Go Solo in India with Active Travel

Active Travel is waiving solo supplements for single travellers keen to join a women’s only cultural tour of northern India this November.

The 16-day small group tour for Australian women will immerse them daily in the authentic and colourful culture of Rajasthan and surrounding areas, with guests learning how to dance, cook, weave, tie saris and apply traditional henna dye for temporary tattoos. The tour also includes a visit to the iconic Taj Mahal.

The guided, round-trip itinerary begins in Delhi on November 17, 2017, with visits to a jewellery studio and bangle market and encounters with local puppeteers, wood carvers, musicians and street performers. In special workshops, guests will learn how to dance Indian style and apply traditional henna dyed tattoos.

The tour then moves to the sacred Ganges city of Varanasi where the women will learn about Hinduism and local music and enjoy sunset and sunrise cruises on the Ganges to see pilgrims perform time-honoured Hindu rituals by ‘Mother Ganga’. Weaving villages and several temples and palaces are visited and a safari through Panna National Park is included to spot leopard, tiger, deer and sloth bears.

A train trip aboard the Kerala Express will take the group from Jhansi to Agra to see the majestic Taj Mahal at sunset. The grand forts and palaces of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur in Rajasthan are then featured along with folk performances, textile villages, produce markets, a crystal gallery, a sunset cruise on Lake Pichola and a traditional meal in a private home.

The 16-day women’s only guided tour includes accommodation, 31 meals, domestic flights and extensive sightseeing and is available from $6493 per person, twin-share. The waiving of the solo supplement means single travellers pay the same rate, saving $1470. Flights from Australia are extra but can also be booked through Active Travel.

For details, visit www.activetravel.com.au/group-travel or call 1300 783 188.

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