- India Escorted Tours
- Spiritual India with Varanasi Extension
From the holy cities of the Sikhs to tranquil Buddhist ashrams, renowned Hindu retreats, and the sacred waters of the River Ganges, India’s landscapes and history have given rise to inspiring religious ceremonies, intricate temple architecture, and tranquil shrines. Travelling from Delhi’s ornate mosques and ancient minarets to the foothills of the Himalayas, verdant hill country, and hilltop monasteries, your enlightening journey concludes in Amritsar, home of the iconic Golden Temple.
After your Escorted Tour, explore Varanasi, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, is a spiritual heart of India nestled on the banks of the Ganges River. Revered for its ghats, temples, and vibrant rituals, it is a place where life, death, and devotion intertwine in a timeless rhythm.
Depart on your scheduled, overnight flight to Delhi.
Lunch & Dinner
On arrival in Delhi, you'll be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, exploring the sprawling metropolis of India's capital. Why not admire the marbled walls of the blossom-shaped Lotus Temple, or stroll the streets and take in the lively bustle and wafting smells of spicy food stalls before tonight's welcome dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Take in the sights of historic Old Delhi on this morning's tour, stopping at the ornate mosque of Jama Masjid before a rickshaw carries you through the bustling lanes of Chandni Chowk market and past the vermillion walls of the Red Fort. In the afternoon visit India Gate, a 42-meter high arch dedicated to the 90,000 India soldiers who lost their lives in World War One, before continuing to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, a huge Sikh Complex which feeds thousands every day from its communal kitchens. Finish the day's touring amongst the towering minaret and ruins of the ancient Qutab Minar complex.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast head north into the foothills of the Himalayas and towards spiritual Rishikesh. A renowned Hindu destination, Rishikesh is popular amongst devotees, yogis and adventurers. The city is known as the world capital of yoga and meditation, and India's sages have meditated here since ancient times
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Enjoy a morning at leisure, with time to explore this city of the sages at your own pace, possibly exploring the Tera Manzil Temple, a 13-storey shrine overlooking the Ganges. In the afternoon visit the famed ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, visited by the Beatles in the 1960s. After writing over 40 songs during their ashram stint, including a number of hit singles, their spiritual retreat inspired millions and sparked Western interest in Indian spirituality. In the evening visit Triveni Ghat to experience the Ganga aarti. The aarti on the bank of holy Ganges is a truly spiritual experience. Amid chanting of Vedic Hymns, hundreds of devotee's worship Goddess Ganga. The aarti culminates around sunset with the floating of earthen lamps in the river.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Journey further into the Himalayan foothills and the city of Shimla nestled at its base. Set against a backdrop of the craggy peaks, the colonial architecture, churches, temples and natural beauty of the city draw local and international visitors. On arrival, enjoy your evening at leisure in this mountainside retreat.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This morning, you’ll travel in style with a ride on the UNESCO recognised ‘Toy Train’ - built for the British Viceroy and his delegates, the train is hauled along by a tiny diesel locomotive which rattles at a leisurely pace through breath-taking scenery to its destination of Kandaghat.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Take a Heritage Walk in Shimla, experiencing the city’s most beloved monuments and historic landmarks, learning about its colonial architecture and fascinating history. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to unwind or immerse yourself in Shimla’s spiritual landmarks and the tranquillity of the city centre, where traffic is banned. Follow the long, winding main street ‘The Mall’ to the numerous north Indian restaurants and shops of the area, or take in the exquisite, stained-glass windows and moving Raj-era memorials of Christ Church, Shimla’s most prominent landmark
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive to the Heritage Village of Pragpur, visiting the Jwala Temple on the way and witness the fire pit ritual. Later walk through the Heritage village of Pragpur, the village has retained its traditional havelis, mud-plastered houses, temples, and courtyards, preserving its medieval ambiance.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Travel to Dharamshala stopping off at Kangra Fort and Masrur Temples enroute. Mighty Kangra Fort is the largest in the Himalayas and the oldest in India dating back to the ancient Trigarta Kingdom. Whilst it's age has not been accurately confirmed it is thought to have been built 3500 years ago. Later visit the 8th century monolithic rock-cut Marsur Temples. Dharamshala is best known as the home of the Dalai Lama. Established by the British in 1815, today the city has a decidedly Tibetan flavour seen in the Tibetan handicrafts, restaurants and museums which abound in this area. Upon arrival you will have time to explore the local market and St Johns Church.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Explore Dharamshala and the upper Dharamshala area of McLeodganj, a region steeped in the religious rituals and structures of Buddhism. Visit the imposing hilltop location of Namgyal Monastery, the personal monastery of the Dalai Lama, then travel onward to the vivid murals of the Kalachakra Temple and the fascinating Norbulingka Institute, a key centre for Buddhist teaching opened to safeguard the survival of Tibetan Buddhism's cultural heritage.