Unusual India & Unheard Indians
India is a land of endless surprises, where history, culture, and nature blend in fascinating ways. This 14/15-day tour takes you on a journey to explore some of the country’s most extraordinary and lesser-known wonders. Witness the gravity-defying Magnetic Hills of Leh, meet the African-origin Sidi tribe in Jambur, visit Shani Shignapur—the lockless village, and experience Mattur, the modern village where Sanskrit is spoken fluently. Alongside these rare experiences, explore the Ajanta & Ellora Caves, embark on a wildlife safari in Gir National Park, and immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of Delhi, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
This journey is a deep dive into India’s most extraordinary and unheard-of experiences—a perfect blend of tradition, mystery and adventure!
(This is an indicative programme only, particularly concentrating on some unusual and unheard places of India. We recommend, to get the most out of this, increase a few nights/days so as to properly experience places like Leh, Ahmedabad and Bangalore, which otherwise are only touched upon and deserve much more than what is mentioned in this programme)
Tour Highlights
- Experience the mystery of Magnetic Hills in Leh
- Meet the African-origin Sidi Tribe in Jambur
- Visit Shani Shignapur, the village without locks
- Discover Mattur, where Sanskrit is a living language
- Marvel at the stunning Ajanta & Ellora Caves
- Explore India’s modern cities: Delhi, Ahmedabad & Bangalore
- Safari adventure at Gir National Park
Tour Itinerary
Upon arrival in Delhi, our representative will meet, assist and transfer you to the hotel. Check-in at the hotel and day up to lunch at leisure. Post lunch you will be visiting Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Chandni Chowk. Late evening back to the hotel, welcome dinner along with a briefing session at the hotel and overnight at hotel in Delhi
Early morning breakfast and check out from the hotel and transfer to airport in time to connect your flight to Leh (1.5 hrs). Arrive Leh and transfer to hotel. Check in at the hotel and day up to lunch at leisure. Post lunch visit Magnetic Hills (30 kms). Magnetic Hill is a gravity hill which is alleged to have magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircraft to increase their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference; in reality, the effect is an optical illusion created by the gravity hill. Back to hotel by evening. Overnight at the hotel in Leh.
After an early breakfast, check out from the hotel and transfer to airport in time to connect your flight to Leh (1.5 hrs). Arrive Leh and transfer to hotel. Check in at the hotel and day up to lunch at leisure. Post lunch visit Magnetic Hills (30 kms). Magnetic Hill is a gravity hill which is has magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircraft to increase their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference; in reality, the effect is an optical illusion created by the gravity hill. Back to hotel by evening. Overnight at the hotel in Leh.
After breakfast check out from the hotel and transfer to airport in time to connect your flight to Delhi and later from Delhi connect your flight to Ahmedabad (1.5 hrs). Arrive Ahmedabad and transfer to hotel. Rest of day at leisure. Evening you have an option to explore the city and return to the hotel for an overnight stay at the hotel in Ahmedabad.
Breakfast at hotel and post breakfast we visit Sabarmati Ashram (Gandhi Museum), Sidi Sayed Mosque and Heritage Houses of Poles. (room extended till this evening). Back to hotel and later check-out from the hotel to be transferred to the train station with packed dinner in time to connect your overnight train to Veraval (430 kms / 9 hrs). Overnight on board your train.
Arrive Veraval in the morning and drive to Sasan (1 hr), Check-in at the Jungle Resort. Breakfast at the resort and day until lunch at leisure. Lunch at the resort and post lunch you will take a Jeep Safari to explore the Gir National Park famous for its Asiatic Lions. Later back to the resort. Dinner and overnight at resort in Sasan.
