North India: Rishikesh, Dharamshala and the Golden Temple

1. Jour 1 : Arrive in Delhi

   Indira Gandhi International Airport to your hotel in Delhi

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : Delhi
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), where a driver meets you in arrivals for the drive to the hotel, 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Delhi is the gateway on this trip, not the subject, and the real start is tomorrow's morning train north. If you land by about midday, your See Sight Tours guide takes early arrivals to the Red Fort in the middle of the afternoon: the 17th-century Mughal palace whose white marble Khas Mahal held the emperor's private rooms. The fort is closed on Mondays, when we visit Humayun's Tomb instead. In the evening the whole group meets for a short briefing on the days ahead: what to wear at temples and gurdwaras, how the train and flight days work, and what to pack for cold mornings in the hills. Then we sit down to a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Bed early: the train leaves at about 6:45 am.

   Compris

   • Pick-up at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)
   • The Red Fort with your guide for guests who land by about midday (Humayun's Tomb on Mondays)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Temps libre : Free until the evening briefing

   Activité : Plan to land by about midday for the Red Fort and by about 5 pm for the briefing; the exact times come with your final itinerary.

   

2. Jour 2 : Train to Haridwar, the Ganga aarti in Rishikesh

   Delhi by train to Haridwar, then by road to Rishikesh

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Rishikesh
   Détail du jour 2

   A packed breakfast goes with us to New Delhi station for the morning Shatabdi Express to Haridwar, about four and a half hours in reserved air-conditioned seats, with tea served on board. The train skips the slow road out of Delhi and keeps today's driving under an hour. From Haridwar it is about 25 km up the Ganga to Rishikesh, where the river leaves the hills, and where we stay three nights so nobody repacks a bag until day 5. Lunch is a sit-down vegetarian thali near the hotel: Rishikesh is a pilgrim town, and most of it serves no meat or alcohol. After a rest we walk to a riverside ghat for the evening Ganga aarti. As the light goes, priests swing brass lamps of fire, bells and chanting fill the steps, and pilgrims set leaf boats of marigolds and a small flame on the current. Come early for a step to sit on.

   Compris

   • Shatabdi Express from New Delhi to Haridwar, reserved air-conditioned seats
   • Transfer from Haridwar to Rishikesh
   • Sit-down thali lunch in Rishikesh
   • The evening Ganga aarti on a Rishikesh ghat with your guide

   Temps libre : Afternoon rest before the aarti

   Activité : Train times are confirmed when we book your seats.

3. Jour 3 : Yoga on the Ganga and the Beatles Ashram

   Rishikesh: Ram Jhula, Swarg Ashram and Chaurasi Kutia

   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Rishikesh
   Détail du jour 3

   The morning starts at 7 am with a 90-minute yoga class with a certified teacher at a yoga school near the river. It is pitched for beginners, with changes for stiff backs and knees, and ends with a short breathing and meditation session. After breakfast your guide leads a walk on the east bank: across Ram Jhula, the suspension footbridge over the Ganga, through the lanes of Swarg Ashram with its temples and bookstalls, and along the river to Chaurasi Kutia, the ashram where the Beatles stayed in 1968. It lies inside the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and is now a quiet ruin of domed meditation huts and murals, a good place to sit in the shade. Lunch is yours, in one of the cafes above the water, and the afternoon is free: an ayurvedic massage, a nap, a second aarti, or the view from the High Bank above town as the sun drops behind the hills.

   Compris

   • Morning yoga and meditation class with a certified teacher
   • Guided walk over Ram Jhula and through Swarg Ashram
   • Chaurasi Kutia (the Beatles Ashram), entry included

   Activités en option

   • Ayurvedic massage
   • A second yoga class

   Option plus facile : Take a rickshaw to Chaurasi Kutia instead of walking along the river, or skip it and rest at the hotel.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free

   Activité : About 3 hours on foot on flat riverside paths and steps. Chaurasi Kutia has been under renovation; we confirm it is open for your dates.

   

4. Jour 4 : A jeep safari in Rajaji, then a free afternoon

   Rishikesh to the Chilla range of Rajaji National Park and back

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Rishikesh
   Détail du jour 4

   We leave at first light with tea and biscuits for the Chilla range of Rajaji National Park, about 40 minutes down the river. An open jeep with a forest-department naturalist takes us through sal forest, riverbeds and grassland for about three hours, while the animals are still moving in the cool. Rajaji is known for its wild Asian elephants; spotted deer, sambar, peafowl and hornbills are common, and leopards and tigers live here but are rarely seen, so we go for the forest rather than a checklist. We are back in Rishikesh for a late breakfast, and the rest of the day is yours. You could take a second yoga class, book a white-water rafting run on the Ganga from Shivpuri, which is back by lunch, or sit over chai by the river. The safari zones open from about mid-November; on October departures the naturalist leads a forest walk instead.

