Maharajas and mountain kingdoms

When you arrive in Delhi, you’ll be collected by your private driver and taken to your hotel. You can choose from either a hotel situated about half an hour’s drive from the airport or a charming hotel in Central Delhi, and ideal base to explore both the spice markets of Chandi Chowk and the modern bars of Connaught Place. Here, you can catch your breath and rest after your flight. In both hotels, you’ll have a comfortable room with a private en-suite bathroom.

Today you'll be transferred to Jaipur by air-conditioned car, a trip which takes around 5 hours. The Pink City is a fantastic place to kick off a trip in India and during your two nights here you can relax, acclimatise, and explore. There is so much to see in this elegant and astonishing city that you could spend weeks here without getting bored. Jaipur centre is a lively mass of saris, saddhus, holy cows, spice markets, street vendors, camel carts, elephants, beggars, rickshaws, temples, forts and palaces.

In Jaipur, you’ll stay in a cosy family hotel for a firsthand experience of typical Indian hospitality. Breakfast is served in the romantic English tea garden and the family will go out of their way to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. The rooms here are tastefully furnished in traditional Indian-style and several have four-poster beds.

Today, you’ll take a guided tour of this remarkable city, visiting the City Palace, the Observatory and the fairy-tale Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal). In the afternoon, you’ll visit the imposing Amber Fort that lies just outside the city limits. From the battlements of the Amber Fort, you’ll have a wonderful view of the rocky hills and the smaller walls and forts constructed by the Rajputs and the Mughals in the area.

The City Palace and the Palace of the Winds both stand in the ancient quarter of the city. The City Palace has several beautiful museums with fascinating collections. If you see the flag flying, it means that the Maharaja is in residence. The Palace of the Winds is a world-famous, pyramid-shaped building with dozens of windows. This is where the women of the royal harem could watch the processions in the street below, unseen by the masses.

Today, you’ll leave Jaipur and head for Pushkar, standing sleepily on the banks of a beautiful lake. You’ll spend tonight in a palace where almost all of the rooms have stunning lake views.

Pushkar is a picturesque holy town in the desert, with pastel-coloured buildings lining narrow streets. There are dozens of rooftop cafes looking out over the city towards the lake- perfect places to linger over coffee or lunch. Wander through the twisting alleys of the old centre and take a look at the Ghats (stone staircases that lead into the water) where the pilgrims perform ritual bathing. During the famous Camel Fair, usually held in November, over 25,000 camels will plod into the town to be traded by their owners, and huge crowds of pilgrims in a rainbow of colours will arrive.

Today, you’ll travel to Udaipur, the most romantic town in Rajasthan. Elegant Udaipur is surrounded by green hills, a brilliant contrast to the sparkling white palaces and the blue waters of Lake Pichola. The legendary Lake Palace floats on an island in the centre of the lake, giving the town a fairy-tale feel. This palace was the winter residence of the Maharaja and featured in the James Bond film Octopussy.

You’ll spend today in Udaipur - after all, you’ve come a long way to get here. In the morning, you’ll take a city tour, visiting the City Palace with its impressive murals and mosaics and its collection of Delft Blue ware. After this, you’ll visit the Jagdish Temple, where you can admire the famous Lake Palace from a distance. Once the city tour has finished, you’ll be free to explore Udaipur on your own. Wander through the old town, packed with tiny shops of fabrics and handicrafts, and try your hand at haggling in the market. Take a peek into one of the many mysterious little temples and havelis. In the evening, Udaipur has a magical atmosphere, so try some delicious local food in a rooftop restaurant and watch the lake shimmer in the darkness.

Today, you’ll set off in the direction of Jodhpur, The Blue City, a journey of about 6 hours. On the way, you visit the striking Jain temple of Ranakpur, situated in a beautiful green valley. The enormous temple complex has 1444 pillars, with stunning decorations carved from stone. Incredibly, none of the pillars are the same. Each has been decorated in its own unique way. Jainism is a religion that originated in North East India about the same time as Buddhism (around 400BC) and it is still popular across the country today.

In the afternoon, you’ll continue on to Jodhpur. This city is the home of Mehrangarh Fort, one of the most dramatic Moghal forts in India. Here, you can wander through the narrow alleyways of the city, where rope-makers colour their warps, spice-sellers display their aromatic wares, and hairdressing salons barely stretch to the size of one square metre. The shopping hotspots are the Sojati Gate, the Tripolia Bazaar, the Mochi-ki-Gali and the Lakhara Bazaar. If you’re looking for hand-woven material, head for Rajasthan Khadi Sangh. The central bell tower is a good orientation point, as you’ll always manage to find your way back. You’ll stay in the old part of Jodhpur at the foot of the mighty fort.

