Sunday 06 November
We’ll check in at London airport for our overnight flight to…
Monday 07 November
…Amritsar via Delhi, arriving afternoon. We check-in hotel for rest of the day to acclimatise. After dinner, we visit the magnificent Golden Temple for the evening ceremony known as the ‘Palki’ service, where the holy book of the Sikh religion is put to rest for the day. It’s an awe-inspiring moment of peace, tranquillity and spirituality.
We will spend our day in Amritsar visiting the breath-taking Golden Temple, where a ‘free canteen’ policy produces many thousands of meals a day – help produce the chapattis if you wish! Then, Jallianwala Bagh grounds infamous for the massacre by English general Dyer on thousands of innocent unarmed local ‘Amritsaris’ (people of Amritsar) including women & children. We continue to see the impressive Khalsa College building premises. Further visit India – Pakistan border for the evening gate closing ceremony, which is a dramatic affair.
Wednesday 09 November
We have the day free to explore the shop-till-you-drop local markets of Amritsar famous for its Phulkari rich cloth, readymade ladies tops, hand woven leather stylish ladies shoes (known as Mojris or Jutti). Afternoon, workshop in the hotel with your textile expert.
Thursday 10 November
After breakfast we drive 230 kms south-east in the fertile lands of Punjab to most vibrant modern city of Chandigarh. It was designed by Le Corbusier, Swiss-French world-renowned architect & city planner. Chandigarh is a union territory and the capital city of Haryana and Punjab states. Late afternoon, we will try and visit the most famous highlight of the city which is Rock Garden.
Friday 11 November
After early breakfast, we drive 28 kms north to the foothills of Shivalik mountain range to Kalka railway station which is the start point of the Kalka Shimla Railway line. A UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 96 kms in length, passing through 102 tunnels (with longest being almost 1144m long), 869 bridges (33 major, including one triple arch bridge) with a gradient of 1:33 and unparallelled view of the natural beauty of the Shivalik mountain range of the mighty Himalayas. You cannot visit Shimla and not ride on this mesmerising railway. We arrive in Shimla, the Summer Capital of the British from 1864 till India’s independence to check-in to our heritage colonial hotel on The Mall Road.
Saturday 12 November
After breakfast, we have a guided walking tour of Shimla with a walk along The Mall Road visiting The Christ Church, Gaiety Theatre, Scandal Point and the Ridge. We return to our hotel for lunch. Later, we have a workshop in Himachali style wool knitting with the local ladies organized by a NGO.
Sunday 13 November
This morning we have a guided visit to the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS) which was the Viceregal Lodge during the ‘British Raj’ used as the head of the state’s official residence and seat of power in the summer time when each year the capital from New Delhi was shifted to the hills in Shimla to escape the heat. Hence the existence of a beautiful narrow-gauge (2’6”) railway line from foothills up the hills which we will ride the following day. Rest of the day free to enjoy the charming hill station. Beware of almost every shop selling “original” Pashminas for as low as Rs 250. Enjoy!
Monday 14 November
After breakfast, we drive down 122 kms to Chandigarh airport to board our late afternoon flight to Ahmedabad for four nights.
Tuesday 15 November
Breakfast at hotel followed by a visit to Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram, Sidaiyyed Mosque to see the exquisite carving on stone walls known as ‘jali’ work, House of MG Textile Museum. We will have a short walk through the busy streets of Ahmedabad and indulge in some shopping for local items such as threads, fabric, braids, decorative wedding materials for your stitching. We walk up through to the Ahmed Shah Mosque also known as Jama Masjid built by Ahmed Shah I, founder of Ahmedabad in 1414 spread over 700 m2 and have two rows of ten large domes surrounded by several smaller domes. There are eight perforated stone windows and 25 fine carved pillars. Return to our hotel by early evening.
Wednesday 16 November
After breakfast, we transfer to a nearby establishment where we have arranged our workshop with a master of hand block printing in her exclusive personal setup which is large enough for 20-25 people to work independently. This is a state-of-the-art setup for hand block printing on the banks of river Sabarmati. The owner & founder of the setup is a cotton textile guru.
Optional tour for group members who are not interested in hand-block printing, depending upon the number of persons, we suggest an excursion to the ‘Adalaj ni Vav’, a beautiful and intricately carved stepwell, five storeys deep built in 1498 in the memory of Rana Veer Singh. Step wells like the one in Adalaj were once integral to the semi-arid regions of Gujarat, as they provided water for drinking, washing and bathing. These wells were also venues for colourful festivals and sacred rituals.
Thursday 17 November
Breakfast at our hotel and then we return to continue our hand block printing project. Optional tour for group members not attending the workshop: Visit to AutoWorld Vintage Car Museum. With more than 100 vintage cars including Rolls-Royces, Mercedes, Bentleys, Chryslers, Lincolns and so on, it is the largest collection of vintage cars & automobile in India. You can also take a vintage car ride.
Friday 18 November
After breakfast, we continue our hand block printing project. In the evening, we will return to our hotel for a farewell dinner, before heading for the airport….
Saturday 19 November
…to catch the very early morning flight back to the U.K.
What’s included?
Daily breakfast and dinner, 4 lunches, accommodation in 5 star hotels (or best available locally) for 12 nights, internal flight & train, all transport, workshops, local guide, entrance fees to monuments and sights, services of a UK tour manager and a Textile Expert and excursions as set out in the itinerary and the services of a Darjeeling Tours Limited Tour Manager from India to accompany throughout the tour. (Personal and incidental expenses are not included).
Prices
Fully inclusive price from London: £3,695 per person based on two people sharing
Ground only price (international flights excluded) £2,995 per person based on two people sharing
Single supplement: £ 620
Please note that carriers, flights times and train times are subject to change.
