- India Private Tours
- A Royal Indian Odyssey - Private Tour
Discover ancient forts and luscious scenery along colonial tracks as you delve into India’s heart. Wander through opulent palaces, echoing with tales of maharajas and legends of old. Gaze out over golden deserts, explore vibrant cities rich in colour and culture, and experience the warmth of Rajasthani hospitality at every turn.
Lunch & Dinner
After arriving in Delhi, you'll be met and transferred to your hotel where you will have lunch and some free time to relax before your welcome evening meal.
If you are arranging your own international flights, free airport transfers are available and included in the price. Transfers need to be booked with us at least two weeks before the tour starts and you will need to provide your inbound and outbound flight details.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
A full day tour of Delhi commences after breakfast, beginning with the historic Old Delhi in the morning. Lying side by side, Old Delhi dates back to the Mughal period, whilst New Delhi was built just over a hundred years ago. Travelling through the narrow and crowded streets on a rickshaw will transport you back in time, passing vibrant food markets of Old Delhi where breadmakers bake deliciously scented naan from the tandoor ovens and chai wallahs brew their sweet tea. A visit to the regal Red Fort gives you a sense of the lavish life once led by the former rulers before stopping for lunch at a local restaurant. Your tour will continue on to New Delhi, you'll drive past the India Gate, President's House, Parliament Building and visit the Birla Temple, made purely out of 2,000 tons of Rajasthani white marble. You will then carry on to see the Mahatma Gandhi memorial and the UNESCO listed 12th century Qutb Minar. Built on the foundations of Jain and Hindu temples, the complex was built in 1193 after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom and displays fine examples of Indo-Islamic architecture as well as the tallest stone tower in India.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Waking early, it's time to board the train to Agra. This train journey swiftly leaves behind the hustle and bustle of Delhi and arrives into Agra with time for lunch before your afternoon excursions. Despite being a small city, Agra was once the capital of the mighty Mughal dynasty whose strength manifested itself in the huge forts and buildings built to maintain its power. During the afternoon, you will visit the vast red sandstone Agra Fort. The colossal walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built by the Mughals in 1573 and boasts gigantic pavilions, grand palaces and spectacular courtyards.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This magical day starts with an early morning tour of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. Words do not do this remarkable palace justice; it really must be seen to appreciate its stupendous beauty. Taking 17 years and 20,000 men to build, the heartbroken Mughal Emperor Shahjahan dedicated this stunning white marble monument of love to his deceased wife to enshrine her mortal remains. After breakfast back at the hotel, visit UNESCO registered Fatehpur Sikri. Built in 1569, it is the ancient capital of Akbar and known as the 'abandoned city' as the area suffered from water shortages making it an unsuitable residence. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant with some time to spare in the afternoon before proceeding to the railway station to catch your train to Jaipur.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Begin your first day in Jaipur with a visit to the spectacular UNESCO listed Amber Fort, the ancient capital of the royal family until 1728, located just 11km from Jaipur. Spanning over four huge courtyards, you will travel to the centre of the fort by Jeep, passing snake charmers, harems of the Maharajah and the Palace of Mirrors along the way which all make for a truly unforgettable morning. An afternoon city tour of Jaipur takes in the major sights including the home of the royal family of Jaipur - The City Palace and the UNESCO registered Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory. Lastly, marvel at the hundreds of tiny windows on the facade of the Hawa Mahal, known to many as the Palace of Winds, where it is said that the women of the royal family could once watch the streets below without being seen. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant and some time to walk through the colourful bazaars before enjoying dinner at a local restaurant returning to the hotel for dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Depart your hotel after breakfast and travel onwards by train to Amer, then transfer to Pushkar, an important Hindu pilgrimage site. The town has hundreds of temples, the most famous being Brahma Temple, said to be one of the few temples in the world dedicated to this deity. The town winds around a vast lake where Hindus come and use one of the 52 ghats to enter and bathe in the holy water during religious ceremonies and festivals. Continue by road to Jodhpur in time for dinner at your hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Situated on the edge of the Thar desert, Jodhpur is the birthplace of the last Maharaja of India. You'll begin your day-long tour with a visit to the Mehrangarh Fort, a beautiful fort founded in the 15th century by the Rathore Rajputs that appears to rise from bluff-coloured sandstone within the hill itself making it hard to tell where the land ends and the building begins. Strolling through stately palace apartments you'll get a real feel for life as a royal in an Indian court. Later visit Jaswant Thada, the traditional cremation ground of the rulers of Jodhpur with grandiose white marble memorials amongst ornamental gardens.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Leaving Jodhpur, en-route to Deogarh you will visit the world famous Ranakpur temple complex. Acclaimed for their intricate and superb architectural style, the temples are the largest of the Jain cult and form one of the five major pilgrimage sites. Wholly constructed in marble with more than 1,400 exquisitely carved supportive pillars, they contain numerous beautifully and delicately carved sculptures and are definitely a highlight of any trip to this area. There'll be a break for lunch in a local restaurant before continuing the journey to Deogarh, arriving in time for dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Begin your day with a trip on Deogarh's metre-gauge train for a journey around the picturesque local area, passing waterfalls and thick jungle, soaking up the ambience of a bygone era. After lunch in a you'll continue on to Udaipur.