Yoga with Holi Festival Tour Of India

Yoga is an age old practice for physical as well as mental wellbeing. There can be no better place to practice Yoga than Rishikesh in north India also called as the Yoga Capital of the World. Every year between 01-07 March international Yoga Festival is celebrated here where Yoga Practitioners and Gurus from different parts of the world gathers and one can get an insight of various yoga forms and adopt the most suitable one.
Holi- the festival of colours is one of the most important festivals and celebrated with lot of spirit. This unique tour gives an opportunity to participate not only in International Yoga Festival but also in Holi Festival at Nandgaon where Holi is still celebrated like it was done 5000 Years before. It also gives an opportunity to visit other important tourist destinations such as Delhi – The Capital City, Jaipur – The Pink City & Agra – The House of Taj Mahal.

28 Feb. (Fri): ARRIVE DELHI
Assistance upon arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Check-In and overnight at the hotel.

29 Feb. (Sat): DELHI
After breakfast city tour of Delhi
Morning: sightseeing of Old Delhi takes you to Jama Masjid, – The largest mosque in India. Drive past Red Fort & Chandni Chowk, once an imperial avenue of Mughal Royalty which today is the busiest commercial area of the city. Rickshaw ride in the bustling bazaars of Chandani Chowk. Also Visit Raj Ghat (memorial to Mahatma Gandhi). Afternoon: sightseeing of New Delhi including the visit to the 12th century Qutab Minar. Drive past the India Gate (war memorial dedicated to the lives of laid down by the Indian soldiers), the president’s residence – formerly the Viceroy’s Palace, parliament House and the Secretariat buildings, – an interesting blend of the Victorian and 20th century architecture. Overnight at hotel.
01 Mar. (Sun): DELHI – Haridwar – RISHIKESH BY SURFACE 250 KMS / 08 HRS.
Post breakfast Leave for Haridwar. The city of Haridwar, located at the foothills of the Himalayas, represents the point where the Holy Ganga reaches the plains. Evening time visit Har-Ki-Pauri for famous Ganga Arti & floating of diyas on the Ganges. Later drive to Rishikesh. Overnight @ the Hotel.

02 Mar. (Mon): RISHIKESH
Full day activities for International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan Ashram.
{https://www.internationalyogafestival.org/}
Rishikesh, the birthplace of yoga and Yoga Capital of the World, the home of the ancient yogis, sages and seers. Each year the International Yoga Festival grows and expands, embracing more and more people from more and more countries around the world. In 2019, we had over 2000 participants from 100 countries!
The programme offers an extensive schedule of possibility, starting with Kundalini sadhana at 4 a.m. for the intensely committed and ending at 9:30 pm with traditional cultural song and dance, kirtan and enlightened entertainment on the banks of Ganga. You can customize each day as per your personal needs. We also have a Sacred Sound Stage for you to come, unwind and awaken through the power of sound.

03 Mar. (Tue): RISHIKESH
Full day activities for International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan Ashram. Overnight @ the Hotel.

04 Mar. (Wed): RISHIKESH – MATHURA BY SURFACE 360 KMS / 07 HRS.
Breakfast at the hotel. Later drive to Mathura. Upon arrival transfer to the Hotel. If time permits Evening visit Iskon Temple & Prem Temple. Overnight at the hotel.

05 Mar. (Thu): MATHURA (Holi Celebration At Nandgaon Town)

Breakfast at the hotel. Then Go around the village and familiarize with the locations for shooting – Holi celebrations. Tourists from abroad thronged Nandgaon town in Uttar Pradesh to witness the rare spectacle of hundreds of village women revellers chasing and beating men with wooden sticks as part of the customary celebrations of the colourful festival of Holi.
The festivities began after men donning colourful turbans and dressed in traditional attire got smeared in herbal colours. Celebrating a unique age-old tradition, men from neighbouring towns and villages flock to Barsana, geared with shields, and sing provocative songs to invite the attention of women. The women, draped in vibrant saris, then go on the offensive and use long staves called ‘laathis’ to beat the men, who protect themselves with shields.
The revellers in traditional costumes sprayed and sprinkled colours at each other during the colourful processions taken out on the streets. Overnight at hotel.

06 Mar. (Fri): MATHURA – AGRA BY SURFACE 70 KMS / 02 HRS
Breakfast at the hotel. After Breakfast drive to Agra. Upon arrival transfer to the Agra by Surface. Upon arrival visit Agra Fort. The fort is really a city within a city, which embraces the Moti Masjid, the Diwan-I-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences, the Diwan-I-Khas or the Hall of Private Audiences, the Octagonal Tower, Jahangir’s Palace and many more monuments”. At sunset you will visit Mehtab Bagh, to see the Taj Mahal from the other side of the river. The 25-acre garden was commissioned by Emperor Babur in 1530 and was designed to be an “amusement park lit by the moon,” an oasis of fragrant flowers, fruit trees, pavilions and fountains. In the 19th century, the gardens were even thought to maintain the foundations of the legendary Black Taj. While Mehtab Bagh has become a more modern garden today, its symmetry with the Taj Mahal and garden walls along the riverfront continue to make this a popular sight among those seeking peace and quiet. Overnight in Agra.
07 Mar. (Sat): AGRA – JAIPUR BY SURFACE 160 KMS / 06 HRS
At Sunrise visit world famous Taj Mahal, undoubtedly one of the most spectacular buildings of the world. Renowned for its architectural magnificence and aesthetic beauty, it counts among man’s proudest creations and is invariably included in the list of the world’s foremost wonders. (Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays) Later come back to hotel for Breakfast. After breakfast leave to Jaipur by surface. Enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri the imperial city of the Mughal dynasty built by Akbar.
Upon arrival transfer to the hotel.
Evening visit of Birla Temple to attend the Aarti ceremony. Overnight at hotel.

08 Mar. (Sun): IN JAIPUR
Breakfast at the Hotel.
Morning: visit of Amber Fort riding on elephant back. Amber is a classic, romantic Rajasthani Fort Palace. Inside the Fort visit the Jag Mandir or the Hall of Victory. Inside the Jag Mandir is the famed Sheesh Mahal – a room with all the four walls and ceiling completely embedded with glittering mirror pieces, which were specially imported from Belgium during that period? En-route to Amber Fort, you will have a brief photography stop at Hawa Mahal – the Palace of Winds. Afternoon: – city tour of Jaipur which begins with a visit to the Maharaja’s City Palace, the former Royal residence, part of it converted into a museum. A small portion is still used by the Royal family of Jaipur. Later visit the Jantar Mantar, which is the largest stone and marble crafted observatory in the world. Situated near the gate of the city palace, the observatory has 17 large instruments, many of them still in working condition. Overnight at the Hotel.

09 Mar. (Mon): JAIPUR – DELHI BY SURFACE 260 KMS/06 HRS
LEAVE DELHI
Breakfast at the hotel. Later drive to Delhi. Upon arrival transfer to the Airport to board the flight for onward destination.