North India: Delhi, Dharamshala & the Golden Temple
Itinerary
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included through the G Adventures-supported Women With Wheels project. In the evening, join your CEO for a welcome meeting.
- Meet Your CEO and Group: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
- Women With Wheels Arrival Transfer: Transfer by a G Adventures-supported project, Women With Wheels. This program provides safe and reliable transport for travellers, while providing a dignified livelihood for a local woman from a resource poor community.
Today is a long travel day, but well worth the trek. We'll take a train from Delhi to Pathankot and transfer to a private vehicle. Pathankot is located at the foothills of the Himalayas, so our drive will get even more beautiful as we travel deeper into Himachal through the Western Himalayas. We'll arrive to Chamba in the evening and walk to our farm-stay. Enjoy a traditional welcome with the family followed by a local dinner. Sit back and relax as you get comfortable in your incredible farm-stay tucked away in the Himalayan Mountains.
- Walking: Walk up the hillside from the road to the farm-stay. There is no road access so the final kilometer is done on foot.
- Train: Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
- Himalayan Orchard Traditional Welcome & Dinner: Embrace the warm hospitality of our farm-stay hosts with a Traditional Welcome, followed by a delicious traditional Chamba dinner of cuisine dating back over 1,000 years.
Start the day off right with a morning yoga and meditation session before a delicious breakfast. Today we explore the picturesque town of Chamba, tucked away in the Himalayas. Visit ancient temples, vibrant paintings and an embroidery workshop to experience Chamba's rich cultural heritage.
- Chamba Town Tour: Take a tour of Chamba Town to learn of its rich culture, ancient temples and traditional embroidery. Visit the 400-year old Shri Chamunda Devi Mandir Temple, Bhuri Singh Museum, 10th-century stone Lakshmi Narayan Temple.
- Morning Yoga and Meditation: Join one of the family members of the Himalayan Farm-stay for a peaceful morning yoga and meditation.
- Embroidery Workshop: Learn the art of embroidery at a workshop on Chamba rumal and Chamba painting. Watch as artists demonstrate their skills at traditional embroidery and painting as we hear the cultural and historical significance of these art styles. Feel welcome to try your hand at embroidery or painting, once practiced by the queens of the royal family.
Spend the morning on an beautiful hike accessible for all levels of hikers. Make sure to bring your camera to take in the incredible beauty of the Himalayas along the way. This evening, join your farm-stay host family for a well deserved feast! Together we'll learn to cook local favorites and then sit down together to dig in!
- Chamba Half Day Hike: Trek through Chamba's unique farms and villages on this easy loop hike. Admire the stunning views of Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar mountains in the distance.
- Himalayan Farm Stay Cooking Demonstration: India is a huge country, and cuisine varies between different states. Together with our farm-stay hosts, learn about the traditional meals consumed in the Himalayan region of Himachal. Use of black cardamom, indigenous vegetables and hearty meats are common, so come hungry and enjoy the time to learn (and try!) the delicious local cuisine.
Say goodbye to our amazing Himalayan farm-stay hosts and drive toward Dharamshala, where the exiled Tibetan government has lived since 1960. Visit the Mcleodganj Market and feel the strong connection this town has to Tibet. Then visit the Tsuglagkhang Complex, also known as the Dalai Lama Temple. This temple was built shortly after the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet and now serves as the political centre of Tibet for the community-in-exile. Take time to explore the temple and visit the Tibet Museum as well. The rest of the day is yours to wander the markets and Dharamshala as you wish.
- Orientation Walk at Mcleodganj Market: Known for its Tibetan influence, the market offers a variety of goods including handicrafts, jewelry, clothes, and delicious Tibetan cuisine. It's a perfect place to soak in the local culture and pick up unique souvenirs.
- Dalai Lama Temple & Tsuglagkhang Complex: The Dalai Lama Temple, officially known as Tsuglagkhang Complex, is a repository of Tibetan culture. The temple was built in 1959, following the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet. Today, it serves as the spiritual and political center of the Tibetan community in exile.
