How strenuous is Portrait of India?

Martha Bredwell

How strenuous is the trip? I am 74 and in good health , but walk with a cane at times. Not fast walker.
It is tagged at level 2, but dont understand what that means.
Marty

Tauck Emily

Hello Martha,

This is the information I got from the tour manager:

Some people that go on this tour do use canes or walking sticks for extra support. If you does not mind choosing to forego some of the more difficult sites, they will be okay"

The nature of the walking involved on this journey ranges from minimal or easy to moderate or extensive in extent and strenuousness, depending on the sites visited on that particular day of the itinerary.

At the beginning of the trip, the walking required in Delhi is neither extensive nor strenuous. The sites, including the Red Fort, are located in a large area and a moderate amount of walking is involved on flat terrain and over gravel or paved walkways with some steps. Due to the ancient nature of several of the sites you will visit during your sojourn in India, stairs and walkways are sometimes uneven; several flights of stairs, sometimes steep and slippery, are involved; and, some agility is required to climb into and out of boats.

At the Sarnath temple, there is some stair climbing involved with some stairs and walkways being irregular. At Varanasi you will have to navigate several Flights of stairs, sometimes steep and irregular, to do the planned sightseeing. The visits to the Taj Mahal, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri require climbing several stairs, although a considerable amount of walking is done on mostly paved or gravel walkways. The visit to Elephanta Island in Mumbai requires considerable stair climbing. The Amber Palace in Jaipur, as well as the temple and palace in Udaipur, have several stairs and some dark passageways due to the antiquity of these sites.

The remainder of the itinerary, including the travel days from Jaipur to Udaipur, Udaipur to Cochin and your stay in Cochin, and from Cochin to Mumbai requires minimal walking.

The pace of the itinerary has been carefully planned to intersperse sightseeing involving considerable walking with leisurely days so as to provide the most enjoyment from this journey. Some people that go on this tour do use canes or walking sticks for extra support. You can always forego some of the more difficult sites, and your tour director can help you plan an alternate activity.

Hope this helps,
Emily

scottol

I just got back from the Spotlight tour and agree with everything Emily states. Some on the tour walked with canes and very few had difficulty with most of the sites.