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India Home Stay Tour - 13 Nights / 14 Days

Private Guide and Personal India Home stay Tour takes you to experience a very different aspect of Incredible India that you have heard but never experienced. We visit the less crowded and still unexplored parts of rural India. The idea behind this Indian rural village and home stay tour is to give an understanding of life of the people, who have kept their traditions and local folklore alive. A community based tour provides you the insight to the day to day life of culturally diverse people of India, traditions, culture, local cuisine; on the other hand it benefits the locals directly. Visiting local school, interaction with locals, cooking classes, indulge in artistic culture, henna designing are a few highlights.

Tour Overview & Description

Duration : 13 Nights / 14 Days

Location : North India

Best Season : March to November

Category : Cultural, Nature and Eco Tourism based Tour

Covering : Delhi > Shimla > Narkanda > Shoja > Great Himalayan National park > Kangra Valley Home stay > Dharamshala > Amritsar > Delhi

You can take it : As a private, personalised tour (tour dates would be of your choice)

Special About Tour :

Private Guide and Personal India Home stay Tour takes you to experience a very different aspect of Incredible India that you have heard but never experienced. We visit the less crowded and still unexplored parts of rural India .The idea behind this Indian rural village and home stay tour is to give an understanding of life of the people, who have kept their traditions and local folklore alive. A community based tour provides you the insight to the day to day life of culturally diverse people of India, traditions, culture, local cuisine; on the other hand it benefits the locals directly.

Visiting local school, interaction with locals, Cooking classes with a local family, indulge in artistic culture of rangoli making, henna designing and photography in local attire are just a few, among the top highlights of the tour. Nature walks, Heritage walks, Bird watching, could be included as extra activities during the tour.

We will visit different communities and you will see at first hand the way in which the villagers live. You will be provided with a taste of rural India tour with a combination of Eco Tourism tour India. Your guide will explain to you, their beliefs, their customs including the role of women, their superstitions, their religion, the caste system in India and the problems that they face, and you will be able to ask questions through him.

When you stay in a Home stay not only do your hosts benefit but many more in the same village. Your money will pay others for their contribution of food, song, dance and transport etc. So come with us and experience the real Authentic culture of these joyful, gentle, warm hearted people….!

While exploring the towns and villages we will visit the beautiful Golden Temple of Amritsar; the famous Sikh Shrine gilded with Gold, a memorable visit to India-Pakistan border at Wagha, visit Dharamshala (Mcleodganj) famous as the home to Dalai Lama Ji; who is the religious head of Buddhist’s. Explore the Colonial heritage hill station town of Shimla famous for the heritage buildings related to British Raj, where you will also ride the famous UNSECO World Heritage Kalka Shimla Mountain Railways of India— the toy train a journey of discovery.

In Kangra valley near Dharamshala you will spend a couple of nights, in Exotic Marigold Homestay, with your hosts being an incredibly friendly and hospitable Indian family.

Treat the below India Home Stay tour just as inspiration, as each trip is created uniquely for you, around your interest and requirements. Summit Safari India will make your tour a memorable and extra ordinary travel experience to cherish forever….!

Brief Itinerary : Delhi (02 Nights) > Shimla (03 Nights)> Shoja( 02 Night) Great Himalayan National park(01 Night) > Kangra Valley Home Stay (03 Nights) > Dharamshala (01 Night) > Amritsar (01 Night)

You will be met from your flight to Delhi International Airport by Summit Safari’s representative, and he will accompany you to your hotel in Delhi. Rest of the day is free at leisure to relax after the flight. Overnight in Hotel in Delhi.

Early in the morning, you will be assisted to board the super fast Shatabdhi Express train from New Delhi departure at (07:40 AM) to Kalka arrival at (11:50 AM). Breakfast will be served to you on this first class train. On arrival at Kalka you will board the World Famous UNESCO World heritage, Kalka Shimla Mountain Railways of India from Kalka (12:10 PM) to Solan arriving at (2:45 PM). The same train continues to Shimla and will arrive by 05:30 P.M at Shimla but some people find it tyring sitting on the small seats till Shimla (Total 5.30 hrs). On arrival at Solan Railway station you will be pick up by our driver and we will drive you to Shimla (45 kms / 1.5 hrs), where you will check into your home stay and will stay 3 nights with a local Indian family and will enjoy the Indian Hospitality , culture and customs from closer. On arrival you will be provided with a Traditional welcome, along with tea/ coffee and evening snacks. In the evening if interested we will take you to visit the nearby Buddhist monastery or we can do visit it some other day. Rest of the time is free to relax, and talk with the local Indian Family. Overnight stay in Home stay in Shimla.

