zAAA Vacations® - A Week in India

Transfer to the airport for your included flight to historic Kochi, formerly known as Cochin. Upon arrival, you’ll be warmly greeted and escorted to the superior first class Vivanta by Taj Hotel. 

After breakfast, your private car, driver and in-the-know guide will be waiting to show you the architectural highlights of historic Cochin, hailed by long-ago seafaring merchants as the Queen of the Arabian Sea! Traveling along the picturesque harbor of the first European settlement in India, you’ll have a chance to see fishermen at work with their traditional Chinese fishing nets. Continue to the area around Fort Kochi, founded nearly 500 years ago, and tour the Dutch Palace and 16h-century Jewish Synagogue. Then visit historic St. Francis Church, where the Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gamma died in 1524, before returning to your hotel. Meals B

[Please Note: The Dutch Palace is closed on Friday; the Jewish Synagogue is closed on Friday and Saturday]

Depart your hotel this morning and drive to Alleppey, a charming town of shady streets and canals that captures the magic and romance of South India! Here you’ll board your private houseboat for a delightful cruise along the tranquil waters of Kerala. As you make your way to Kumarakom on the shores of Lake Vembanad, you’ll enjoy lunch onboard and witness timeless scenes of daily life including fishermen in their cockleshell boats, cattle grazing quietly in lush pastures and women neck-deep in the water searching for fish! Disembark your houseboat and check in to the lovely Coconut Lagoon Resort.  Meals B,L

After breakfast, join your guide for a private tour of the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. Spread across 14 verdant acres on the shores of Lake Vembanad, this bird-watcher’s paradise is an important sanctuary for migratory birds including the Siberian stork, egret, darter, heron and teal. The rest of your day is at leisure to enjoy the lovely setting and fine amenities of your resort.  Meals B

Transfer to the airport in Kochi for your onward journey. Meals B 

You’ll be escorted to the airport for your included flight to Varanasi. Upon arrival, you’ll visit Sarnath where Buddha gave his first sermon, revealing his doctrine and founding his first monastic community. Continue to the widely acclaimed Sarnath Museum, home to an outstanding collection of Indian sculpture and carvings from the 3^rd century BC to the 12^th century. Enjoy two wonderful nights at the deluxe Taj Gateway Hotel. 

Arise early this morning for one of the most powerful and evocative travel experiences you will ever have. As you enjoy a sunrise boat excursion on the sacred Ganges River, you’ll observe thousands of devout Hindus descending to the riverbanks for purification in these holy waters – just as it’s been done for centuries here in this ancient city! Return to your hotel for breakfast and then continue your city tour, including Benaras Hindu University and the city’s most significant temples and landmarks.  Meals B

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your included flight to Delhi. Our tour services end at the airport for your journey onward from the capital.  Meals B

You’ll be escorted to the airport for your included flight to Mumbai. Formerly known as Bombay, this bustling and colorful metropolis is the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan city in India! Upon arrival, you’ll be warmly greeted and escorted to the deluxe Trident Nariman Point Hotel.

Your expertly guided half-day city tour of Mumbai includes the iconic Gateway of India, built along the bustling waterfront during the British Raj. You’ll also marvel at the imposing Victoria Terminus, modeled after historic St. Pancras Station in London complete with carved stone friezes, stained glass windows and flying buttresses. At the Prince of Wales Museum, arguably the best museum in the country, you’ll gain an extensive and fascinating introduction to Indian history and culture. Then cross Mumbai Harbor to Elephanta Island, home to spectacular rock-cut temples of the 7^th century. Dedicated to Shiva, these cave temples feature some of India’s most spectacular carvings!  Meals B

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport.  Meals B