   Compris

   • Open-jeep safari in the Chilla range of Rajaji National Park with a forest-department naturalist (a guided forest walk on October departures)
   • Park entry and jeep fees

   Activités en option

   • White-water rafting on the Ganga from Shivpuri
   • A second yoga class

   Option plus active : Rafting from Shivpuri back towards Rishikesh, a half day on the river with a licensed operator.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free

   Activité : An early start, about 6 am, and bumpy tracks in an open vehicle. Bring a warm layer; mornings are cold from December to February.

5. Jour 5 : Fly to the Dhauladhar: McLeod Ganj

   Rishikesh to Dehradun airport, fly via Delhi to Dharamshala (Gaggal), then up to McLeod Ganj

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : McLeod Ganj
   Détail du jour 5

   Rishikesh to Dharamshala is more than 400 km of hill roads, a ten- to twelve-hour drive, so we fly. A transfer of about 45 minutes takes us to Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport for a morning flight to Delhi and a connection to Gaggal airport below Dharamshala, about an hour and a quarter in a small aircraft, with the Dhauladhar range rising out of the window on the approach. From Gaggal it is about 45 minutes up the hill to McLeod Ganj, at about 2,000 m, the Tibetan town above Dharamshala where we stay three nights. A late lunch of momos and thukpa at a Tibetan restaurant comes first. Then, as the light softens, your guide walks the group about 2 km out to the Bhagsu Nag temple, an old shrine with a stepped bathing pool, and back through the prayer flags and market lanes. The evening is free and cold enough for a jacket.

   Compris

   • Transfer to Dehradun (Jolly Grant) airport
   • Flights from Dehradun to Dharamshala (Gaggal) via Delhi, economy, with a checked bag
   • Transfer from Gaggal to McLeod Ganj
   • Tibetan lunch in McLeod Ganj
   • Orientation walk to the Bhagsu Nag temple with your guide

   Temps libre : Evening free

   Activité : Flights are booked for you; the connection and the checked-bag limit on the small Gaggal aircraft are confirmed at booking. Bad weather occasionally cancels Gaggal flights, and then we drive from Chandigarh.

   

6. Jour 6 : The Dalai Lama's temple and Norbulingka

   McLeod Ganj: the Tsuglagkhang complex, then Norbulingka Institute in Sidhpur

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : McLeod Ganj
   Détail du jour 6

   We walk down to the Tsuglagkhang complex in the morning, while monks and Tibetan families are arriving to pray. This is the main temple of the Tibetan community in exile, beside the Dalai Lama's residence, which has been in McLeod Ganj since 1960. Your guide explains the shrines, then we walk the kora, the circuit path around the hill, past prayer wheels and long strings of flags with views down the Kangra Valley. The Tibet Museum in the complex tells the story of the 1959 exile and life since. Lunch is yours in town. In the afternoon we drive about 40 minutes down to Norbulingka Institute, set up in 1988 to keep Tibetan arts alive. In its workshops thangka painters, woodcarvers and metalworkers work at their benches, and the gardens and temple are quiet. Back in McLeod Ganj by late afternoon, the evening is free. If the Dalai Lama gives a public teaching during your stay, we tell you how to register.

   Compris

   • The Tsuglagkhang complex and the kora path with your guide
   • The Tibet Museum
   • Norbulingka Institute: the workshops, gardens and temple

   Temps libre : Lunch and evening free

   Activité : About 2 to 3 hours on foot, with steep lanes and steps in McLeod Ganj. Public teachings are scheduled by the Dalai Lama's office, not by us, and need registration with a passport.

7. Jour 7 : The Triund trail, as far as you like

   McLeod Ganj to the Galu Devi temple and up the Triund trail

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : McLeod Ganj
   Détail du jour 7

   A short taxi ride takes us above Dharamkot to the Galu Devi temple, where the trail to Triund begins, and we set off early, before cloud builds on the peaks. The path climbs through oak and rhododendron forest with tea stalls along the way, and the views open over the Kangra Valley within the first hour. Everyone walks together to a viewpoint about an hour up, then chooses. The easy option turns back there, for a slow walk down through Dharamkot village and a free afternoon. The active option carries on to the Triund ridge at about 2,850 m, about 6 km from the temple and about 700 m of climbing in all, where the Dhauladhar range stands as a wall of rock and snow straight across the valley. Your guide stays with the walkers going up; a local trail guide brings the others down. Lunch is a simple meal at a tea stall or back in town, at your own cost.

   Compris

   • Guided walk on the Triund trail from the Galu Devi temple, with a local trail guide
   • Taxi to and from the trailhead

   Option plus facile : Walk about an hour up the trail to a viewpoint over the Kangra Valley, then back down through Dharamkot village (about 2 to 3 hours, about 250 m of climbing).

