Intrepid India (and Nepal)

This slideshows covers a 15 day trip through India and Nepal in December 2005. Our itinerary was:

Day 1 Delhi - A walk through Old Delhi, its bazaars and spice markets. The ruins of Qutab Minar and Purana Qila, crafts museum and Delhi's oldest mosque the Jama Masjid, built by Shah Jahan of the Taj Mahal fame.

Day 2 Agra - An early start as we travel with Indian Railways, the worlds biggest employer, (1.6 million employees), to the Mughal city of Agra (approx. 2.5 hours). During our time here we will visit one of the world's most instantly recognisable monuments - the Taj Mahal. We visit an amazing Red Fort.

Day 3 Gwalior - Visit the massive sandstone fortress, temples and palaces that dominates the skyline. Walk up a ravine where Jain statues are carved into the side of the hill. The visit Jai Vilas Palace, the home of the current Maharajah. It also holds the world's second largest chandelier.

Days 4-6 Orchha - A picturesque riverside town on the banks of the Betwa River. White-water rafting and temple visits. On the evening of day 6 we take the overnight train to Allahabad (a journey of approx 9 hrs).

Day 7 Ganges River Camp - Boarding small river boats at our departure point on the river Ganges. We pass village communities and view river life as it goes on around us. A support boat and crew cook meals as we sail non-stop to the campsite to spend a night in tents on the river banks.

Days 8-9 Varanasi - Leaving our boats at Chunar, we transfer by vehicles to Varanasi (approx. 2 hours). Wander narrow alleyways of the old city and we take boats out onto the sacred Ganges river to see the sun rising on the ghats.

Day 10 Lumbini - Leaving Varanasi and travelling via Gorakpur, we make our way to the Nepalese border. Stay overnight in a guesthouse, then journey downstream to Chitwan National Park.

Days 11-13 Chitwan National Park - A chance to view such wildlife as rhinos, deer, monkeys and a wide array of bird life . We visit the elephant breeding centre and ride one into the park. Accompanied by local guides, we spend a day walking to Gatgai, a village in another section of the park. Early on day 13 we walk back into the park for a short walk before meeting our jeeps to return us to our guesthouse.

Days 14-15 Kathmandu - Bus trip from Chitwan to Nepal's capital city Kathmandu (approx. 6 hours). Along the way we see the traditional sights of the Himalayas with rice terraces, deep gorges, fast moving rivers and the mountains. At Kathmandu we visit Durbar Square, Swayambhunath (the Monkey Temple), and explore the network of street markets.