 

After breakfast, you’ll climb up above the city to Meherangarh Fort and enjoy the views from the massive walls over the town. The houses are all painted Brahmin blue, giving Jodhpur its nickname of The Blue City. Initially, the colour was used to signify the homes of the Brahmin caste, but now it is a trademark of the town. When the golden sunlight falls obliquely over the houses, they’ll take on an enchanting indigo glow.

After visiting Meherangarh Fort, you’ll cross the desert to reach the remote desert town of Jaisalmer. The journey will take around 5 hours. As you approach the town, its contours will begin to appear on the desert horizon like an amazing mirage. This sense of magic will continue to grow as you are dropped at the gates of the old fortress town, with its dozens of castellated towers. The Fort is built from sandstone, almost blending into its surrounding landscape and giving it a bewitching haziness. From the uppermost walls of the fort, you’ll have a magnificent view over the desolate Thar Desert that spreads dramatically from the foot of the castle. In the distance, you’ll see Sahara-style sand dunes. You can take spectacular camel safaris to the dunes, guided by a member of the camel drivers’ caste.

In the evenings, you can eat in one of the small restaurants in the fort or in one of the many rooftop restaurants outside the castle walls. You’ll sleep in style, staying in an authentic haveli gilded in gold.

Today, you’ll have time to explore magical Jaisalmer at your own pace. You can wander around the havelis, Lake Gadi Sagar, or Jaisalmer Fort. The fort has four entrances: Akhaiya Pol, Ganesh Pol, Suraj Pol and Hava Pol. You might even bump into a camel or two on your way or hear the sound of a sitar playing from inside a haveli.

Built on a hill above the city, the golden tone of its sandstone makes Jaisalmer Fort look as though it is melting into the surrounding desert.The narrow streets inside the fort are lined with shops and food stalls and scattered with Jain temples with eyecatching sculptures.

You'll have most of today free to make the most of your remaining time in Jaisalmer. Then, in late afternoon, you'll take the overnight train back to Jaipur, an exciting and essential Indian experience.

You'll arrive early this morning in Jaipur and head towards the same family hotel as earlier in your trip. You'll be welcomed back enthusiastically and after settling in and freshening up, you'll have the rest of the day free to explore more of Jaipur.

Jaipur is famous for textiles and jewellery. You can find both of these in abundance in the bazaar, which is one of the biggest, and perhaps the best, in the region. Equally, the pink-meringue-like cinema in Jaipur is famous for its flambuoyant design, making it the perfect place to catch a Bollywood film during your stay. Around a 1-hour drive from Jaipur, you'll find the amusement village of Chokhi Dhani, which celebrates Rajasthani traditions with palm-readers, snake-charmers, camel drivers, elephant rides, snacks, sweets, music and dancing. This is a fun-filled way to spend a spare evening.

This morning, you'll leave Jaipur and head east towards Galta, a secluded mystical spot that will leave a lasting impression on you. The Monkey Temple here is a pilgrimage site that attracts flocks of brightly-robed devotees every day. The stream that trickles out of the rocks here is reputed to be water from the holy River Ganges, although this is geographically impossible. People bathe and sing on the steps (ghats) that lead down into the pools. Their voices echo through the rocky gorge, which opens into a wider valley dotted with temples that have been overrun with monkeys. This is an exhilarating sight.

After Galta, you’ll drive for another three hours before arriving in Bharatpur. This is a fascinating waterworld, criss-crossed by all sorts of dykes. Maharajas of the historic Singh family used this region as their hunting grounds, and the scenery is breathtaking. If you like, you can stop here and stretch your legs.

There are hundreds of rare birds in the Bharatpur wetlands, such as the rare Siberian crane. Currently, there are several tigers here, originally from Ranthambore National Park, which pounce on the waterfowl as they doze. It’s unlikely that you’ll see this in action, but keep your eyes peeled all the same.

A few kilometres further on, you’ll come to stunning Fatehpur Sikri. The great ruler Akbar set up his capital here, and built a grand city, but after only 40 years the water supply became too difficult to maintain in this dry area, so all of the inhabitants packed up and moved on. They left behind a phenomenal collection of grand temples and palaces, with the ruins of old houses standing between them. Now it is an atmospheric ghost city, full of green parrots and monkeys. On this optional stop you can arrange for a guide to lead you through the forgotten city, and tell you the stories behind the monuments. Or you can explore at your own place. This is an optional stop so if you'd rather head straight for Agra then just have a word with your driver.

