Bellevue, WA—World Spree Travel has pulled off a bargain to the one of the world’s most colorful and fascinating destinations. If you can plan ahead—to May, 2019, the tour operator’s new Exotic India tour starts at $999 including round-trip air fare, all ground transportation and transfers, baggage handling, sightseeing and entrance fees, professional English-speaking tour managers/guides, daily American breakfasts, five other meals and deluxe hotels like Marriott and Hilton that have swimming pools, fitness centers and restaurants. (If you can’t plan that far ahead, the air-inclusive tour costs $1,349 to $1,549 from September, 2018 to April, 2019, which is still a good deal.)
The tour covers the cultural and architectural riches of northern India: the famed Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The capital, Delhi, offers a view of Indian history from ancient settlement through the Mughal Empire and the British Raj to the present. Sightseeing here includes a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi’s narrow alleyways and Chandni Chowk market, the Red Fort, India’s largest mosque, and Humayun’s 16th-century garden-surrounded tomb. There’s also a visit to a Sikh temple whose kitchen feeds 20,000 people each day. A mind-boggling contrast is provided by the tree-lined boulevards of Edwin Lutyens’ 20th-century imperial city, New Delhi, and Mahatma Gandhi’s former home.
On to Agra for a tour of the Taj Mahal, one of the world’s most famous and beautiful buildings, a white marble jewel of Mughal architecture built by the Emperor Shah Jahan (and 20,000 workers) in loving memory of his wife. There’s also a visit to the marble market and free time for sightseeing and shopping.
On the way to the land of the Rajput kings, the tour stops to see an amazing 10th-century “stepwell” that’s 99 feet deep, has 13 floors and 3,500 steps—an ancient solution to an arid climate. Then comes the capital of Rajasthan, the “pink city” of Jaipur, a city of palaces, temples, forts and lush gardens, founded in the 18th century and painted pink in the 19th for a British Royal visit. Here tour participants enjoy a jeep ride to the hilltop 16th-century Amber Fort, a fusion of Mughal and Hindu architecture, and time to explore the markets full of Rajasthani textiles: rugs, silk scarves and embroidered shawls. There’s also a visit to Ladli, a non-profit initiative that supports homeless children. Then it’s back to Delhi for a celebratory farewell dinner and airport transfer.
All prices are per person, double occupancy, and are subject to availability. For more information about the Exotic India tour, visit www.worldspree.com, click Destinations, then India, then 2019, or call toll-free 1-866-652-5656.
World Spree Travel, which started 12 years ago as China Spree, with tours of China, is a tour operator renowned for its 5-star trips at 3-star prices. Based in Bellevue, Washington, World Spree has expanded all over Asia and now operates tours to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bali and yes, Peru. Japan and Ecuador are coming soon. Note that 70% of World Spree’s tour participants are repeat clients who value well-planned trips at a reasonable price.
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