Desert Romance
Independent Tour (16 days)

London - Delhi - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Osian - (Jodhpur) - Rohetgarh - (Ranakpur) - Devigarh - (Udaipur) - Dungarpur - Ahmedabad - London

A startled blackbuck, the bewitching smile of a village belle, the lined face of a tribal chief, the ruggedness of the Thar desert, miles of golden sands, loping on a camel back - romance rides with you.

The hotels are full of character, the transport your own car, the flights on reliable Air India, the holiday - a must!

You travel by yourself on a departure date of your choice.

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast; Osian on full board.
Season: Mid-October to mid-March. The tour can be done in the remaining months without the camel safari.
Clothes: Cottons with light to heavy woollens in winter.

Itinerary
Day 1 London-Delhi Fly from Heathrow in the morning, arrive Delhi at midnight. You will be met and transferred to the colonial style Imperial hotel for one night.
Day 2 To Bikaner The day is at leisure with the option of a sightseeing tour of Delhi. In the evening board the Bikaner Mail travelling in the
comfort of an air-conditioned first class sleeper.

Day 3 Bikaner Arrive Bikaner in the morning and transfer to the elegant royal mansion of Gajner Palace for two nights. In the afternoon visit the sights including Junagarh Fort and the Camel Breeding Farm.

Day 4 Bikaner A day at leisure with the option of a jeep safari to see flamingoes.

Day 5 Jaisalmer Drive to the medieval town of Jaisalmer, on the fringe of Thar Desert, and check into the Fort Rajwada or Gorbandh Palace for 2 nights.

Day 6 Jaisalmer The morning sightseeing includes the Gadisar Tank, Trikuta Hill and the Jain temples. Afternoon free.

Day 7 Osian Drive to Osian for an afternoon of camel safari through the sand dunes. Return by four-wheel drive jeep for overnight stay at the excellently managed Camel Camp Osian. (You have the option of another full day of camel safari with overnight stay at the mobile camp at Bikamkor. If you take this option the stay at Rohetgarh will be for 1 night only. This option has a supplementary charge.)

Days 8 Rohetgarh In the morning drive to Jodhpur. Visit the Meherangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada and drive on to Rohetgarh for two nights' stay with the hospitable royal family.

Day 9 Rohetgarh The day is at leisure. There are options for jeep or horse safaris of nearby villages.

Day 10 Devigarh Midday drive to Devigarh visiting the intricately carved Ranakpur Jain temple en route. Stay at the luxurious Devigarh Fort for 2 nights.

Day 11 Devigarh At leisure to explore the village with the option of a sightseeing trip of Udaipur.

Day 12 Dungarpur Drive to Dungarpur for two nights at the elegant Udai Bilas Palace, located beside a lake. In the afternoon visit the old palace with its glass and mirror inlay work and exquisite miniature paintings.

Day 13 Dungarpur At leisure to explore the nearby Bhil villages and to visit the Juna Mahal.

Day 14 Ahmedabad Drive to Ahmedabad visiting the sun temple at Modhera en route. Stay at the delightful House of Mangaldas Govardhandas for 2 nights.

Day 15 Ahmedabad Visit the sights including the Calico Museum, Sidi Sayid Mosque, Jami Masjid and Gandhi Ashram. In the evening enjoy a traditional meal at the famous Vaishala Restaurant.

Day 16 London Fly back direct from Ahmedabad to London, arriving the same afternoon.

What Is Included
The following elements are included in your holiday for group as well as independent travel. For tailor-made holidays/extensions/amendments there can be individual variations.

International flights in economy class from London Heathrow. ( apart from the following tours, which do NOT include international flights: Cambodia Tour, Laos Tour, Singapore Stopover).

For upgrades to higher classes and departure from ports other than Heathrow please ask us for a quote. The airport taxes are additional to the holiday price and are subject to change.

Airport taxes are included in your holiday price except for places where they are payable locally directly on departure.

Assisted transfers for all arrivals and departures by air or rail, using a private coach or chauffeur-driven car. In some resorts the hotel may provide a courtesy transfer. For courtesy transfers and arrivals/departures by road assistance may not be available in some places.

Accommodation in the hotels listed, or similar. Unless otherwise specified standard grade rooms are booked. For booking superior rooms or suites please ask us for a quote.

Meals as indicated in the "Meal Plan" with each tour. Most tours have a bed & breakfast arrangement, except in game parks and remote places where full board is provided. Given the wide variety and choice of restaurants in most hotels it is preferable not to be tied down to a fixed meal. It is also more cost effective to have a la carte dining in most hotels.

All scheduled sightseeing including English-speaking guides and entrance fee to monuments and other sites listed in the tour details. 

All scheduled game viewing in game reserves. This is usually in shared jeeps, seating up to five, or a larger open vehicle, seating up to eighteen, accompanied by a naturalist. For booking exclusive jeeps a higher charge may apply. These are subject to availability as only a limited number of vehicles is allowed inside a game park in a day.

All trekking expenses including guide & cook, porters, camping equipment, environment fee and insurance for porters. Sleeping bags are provided but you are welcome to bring your own. When travelling independently the entire retinue is organised just for you.

All internal travel including flights in economy, trains in the class specified, boat cruises - normally using exclusive boats for your private use, and road travel by a private coach or your own chauffeur-driven car. For road journeys spread over many days a daily allowance for the driver to cover for his accommodation and meals is included in your price. Again for such long journeys the vehicle and driver are normally available for local use, within reasonable limits, at each place of halt at no extra cost. When adding extra days to a tour using a car circuit, the cost of retaining the car is also included in your supplementary accommodation costs.

The assistance of our local agents - we have a wide network of tried and tested agents who are on hand to assist you during your travel.

The services of an experienced local tour escort for published group tours with minimum 5 persons. If the number falls below 5 we may still, at our discretion, provide an escort. The escort joins you on arrival and remains with you for the main body of the tour. For some portions of the tour, normally at the end, the accompanying escort may leave you. In such instances local assistance is provided. For example in North India & Nepal the escort remains with you from Delhi through till Varanasi and the Nepal portion is assisted locally.

Main Tour
The basic tariff is per person, based on twin share
SRS: single room supplement, to be added to basic tariff for those requiring single accommodation
LTS: lone traveller supplement, to be added to basic tariff for those travelling alone

Details Tariff SRS LTS
1 Jan 06 - 30 Apr 06 £2039 £659 £995
1 May 06 - 30 Sep 06 £1889 £659 £995
1 Oct 06 - 30 Nov 06 £2145 £659 £995
1 Dec 06 - 31 Dec 06 £2490 £659 £995
Extra Camel Safari Option £75 £67


For further enquiries or to book please call or mail 020 8566 2109 or 07947 628 268 rab@bonvoyageonline.co.uk