Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1 Australia – New Delhi
On arrival at New Delhi – you will be met by your driver and then driven in about 45 minutes to the hotel – check in and relax in your room. We will meet in the afternoon and share a meal together at a local restaurant.
Oh Delhi! Love it or hate it, Delhi is a feast for the senses – HOT and busy – it pulses with a relentless rhythm like few other cities on the planet. Give the Indian capital a chance, there are extraordinary riches steeped in history and overflowing with modern life – monuments, mosques, ancient markets and amazing architecture. Let’s hop in together for a couple of days.
Overnight: Delhi
Day 2 New Delhi
After breakfast you will be driven out from the hotel for a privately guided tour of Old & New Delhi – covering the Juma Masjid (mosque), the markets buzzing markets of old Delhi by rickshaw & on foot after which you will stop at a local restaurant for a lunch – India is many countries and cultures under one canopy & nothing can live up or come close to its diverse cuisine – the lunch will allow you to taste one of many regional cuisines of India. Post lunch – continue to explore a bit of New Delhi to see the Islamic past of Delhi.
Overnight: Delhi
Day 3, New Delhi – Hardwar
Early morning train journey to Haridwar – known as the Gateway to Gods – one of the holiest cities in India. Haridwas is located at the point where the Ganges River emerges from the Himalaya. Hindu pilgrams arrive here in droves to bathe in the fast flowing Ganges.
A spiritual magnet of India, Haridwar comes alive every evening on the Ganges with the Aarti – a river worship ceremony. Hundreds and thousands of worshipers descend for the ganga aarti with flickering flames, bells, flower petels, candles are lit and placed on the river to drift away down stream. Millions of devotees visit each year to take a holy dip in the Ganges – WE WILL TOO!
We will settle into our hotel in a hidden away in a little corner of Haridwar this is blissful quiet place is your base for three nights. After lunch – we will visit a few of the temples in this quaint and charming holy city.
In Hardwar where we will visit a temple that is only accessible on foot, take our own private holy dip in the cool, sacred Ganges, join the wild and deeply moving evening Ganges river worship ceremony that can move your consciousness and visit a temple where a monk in full of joy and has sat in silence for 15 years.
We will also visit the Moti Bazaar, this market pulses in the heart of Hardiwar. An incredible way of experiencing everyday life – it is BUZZING! It is the place to shop set in many twisting and turning laneways, famous for religious relics, beads, clothing – you name it!
This city will leave your soul uplifted!
Overnight: Haridwar
Day 6 Hardwar – Chamba
After breakfast, we begin our journey following the Ganges up into the foothills of the sacred Himalaya. We will drive along the Mandakini and the Bhilangana River – the scenery is beautiful and we will make several stops to enjoy it making our way to Chamba, including a stop at a chai wallah who has been serving smokey chai for over 45 years.
We stay at a retreat that is perched in the foothills of the Himalaya with a stunning view over the snow capped mountains. Our yoga space has one of the best views from any yoga room I have experienced and the retreat also has an Ayurvedic Spa to melt away in.
Our location is set amongst the humble mountain villages and we will take a number of short and long walks to visit some of the families who are very welcoming and curious about our lives – just as we are curious about them. Everyone offers chai! Our hosts will also offer us a private cooking class where we learn, cook and eat the local tasty dishes. Nearby, there is a Shiva temple with a Sadhu who was in silence for 10 years and has fervently located his voice again. We will have a private Puja blessing with him in one of the most peaceful mountain temples I have ever visited.
It is such a special place! We all take the time to stroll, take an inner journey and absorb the powerful and healing energy of the Himalayas.
Overnight: Chamba
Day 10- Uttarkashi – Harsil
Today we continue our winding journey deeper into the Himalaya to our lodge in Harsil towards the headwaters of the Holy Ganges.
