“I had an incredible adventure with Rang Travels in Northern India earlier this year! The tour was jam packed. I loved the beautiful forts and buildings we visited, the markets, as well as the stunning World Heritage hotels. This tour gave me a real taste for India, and I felt very comfortable for my first time visiting! Mamlesh took very good care of our entire group, meeting our many demands as travelling dancers… we had lots of laughs alongside our exciting travels!”
Holi & Hola Mohalla
Lathmar Holi in Braj and the Sikh warrior festival at Anandpur Sahib
11 days · 10 nights 9 halts Proposed 16 – 26 March 2027Festival, Spiritual, Photography
from₹1,75,000per person · indicative
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A crowd covered in coloured powder in a Barsana temple courtyard during Lathmar HoliEleven days built around two festivals a week apart: the stick-wielding Lathmar Holi of Barsana and Nandgaon, and Hola Mohalla, where the Nihang Sikhs ride, fence and feed a hundred thousand at Anandpur Sahib — with the Taj Mahal, the Golden Temple and the Wagah border in between.
Holi is played all over India, but in the villages of Braj — where Krishna is said to have grown up — it starts a week early and it is played with sticks. At Barsana, Radha's village, the women greet the men who arrive from Nandgaon with lathis; the next day the visit is returned. It is loud, joyful, and entirely local, and this journey puts you in the temple courtyard for both days.
A week later and 500 kilometres north-west, the Sikh community gathers at Anandpur Sahib for Hola Mohalla, a festival of martial skill begun by Guru Gobind Singh: Nihang warriors in blue and saffron on horseback, gatka sword displays, kirtan, poetry, and the langar that feeds everyone who comes. Between the two, the Taj Mahal at sunrise, the Golden Temple at evening prayer, and the flag ceremony at the Wagah border.
Highlights
- Lathmar Holi at Barsana and Nandgaon — two days in the temple courtyards
- Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib: Nihang horsemen, gatka, the great langar
- The Taj Mahal at sunrise and Agra Fort
- The Golden Temple at the evening Palki ceremony, and the langar kitchen
- The Beating Retreat at the Wagah border
- Chandigarh's Rock Garden and Le Corbusier's Capitol Complex
Festival calendar · Lathmar Holi · Holi · Hola Mohalla
Barsana 17 Mar · Nandgaon 18 Mar · Holi 22 Mar · Hola Mohalla from 23 Mar 2027
Departure dates follow the festival calendar each year and are confirmed on enquiry.
The route
- Delhi
- Vrindavan2 nights
- Barsana
- Nandgaon
- Agra1 night
- Delhi1 night
- Amritsar2 nights
- Anandpur Sahib2 nights
- Chandigarh1 night
- Delhi
- Delhi
- Vrindavan2 nights
- Barsanapass through
- Nandgaonpass through
- Agra1 night
- Delhi1 night
- Amritsar2 nights
- Anandpur Sahib2 nights
- Chandigarh1 night
- Delhi
Day by day
The page changes colour as you travel — scroll and watch it follow the route.
Now in Delhi
Day 01Overnight DelhiArrival, and Old Delhi
Met on arrival and transferred to your hotel (check-in 12:00–14:00). After freshening up, Old Delhi: the Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Jama Masjid; the lanes of Chandni Chowk — spices, textiles, jewellery and street food; and Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
Lathmar Holi · BarsanaDay 02Overnight Vrindavan190 km · about 4 hrsLathmar Holi at Barsana
Drive to Vrindavan after breakfast and check in. In the afternoon, on to Barsana, Radha's village near Mathura, for Lathmar Holi.
In the legend, Krishna came from Nandgaon to tease Radha and her friends with colour, and the women drove him and his friends off with sticks. Today the men of Nandgaon arrive singing; the women of Barsana meet them with lathis; everyone is covered in gulal within the hour.
Lathmar Holi · NandgaonDay 03Overnight VrindavanHoli at Nandgaon
The visit is returned. Nandgaon, Krishna's childhood village, hosts the men and devotees of Barsana — some in women's dress to re-enact the legend — in the courtyard of the Nandgaon temple, under showers of coloured powder and water.
Singing, dancing and the whole village in the square. Return to Vrindavan for the night.
Day 04Overnight AgraA quiet morning, then Agra
A relaxed morning in Vrindavan for photography and the temples. Later, drive to Agra and check in. The evening is free for the bazaars — marble inlay, jewellery and Mughlai food.