In the morning, feel free to relax or get out and visit the Norbulingka Institute or see the Bhagsu Nag Waterfall. Then, visit the town of Jia for an amazing experience with G Adventures-supported Tenacious Honey Bee Collective - a chance to learn about ethical honeybee keeping in the Himalayas. After some honey sampling and an apidomik experience, the rest of the day is yours to see the incredible town of Dharamshala how you'd like.
- Tenacious Honey Bee Collective: Take a walking tour through the Himalayan countryside to understand ethical bee keeping. Learn directly from the local youth and women who are part of the team that make products out of bees wax. Enjoy a honey tasting, and a visit to an apidomik room - a place with healing properties full of aromas from honey, wax, pollen and more.
- Free Time: Spend the afternoon free in Dharamshala.
- Norbulingka Institute Visit: Explore a treasure trove of Tibetan culture in exile at the Norbulingka Institute. Many books, precious statues, and monasteries in Tibet were destroyed following the Chinese invasion in 1950, making the Norbulingka Institute one of the best places to learn about Tibetan culture and art anywhere in the world.
- Bhagsu Nag Waterfall: Enjoy the short and easy hike from the village to the beautiful waterfall. This hike is suitable for all hiking abilities. It takes most about 45 minutes to an hour to hike and it is 4km round trip.
Depart for Amritsar early this morning to make the nearby evening Wagah Border Ceremony. Every night, just before the sun sets on the border of Pakistan and India, the two sides simultaneously lower their flags as a sign of peace, discipline and hope for the future between these two countries with a long history of rivalry. Afterwards, head to the Golden Temple-arguably the most important Sikh temple in the world-in hopes to witness the palaki ceremony, which symbolizes putting the holy book to rest for the night.
- Golden Temple Visit: Enjoy a visit to this gorgeous temple, the most sacred shrine in the Sikh religion. Sitting in the center of a sacred lake, and accessible by a marble causeway, it is absolutely stunning. Watch the nightly ritual of moving the Guru Granth Sahib (holy book) from the temple to the neighboring Akal Takht building in a gold palki (palanquin) preceded by the spectacular fanfare of religious leaders blowing long horns or beating drums. As the procession moves, people chanting wait for their chance to shoulder the sacred palki. The Golden Temple kitchen serves a free meal called a "langar" to more than 40,000 visitors daily, and no matter how old or young, whether rich or poor, everyone eats together while sitting on the floor.
- Wagah Border Ceremony: Every evening, hundreds of people gather to watch the famous parade and the ceremonial lowering of their national flags by the Indian and Pakistani armies at sunset. Witness this event in the stands and cheer on as the two countries showcase their cooperation.
Return to the Golden Temple early this morning for a chance to admire this incredible pilgrimage destination in the daylight. Afterwards, return to the hotel. Your tour concludes upon return to the hotel. Please book onward travel no earlier than 15:00 pm on your departure day to ensure you have ample time after the Golden Temple Visit.
- Morning Visit to the Golden Temple: Enjoy a morning visit to the Golden Temple. The temple's upper floors are covered in 750 kilos of pure gold. Its golden dome, exquisite architecture, and serene surroundings attract millions of visitors worldwide every year, making it one of the most visited religious sites in the world.
Trip Inclusions
- Stay in a family-run heritage homestay in Chamba Valley.
- Explore Dharamshala’s monasteries and Tibetan traditions.
- Meet the Tenacious Bee Collective and taste their honey.
- Experience Amritsar’s Golden Temple and border ceremony.
- Your G for Good Moment: Women With Wheels Arrival Transfer, Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Your G for Good Moment: Tenacious Honey Bee Collective, Dharamshala
- Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group
- Arrival Transfer
- Guided temple and museum visit in Chamba
- Half-day hike in Chamba Valley
- Organic farm tour
- Embroidery workshop
- Chamba painting
- Cooking class with homestay family
- Dharamshala orientation walk
- Dalai Lama Temple visit
- Tenacious Bee Collective with honey tasting session
- Wagah Border ceremony
- Golden Temple visit
- Vande Bharat express from Delhi to Pathankot (air-conditioned seat class)
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
- Private vehicle, Train, Walking
- CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, local guides
- Simple Hotel (twin-share): 4 Nights
- Homestay (3 Nights)
- 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners
- Accommodation, itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included.
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Dates & Pricing
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A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Enquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by G Adventures. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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