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Affectionately known as 'The Venice of the East', magical Udaipur is a city of romance with beautiful lakes and fantastical palaces all bordered by lush, forested hills. This morning you will visit the huge City Palace, lining the eastern shore of Lake Pichola, with its balconies gazing out towards the stunning Lake Palace seemingly floating on the waters of the shimmering lake. Next make a stop at the celebrated Jagdish temple, the largest in the city and whose 79-foot sculpted spire dominates the skyline. Here you can appreciate the three-storied temple that is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Leaving Rajasthan behind the tour travels onwards to the UNESCO World Heritage City Ahmedabad where you'll explore the city on a varied sightseeing tour, visiting Sabarmati Ashram, the former home and retreat of Mahatma Gandhi as well as the Science City, Swaminarayan Temple and Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, famous for its intricately carved ten stone latticework windows.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This morning board the express train to Mumbai which arrives in the afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to explore the surrounding area before dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
An early morning start to commence your full day tour of Mumbai awaits you. Your first stop is the iconic stone arch landmark known as the Gateway of India, Next, board a motorboat to Elephanta Island and explore the ancient caves dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva which are UNESCO-listed (Please note there are 120 steps with a steep climb to access the ancient caves on Elephanta Island). Back to mainland for your Site seeing in Mumbai. Visit the Iconic gateway of India, Victorian gothic style buildings such as Mumbai University, high court building, and CSMT (Victoria train station). Take a drive around Marine Drive, past Chowpatty beach, see Mani Bhavan (the Mahatma Gandhi museum) and see how the Dhobi Ghat (a public laundry) works.
Breakfast
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK or transfer to your chosen extension.
If you are arranging your own international flights, free airport transfers are available and included in the price. Transfers need to be booked with us at least two weeks before the tour starts and you will need to provide your inbound and outbound flight details.
Use discount code TOUR200 at the checkout to save £200 per person on selected tours departing in June 2026, July 2026, August 2026, September 2026, October 2026, November 2026, December 2026, January 2027, February 2027, March 2027, April 2027, May 2027, June 2027, July 2027, August 2027, September 2027, October 2027, November 2027 and December 2027
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The guide Jaswant and driver Pavan were superb. We felt the tour was well organised and we were well looked after. The transfer of the luggage by others was a real bonus and unexpected. The Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Step Well were the highlights for us but we saw some amazing sights throughout the tour and enjoyed them all despite the heat.
Sue Smith
25 MayA well organised tour with an excellent itinerary, perfectly managed by our tour guide Narendra and our driver Pawal who both worked extremely hard to ensure that our holiday went smoothly. The places visited were amazing. Excursions included were all very interesting and culturally enlightening. Take in all on offer as this trip is amazing!
Mark Taylor
12 DecemberThe 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/. 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.
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 good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.
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 A Royal Indian Odyssey is rated Active due to the tour being packed with activities and experiences with many train journeys. 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.
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.
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 money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. Approximately £50 - £100 per day will be sufficient for the duration of the tour. It is a good idea to try and maintain a supply of small notes and change in the local currency for tipping or small purchases. Please also bear in mind that there will be several shopping opportunities throughout your 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. Your guide will also ask you for £1 or £2 a day to add to a kitty this is for the porters, waiters etc throughout your tour.
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.
Throughout your tour, you'll be boarding and disembarking several trains, all of which are reserved in Air-Conditioned Chair Car carriages. The seats are comfortable with reclining options, and there's overhead storage for your bags. Restrooms are located at the end of each carriage, though we recommend bringing your own toilet paper and hand sanitiser for convenience. Please note that train conditions in India can differ from those in the UK, and schedules may occasionally be affected by heavy fog. Your guide will keep you informed of any changes along the way.
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. 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 roll 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 to the hotel then we 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, Jayasree Travels and Tours, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/India Travel Service representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your guide will be able to answer any queries.
If you need to contact Jayasree Travels and Tours, during your stay the details are:
F 341-Ground Floor, Lado Sarai, New Delhi, 110030.
Contact number: 0091 9526188860/ 0091 995 898 8719
Emergency contact information
Telephone number 24 hr:
Biju Unnikrishnan 0091 952 618 8860, Ms Jayasree Vikraman 0091 974 700 5888, Mrs Samitha Azhar 0091 974 471 3380, Mrs Rekha Anil 0091 9744813380, Mr Amit Bhardwaj 0091 995 898 8719
E-mail: biju@jayasreetravels.com
