The Heritage of India

Our journey will begin in Mumbai. You will need to assemble at The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai by 2:30 PM to finish the registration process for the eight-day journey to unfold and to register for check in formalities at the hotel for the Maharajas’ Express. After we help you finish the registration process, we will help you to travel to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Once you reach the train, you will be greeted by great pomp, with the Police Band playing for your welcome as you board the train. You will be welcomed with a drink as you board the Maharaja Express, and take your seats.

The train, Maharaja Express, will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at 4:45 PM, approximately. From here, we will travel through the land of the Marathas to Ajanta. Dinner will be served on board.

On your second day with us, you will arrive at the World Heritage site of Ajanta. We will help you enjoy an early morning breakfast at 6:30 AM before we start the journey. We will help you alight at the Pachora Station at 7:40 AM, from here we will travel to the Ajanta Caves via road.

The Ajanta Caves are known across the world for its beauty. These rock-cut out structures are a sight to behold. The Ajanta Caves have been declared as a World Heritage site for the rock-cut out monuments. The earliest of these monuments date back to 2nd century BC. The drive to the Ajanta Caves will take approximately 90 minutes from the station. Furthermore, to visit the beauty of the majestic Ajanta Caves, you will have to climb steep steps and take off your shoes before you enter the establishment. The Ajanta Caves are Buddhist caves, and they date back to 200 BC to 650 AD. Located in the Sahyadri Hills, these rock temples, caves and monasteries have been cut out from the volcanic lava of the Deccan forests and rocks in the area. Sitting snugly between nature, the caves were accidentally discovered by a British Captain, John Smith, who was out on a hunting expedition in 1819. These caves are famous for their extraordinary beauty, architectural finesse of the monuments and for its paintings. The primary beauty of the caves comes from the frescoes which depict the life of Buddha.

After a morning of exploration, we will help you to travel to Jalgaon Station by 1:30 PM, and will help you board the Maharaja Express for your next destination, Udaipur. Lunch will be served on board. Enjoy your evening on board in leisure, with a dinner afterward.

When you wake up in the morning, you will already be in the picturesque region of Mewar, which is one of the most popular cities of Rajputana. As you arrive in the city, you will enjoy the picturesque beauty of the Aravali Hills, as you enter the city of Lakes, Udaipur.

We will help you get off the train at 10:00 AM in the city. The tour of the city will begin with a boat ride across Lake Pichola. After a boat ride on Lake Pichola, we will help you travel to City Palace, which is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. The palace is known for its beautiful cupolas, fretted balconies, and its beautiful arches. After this, we will help you visit Mor Chowk, where you can marvel at the lavish mosaics of peacocks. Along the way, we will help you to travel to Moti Mahal, which is known for its beautiful mirror work, after that we will help you explore the beautiful palace, Chini Mahal, which is known for its ornamental titles. After this, we will help you visit Zenana Mahal, which used to be a royal place for the ladies. Lastly, we will help you visit The Crystal Gallery and the Darbar Hall, with the help of an audio guide for both the places.

We will then help you travel to Satkar Hall of Fateh Prakash Palace, where you will have your lunch and find a warm welcome. You can have lunch here while you bask in the glory of the Mewar empire and indulge in the delicacies of the city.

We will then help you to travel to the station and get you on board. We will continue our journey to our next destination. Dinner will be served on board.

By next morning, we will be further inside the Mewar region with Maharajas’ Express. We will help you enjoy a hearty breakfast as we enter the Blue City of Jodhpur.

When we get to Jodhpur, you will have the morning at leisure. You can choose an optional activity of indulging in a village safari of the Bishnoi village, to see how the rural places in the country function. If you choose to opt for the village safari, you will have to alight at Rohet, which is about 40 kilometers away from the city.

As we reach the city, you can choose to opt for a private shopping tour in the city or find your way to a relaxing session of spa at a 5-star hotel. However, you could also visit monuments such as the Jaswant Thada, which was built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in the memory of his father and serves as the cremation place for the royal family of Marwar and Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum, which exhibits stuffed leopards and various other things.

We will help you return to the train for lunch. After lunch, we will help you to travel and explore the magnificent Meherangarh Fort. The elegantly carved porches of the fort, latticed windows and the beautiful architecture of the fort are a sight to behold. After exploring the fort, we will help you to explore the Old Clock Tower Market, where you can find some delicious Indian street food and various other articles home to the state and country. We will help you find Tuk-Tuks to help you visit the market and have a glimpse of some old houses and mansions (havelis).

In the evening we will escort you to Hanwant Mahal, where you can indulge in some of the most sought after dishes of the state and enjoy a hearty evening. Taste the wonderfully delicious Marwar Culinary delights here for your dinner. After this, we will help you return to the train, and continue our journey to our next destination, Bikaner.