Today morning after breakfast, we will take you for a sightseeing tour of Shimla town. We will visit the famous monkey temple (dedicated to Lord Hanuman) on the top of Jakhoo hills, Christ Church of Shimla, the Gaiety Theatre, the Mall Road with its scandal point, and the famous Viceregal Lodge where agreements for the partition of India and Pakistan were worked out. Shimla is ideal for walks, and life revolves around the busy Mall in the centre of town. We will walk around the Mall road of Shimla and later return back to the home stay in Shimla. Evening is free to join the local family and if interested our female guest can have Heena designs on their palms today evening. Dinner and overnight stay with the local Indian Family in Shimla.

Shimla is ideal for walks.As per your interest you will be taken for a very pretty village and valley walk “Sipur village and nature walk (3-4 hrs)”. We will return back to the home stay by late afternoon. Third night at the same home stay in Shimla. Today you can join the local family for a Indian cooking class and can learn how to make fresh Youghurt, some famous Indian curries and recipes.

Please note: If you are not interested for a hike of 3-4 hrs then we can take you to visit The Tibetan Refugee Old Age home along with the Buddhist monastery and the Hindu temple.

Today morning after breakfast around 08:30 AM we will say good bye to the local family in Shimla and will drive you to further to Shoja, in Seraj valley. Enroute we will stop for various photo breaks, comfort breaks at Fagu, Theog Matiana, Narkanda. Today there are chances to see the Himalayan Griffon Vultures. On the way at Narkanda we will visit Hattu peak (10,000 feet), from where you can have a spectacular view of the mighty Central Himalayas. We continue our drive to Shoja and will stop for a lunch break at a local eating place. Today we will drive you through various small villages and there are many chances to stop and view various birds. We will reach Shoja , over Jalori Pass by evening. Check in to the Home stay / hotel and rest of the time is free to relax. Shoja is located in Seraj valley, famous for breathtakingly beautiful views of the mountains and the forests.

Today morning after breakfast we start our drive to Jalori pass 5 kms ( 25 minutes), from where we will start our walk to Serolsar lake. The walk through Oak and cedar wood forest provides many opportunities to spot various birds and pheasants. We will walk to the Lake around 5 kms one side, and takes around 4-5 hrs both sides , with a rest. We can have some tea or local food in the tea shop run by the local family near the lake. Later as per your comfort we will return back to Shoja. Rest of the day at leisure. Second night in the same hotel / home stay in Shoja.

Today we will drive you to the Great Himalayan National Park – Village Gushaini - Tirthan Valley in the Great Himalayan National Park, via Jibhi and Banjar valley. We will arrive here by afternoon and later after lunch we will take you for a walk around the Tirthan river and the valley and there are opportunities to meet and talk to the local villagers. Overnight stay in a Home stay in Gushaini village in the Great Himalayan National park.

Today morning after Breakfast we will say good by to our local host and will drive to kangra valley Home stay to stay two nights with an incredible Indian family at basdi village near jawalamukhi. These places are out of reach of regular tourist. Enroute we will visit rewlaser famous for its lake and Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh temples around the lake. Lunch would be in a local restaurant in Rewalser. Later we continue our drive to basdi vialle, where we will arrive by evening. Rest of the time is free to relax of your own.

Today morning we will take you to visit, the famous Hindu Temple at “Jawalamukhi” (The temple of flames – as the natural fire flames are burning out of the temple walls at many places for the centuries). Later we will drive you to visit another nearby village known as Bankhandi (1 hrs), where we will meet the different local communities and see how they do coir making, bamboo basket making, local musicians and meeting the local people etc. We will have our lunch in the village with a local family and later on we will walk around this village which will provide us a chance to meet the local people and to know about their life and traditions. By evening we will return back to the village Basdi for the second night stay in a home stay.

After a leisurely breakfast we will walk around the Basdi village and will visit a local school, where we will meet the local children’s and the teachers. We will also attend the school prayers which are held regularly during the morning time. We will take seasonable fruits / juice, stationary with us to distribute among the school children. There are around 25 students in the village primary school. Today we will spend our time relaxing and walking around the village. This day we can even arrange an Indian Cooking class for you where you can learn some Indian curries. The sight of the village home stay is so nice in the natural environment that many species of birds come around the home itself. If interested in the evening we will take you for a boat ride on river Beas and to visit the local colourful market in a nearby village. Third night in the same home stay in Basdi village.