Leave early this morning for Uttar Kashi where you will visit the Vishwanath Temple and Kashi Viswanath temple is a major landmark of Uttarkashi (Barahat) town. The old temple was totally destructed in 1803 (except for its upright trident). In the old temple the trisul or trident, was about twelve feet long, with two lower divisions decagonal, and the upper one spiral. The forks of trident were about six feet in length.
We will have a private visit with the pandit of this place who will bless our journey up to the headwaters. Travelling by private vehicles we witness busy everyday mountain life, local herb markets and a surprising café devoted to Krishna Das! The journey is a visual feast.
Overnight: Harsil
Day 11 Harsil – Gangotri
After early breakfast, we head towards the spiritual beginning to the Ganges – Gangotri. Located over 12,000 feet, this only place is where famous saints, holy men and millions of pilgrims have visited for thousands of years.
The legend, which lives large still, continues that Akash Ganga was convinced to come down to wash away the sins of mortals by King Bhagirathi. When she arrived, she descended into the locks of Lord Shiva (the very first yogi) and broke into several river channels. And so, from the heavens the Ganga descended at Gangotri (Ganga: river, Utri: descended). Gangotri is one of the four sites of the Chota (small) Char Dham yatra. The Gagotri glacier is the source of the Ganga/Ganges River and the temple is the seat of the Goddess of the Ganga.
We have a private meeting with the pandit who looks after an ancient library and museum where he shares his story of his devotion to his guru. This is also where we will have a private ritual ceremony with the Semwal pujaris – holy men – of Gangotri Temple and receive a blessing from Mother Ganges – incredible experience.
The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh in the Gangotri glacier and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri. The original Gangotri Temple was built by the Nepalese general Amar Singh Thapa. The temple is closed from Diwali till the Akshaya Tritya which normally happens to be in April each year. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba, near Harsil. Ritual duties of the temple are supervised by the Semwal pujaris from this village. After the visit to this area (temple will remain closed) – you will be driven back to the Harsil village. In case the road is blocked with snow – your guide will take you to the Nellong valley which is a very interesting and new area opened for tourism.
Overnight: Harsil
Day 12 Harsil – Chamba
After breakfast, you make our way back down to Chamba where we will make some special stops, including one at a natural Hot Springs before we relax back at our lodge.
Overnight: Chamba
Day 13 – 15 Chamba – Rishikesh
After breakfast, you will drive down into Rishikesh.
Rishikesh is a magnet for spiritual seekers, known as the gateway to the Himalaya. Legend has it the when Rishi Raibhya did penance here, God appeared and gave his blessing to the Rishi. Hundreds of thousands of devotees come from around the globe for pilgrimage to this true spiritual haven. With its fast flowing Ganges and forested hills surrounding it is a conduit for meditation and mind expansion.
We will take our time to settle into the almost supernatural breeze that blows down the valley into this city, take long walks winding through the many powerful ashrams – one with over 1,000 rooms available free for devotees and another, the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, made famous in the 60’s when visited by the Beetles, now full of artworks and artists, walk past the burning ghats – burial grounds and have our final spiritual bath. We will also join the sacred evening Aarti on the Ganges where thousands of devotees come every year after marriage to receive a blessing for children – the atmosphere is magic! Our hotel here is LUSH and you will want to spend some time melting into the atmosphere, enjoying an Ayurvedic massage and stare back into the foothills of the Himalaya.
Overnight: Rishikesh
Day 16 – Rishikesh – Dehradun – New Delhi – outbound
After breakfast, you will be driven downhill to Dehradun airport. You will FLY from Dehradun to New Delhi in the afternoon and then connect to your flight back home from Delhi.
**Throughout the whole journey breakfast is included and for 7-days of the journey ALL meals fully provided, as we will have a chef join us as we travel up into the Himalaya.
**Note: Breakfast is included everywhere, for 7-days of the journey ALL meals are included as we take a local chef with us into the Himalaya.
**We stay in fairly high-end accommodation throughout the tour – however in the Himalaya, we will be staying in lodges, which are clean and comfortable, nothing overly flash and the best available in pilgrim towns.