LES 3 P
PALAIS/PARCS/PLAGES
AVEC LA PUSHKAR MELA INCLUS

P for Palace:

RAJASTHAN and its maharajahs … a past expressed with strength and pride.
The pride of the Rajputs, who have a strong sense of honour and do not hesitate to commit suicide attacks when they feel that the battle is lost in advance; their families immolating themselves on pyres.
These legends embellish the past, attributing divine descendants to the clans.

Architectural heritage: out of the ordinary, temples of extraordinary beauty, such as RANAKPUR: 1,444 pillars 33 m high and a single material: the white marble of the gods, begun in 1496, it took 50 years to dedicate it to Adinath, founder of the religion: Jainism as a celestial dwelling place……..

Not to mention the TAJ MAHAL: more than a monument, THE JOY OF LOVE, where its creator, Emperor Shah Jahan, said that it ‘made the sun and the moon shed tears’.
Dome/cupola in replica of the breast of his 3rd late wife who died in childbirth during the birth of their 14th child, in 1631.
Mumtaz Mahal will live forever in this white marble tomb inlaid with semi-precious stones, which took 20,000 workers 22 years to complete.

In this arid landscape, the main towns spread out like patches of colour:

•  JAIPUR, the pink city, with its ancient palace, the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), whose design allowed the ranis (royal wives) to watch life in the street without being seen by the population and to let the wind circulate through the lacy wooden windows, Fort Amber and its elephants,
• JODHPUR the blue, cradle of the Marwari race, superb Indian mounts with distinctive ears and exemplary courage, worthy of those who bred them for combat and loyalty to their riders.
  Live the fantastic experience that every horse lover dreams of: galloping through the desert.
• JAISALMER, the yellow, with its sandstone lacework, JAIN temples set against the Thar desert and its camels,
• UDAIPUR, the white city, with its baroque havelis (sumptuous houses/small palaces) dominated by an imposing palace on the shores of Lake Pichola, on which sits the LAKE PALACE built in the 18th century to receive prestigious guests and enjoy the cool waters of the dynasty of Udai Singh, founder of the city in 1559.
• PUSHKAR is a magical city around the sacred lake, which is said to have sprung up where Brahma dropped his lotus flower. A major pilgrimage site for Hindus, it is home to one of the few temples dedicated to this divinity (with its 52 ghats devoted to ritual bathing and its 400 bluish temples).
  During the full moon in October/November, Pushkar plays host to some 20,000 camels for the world’s largest ‘desert ship’ fair. After bitter haggling, the caravans of nomads set off back into the desert with their 4-legged companions.

P for Park:

• RANTHAMBORE Park 150 kms from Jaipur, in Sawai Madhopur, the former hunting ground of the maharajahs of Jaipur until 1973, the 1330 m2 park is home to around 80 tigers.
  Immerse yourself in Kipling’s world, with a host of deer (including the nilgaut antelope), panthers and lippus bears, as well as a multitude of birds.
• 3 hours 30 hours drive from Udaipur (148 kms) to the south, in the Aravalli mountains, is the JAWAI BERA NATIONAL PARK and its lake on which the largest dam in western Rajasthan was built.
  This strange and superb landscape of volcanic rock is home to a very high concentration of leopards (65 in total), where you can enjoy their appearances in perfect symbiosis with this population of farmers: the Rabaris.

NO LEOPARD ATTACKS HAVE BEEN RECORDED TO DATE: A PERFECT MUTUAL RESPECT BETWEEN MAN AND ANIMAL.

P for beach:

(extension possible /on request: completely customisable)

Optional and at the customer’s choice for the destination.

• Extension of Rajasthan: GURAJAT & Ahmedabad: City of Gandhi’s birthplace, state of non-violence par excellence.

Gurajat offers the beautiful SASAN GIR Park with the last lions in Asia, as well as the island of DIU, a former Portuguese enclave with a rich colonial past and beautiful palm-fringed beaches.
Nagoa beach is a great place for swimmers, with its small fishing village, where you can enjoy excellent seafood platters overlooking the water.

• GOA on the west coast of India under Mumbai (Bombay) has beautiful long beaches, fringed with palm trees and dotted with palm-roofed huts on the Arabian Sea.
  Portuguese remains are scattered throughout the state to delight the eye:
  (The majestic mansions of Chandor, the houses of Panaji, the churches of old Goa and the small houses and religious buildings), surrounded by coconut groves and spice crops.
  Goa is renowned for the freshness of its seafood and the inventiveness of its recipes, marked by the Portuguese influence.

The infrastructure is at the customer’s disposal, with a wide choice of accommodation to suit all tastes.

• The Andaman Islands

With their sublime coastline, exceptional diving spots, luxuriant land and splendid isolation (the sub-continent is 1370 km away).

The Andaman Islands, hemmed in with white sandy beaches and turquoise waters, are perfect for lazing around.
A string of islands and islets, Havelock has a wealth of beautiful beaches and diving spots.
Kalipur beach is the world’s only nesting beach for leatherback, hawksbill, olive ridley and green turtles. This magnificent spectacle takes place between mid-December and April.

Preserved until very recently, these islands are now open to highly regulated tourism.
The sea breeze keeps temperatures between 23° and 31°, and the ideal season is from mid-May to early October.

Flights depart from Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.
Accommodation ranges from simple waterfront bungalows to 5-star resorts with spas.