ITINERARY

Day 1 / February 15: New Delhi, India

Meals Included: None

On arrival at Indira Gandhi International airport terminal 3, a VIP meet & greet service has been arranged for you.

A representative of meet & greet service will meet you across the jetway holding a paging sign indicating your name and will guide you through immigration formalities and baggage collection.

A WILDLIFE SOS representative will receive you at the visitor’s lounge. You will then be escorted to your hotel in a private vehicle.

Overnight – Taj Palace / New Delhi

Room Category – Superior

Note: Standard Check-In time at hotels is 2 PM. Your room will not be ready until 2 PM on 15th February 2024. In case your flight arrives earlier on the 15th February then you are requested to pre-book an additional night’s accommodation. WILDLIFE SOS will be happy to assist you with booking additional pre-tour nights with the help of their in-country travel partners.

Day 2 / February 16: Delhi, India

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

If trees and streets could talk, the stories that would pour out of Delhi would keep listeners mesmerized for years. With a history as a capital, Delhi has seen the tides of several rulers from the pages of epic poems like the Mahabharata, the Tughlaq, and Mughal empires from Persia to the imperial colonial armies and the present-day government. Looted, plundered, and resurrected over the years, Delhi emerges from the ashes of her past to take her place in the world as a global capital – politically, culturally and commercially.

We commence our adventures through India with an exploration of Old Delhi. There is a lot to be said about a country as diverse in its faiths as India, and as tolerant in its attitudes towards each. We’ll drive to Red Fort in Delhi and board pedal rickshaws for an exciting ride across the city of Shahjehanabad. Witness the hectic business deals at one of India’s biggest trading centers, learn about the sacred and secular way of life that is typical of India, ride past churches, mosques and temples, walk through a wholesale spice market, smell freshly cooked street food, and simply immerse in the chaos of Old Delhi as your rickshaw pullers navigate through traffic on the noisy streets of Old Delhi.

Continue to New Delhi. Drive past Lutyen’s Delhi, named after Sir Edward Lutyen, commissioned by the then British Government along with Sir Herbert Baker to design the architecture of a new administrative Capital of India. We’ll visit India Gate, a monument commemorating the sacrifices of over 70,000 Indian soldiers in the British Forces during the World War I, the North Block and South block that house the administrative offices of the Federal Government of India, the circular shaped Parliament building first inaugurated in the year 1927, and the majestic Rashtrapati Bhawan, (President House) the official residence of the President of India. Enjoy lunch at United Coffee House, one of our recommended restaurants.

We then visit the majestic Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, with its eye-catching golden dome glistening in the sun. A holy place for the Sikhs, the Gurudwara complex includes a temple shrine, a community kitchen, a school, a library, and an art gallery. A walk through the Sikh temple gives you insight into this religion based on the teachings of their 10 Gurus (preachers) who wrote the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs that prescribes the 10 basic principles of life for the people of Sikh religion.

A highlight of the visit to the Sikh Temple is a walk through the community kitchen where tens of thousands of people are fed free meals every day. It is a fascinating experience to watch the volunteers engaged in cooking whether it’s making breads or stirring the mega pots to cook lentils and vegetables. Visitors are welcome to try their hands at making the chapathis, local breads made out of wheat flour.

Drive back to the hotel for lunch.

Tonight we convene for a Welcome Dinner with your hosts and fellow supporters of WILDLIFE SOS.

Overnight – Taj Palace / New Delhi

Day 3 / February 17: Agra

Journey Time – Approx. 4 hour drive

Meals Included: Breakfast / Light Lunch / Dinner.

After breakfast, we depart for the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre where we will interact with the staff, elephant keepers, and education officers learning about the stories of the 30 elephants that Wildlife SOS has rescued. Lunch which will be set up at the deck overlooking the elephants.

We then embark on a tour of the elephant center where we will meet the rescued elephants, who have a long, traumatic history of neglect and abuse but have finally found a safe haven surrounded by people who love and care for them. We then participate in some hands-on activities of setting up enrichments in elephant enclosures and then observe them while they playfully munch on the surprise treats we’ve left for them! Our day ends at 5pm when we head back to the hotel.

Overnight – Taj View / Agra

Room Category / Superior Room

Day 4 / February 18: Agra

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, we head to the world’s largest sloth bear rescue center, the Agra Bear Rescue Facility, where almost 200 rescued bears reside. Most of these bears at this center have been rescued from the gruesome 400-year-old practice of dancing bears.

The tour will begin as we split into two groups. The first group starts with the complete tour of the center, the wildlife hospital, education center while distributing breakfast to the bears. The second group heads across the river to the extension for a tour while distributing porridge to the bears on the other side. After the groups swap, we head to lunch at the Education Center. We then partake in some fun group activities and end the day by interacting with the staff over hot refreshments and listening to stories from those who have been taking care of these bears for several years.