We’ll check in at London airport for our overnight flight to…
Monday 07 November
…Amritsar via Delhi, arriving afternoon. We check-in hotel for rest of the day to acclimatise. After dinner, we visit the magnificent Golden Temple for the evening ceremony known as the ‘Palki’ service, where the holy book of the Sikh religion is put to rest for the day. It’s an awe-inspiring moment of peace, tranquillity and spirituality.
We will spend our day in Amritsar visiting the breath-taking Golden Temple, where a ‘free canteen’ policy produces many thousands of meals a day – help produce the chapattis if you wish! Then, Jallianwala Bagh grounds infamous for the massacre by English general Dyer on thousands of innocent unarmed local ‘Amritsaris’ (people of Amritsar) including women & children. We continue to see the impressive Khalsa College building premises. Further visit India – Pakistan border for the evening gate closing ceremony, which is a dramatic affair.
Wednesday 09 November
We have the day free to explore the shop-till-you-drop local markets of Amritsar famous for its Phulkari rich cloth, readymade ladies tops, hand woven leather stylish ladies shoes (known as Mojris or Jutti). Afternoon, workshop in the hotel with your textile expert.
Thursday 10 November
After breakfast we drive 230 kms south-east in the fertile lands of Punjab to most vibrant modern city of Chandigarh. It was designed by Le Corbusier, Swiss-French world-renowned architect & city planner. Chandigarh is a union territory and the capital city of Haryana and Punjab states. Late afternoon, we will try and visit the most famous highlight of the city which is Rock Garden.
Friday 11 November
After early breakfast, we drive 28 kms north to the foothills of Shivalik mountain range to Kalka railway station which is the start point of the Kalka Shimla Railway line. A UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 96 kms in length, passing through 102 tunnels (with longest being almost 1144m long), 869 bridges (33 major, including one triple arch bridge) with a gradient of 1:33 and unparallelled view of the natural beauty of the Shivalik mountain range of the mighty Himalayas. You cannot visit Shimla and not ride on this mesmerising railway. We arrive in Shimla, the Summer Capital of the British from 1864 till India’s independence to check-in to our heritage colonial hotel on The Mall Road.
Saturday 12 November
After breakfast, we have a guided walking tour of Shimla with a walk along The Mall Road visiting The Christ Church, Gaiety Theatre, Scandal Point and the Ridge. We return to our hotel for lunch. Later, we have a workshop in Himachali style wool knitting with the local ladies organized by a NGO.
Sunday 13 November
This morning we have a guided visit to the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS) which was the Viceregal Lodge during the ‘British Raj’ used as the head of the state’s official residence and seat of power in the summer time when each year the capital from New Delhi was shifted to the hills in Shimla to escape the heat. Hence the existence of a beautiful narrow-gauge (2’6”) railway line from foothills up the hills which we will ride the following day. Rest of the day free to enjoy the charming hill station. Beware of almost every shop selling “original” Pashminas for as low as Rs 250. Enjoy!
Monday 14 November
After breakfast, we drive down 122 kms to Chandigarh airport to board our late afternoon flight to Ahmedabad for four nights.
Tuesday 15 November
Breakfast at hotel followed by a visit to Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram, Sidaiyyed Mosque to see the exquisite carving on stone walls known as ‘jali’ work, House of MG Textile Museum. We will have a short walk through the busy streets of Ahmedabad and indulge in some shopping for local items such as threads, fabric, braids, decorative wedding materials for your stitching. We walk up through to the Ahmed Shah Mosque also known as Jama Masjid built by Ahmed Shah I, founder of Ahmedabad in 1414 spread over 700 m2 and have two rows of ten large domes surrounded by several smaller domes. There are eight perforated stone windows and 25 fine carved pillars. Return to our hotel by early evening.
Wednesday 16 November
After breakfast, we transfer to a nearby establishment where we have arranged our workshop with a master of hand block printing in her exclusive personal setup which is large enough for 20-25 people to work independently. This is a state-of-the-art setup for hand block printing on the banks of river Sabarmati. The owner & founder of the setup is a cotton textile guru.
Optional tour for group members who are not interested in hand-block printing, depending upon the number of persons, we suggest an excursion to the ‘Adalaj ni Vav’, a beautiful and intricately carved stepwell, five storeys deep built in 1498 in the memory of Rana Veer Singh. Step wells like the one in Adalaj were once integral to the semi-arid regions of Gujarat, as they provided water for drinking, washing and bathing. These wells were also venues for colourful festivals and sacred rituals.
Thursday 17 November
Breakfast at our hotel and then we return to continue our hand block printing project. Optional tour for group members not attending the workshop: Visit to AutoWorld Vintage Car Museum. With more than 100 vintage cars including Rolls-Royces, Mercedes, Bentleys, Chryslers, Lincolns and so on, it is the largest collection of vintage cars & automobile in India. You can also take a vintage car ride.
Friday 18 November
After breakfast, we continue our hand block printing project. In the evening, we will return to our hotel for a farewell dinner, before heading for the airport….
Saturday 19 November
…to catch the very early morning flight back to the U.K.
What’s included?
Daily breakfast and dinner, 4 lunches, accommodation in 5 star hotels (or best available locally) for 12 nights, internal flight & train, all transport, workshops, local guide, entrance fees to monuments and sights, services of a UK tour manager and a Textile Expert and excursions as set out in the itinerary and the services of a Darjeeling Tours Limited Tour Manager from India to accompany throughout the tour. (Personal and incidental expenses are not included).
Prices
Fully inclusive price from London: £3,695 per person based on two people sharing
Ground only price (international flights excluded) £2,995 per person based on two people sharing
Single supplement: £ 620
Please note that carriers, flights times and train times are subject to change.