Depart From: Depart from US on overnight flight to Delhi, India.

Afternoon: Upon Arrival at the Delhi Airport, transfer to the hotel and check in.

Dinner: Light dinner at hotel.

Lodging: The Suryaa New Delhi

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel.

Morning: Learn about India's more recent history as your expert local guide leads you past India Gate, the Parliament & the President House. Then continue with a visit to Gandhi Smriti, the scared place where Mahatma Gandhi lived. Here you will learn about Gandhi's life and mission and a presentation on "Relevance of Gandi in Today's World".

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at your leisure.

Dinner: Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: The Suryaa New Delhi

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel. (Buffet.)

Morning: This morning prepare for an Old Delhi Excursion. Then with your expert local guide, drive past Red Fort and Jama Mosque. Then take a rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk.

Lunch: Lunch on own.

Afternoon: Explor Qutub Minar. Qutab Minar is a great masterpiece of Mughal architecture. The tall minaret was constructed in 1192 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak, and later completed by his successor Iltutmish. The soaring conical tower is an exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Afghan architecture. Qutub Minar is a World Heritage Site and has survived the ravages of time impressively.

Dinner: Home hosted dinner.

Lodging: The Suryaa New Delhi

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Drive from Jaipur to will take about 5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel. (Buffet)

Morning: Check out of hotel. Transfer to coach. Depart for Jaipur. Enroute lecture: Rajputs of Rajisthan.

Lunch: Lunch at resort enroute.

Afternoon: Enroute visit to a small Rajasthani village. Arrive in Jaipur in late afternoon.

Dinner: Dinner at hotel.

Evening: Explore the colorful bazaars of Old Jaipur.

Lodging: Trident Hotel Jaipur

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel. (Buffet)

Morning: This morning depart for Amber Fort. En route, view Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds). This five storied wonder has a spectacular pyramidal facade and overhanging windows with latticed screens, domes and spires. Amber Fort is an example of Rajput architecture with its terraces and ramparts reflected in the Maota Lake below. The interiors of the fort have various royal halls decorated with intricate ivory, mirror and glass work complemented by exquisite wall paintings.

Lunch: Lunch at the cafe w/bottled water & coffee/tea.

Afternoon: Continue your exploration of Jaipur with a stop at the City Place. Then walk through Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory. There will also be a expert-led talk about the "Science of Astronomy: An Important Part of India's Living Traditions".

Dinner: Family-hosted dinner.

Lodging: Trident Hotel Jaipur

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: It is a 2 hour drive from Jaipur to Kalakho.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel.

Morning: Check out of hotel and depart for Kalakho. On the way, stop at Fatehpur Sikri, built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He had planned this city as his capital but a shortage of water compelled him to abandon it. Continue to Kalakho and upon arrival check into your designated cottage.

Lunch: Lunch at the retreat.

Afternoon: Enjoy a camel safari or camel carts (subject to avilability) into a tribal village and experience life in this rural village by visiting the homes of the local people. Return to the retreat and watch a local folk dance and music performance before dinner.

Dinner: Dinner at the retreat.

Lodging: Dera Village Retreat

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Drive from Kalakho to Agra will take about 3.5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel. (Buffet)

Morning: Check out of hotel. Depart towards Agra. En-route explore a small village school where you can have an opportunity to interact with the local school children.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel in Agra.

Afternoon: Late afternoon, head towards Metab Bagh. Metab Bagh, translated -Moonlight Garden-is suggested to have been built as the large octagonal pool in the centre of the terrace in order to reflect the image of the Mausoleum and thus would provide a perfect setting to view the Taj Mahal. At the Metab Bagh, your study leader will give a presentation on Mughal History.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Trident Hotel Agra

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel after visiting the Taj Mahal.

Morning: Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty as you watch the sunrise at the Taj Mahal. The building is unique due to its perfect proportions, distinct femininity, and medium of construction and ornamentation. Its marble exterior reflects rose and golden tints at sunrise and sunset, while it's dazzling white during the day. After breakfast, depart for Agra Fort, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described as a walled palatial city. The great Mughals Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb lived here.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Visit the Tomb of Itmad Ud Daulah, this beautiful mausoleum was the first one to be built on a riverbank, which was normally used only to build pleasure gardens till then. The marble mausoleum is designed like a silver jewel box with stunning and delicate inlay work.

Dinner: Dinner at hotel.

Lodging: Trident Hotel Agra

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: It is a 4 hour drive from Agra to Dehli.

Breakfast: Breakfast hotel. (Buffet)

Morning: Depart for Delhi to take a flight to Varanasi.

Lunch: Lunch enroute.