We head to the hotel at 5pm

Dinner & Overnight – Taj View / Agra

Day 5 / February 19: Agra

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After breakfast we’ll head back to the elephant center and visit India’s first and only elephant hospital. You’ll see state-of-the-art equipment that Wildlife SOS uses for the treatment of their rescued elephants. We then meet with the veterinarians who will talk about the health condition of the elephants at the hospital while you observe the examination and treatments like laser therapy and foot care. We will then head to the enclosures to observe on-site treatments.

During lunch, we have an interactive Q&A session with some of the elephant keepers. We then head back outside and observe a target training session and the building of mud beds for the elephants. The day ends with hot refreshments in the company of the Wildlife SOS staff at the river bank while enjoying the view of the elephants bathing in the river. Head back to the hotel at 5pm.

Simple home style vegetarian lunch will be served at the center during your visits.

Dinner & Overnight – Taj View / Agra

Day 6 / February 20: Agra

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

It is believed that Agra’s history dates back to the times of the great Indian epic Mahabharata. Like many cities in Northern India, it became a bastion of Mughal rulers in the 16th Century. But Agra came into prominence in the 17th Century when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan, placed a Jewel in the Mughal crown with his creation of the Taj Mahal for his beloved Queen Mumtaz.

After breakfast, we will drive a short distance to board battery operated vans to access the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal. As we walk towards the entrance, your expert guides will share stories of its creation and subtle nuances of its architecture. While we give you time to admire its beauty in the subtle morning light, it is natural that you would also want to get into that ideal spot for a picture with the Taj in the background.

We then walk closer to the monument to admire the finer details of the pietra dura work (inlay art). We spend some time navigating its perfectly symmetrical sides and taking in the views before walking back towards the exit where our battery operated buggy waits to take us back to the parking where we’ll board our bus back to the hotel. Lunch today will be at the hotel.

Later in the afternoon we have the option to visit the Agra Fort. On the right bank of the Yamuna river, is one of the most important and robustly built strongholds of the Mughals, embellished with a number of richly decorated buildings. Shopping recommendations can be made available for select boutiques in Agra for those interested in checking out the local art and crafts.

Dinner & Overnight – Taj View / Agra

Day 7 / February 21: Agra, Bharatpur, and Ranthambore

Agra to Bharatpur Journey Time – Approx. 1.5 hour drive

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After breakfast, commence your drive to Bharatpur.

Lunch today will be at the Heritage Hotel in Bharatpur.

Bharatpur to Ranthambore Journey Time – Approx. 4 hour drive

Dinner & Overnight –  Aama Ghati Wildlife Resort / Ranthambore

Room Category / Standard Room

Day 8 / February 22: Ranthambore

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Ranthambore National Park is India’s first wildlife sanctuary to have come under Project Tiger in the year 1974, when it was declared a protected forest. The conservation effort initiated by our then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, was taken forward by the first Wildlife Warden of Ranthambore National Park, conservationist Fateh Singh Rathore. The dedicated efforts in conserving the forests and protecting the tigers has resulted in healthy numbers of the big cats in Ranthambore National Park.

There are over 500 wildlife sanctuaries across the country, and each one offers an unforgettable look into the teeming forest life of India. Most wildlife enthusiasts come to India with just one agenda — to catch a glimpse of the tiger. This beautiful and majestic cat is the country’s national animal and is loved by photographers and tourists alike. While sighting a tiger might be the ultimate thrill, the overall jungle experience is something to be treasured.

Safaris will be conducted using jeeps. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the jungles as your chauffeur and naturalist guide navigate through your designated safari routes.

Your tour guides will communicate the timings for the morning and afternoon safaris.

Lunch and Dinners will be at the Hotel.

Dinner & Overnight – Aama Ghati Wildlife Resort / Ranthambore

Day 9 / February 23: Ranthambore

Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

We continue to explore the forests of Ranthambore further today, on a morning jeep safari. Lunch will be at the hotel.

Tonight we will convene for our Farewell Dinner. Our dinner will precede with a short performance of folk dances from Rajasthan.

Lunch and Dinners will be at the Hotel.

Dinner & Overnight – Aama Ghati Wildlife Resort / Ranthambore

Day 10 / February 24: New Delhi

Journey Time – Approx. 5.5-hour drive

Meals Included – Breakfast, Packed Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast this morning we convene to commence our 5.5-hour drive back to Delhi on the Mumbai Express way, a fine example of improving road connectivity in India. En-route we will have a couple of convenient stops.

We will carry packed lunch boxes from the hotel comprising sandwiches, cutlets and fruit. 

Check-Into your accommodations. Standard Check-In time is 2 PM.

Note: Standard Check-In time is 2 PM. Check-out time is latest 12:00pm (noon) on 25 February. Your guides will advise you of your pick-up timings for your individual airport transfers according to the departure time of your flights. A WILDLIFE SOS representative will provide assistance with check-in formalities at the airport.

Day 11 / February 25

Meals Included: None

Take off from Delhi on your respective homebound flights. We thank you for participating in the Founders Trip to India and we wish you safe travels back home.