After breakfast at 09:00 AM we will drive to Dharamshala, en route we will visit Kangra fort and later continue our drive to Dharamshala. On arrival at Dharamshala we will visit Norbulingka institute at a place known as Sidhbari, an institute working for the preservation of traditional Tibetan arts and crafts. At present, it houses over 300 teachers, students and workers. The arts and crafts include Thanka painting, tailoring, metal sculpture and wood crafts. There is a Losel doll museum a monastery and a popular restaurant inside the Norbulingka institute where you can have your lunch. After lunch we will drive you to Mecleodganj where you will check in to the hotel and later we will leave for a sightseeing tour including, the Dalai Lama’s Buddhist monastery, St.John church, situated in the wilderness- where Lord Elgin is buried (1863). Evening is free to explore the local market of Mecleodganj.

After breakfast at 08:00 A.M we will drive you to Amritsar. Enroute we will stop for comfort break. We will arrive Amritsar in the afternoon and check in to your pre booked hotel. After freshen up yourself around 03:00 P.M we will take you to visit the Wagha Border. Indo-Pak Border to watch the Retreat Ceremony-30 KM on the road to Lahore is India-Pakistan Border (Wagha Boarder)..A visit to the border is an interesting experience especially at Sunset, when the retreat ceremony takes place with the Border Security Force on the Indian Side and the Sutlej Rangers on the Pakistan side putting up a well coordinated and spectacular display. The sound from the Bugles blown together from both sides paints past on the canvas when India and Pakistan were one, simultaneously Flags of the two nations are ceremoniously retrieved and lights are switched on marking the end of the day. Later return back to the hotel for dinner. After diner 08:30 P.M we will take you to visit the Golden temple in Amritsar, which is one of the biggest and the most religious sight of Sikh people. The Walls of the golden temple are gilded with Gold. Overnight stay in hotel in Amritsar.

Please Note: Carry your passports this day with you to visit the Border ceremony at Wagha.

Today early morning at 4:30 AM we will check out from the Hotel in Amritsar and we will transfer you to Amritsar railway station to board the Shatabdhi Express train number 12014, leaving Amritsar at 05:00 A.M to New Delhi, arriving at 11:20 AM. On arrival at New Delhi railway station you will be met by our driver and we will check into the hotel. Late around 1:00 PM we will take you for a half day of sightseeing in Delhi visiting some of the famous sights of Old Delhi and New Delhi. We will return back to the hotel by evening.

Please Note: This day you can even choose to fly from Amritsar to New Delhi. There are a couple of flights on the route and we can suggest you the same at the time of your planning the tour with us.

Today after breakfast we will drive you to New Delhi international airport, from where you will board your flight back to home.

End of the tour and the services.......!

The tours shown on the website are which we run regularly. It can be altered & Customised and we like to discuss plans with clients and can make suggestions about special places to visit depending on our clients’ interests, and available time. You can get an idea of your holidays from the above mentioned tour itinerary.

We do not club our clients to groups. We suggest, plan and organize only tailor-made, personalised tour holidays to India for each client. Either you can make your own group, we would be happy to organize a personalise tour for your or organizing things for your private group. Our Knowledgeable tour escorts is with you throughout the trip (if required), to all the famous sights and wherever required or we provide a local knowledgeable guide on spot for your tour to make history and culture come alive through the stories that unfold throughout the journey. In case you do not require accompanying tour escort with you please tell us and we will be happy to arrange local, knowledgeable guides at all the places for your tour, as per your choice.

  • Escorted private guided tour through off-the-beaten-routes through the countryside’s and villages in the foothills of Himalayas.
  • Visit to the villages in the Great Himalayan National Park
  • Stay in the home stays overlooking the valleys, rivers, apple orchards and beautiful mountain landscapes.
  • Experience authentic India and interact with the locals.
  • Sightseeing tour of Delhi the Capital of India., including a cycle rickshaw ride in the local market in old Delhi
  • Spice Market tour with your guide and get introduced to various Indian Spices
  • Visit the Golden temple at Amritsar whose walls are gilded with pure gold
  • Enjoy the Retreat ceremony on India Pakistan border on Indian side.
  • Sightseeing tour of Dharamshala Home of Dalai Lama the head of Buddhist.
  • Stay couple of nights in the villages in the foothills of Himalayas with your hosts who are an incredible friendly and hospitable Indian family.
  • Visit primary school, interact with the school children through songs, poems, dance and games.
  • Visit Sikh shrines, Buddhist monasteries, and Hindu temple related to different religions all in one tour.
  • Visit Colonial hill station town of Shimla, the former summer capital of India during the Raj.
  • Ride the UNESCO World Heritage Kalka Shimla Mountain Railways Of India –the toy train.
  • Experience 3 exciting Train Journeys on the Indian Railways.
  • Enjoy the boat Ride on River Beas, in the foothills of Himalayas during your stay at the Exotic Marigold home
  • Indulge in artistic culture of rangoli making, henna designing and photography in local attire.
  • Enjoy the Local safe street food part of your lunches during the tour.
  • Join the cooking classes and prepare, taste and enjoy 6 to 8 different kind famous Indian authentic recipes including the home made safe Street food.
  • Learn the secrets of how to use Indian Spices.
  • Interact with the family and enjoy the information and stories about the Caste system, Indian arrange marriages, and role of women in Indian society.
  • Get a close insight to day to day life of the Indians at their home.
  • Overall Experience Authentic India - AS IT IS.