Day 05Overnight Delhi210 km · about 4 hrsThe Taj at sunrise, back to Delhi
The Taj Mahal at sunrise, its white marble taking the first light. Back for breakfast, then Agra Fort, and the drive to Delhi. Evening free.
Day 06Overnight AmritsarTrain Delhi – AmritsarBy train to Amritsar, the Golden Temple
An early transfer to New Delhi railway station for the train to Amritsar, the spiritual and cultural heart of Punjab. Check in, then Harmandir Sahib — the Golden Temple — its gilded façade in the still water of the Amrit Sarovar.
Stay for the evening Palki Sahib ceremony, and see the langar, the largest community kitchen in the world. Amritsari food afterwards.
Day 07Overnight AmritsarJallianwala Bagh & the Wagah border
An early return to the Golden Temple in the morning calm. Then Jallianwala Bagh, the memorial to 1919.
In the afternoon, 28 km to the Wagah border for the Beating Retreat — the changing of the guard and the synchronised flag-lowering by the Indian and Pakistani forces, watched by thousands every evening.
Day 08Overnight Anandpur Sahib195 km · about 4 hrsTo Anandpur Sahib, the City of Bliss
A scenic drive to Anandpur Sahib on the Sutlej, where the Khalsa was founded by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Check in at your hotel or camp and visit the gurudwaras — Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib and Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib — as the town fills for the festival.
Hola MohallaDay 09Overnight Anandpur SahibHola Mohalla
The second day of Hola Mohalla, the Sikh festival of valour held the day after Holi. Martial arts, archery, wrestling and gatka; the Nihang warriors in blue and saffron, elaborately turbaned, performing horse-riding stunts.
Beyond the martial displays: music, poetry, kirtan and chanting, and the langar where thousands eat together regardless of caste or creed. More than a hundred thousand people come.
- Day 10Overnight Chandigarh95 km · 2–3 hrs
Chandigarh
Drive to Chandigarh, the city Le Corbusier planned. If time allows, the Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake and the Capitol Complex — wide boulevards and modernist concrete after a week of temples and forts.
Day 11Overnight Departure250 km · 5–6 hrsDelhi, and home
A morning drive to Delhi airport for your flight home. If your departure is late, optional Delhi sightseeing — India Gate, the Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar — can be arranged.
What the price covers
The commonest reason travellers abandon an enquiry is not knowing what is covered. Every Rang Travels quotation itemises it. This is the usual shape for this journey; the written quotation is what counts.
Included
- 10 nights in 4-star and heritage hotels (camp option at Anandpur Sahib), with breakfast
- Private air-conditioned car with driver; train Delhi–Amritsar
- Local guides at every city and at both festivals
- Festival logistics: courtyard access at Barsana and Nandgaon, timings at Hola Mohalla
- All transfers, tolls, parking and driver allowances
Not included
- International flights
- Monument entrance fees
- Lunches and dinners unless stated
- Visa, insurance, tips
- Old clothes for Holi — bring some
Before you go
The questions travellers ask about this journey, answered from the itinerary itself. Anything else — ask, and a curator replies.
Do the dates change every year?
Yes — Holi follows the lunar calendar, and Lathmar Holi at Barsana and Nandgaon falls in the week before it. For 2027 that is 17–18 March for Barsana and Nandgaon, Holi on the 22nd, and Hola Mohalla from the 23rd. The journey is rebuilt around the dates each year and confirmed on enquiry.
What should I wear at Lathmar Holi?
Old clothes you are willing to lose, closed shoes, and glasses or goggles for the gulal. Keep your phone and camera in a sealed bag; the colour is dry powder and coloured water and it gets everywhere, which is the point.
How crowded is Hola Mohalla?
Very — more than a hundred thousand people come to Anandpur Sahib. Your guide knows where to stand for the horsemen and the gatka displays, and when to step back for the langar.
Is the train to Amritsar comfortable?
It is the practical way north: an early morning departure from New Delhi, reserved seats, and you arrive in Amritsar with the afternoon free for the Golden Temple.
Can I add days?
Most travellers add two nights: either Jaipur before Agra, or Dharamshala after Chandigarh. Ask, and we will write it in.
On the road
In their own words
Verbatim Google reviews — several in Italian, because Italy found us early. Read them all on Google and TripAdvisor.
Plan my journey
Tell us where your India begins. Within a day or two you will have a first itinerary — written day by day, with distances, drive times and a price — to change and make your own.
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