Heart of India (2012)

Delhi • Jaipur • Ranthambore • Agra • Khajuraho • Varanasi
  • 16 days
  • from only:
  • $2895
  • $181 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 17 days
  • from only:
  • $3645
  • $215 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
NEW—Enhanced Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Heart of India
Festival Departures
NEW—Private Departures
Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
Optional Tours
Local Team & Insider Tips
Grand Circle Foundation
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
Interested in learning more? Our Travel Counselors are ready to assist you
CT

Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

CT

Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, OR, San Francisco, Seattle

22hrs

Boston, Chicago, Washington, DC (Dulles)

20hrs

Dallas, Denver, Houston, Orlando, Minneapolis

24hrs

New York (JFK)

15hrs

Miami

25hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Delhi, India. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Festival Details


Two Rajasthani Celebrations

Our Heart of India Adventure features alternate itineraries on select departures that allow us to take part in special Indian celebrations. On departures between January 20th and 25th, the itinerary will include 2 additional days to allow us to visit the Nagaur Festival; on departures between November 12th and 20th, the itinerary will include 2 additional days to visit the Pushkar Festival. While optional tours may vary slightly, each itinerary features the same included tours and optional extensions.

On either festival departure, your adventure will still begin in Delhi and Jaipur, before a two-night stay in a private tented camp near the festival grounds. After the festival, you return to Jaipur and continue on with your regular itinerary.

“The camel fair was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It made my 6th grade geography book come alive!”

Nancy & Mark Donatelli, 5-time travelers, Hinsdale, Illinois

Nagaur Festival

Nagaur Festival

Men in colored turbans leading oxen decorated with vivid garlands … barefoot boys playing tug of war before cheering spectators … joyful voices rising in song as trading ends for the day. This is the Nagaur Cattle Festival, the second largest livestock fair in all of India, an exuberant 8-day event few Americans ever have the privilege to enjoy.

Highlights:

  • Enjoy visits to the festival on two consecutive days
  • Witness trading, games, singing, and camel and bull races
  • Explore Nagaur’s local chattri, a Rajasthani memorial
  • Discover the local bazaar, known for its chili peppers and traditional goods

Pushkar Festival

Pushkar Festival

Once a year, tiny Pushkar, on the shore of a sacred lake, swells from a hamlet of 14,000 to a festive destination for 200,000 people—and 50,000 camels. Turbaned men and women adorned with glittering bangles join in a 5-day extravaganza that is not only the world’s largest camel fair, but also a hotbed of cultural performances that most American travelers miss.

Highlights:

  • Visit the festival twice at different times of day
  • Witness camel contests and musical performances
  • Explore Lake Pushkar, home to 52 ghats and 400 temples, including the world’s only Brahma Temple
  • Discover the local bazaar, with traditional goods brought by traders