   Option plus active : Carry on to the Triund ridge at about 2,850 m: about 12 km round trip from the temple, about 700 m of climbing, 5 to 6 hours.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free

   Activité : From December to February snow and ice can close the upper trail; then we walk as far as is safe. Good shoes with grip, warm layers and water.

8. Jour 8 : Down to the Punjab plain: Amritsar

   McLeod Ganj down the Kangra Valley to Pathankot, then across Punjab to Amritsar

   • Environ 5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Amritsar
   Détail du jour 8

   Today is the trip's one long road day: about 205 km and five hours of driving from McLeod Ganj to Amritsar, down the Kangra Valley to Pathankot and across the flat wheat fields of Punjab. No flight or train does it faster, so we break it up. We leave at about 8:30 am, stop for tea after the descent and sit down to a Punjabi lunch near Pathankot, about halfway, then arrive in the middle of the afternoon. The hotel is within walking distance of the Golden Temple, which matters tonight and tomorrow. After a rest we walk over at dusk. Everyone covers their head, leaves shoes at the gate and washes their feet before stepping onto the marble around the sacred pool. The gilded temple sits in the middle of the water, lit and reflected, with hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib sung inside all day. Late in the evening the holy book is carried to its resting place; stay for it, or walk back with your guide earlier.

   Compris

   • Drive from McLeod Ganj to Amritsar with your guide
   • Sit-down Punjabi lunch on the way
   • First visit to the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) at dusk

   Temps libre : Late afternoon rest before the temple

   Activité : The longest drive of the trip, over the 4-hour cap because there is no faster way down. The road is being rebuilt in places, so some stretches are bumpy.

9. Jour 9 : The Golden Temple at dawn, the langar and the border

   Amritsar: the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Partition Museum, then the Attari-Wagah border

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Amritsar
   Détail du jour 9

   We walk back in the dark, at about 4:30 am (the time shifts with the season), for the opening ceremony, when the Guru Granth Sahib is carried in a palanquin across the causeway into the sanctum and the gold turns from lamplight to sunlight as the day comes up. Breakfast and a rest at the hotel follow. Mid-morning we visit Jallianwala Bagh, next to the temple, where British troops fired on an unarmed crowd on 13 April 1919, then the Partition Museum in the old Town Hall, which tells the story of 1947 through the voices of the people who crossed. At noon we go behind the scenes at the langar, the free community kitchen run by volunteers, and sit on the floor in long rows for lunch with the pilgrims. After a free afternoon we drive about 30 km to the Attari-Wagah border for the flag ceremony at sunset, then share a farewell dinner back in town.

   Compris

   • The Golden Temple's dawn opening ceremony with your guide
   • Jallianwala Bagh
   • The Partition Museum (on Mondays, when it is closed, we visit the Durgiana Temple)
   • The langar kitchen and lunch with the pilgrims
   • The Attari-Wagah border ceremony
   • Farewell dinner

   Option plus facile : Skip the 4:30 am start and visit the temple with your guide after breakfast, when it is busier but just as calm inside.

   Temps libre : Afternoon free

   Activité : A long day with a rest in the middle. Bags and cameras are restricted at the border; bring only a phone, a passport copy and water.

10. Jour 10 : Train to Delhi and home

    Amritsar by train to Delhi, then Indira Gandhi International Airport

    • Environ 1 h de route
    • Petit-déjeuner
    Détail du jour 10

    For anyone who wants one last look, the temple is a short walk away at first light; the rest can sleep in until we leave. We take the morning Vande Bharat Express to Delhi, leaving at about 8:20 am and arriving in the early afternoon after about five and a half hours, in reserved air-conditioned seats with breakfast served on board. Out of the window, Punjab's wheat and mustard fields run flat to the horizon, a long way from the foothills of the last week. At the Delhi station your guide says goodbye and hands you to a driver for the transfer to Indira Gandhi International Airport, about an hour. Book a flight leaving after about 7 pm. If you would rather fly home from Amritsar, or stay longer in Delhi, tell us when you book and we arrange the transfer or an extra hotel night.

    Compris

    • Vande Bharat Express from Amritsar to Delhi, reserved air-conditioned seats
    • Transfer to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)

    Activité : Book a flight leaving Delhi after about 7 pm. Train times are confirmed when we book your seats; fog in December and January can delay trains.

Faune et météo : October, November, March and April are mild and clear. December to February bring cold nights in the hills, possible snow on the upper Triund trail and fog on the Punjab plain. Rajaji's safari zones open from about mid-November; in October we walk the forest edge with a naturalist instead.

• Delhi1 nuit
• Rishikesh3 nuits
• McLeod Ganj3 nuits
• Amritsar2 nuits