Bikaner is a city which is famous for its beauty and is located amidst the desert. As you move through the city, you will find villagers dressed in their attire with bright turbans and see India through a different light. With scattered vegetation, the bright turbans are visible from a distance. In earlier times, Bikaner was a major center in the cross-desert caravan trade. This city is known for its quality of riding camels throughout the world. Bikaner is also known for its temples, palaces, and architectural legacy of the years bygone.

As we arrive in the city, late in the morning, you can either relax on board, or you could visit the Lalgarh Palace Museum, which exhibits various articles of the previous rulers of the city, as an optional activity. You could also choose to visit the beautiful Deshnok temple, which is also known as the Rat Temple and is known for its wonderful architecture.

We will help you return to the train for lunch, as lunch will be served on the train. After lunch, we will help you alight at 2:00 PM in the city and take you to explore Junagarh Fort. This fort is known to be impregnable and is surrounded by a moat. Built by Raja Rai Singh in 1593 AD, this fort is known for its majestic structure and architectural beauty. The fort includes Phool Mahal, the palace of flowers, Diwan-i-Khas, hall for a private audience, and other interesting spaces. The Fort museum is also a place to visit, as it is adorned with various jewels and decorative costumes.

Next, we will help you enjoy Bikaner at its best by taking you to Sundowner on the Sand Dunes. Here you can enjoy the local music, camel caravans and indulge in delicious drinks and food items, home to only this city. You can enjoy traditional barbeque here with traditional music in the background. We will then take you back to the train.

On your sixth day with us, we will help you to travel to the Pink City, Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. This city is known for its beautiful palaces, fortresses and architectural beauty. This city was built by Raja Jai Singh in the 18th century.

We will help alight in Jaipur at 10:00 AM after breakfast, in the morning and will start our day. Our first stop is the magnificent Amer Fort, which is a fortified fortress overlooking the beautiful Maota Lake. We will help you get to the Fort with the help of a jeep and help you explore the fort. With ornate chamber of Mirrors (Sheesh Mahal) and the Hall of Victory, this fort includes various kinds of spacious apartments and helps enjoy the views from the fort. The intricate designs in the fort also allow you to witness the magnificence of the skilled craftsmen of those times.

After this, we will help you get to the City Palace or Jai Mahal Palace for lunch. You will be welcomed with great pomp and show with a full-blown session of beats of the ‘Nagadas,’ which are Indian drums. Here you will also have a chance to paint elephants, ride them or feed them. Apart from this, you will be able to indulge in some of the best delicacies the city has to offer.

After this, we will help you travel back to the Maharaja Express. If you wish to find a nice relaxing session of spa at a 5-star hotel or you wish to go out for shopping, then you can choose to do so as optional activities before returning to the train.

On your 7th day with us, we will begin traveling towards Fatehpur Sikri. But before we arrive in Fatehpur Sikri, we will help you find an adventurous experience at the Ranthambore National Park. The area, where the Ranthambore National Park is built, used to be the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of the city. However, it was turned into a National Park in 1973.

This National Park is known for sightings of leopards, tigers, nilgais and many other animals. We will help you take a bumpy yet fun ride through the park in an open jeep, where you will be able to see the animals in their natural form.

After a safari ride, we will help you get back to the train, from here we will journey towards the fabled city, Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri was built by Akbar, as a capital. However, it did not serve as the capital for too long.

The monument here is built in the classy Mughal architectural style. When we reach Fatehpur Sikri, we will help you alight at the station at 3:45 PM. We will help you explore this magnificent fort; you can marvel at the architectural beauty of the halls, the arched gateways, and the various kinds of halls and rooms. You can also explore the Halls of Private and Public audience as well as the beautiful ponds in the monument. The fort in Fatehpur Sikri has been declared as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After your visit, we will help you get back to the train, where you enjoy an Indian Evening on board, and dinner will be served later.

We continue our journey towards Agra. Here we will help you explore the beautiful monument of love, the Taj Mahal. This monument was built by Shah Jahan, a Mughal Emperor, in the fond memory of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The monument sits on the banks of the River Yamuna and is made of pristine white marbles. The monument is known for its iconic beauty, ponds and lavish gardens and the intricate inlay work of the palace.

After this, we will help you enjoy a hearty breakfast at Taj Khema, with the view of the Taj Mahal and with champagne accompanied by breakfast. After this, we will return to the train and journey towards our last destination, Delhi.

Lunch will be served en-route to Delhi. However, our journey will come to an end in Delhi, where you will bid us goodbye and make your way home.