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today's journey takes you to Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple which gives it its spiritual significance. Arrive in time for the sacred Palki Ceremony, accompanied by the reciting of hymns, the Guru Granth Sahib (the Holy Book) is carried by devotees on a beautifully gilded palanquin from the main shrine to the inner sanctum, where it is kept until the opening ceremony the following morning.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Return to the Golden Temple as your first stop on today's half-day tour. Witness the marble sculptures, gleaming golden turrets, and jewel-studded interior of this holy shrine of the Sikhs, and the cleansing rituals of pilgrims who bathe in the waters that surround it. Visit the commemorative gardens of Jallianwala Bagh where a memorial serves as a poignant reminder of the 1919 massacre of civilians by occupying forces. After lunch, travel to the India-Pakistan border to experience the fascinating flag-lowering ceremony, a daily ritual where each country's soldiers compete to march, salute and shout better than the other.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast you will have some free time to relax before departing for your afternoon flight to Delhi.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This morning proceed to the airport in time to connect with your flight to Varanasi, the sacred 'City of Life'. On arrival, transfer to the hotel where you will stay for the next two nights exploring one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities, regarded as one of Hinduism's seven holy cities. This evenings tour takes you to a ghat - steps that lead to the Ganges - to witness the humbling Ganga Aarti Ceremony, a spellbinding display of candles afloat along the river in Varanasi.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Begin today with a sunrise boat trip along the Ganges for a unique perspective of this spiritual watercourse and its vivid embankment of pastel edifices pierced by temple stupas. Continue your exploration of Varanasi at the Vishwanath Temple (seen from the boat), a monument dedicated to Lord Shiva and famed for an illustrious gold-coated dome. After lunch enjoy a half-day tour of Sarnath, a sacred site on which the Buddha gave his first sermon after finding enlightenment in 530BC. Your tour includes visits to ancient relics that document the area's spiritual significance including the Monastery Ruins, a tranquil park interrupted by a towering stupa engraved with delicate geometric carvings.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
In the morning, transfer to the railway station to catch your train to Delhi, arriving by afternoon for hotel check-in, with the rest of the day is at leisure.
Breakfast
After breakfast transfer to the airport in Delhi for your flight back to the UK
Use discount code TOUR200 at the checkout to save £200 per person on selected tours departing in September 2026 and October 2026
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It cannot be overemphasised that our guide, Dinesh Pal Singh, provided an exceptional insight into his country and all the activities we were taken to see/experience. All aspects of the tour were excellent, giving an overall picture of the area, its people, and customs.
Christopher And Jennifer Dilnot
19 NovemberOur tour leader/guide, Dinesh Pal Singh, was the best we have ever experienced. His personality is friendly, enthusiastic, and engaging. His organisational skills are outstanding, and his knowledge is excellent. It was a pleasure to spend the tour with him, and he really made the tour.
Stephen Bagg
16 FebruaryDifficult to choose highlights as the whole trip was brilliant but being invited to a wedding whilst at Rishikesh stands out, as does joining in with the river ceremony also at Rishikesh. Helping whilst at the Golden Temple in Amritsar was a very humbling experience that we will never forget.
Steven Annells
24 FebruaryI really enjoyed The Golden Zemple at Amristrar, the Himalayas, Dharamshala, Shimla, and Rishikesh, particularly the Spiritual and cultural aspects. Our Guide Kaleem was brilliant and made our tour very enjoyable and interesting. His depth of knowledge about all aspects of modern and historic India kept us well-informed and entertained.
Stephen Mcgurk
26 MarchThe order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.
If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.
A visa is required for entry into India. British Citizen Passport Holders will need to obtain a tourist visa. You can apply for an E-visa no more than 30 days in advance. Your E-visa must be valid for your whole trip so please ensure the expiry date is for the whole duration of your stay. Alternatively you can visit The Indian Visa Application Centre in London: 142-148 Goswell Road, London, EC1B 7DU. We also work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. Additionally, you will need to complete an e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before your arrival. This can be done on the Indian visa website: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/. Additionally, you must complete an Ebola Self-Declaration Form before departure. This form can be completed online at https://airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in/. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months before you enter India. Visa requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.