Morning pre-breakfast safari at the park, back to our resort for breakfast. After breakfast at resort you will visit Jambur Village : A little Africa in India which is home to the descendants of Africans who were brought to the subcontinent as slaves and many others who traveled as mercenaries, merchants and sailors. They are known as Sidi Tribes. The Sidis of Jambur are supposed to have originally come from Kano in Nigeria via the Sudan and Mecca after their Hajj pilgrimage. The shrine in Jambur houses the tomb of a saint known as Nagarchi Baba - Drum Master. The Sidis say he was an Arab who visited Africa some 900 years ago, before settling in India. The only remnant they retain of their African lineage is their music and dance. Back to our jungle resort in Sasan and overnight at Sasan.
This morning post breakfast we will drive to Rajkot (4 hrs). Upon arrival in Rajkot we will be transferred to airport in time to connect our flight to Mumbai. Upon arrival drive to Nashik (4 hrs). Arrive Nashik by dinner and overnight at the hotel in Nashik.
Breakfast at the hotel. Post breakfast checkout from the hotel to drive to Shani Shingnapur Temple (3 hrs) dedicated to Lord Shani. Unlike other pilgrimage centres, devotees here can perform puja or abhishek or other religious rituals themselves. One of the unique aspects of the village Shiganapur is that houses here have no door- frames or locks on them for safety. They are in fact not needed. The people here believe that it is the benediction of the God that no crime ever occurs in this village. They lead a disciplined life abstaining from liquor and meat. The social relations of people are marked by trust, co-operation and empathy. Their life styles are based on reverence for nature in other words, people here are ecologically compatible, besides following socially and economically sustainable norms. After this tour we will drive to Aurangabad (2 hrs). Check-in at hotel and overnight at the hotel in Aurangabad.
Breakfast at the hotel and post breakfast we will visit Ajanta and the Ellora caves. Dating back to the 2nd BC and artistically built over a few centuries, these caves have an extraordinary appeal and aura. Nestled in the formidable Sahayadri Mountain Range, these caves have been home to monks of different religions. Be it the paintings in the Ajanta caves or the sculptures of the Ellora, the visitors have always and will always continue to be spellbound. Later evening return to the hotel and overnight at the hotel in Aurangabad.
Breakfast at the hotel. Post breakfast check out from the hotel and transfer to airport in time to connect your flight to Bangalore. Arrive Bangalore and drive to Shimoga (6 hrs). Arrive Shimoga and check in at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel in Shimoga.
After breakfast you visit Mattur - a village where Sanskrit is the main language. The village of about 2,000 inhabitants is located about 8 km south of Shimoga. The Tunga river flows gently on one side of the village. Its fame as the Sanskrit Village has spread far and wide. Sanskrit is the spoken language of over 95 per cent of the people here. Soft and dulcet, a conversation sounds like a Vedic recital. Though it is a journey, which began about 500 years ago, Sanskrit has been modified according to modern needs here by Sanskrit Bharati. As one enters the village he is greeted with ”bhavatha nam kim? (What is your name?), “coffee va chaayam kim ichchhathi bhavan? (What will you have, coffee or tea?). The pronunciation of “Hari Om” instead of ‘hello’ and “katham asti” instead of ‘how are you?’ are common here. Everybody-men, women, children, literate or illiterate, freely speaks Sanskrit. Even the Muslim families speak Sanskrit without any hesitation and as comfortably as is spoken by the Hindus. Their children are found in the streets reciting Sanskrit shlokas. There are families who have written on their doors-‘You can speak in Sanskrit in this house.’ This is basically to tell the visitors that in case they are fluent in the language they can talk to them in Sanskrit Back to hotel. Overnight at the hotel in Shimoga.
Breakfast at the hotel. Later, check out from the hotel and drive to Bangalore (6 hrs). Arrive Bangalore, transfer to hotel and check in at the hotel. Remaining day free to explore this Silicon Valley of India ( IT city of east). Overnight at the hotel in Bangalore.
After breakfast check out from the hotel and transfer to airport in time to connect your morning flight to Delhi. Arrive Delhi and later you can fly to home. (Bangalore is an international airport and there are international flight out of India operating from here too)