Arrangements

You will follow the itinerary as a Private tour. Internal travel by road from Shimla to Shoja, Jalori Pass, Jibhi, Tirthan valley, Great Himalayan National Park, Exotic Marigold Home, Dharamshala, and Amritsar is by a private chauffeur-driven SUV Toyota Car/ similar vehicle.

Travel between New Delhi to Kalka and from Amritsar to New Delhi at the end is by the Shatabdi express first class train.

You will also travel with the UNESCO World heritage Kalka Shimla Mountain railways- the toy train from Shimla to Solan.


Accomodation

These destinations like Delhi, Amritsar, and Shimla are the most sought-after tourist destinations and a good number of tourists come to explore these beautiful places in North India. On the other hand the Kangra valley with Exotic Marigold home where we stay with an incredible friendly local family is still hidden by groups of tourist.

These places have plenty of hotels and Home stays, which are well equipped with all modern amenities and comprise variety of deluxe hotels, budget hotels, and home stay with local people. Most of these are run by the locals of these areas. One can choose the place of accommodation according to one’s requirement and budget.

You stay in comfortable Neat and Clean local hotels, and some home stays ( Exotic Marigold Home Stay) in great rural locations overlooking the mountain landscapes,all as preferred by you.

We do believe that we cater to people requiring different levels of comfort, and most importantly where you stay is CLEAN and COMFORTABLE. We would like to discuss and make suggestions about accommodation at the time of planning your holidays with us.

Meals Plan: Room + Breakfast + Dinner + 8 Lunches.

Cloths: Cottons with Warm woollens.

Tour Cost :

The Cost would be provided on Request

Please Note: The Cost of our each tour is based as per individual requirements, interests and budget of the client. The tour cost depending on the hotel accommodations you choose, food plan, mode of transportation you choose, whether you choose to include Escorted guide throughout the tour or set off on a more independent trip, with local guides available wherever required during the tour. This all we discuss with you while planning your tour and work out the best cost for your tour, accordingly.

We'll work with you until you’re satisfied with every detail of your India Holiday Tour. We'll then manage all your reservations and logistics in India, so that you’re taken care of from the moment you landed in India until your return back. The safety and well-being of our guests is paramount.


Inclusions

  • All accommodation on twin sharing using Home stays and Hotels with modern amenities or as per your choice
  • All transportation, using 1 Air conditioned SUV car including all sightseeing as per the tour details, fuel, toll taxes, parking, state taxes.
  • Meals Including 13 Breakfast ,13 Dinner + 8 lunches during the entire tour.
  • English Speaking Escorted Guide for the entire tour.
  • 2 cooking classes one at the village home stay and second at the Shimla.
  • Shatabdi Express Train tickets in Executive Class ( 1stClass) from New Delhi to Kalka and from Amritsar to New Delhi back at the end of the tour.
  • 1st Class Train Tickets for the UNESCO heritage Kalka Shimla Mountain Railways the toy train.
  • All kind of Entrance tickets to visit monuments, temples, museums etc. wherever required during the entire tour as per the tour itinerary.
  • 1 boat ride on river Beas in the foothills of Himalayas, during the home stay.
  • 1 bottles of mineral water per person, per day.
  • All airport arrival and departures.
  • Assistance on arrival and departure.
  • All kind of hotel taxes and GST.

Exclusions

  • Any kind of lunch during the tour, other than 8 which are included at village home stays and Shimla.
  • Any kind of international flights / visa charges.
  • Any kind of tips to tour escort / local guides/ drivers/hotel staff.
  • Any kind of alcohol drinks ( Beer/ wine etc).
  • Any kind of camera fees.
  • Your travel Insurance.
  • Extra Baggage cost on the Domestic flight in India.
  • Any change in the tour management / additional arrangement due to road blockage / flight cancellations/ flight missed or things beyond our control etc.
  • Any Kind of Personal Expenses or things which are not mentioned In the “Cost Includes”.

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Call one of our experts or leave a message on WhasApp to arrange a video appointment for ideas and free advice +919805051102

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