Afternoon: Check-in to hotel at Varanasi at mid-afternoon. In late afternoon, meet an astrologer and learn about this ancient science.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Radisson Hotel Varanasi

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Begin with an early morning boat ride on the Ganges river. Mid-morning: Set out for an excursion to Sarnath - part of UNESCO World Heritage - holy site where Lord Buddha delievered his first sermon. Set in well maintained gardens Sarnath's ruins are a pleasant place to stroll amongst or meditate in. The main things to see are Asoka's pillar, the ruins of the Mulagandhakuti and the huge Dharmek Stupa. Further to the east is the modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara with its beautiful wall paintings and behind it the Deer Park.

Lunch: Lunch at hotel.

Afternoon: Afternoon In late afternoon, witness "Aarti" ceremony while enjoying the boat cruise of Ganges. Aarti is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. Aartis also refer to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when lamps are being offered.

Lodging: Radisson Hotel Varanasi

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Early Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Depart the hotel early and transfer to the Airport.

Lunch: Box lunch en route to the airport.

Afternoon: Afternoon flight to Kathmandu. It is a panoramic thrill flying into Kathmandu on a clear day with the views of snow-capped mountain peaks sprawling down below. Upon arrival at the airport, transfer to hotel and check in.

Dinner: Dinner at hotel.

Lodging: Hotel Himalaya

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast Buffet at hotel.

Morning: Begin the morning with a lecture on the impact of Newari art on Asian art. Visit Swayambhunath, the oldest Buddhist Stupa established more than 2500 year ago, also known as the ?Monkey Temple?. Perched high on a hilltop, it commands a superb view of the entire Kathmandu Valley. Swayambhunath is also known as Sengu and is listed as a World Heritage Site.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Then discover Hanuman Dhoka (Durbar Square). The Durbar Square, with its old temples and palaces, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people. It is here that the kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations solemnized. Interesting things to see here are: Taleju Temple built by King Mahendra Malla, in 1549 A.D. Temple Of Kal Bhairav, the God of destruction, Nautalle Durbar, Coronation Nasal Chowk, the Gaddi Baithak, the statue of king Pratap Malla, the Big Drum and, the Jagannath Temple. In the late afternoon, early evening, attend a lecture by a leading expert from the the Mountain Institute on how the Institute is helping mountain communities adapt and build resilience to the unprecedented changes that are occurring as a result of climate change.

Dinner: Dinner at hotel.

Lodging: Hotel Himalaya

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel.

Morning: Depart for Bhaktapur situated at an altitude of 1,401 meters. In Bhaktapur's Durbar Square, visit the following: The National Art Gallery containing ancient and medieval paintings belonging to Hindu and Buddhist schools depicting Tantrics of various periods. The Golden Gate, built by King Ranjit Malla, the gate is one of the most beautiful and richly carved specimens of its kind in the entire world. It's embellished with deities and monsters of marvelous intricacy. The Palace with 55 Windows, among the brick walls with their gracious settings and sculptural design, is a wood-carved balcony with 55 windows. Nyatapola Temple stands on five terraced platforms with each terrace containing a pair of figures; two famous wrestlers, two elephants, two lions, two griffins and the Baghini and Singini (the tiger and the lion goddesses).

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Visit Pashupatinath, one of the most sacred Hindu temples in the world. During Shivaratri annual pilgrimage, thousands of devotees of Lord Shiva from all the Hindu communities of the world pay their homage here. Then proceed to Boudhanath the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world. It is built on a flat surface of various levels of terraces. The stupa is painted in pastel colors and adorned with prayer flags. It is set in a Mandala design. Altogether 108 Buddha images and 147 insets of prayer wheels adorn the base of the huge circular edifice. The settlement of Boudhanath has the largest community of Tibetans – twelve thousand in all.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Hotel Himalaya

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast Buffet at hotel.

Morning: Morning lecture on the History and Culture of Nepal, followed by a group discussion with students of Tribhuvan University to learn about their goals, aspirations & lives. Depart for Patan City and discover this city of fine arts. Here you will see: Patan Durbar Square full of ancient palaces, temples and shrines noted for their exquisite carvings. Krishna Mandir, the only temple in Nepal having 21 spires and completely made of stone. Mahabouddha, this Buddhist temple is made of clay bricks in which thousands of images of Lord Buddha are engraved.

Lunch: Lunch at the Museum.

Afternoon: The Patan Museum, displays the sacred art of Nepal in an illustrious architectural setting. At a tradional Nepali Village of the Newar clan, see firsthand the traditional way of life which has changed little over the years.

Dinner: Cocktails and farewell dinner at a private home especially hosted to cater Road Scholar guests.

Lodging: Hotel Himalaya

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel.

Morning: Free morning to explore Kathmandu. Late afternoon transfer to airport to start Extention 18548: Deeper into Nepal or to take the return flight to the US.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Arrive To: Arrive to US.