India: The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is an area situated in the Indian Province of Rajesthan, in the North East of India between New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. This area is reputed for its richness in historical sites and fortresses. The name of 'Agra' may not remind you of anything... but the name of The Taj Mahal (situated in Agra) undoubtedly will!

Rajesthan is a vast area, partly situated on the edge of the Thar Desert: sand, heat and camels confirmed that throughout our tour!

Our Golden Triangle Itinerary

Day 1:	London to New Delhi
	Read about our flight from London to New Delhi

Day 2:	Arrival in New Delhi
	Read about our arrival in New Delhi

Day 3:	Delhi: Old Delhi and New Delhi
	Read about our Day in Delhi Slideshow of our day in Delhi Slideshow of the Rickshaw Ride in Old Delhi

Day 4:	Travel from New Delhi to Mandawa
	Read about our drive from New Delhi to Mandawa Slideshow of our travel from New Delhi to Mandawa Slideshow of the Camel Ride around Satbir's village

Day 5:	From the Havelis of Mandawa to the Holy Lake of Pushkar
	Read about the Havelis of Mandawa and the Holy Lake of Pushkar Slideshow: Mandawa to Pushkar

Day 6:	Pushkar and Jaipur
	Read about our morning in Pushkar Read about our arrival in Jaipur Slideshow of our morning in Pushkar Slideshow of our arrival in Jaipur

Day 7:	Jaipur
	Read about our Day in Jaipur Slideshow of our day in Jaipur Slideshow of Indian Carpet Making Slideshow of the Indian Block Printing Slideshow of the Gem Polishing Slideshow of the Elephant Ride

Day 8:	From Jaipur to Agra
	Read about our drive from Jaipur to Agra Slideshow of our travel from Jaipur to Agra

Day 9:	Agra: The Taj Mahal
	Read about our visit to The Taj Mahal and our day in Agra Slideshow of our day in Agra Slideshow of The Taj Mahal Slideshow of the The Gem Inlays

Day 10:	Return from Agra to New Delhi
	Read about our journey back to New Delhi Slideshow of our journey back from Agra to New Delhi Slideshow of the Hindu Temple
Day 11:	New Delhi to London
	Read about our return flight to London
Conclusion:
	Last Word...

Our Golden Triangle Tour

Our 9-day Tour took us from New Delhi to Mandawa, Jaipur, Agra and back to New Delhi. India is a very large country: although the distances may not seem excessive on the map, we felt we had covered a lot of mileage. This is probably because Indian roads don't really allow you to travel fast. Most roads we took were tarmacked and in reasonable condition but a few were poor dust-tracks - not too much of a problem in the dry season. The main traffic problems didn't come from road surfaces or even road widths, but from the erratic driving style of (some) Indian drivers and from the incredible diversity of road-users: wherever you are in India, streets and roads are not just shared by cars, lorries, buses, bikes, rickshaws and other wheels but you can expect some far less conventional road-users: cows (which being sacred in the Hindu religion must not be hurt - these cows have come to understand that: they never look stressed, dawdling at peace in the thickest of traffic jams!), donkeys, camels, elephants, goats... and always lots of people - women often carrying huge loads on their heads.
Although we spent long hours traveling, it never became a chore: the car was comfortable and extremely well-driven by our chauffeur Satbir, the company of our guide Raj was warm and entertaining and there was also something interesting to look at as we crossed many little towns and villages.