India & Vietnam Discovery

Today depart Australia (or New Zealand) on your flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. On arrival, be picked up by a tour representative and transferred to the hotel.

Please note: Due to flight scheduling and availability, some departures may occur on Day 0. Affected customers must be available to depart the day before. Flight times will be indicated on your final documents, issued 4-6 weeks before departure.

Overnight: Hanoi (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: In-Flight

After breakfast, begin a walking tour to discover the real life of Hanoi's people. Visit a local market and mingle with the vendors, stroll around the picturesque West Lake and enter Quan Thanh, a sacred Taoist temple and Cua Bach Parish Church, a Roman Catholic church built in the early 20th century by the French administration and one of the most beautiful in Hanoi.

After the walking tour, return to your accommodation and enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure.

Overnight: Hanoi (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast

For approximately 180 kilometres, journey past farmlands and rice paddy fields to Ha Long Bay.

Embark on board a traditional junk-style vessel for an overnight cruise through the UNESCO World Heritage-Listed area of Ha Long Bay. Settle into your deck chair and cruise through picturesque emerald waters while marvelling at the towering limestone karst islands.

Enjoy a seafood lunch before taking part in some afternoon activities such as swimming, relaxing on a remote beach, climbing to the top of a lookout for an amazing panoramic view or take a ride on a rowing boat into a secluded bay. Cruise further into the bay to visit a pearl farm before watching a cooking demonstration featuring traditional Vietnamese cuisine, followed by dinner on board. Drop anchor in the late evening for an overnight stay among the dramatic limestone peaks.

Please note: We recommend packing an overnight bag only for your cruise. The remainder of your luggage will be securely stored or you can take all of your belongings onboard if you’d prefer.

Overnight: Ha Long Bay (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After breakfast, climb aboard the tender for a visit to Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave), a colourful grotto of giant stalactites and stalagmites.

Return to the boat and enjoy a short cooking class where you will learn to prepare local delicacies such as spring rolls.

Enjoy a light brunch on board, followed by a relaxing trip back into port, where you will disembark and return approximately 180 kilometres to Hanoi.

Upon arrival, check into the hotel for an evening at leisure. Alternatively, join the below optional activity (not included).

Optional Activity: Water puppet performance and Vietnamese dinner
Sit back and watch a traditional and unique performance of water puppetry originating in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. Each show lasts approximately 45 minutes and includes lively illustrative Vietnamese pastoral scenes of rural daily life as well as fairy legends.

Afterwards, head into the Old Quarter and feast on a dinner of authentic dishes such as Goi Cuon Tom Thit (fresh rice paper roll with prawn and pork), Pho Bo (noodle soup with beef), Bun Cha (BBQ Vietnamese pork meatballs with noodles), Goi Ga Hoa Chuoi (banana blossom salad with chicken) and Che Nep Dua (sticky rice in coconut cream).

Please note: Depending on the timing of the water puppet performance, dinner may be enjoyed prior to the show. Please see current pricing in Important Information.

Overnight: Hanoi (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch

This morning you will depart to Tam Coc, in the Ninh Binh province, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. Upon arrival, your guide will take you to Hoa Lu, the ancient royal capital of Vietnam. Here you will visit the Dinh King and Le King temples from the 10th Century, learning about the heroic histories of these two kings during the Chinese wars. Afterwards continue to Tam Coc where you will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, enjoy a bamboo boat ride on the Hoang Long River to see Tam Coc (three caves). It takes approximately two hours to go up and down the river and along the way you witness local fisherfolk, village life, and of course, the striking limestone karst formations that Tam Coc is famous for.

In the early evening, arrive at the hotel where you will enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight: Ninh Binh (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch

After breakfast, drive to the Trang An - Ecotourism Complex. The site features worldwide value for geological, geomorphological, archaeological and aesthetic tectonics, which has been honoured by UNESCO as a Natural World Heritage site. Here enjoy another 2-hour bamboo boat journey to admire its wonderful beauty known as the “Halong Bay on land”. Enjoy a lovely lunch at a local restaurant with many traditional dishes, and Vietnamese tea, before continuing onwards to Bich Dong Pagoda.

Enjoy the evening at leisure back at the Ninh Binh accommodation.

Overnight: Ninh Binh (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting off to Hanoi to check in to the hotel and enjoy an afternoon at leisure.

Overnight: Hanoi (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Today at the appropriate time, you will be picked up from the hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to Delhi, India.

Upon arrival, be met by a representative at the airport and receive a welcome garland. The representative will escort you by private chauffeur car to the hotel.

Please note:
- Late check out is not provided on this day, but luggage storage facilities are available at the hotel so you may explore Hanoi at leisure (where time permits) before transferring to the airport this afternoon for your onward flight.

Overnight: Delhi (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast; In-Flight

The capital of India, Delhi is a major gateway city for international visitors.

Delhi is a fascinating metropolis offering an intriguing mix of ancient sites and modern wonders, and also serves as the headquarters of Indian politics. Many of the heads of the Indian government, as well as other political parties, reside in the city, including the Prime Minister and President of India.

After breakfast, enjoy a city tour of old and new Delhi. The tour will take you to Raj Ghat (where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated) and Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India) which has three great gateways, four angle towers and two minarets constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble. Also enjoy a rickshaw tour through Chandni Chowk, a colourful shopping bazaar in Old Delhi.

Next, travel to Laxminarayan Temple, a site dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and good fortune. You’ll also witness the India Gate, a 42-metre high war memorial and stone of triumph. The tour continues with a visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the palace-like building home to the President of India.

