Highlights of Northern India

Holiday Highlights

Varanasi, ‘the city of Shiva’ and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world
Visiting Tara and Sasha, two of the biggest and most established fair trade craft organisations in India
Kolkata, friendly, vibrant, with few tourists but a rich history and culture
Travelling through time from the last British capital (Delhi) to the first (Kolkata)
The Taj Mahal, India’s jewel of Mughal art and architecture

View Holiday Schedule

Day	Description	Distance	Meals
1	Depart UK	Overnight flights to Delhi
2	Arrival day	Arrival into Delhi and transfer to hotel
3	Delhi	Visit to TARA Projects headquarters and Manjeen, jewellery producer	B
4	Delhi	Guided walking tour of Old Delhi	B D
5	Delhi to Agra	Train journey to Agra and visit to TARA stone & marble workshops and Taj Mahal	B L
6	Agra to Moradabad	Travel to Moradabad and afternoon free to explore	B
7	Moradabad	Visit to Noah's Ark offices and meet artisans	B
8	Moradabad to Varanasi	Travel to Varanasi enjoying the wonders of India's rural scenery	B
9	Varanasi	Visit to Ashoka's pillar and Dharmek Stupa	B
10	Varanasi	Sunrise boat trip on the Ganges. Tour of Vananasi the holiest city in India.	B
11	Varanasi to Kolkata	Visit Varanasi Weavers and Artisans Society (VWAS). Internal flight to Kolkata.	B
12	Kolkata	Full day tour of Kolkata.	B
13	Kolkata	Visit to Sasha. Sunset boat ride on the Ganges.	B D
14	Kolkata	Visit one of Sasha's producer groups. Free afternoon in Kolkata.	B L
15	Depart	Flights back to the UK

Key: B - Breakfast, L - Lunch, D - Dinner

For more information download our Tour Dossier

Holiday Information

Travelling from Delhi to Kolkata, via the holy city of Varanasi, the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort at Agra, this is a trip which immerses you in the richness of India's vibrant culture and its often complex but nevertheless fascinating history.

On the way you'll meet stone carvers, jewellers and craftworkers who, thanks to fair trade, are keeping skill and tradition alive and creating new opportunities for themselves and their families. At Noah's Ark in Moradabad we meet the artisans behind the popular hand-painted colourful metal kitchenware and gain an insight into the wider benefits such as education and access to medical treatment that a fair deal provides for them. In Varanasi we meet weavers who have been supported by Traidcraft Exchange and we hear how the charity's pioneering work is giving families new hope.

Ranjith Henry is one of our most accomplished tour guides and together with his wife Rani, has been welcoming groups to India for more than 20 years. Happy to discuss and debate any and all subjects and prompting with the questions you didn't even know you wanted to ask, Ranjith helps us to challenge preconceptions of India making every trip with him a truly memorable and enjoyable holiday.

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Holiday Feedback

“I would strongly recommend Meet the People tours as a brilliant way to be more than a tourist and to make an ethical contribution.”

Julie, Merseyside
“There was a very good balance between the Traidcraft/Fairtrade aspect and visits to tourist places. Well organised and stimulating. Every day brought surprises.”
“It has broadened my ideas and knowledge about fair trade, to see that it goes beyond fair wages but is more about helping the whole person. I was impressed with the health care and education programmes and empowerment of women.”
“Each visit to a producer group was a privilege. Each one allowed us to meet people we respected and admired and whose lives were changed by fair trade”
“I gained so much from each of the visits to producer groups and found the welcomes we received quite humbling and emotional”
“Ranjith worked tirelessly to ensure we had the best trip possible”
“I am not sure that my comments have done justice to what was a truly awesome holiday”
“The producers were all remarkable and I was overwhelmed at times by them taking so much time and care to show what they were doing. We were privileged to be there. Their pride was palpable and rightly so – it was such a pleasure to talk to them all”
“I went to India with an open mind and am happy to say it was a fantastic experience. There was so much to love, and the ‘Meet the People’ element enriched our stay enormously.”

Julie, Merseyside
“We learnt a huge amount about Indian food and there were some outstanding meals.”
“My absolute favourite visit was the Taj Mahal. I was excited about going and feel in love with it – was completely intoxicated by its beauty.”
“We had a good combination of producer visits and sightseeing and were fortunate to see such a great variety of things during our time in India”

Gill & John, Birmingham

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