do a bicycle rickshaw. We highly recommend that you do the walking tour, to have more contact and to be able to see the bazaar better. Possibility to visit a small Jain temple, very old, with beautiful paintings. There is more than one Jain temple in the region, this one is in the village called Naughara Gali, in the Kinari bazaar. We then continue until we reach the Red Fort, where the important Lahori Gate is. It was there that important talks about the history of India took place, such as the independence of this country, today the largest democracy in the world, in which millenary values and customs coexist at the same time with extremely modern knowledge and technologies.
We visited the Red Fort in Agra, with more history, more beautiful and better preserved.
A very interesting visit in Delhi is the National Museum. It is possible to spend many hours or days to appreciate each hall and exhibitions about the history, arts and peoples of India. A good way to take advantage of this opportunity is to visit a main hall and the relics of Buddha. The backpack needs to be kept in a storage locker before entering the museum building (small women's bags or belt bags can usually go in) and then, just before going up the stairs at the entrance, be sure to take a look to your left at one of the not the first charter of human rights, carved in stone, according to the laws of the great Indian emperor of the century. III BC, Ashoka. Soon after entering, one of the first halls is that of Mohenjodaro and Harappa, the cradle of this Indian culture, between 3500 and 1500 BC. C.. Right at the entrance to this hall there is a comparative interest in the eras of humanity's ancient civilizations. Next we have objects from that time, the main ones being: the seal with what must have been Shiva (in the form of Pashupati possibly), and the sculpture of the head of the priest and the dancing girl. From there we walked (take care of your time, please), without stopping for long with the aim of using a shorter period of our day at the museum, through the other halls, until we arrived at a relic of Buddha (now located in a new building that can be visited after the main building). It is common to find practitioners of this Nepalese/Indian master's method (Sakya), sitting in meditation around his relics. This can certainly be a beneficial mental mark that we can offer ourselves for a few minutes, in this training and familiarization with the natural state of our minds, more at peace and better able to benefit a greater number of people and sentient beings (simplified: beings with awareness) in general. If you want to take a quick look at the halls of the Indian tribes and the instruments on the top floor, with a lot of focus and time, hurry ;-)! Joke. But take care of your time and use of your day in this incredible city.
We will check the city's cultural agenda for the days in Delhi, as a possibility of a special activity, where great artists from the country perform.
Wondering if Old Delhi and/or Lodi Garden. We'll talk.
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib
Free day
Flight
Thinking about ending the visits with a peaceful start to the day at the Sikh temple, a 17th century religion. XVI and the Punjab region in India, it is certainly a good option. In the beautiful Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, we will hear their chants, observe how they pray inside the temple and around a sacred tank. We will also be able to visit the kitchen where volunteers offer meals to thousands of people daily, regardless of social class and religion.
And then we think, depending on how the previous days have been, depending on how you are on that day, how to use your last day here. As it seems? There are several possibilities. We'll talk.
Could it be that after so many days the hotel allows you to stay late with your room? It's worth a conversation with them. If so, after visits, lunch, return to the hotel to pack your suitcase and prepare for the transfer back to the airport. Flight back to Brazil. I hope you enjoyed your days here!
Flight 27SEP Air India AI0971 Delhi 19:30 Doha 21:10
Flight 28SEP Latam LA5295 Doha 1h35 São Paulo 11h10