Overnight: Delhi (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, travel approximately 265 kilometres to Jaipur - the capital of Rajasthan.

On arrival check into the hotel, where you will also enjoy dinner this evening. Jaipur is instantly recognisable for its pink-washed buildings, a colour associated with hospitality in Rajput culture. This beautiful city, along with Agra and Delhi, form what is known as the Golden Triangle of India’s tourist circuit.

Jaipur is a city where royalty still lives in the grandeur of its palaces, where fighting for the honour of the clan has never been a need but a way of life, and where treating guests as gods has been a tradition from time immemorial. There is a timeless appeal to Jaipur’s colourful bazaars, where you can shop for Rajasthani textiles and trinkets.

The beautifully laid out gardens and parks, attractive monuments and heritage hotels, once the residence of Maharajas, are all worth a look. This evening, enjoy a short city tour to get your bearings followed by a Sari and Indian costume demonstration.

Overnight: Jaipur (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

After breakfast, enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Jaipur.

Begin with a morning excursion to Amber Fort. Located 11 kilometres from Jaipur, it was the old fort of the Kachwaha clan of Amber. A beautiful sight to behold, the fort is built with white marble and red sandstone and looks even more attractive because of the Maota Lake in the foreground.

This afternoon take part in a city tour visiting the City Palace, the former royal residence built in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles. Jantar Mantar is the largest of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh. The Hawa Mahal or the 'Palace of Winds' was constructed for the royal ladies to watch royal processions without being seen. Enjoy an Indian costume tying demonstration and also visit Lakshmi Narayan Temple.

This evening, take part in an optional activity or enjoy the evening at leisure.

Optional Activity - Indian Cooking Demonstration & Dinner
Make your day a special one by participating in a cooking demonstration in Jaipur to learn the secrets of authentic Rajasthani cooking style in an informative and fun way. It shall be exciting to get the experience of cooking traditional vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes and get an idea about different spices used to make the dishes more delicious and rich. The royal household of Jaipur is known for many succulent recipes and kitchen secrets that have been handed down from a generation to another over centuries. Your local chef will try to provide maximum possible cooking techniques and secrets in the time and allow you to enjoy the dishes. And upon the end of your food tasting and cooking classes in Jaipur, you can go back enriched with the amazing culture and tradition of Rajasthan. A must for cooking enthusiasts, you are sure to learn some absolutely mouth-watering tips and tricks to cooking up a storm. Please see current pricing in Important Information.

Overnight: Jaipur (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, travel approximately 245 kilometres to Agra.

On the way, you will visit Chand Baori Stepwell, located opposite a temple known as Harshat Mata Temple.

On arrival to Agra, check into the hotel. Agra is the quintessential Mughal City, where the world marvels at the epitome of love, beauty and sacrifice, the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world. So awe-inspiring is the monument that Agra has been immortalised as the City of the Taj.
As visitors walk down the narrow bustling streets, they cannot help but wonder, if the man contentedly smoking a hookah, is a direct descendent of some bygone Mughal.

This afternoon, enjoy a visit to Agra Fort (Red Fort). A fascinating sight, it showcases a high level of ornamentation, with the Kohinoor diamond reportedly part of the furnishings at some point.

The fort's artwork mixes Persian, European and Indian art, resulting in a unique Shahjahani style rich in form, expression and colour.

Red Fort is one of the building complexes of India encapsulating a long period of history, arts and its innovative architectural style, including its garden design which influenced later buildings and gardens in Delhi. In 2007, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site as part of the Red Fort Complex.

Optional Activity: Food Trail Tour
Embark on a heritage walk through hidden lanes, bustling markets and visit an array of local eateries. Meet the people behind some of the city’s most famous snacks. Sample some traditional foods such as paratha, chat, savour one of the best chai served in a traditional clay cup and taste Agra’s famous sweet petha. Originally prepared more than 350 years ago from the royal kitchens of Shah Jahan, this sugary white pumpkin sweet comes in a variety of flavours having adapted to consumers' changing tastes. Optional tour includes transfer in air-conditioned vehicles, English speaking guide, a selection of snacks and chai. Please see current pricing in Important Information.

Overnight: Agra (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

Today enjoy an early morning visit to the Taj Mahal just after sunrise (at approximately 06:00) and return to the hotel for breakfast or you can visit just after breakfast at approximately 09:00 (included).

The world famous Taj Mahal is where you will see the undeniable beauty that incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones.

The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632, the principal mausoleum was completed in 1643 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished about five years later.

Enjoy the city of Agra at leisure or take part in the below optional activity. Late this afternoon you will travel approximately 210 kilometres back to Delhi and on arrival check into the hotel for an evening at leisure.


Optional Activity: Visit to Baby Taj and Mehtab Bagh
Head to the landmark mausoleum of Itmad ud Daulah, known as “the Baby Taj”. Marvel at the intricately carved marble monument conceived before the Taj Mahal and considered the blueprint for its design. Continue to Mehtab Bagh, Moonlight Garden and admire the Taj Mahal from the beautiful gardens. Optional tour includes transfer in air-conditioned vehicles, English speaking guide and fees. Please see current pricing in Important Information.

Overnight: Delhi (Standard or Luxury Option)

Meals included: Breakfast

Today at the appropriate time you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight back to Australia (or New Zealand).

Meals included: Breakfast; In-Flight

Please note: Some flights may arrive +1 day later due to flight schedules.