Optional Excursions (Bookable locally)
Full-Day Jaipur - £18
Jaipur (City of Victory) was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727. The architect who formalised the city’s plans on the Shilpa Shastra, the epic Hindu treatise on architecture, mixed it with the sublimity of the Mughal and Jain influences of those times. The city was painted pink in 1853 in honour of the visit by Prince Albert. Except for the busy traffic of bicycles, cars and buses, little seems to have changed.
Half-Day Agra Fort - £10
Afternoon optional tour to the Red Fort (also known as Agra Fort). This magnificent structure lies on the west bank and dominates the city skyline. The foundations were laid by Emperor Akbar in 1565 and added to in later years by his grandson, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
Half-Day Bikaner - £10
Bikaner, a desert town in northern Rajasthan was founded in 1488 by Rao Bikaji, a descendant of Jodhaji, the founder of Jodhpur. Like many others in Rajasthan, the old city is surrounded by a high crenellated wall and was once an important staging post on the great caravan routes. The old city with its exquisite merchant havellis, temples and bazaars retains a medieval air. The city is chiefly interesting for its superb large fort, but it is also known for the fine camels bred here. There is a government camel-breeding farm near the city.