Please note your final documentation will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. Weight restrictions will be finalised on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0333 188 0407, quoting HX313.
IMPORTANT: A printed e-ticket or boarding pass, along with your passport, is required for entry into Indian airports. Ensure you print your tickets before travelling, as digital copies on mobile devices are not accepted. It's also recommended to carry your invoice with flight details for reference.
We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.
It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in sufficient time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic. It is not advisable to drink the tap water.
All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Sacred South India is rated Active. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, and you will be getting on and off coaches, trains and boats and climbing steps which may be irregular. You will stay in variety of hotels throughout the tour. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary. Early morning trains and flights depending upon the schedule and some early morning sightseeing’s are also in this tour.
The currency in India is the Rupee or Rs. The Rupee is a closed currency and officially you are not allowed to take any cash out of India. US Dollars and GBP are also widely accepted in India should you wish to keep an alternative currency on you. There are restrictions on taking Indian rupees into India. Visitors, including tourists, are not permitted to take any amount of Indian currency into the country. You can take cash or travellers' cheques (in pounds sterling or another foreign currency) and/or a bank card with you and exchange or withdraw rupees once in India. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in your local currency. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country.
As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.
You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £350-£400 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.
It is customary to tip your guide and driver. This is at your discretion, but we recommend you allow approximately £4-£5 for each guide and £2-£3 for each driver per person per day. It is asked that you tip in pounds and not local currency, please do not give coins as these are difficult to exchange. If you want to tip your bell boy, porter etc this is at your discretion, All tips will be collected by your guide at the beginning of your tour for your convenience.
The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10, and the maximum will be 35. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date, then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
There is no minimum number of travellers for this extension however the main tour passenger numbers will apply for the main part of the tour. If in the unlikely event there are less than the required number of people booked on your main tour date then you may be asked to change to a different date. A full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
This is a fully escorted tour. A national guide will meet you on arrival and accompany you throughout your trip. In certain cities, local guides will join you to provide expert insight based on the sites visited.
For private tours, you will travel with either a Driver Guide or a Driver plus local guides. They will accompany all sightseeing. Private tours can depart any day of the week, subject to transport schedules and attraction opening times. These tours follow the brochure itinerary unless otherwise advised and include all listed meals, sightseeing, and excursions.
Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and India. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. It can get cold in the evenings in north India and most hotels don’t have central heating so warm nightwear is recommended. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. A triple room is available but please note that this will be a twin room with a fold away bed for the 3rd passenger.
Breakfast is always a combination of Indian and western style and served in the hotel each morning (sometimes a packed breakfast depending on train journey). Lunch and dinner where applicable will be taken in hotel/wayside restaurants. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.
Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian and non-spicy meal options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.
It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way, so to ensure your comfort and well-being, two bottles of drinking water will be provided on touring days.
Alcoholic drinks
There are some dry hotels in India, and some hotels where alcohol can be consumed on the premise but must be brought in from outside. Your guide will pre-warn you of this and if anyone in the group would like to purchase drinks before getting then he will arrange for you to visit a local shop and get what you need wherever possible.
Dry days are when the sale of alcohol is not allowed. Most of the Indian states observe these days on major national festivals/occasions such as Republic Day in January, Independence Day in August and Gandhi Jayanti in October. Dry days are also observed during elections in India.
During visits to Churches/Temples please note long trousers or skirts should be worn to cover knees, Long sleeved tops should be worn to cover shoulders and ladies should bring a scarf to cover your head.
On your arrival in Delhi you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Earthen Experiences, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Earthen Experiences representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your Guide will be on hand to answer any queries.
If you need to contact Earthen Experiences during your stay the details are:
Earthen Experiences, 2 DDA Commercial Complex, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, 110017
Telephone Number: 0091 11 4921 1000 (09:30 – 18:00)
Monday to Fridays E-mail: info@earthenexperiences.com
Please find below the emergency contact details for Earthen Experiences:
Mr. Mohammad Kaushar – General Manager: 24 hour number: 0091 98 9974 0800
E-mail Address: mohammad.kaushar@earthenexperiences.com
Mr. Anuj Negi – Director: 24-hour number: 0091 9910859004
E-mail Address: anuj.negi@earthenexperiences.com
