In photographic shorthand, India is the Taj Mahal. No building in history has been so synonymous with a country. This truly stunning temple is the lynchpin of India’s most popular itinerary: the Golden Triangle.
The corners of the triangle are Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, the site of the Taj Mahal. The area’s colourful heritage of temples, palaces and forts creates the iconic Indian holiday, and within such a large country, the area is conveniently small enough to visit in one to two weeks.
Operators report that prices are very competitive. Somak Holidays chief executive Ash Sofat said: “Prices are down by as much as 20% for this year and 2010, correcting the trend we’ve seen over the last decade of rapidly rising rates.”
Dropping prices and added-value offers are tempting even credit crunch-conscious tourists to begin booking India again. Kuoni reports an upturn in bookings in the last quarter, Kirker Holidays’ numbers are nearly up to last year’s levels, and both Imaginative Traveller and Travel 2 have seen a surge in interest since the launch of Slumdog Millionaire, the latter’s passenger numbers up 24% on last year.
The Triangle
Vast and chaotic, Delhi embodies both ancient and modern India. The old city centres around the raucously congested Chandni Chowk, a street lined with shops selling brightly coloured sarees, and full of rickshaw-wallahs chattering into mobile phones and cyclists carrying impossibly huge parcels on their heads.
At one end stands the huge 17th century Red Fort, entered through the imposing Lahore Gate. It’s in stark contrast to the wide boulevards of New Delhi, planned in the early 20th century by Edwin Lutyens and home to government buildings, foreign embassies and many of the city’s luxury hotels.
Jaipur isn’t called the pink city for nothing – it was painted coral in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales, and has remained that colour ever since. The most iconic sight is the Palace of the Winds, a five-storey sandstone edifice studded with windows, built so that ladies of the royal household could watch the world go by.
Other highlights include the fascinating City Palace, with its vivid peacock gate and fascinating museum, and the weird and wonderful Jantar Mantar observatory, which looks like a collection of huge abstract sculptures, but is actually a range of sundials and astronomical instruments.
Outside the city, the exquisite Amber Fort sits high on a hill. Built from red sandstone and white marble, it’s a fascinating and labyrinth-like place to explore.
Agra’s Taj Mahal takes your breath away on sight. It was built by emperor Shah Jahan as a monument to his dead wife, and stands raised up on a platform, luminous in white marble, and perfectly symmetrical.
Most tourists then take the 25-mile trip west to the magnificent ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri, built in the 1570s with splendid architecture, but unreliable water supplies, leading to its abandonment.
Extensions
Many holidaymakers choose to extend their stay in India. The most popular choice is to add on a few days of tiger spotting in Ranthambore National Park. Bumping down the forest tracks in four-wheel drives, visitors come across not only tigers, but sambar, chital and nilgai deer, mongeese, flying foxes, wild boar, and even sloth bears. Visitors can stay in luxury hotels and tented camps in the area.
Also popular is venturing further into Rajasthan to see more of its colourful heritage. If pink doesn’t suit your clients, they can visit Jodhpur to see its sky-blue buildings and imposing hilltop fort, or the golden sandstone walls of Jaisalmer rising like a mirage out of the desert. The glowing whites and creams of the lake city of Udaipur have led many to believe it to be the most romantic spot in India. The famous heritage Lake Palace Hotel is a popular wedding venue.
Accommodation
While there are big international brand hotels on offer, tourists can immerse themselves in the culture of the area by staying in some of the beautiful heritage properties in the region.
Jaipur offers many gorgeous options, including The Raj Palace and the Samode Haveli. Both are traditional buildings with fluted arches, elaborate mosaics and furnishings in vivid Rajasthani colours. The Raj Mahal Palace has 15 acres of grounds and has played host to the British royal family.
The imposing white façade of The Imperial is a perfect example of 1930s architecture and is located in the centre of Lutyens’ New Delhi – those who stay here will get a real feel for the last days of the Raj. For a boutique option, check out The Manor, a 1950s Frank Lloyd Wright-style building, which provides an oasis of calm in the bustle of the city.
When to go
The best time to visit Rajasthan is between November and February, when daytime temperatures hit the mid 20Cs and it’s coolish at night. March and October are hotter, but bearable, and less busy.
Visiting in winter also allows clients to experience some of the area’s vibrant festivals. Fireworks burst in the sky and candles and lamps line the streets during Diwali, the festival of light, which falls in October or November.
Late February and early March bring the raucous fun of Holi, when everyone throws coloured powders at one another in the streets.
Local festivals are great fun too, such as Jaipur’s elephant festival in March, the Pushkar Camel Fair in November and Jaisalmer’s Desert Festival in January or February.
Recommend that all but the hardiest of clients avoid the hot summer. In the pre-monsoon season, from April to June, temperatures can hit 45C. The rains come in July and August.
New luxury train
The Palace on Wheels train has long transported visitors around the Golden Triangle area in style, and there’s a new option on the horizon. Cox and Kings is building a new luxury tourist train in connection with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, and it is set to launch early in 2010. The Maharajas Express will run a Golden Triangle itinerary that also visits Ranthambore, extra Rajasthani cities and Mumbai.
Sample product
Book a trip to the Golden Triangle with Cox and Kings before June 15 and snap up a ‘buy one, get one half-price’ deal for your clients. They can save £1,000 on the 10-night Princely India itinerary, where the first passenger pays £1,995, and the second £995. The trip visits Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Deogarh and Udaipur, and includes flights, private transfers and excursions. 020 7873 5000, coxandkings.co.uk
Somak’s seven-night In Search of the Tiger itinerary starts from £1,120, and includes game drives in the Ranthambore National Park as well as stays in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. 020 8423 3000, somak.com