After visiting Fatehpur Sikri, you’ll drive on to Agra, where you’ll arrive at your clean and comfortable hotel near the centre of town. 

After an early breakfast this morning, you’ll be taken to the Taj Mahal, a highlight of any trip to India. Standing serenely in the first light of the morning, we are sure that this stunning building will surpass all your expectations. It is one of the few buildings in the world that has the ability to move people. It was built by Shah Jahan as a token of his love for his deceased wife, and is undoubtedly the most romantic burial site in the world. After visiting the Taj Mahal, you’ll head for Agra Fort. This huge but restrained structure seems to be immersed in a dreamy atmosphere when it’s bathed in afternoon light, which slants through the pillars and galleries. From its majestic walls and through its arches, you can see the Taj Mahal, just as Shah Jahan would have done centuries ago, when he was imprisoned here by his son. You'll spend one more night your hotel, before leaving Agra tomorrow morning.

 

This morning, your train leaves Agra Central Station at about 8am on its way to Jhansi. You can arrange the easy transfer to the railway station at your hotel – just ask at reception. After about 2½ hours (give or take a little in India), you’ll arrive in Jhansi. You’ll be collected at the station by a your driver, who will take you to Orchha (about 16 km away). Orchha is a charming small town of only 9000 residents and it is one of the few places in India that you can easily wander about without being approached by beggars or touts. The town is renowned for its breathtaking Ram Raja Temple, Chaturbhuj Temple and Lakshmi Narayan Temple. In the afternoon, you’ll have free time to explore the town at your own pace. At the end of the day, you’ll tumble into bed in your hotel and drift off to sleep, tired but contented.

This morning, you’ll drive on to the tranquil town of Khajuraho. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the western temples of Khajuraho, principally known for their erotic images from the Kama Sutra. The temples are about 1000 years old and they are still in incredibly good condition, even though there are only 22 of the original 85 temples still left. You’ll stay in a comfortable guesthouse with a great view over the temples of Khajuraho.

Today you’ll be taken to the little town of Satna to catch the train to the city of Varanasi on the River Ganges. The train leaves about 8.15am, so it’s a pretty early start, but you’ll arrive in Varanasi a little after 4pm. The journey takes about 8 hours. When you arrive in Varanasi, you’ll be greeted and transferred to a charming guesthouse that lies right on the banks of the river. The Ganges is flanked by a series of ‘ghats’ – broad stone staircases leading down to the water – that stretch into the horizon. Each ghat has its own significance. The guesthouse stands close to the Assi Ghat, towards the south of the town, which is used by pilgrims during a special pilgrimage route called 'Panchatirthi Yatra'.

This morning, you’ll make a very early start to take a boat trip on the Ganges at dawn. This is an extremely special experience and you cannot help but soak up the intensely spiritual atmosphere. You’ll drift past pilgrims of all ages and classes as they perform their ritual bathing just before sunrise. After the boat trip, there's a guided walk through the old centre of Varanasi. Watch out for the holy cows in the narrow alleyways.

The rest of the day is free for you to explore. Life and death rubs shoulders here like nowhere else on earth, and the experience is very inspiring. Seeing a cremation take place on the ‘burning ghats’ is something that you will remember forever. Next to the cremation ghat, you’ll find kids playing cricket, cows nosing through rubbish, and women beating laundry on rocks. You’ll spend another night in the guesthouse overlooking the Ganges.

This morning you’ll head for the small town of Sarnath, which is not far from Varanasi. Sarnath is another place of pilgrimage, this time for the Buddhists. It was here that Buddha gave his first lecture. After his enlightenment in Bodhgaya, Buddha came to Sarnath to preach about the Middle Way of reaching Nirvana. After this, the religious ruler Ashoka built an enormous stupa (temple) and several Buddhist monasteries to commemorate the teaching. Each Buddhist country in the world now has its own temple, which often makes the place seems like a World Expo is being held. In contrast, the village itself is small, with a feeling of tranquillity. After you’ve spent a while exploring Sarnath, you’ll be taken back to Varanasi, where you’ll have all afternoon to wander through the city. Then, in the evening, you'll head for the train station for your overnight journey to Delhi.

Today, you'll take a tour of the highlights of Kathmandu with your english-speaking guide. The sightseeing trip begins in Durbar Square, an ideal starting point from which to explore this ancient city. After this, you'll head towards the temple complexes of Swayambunath and Pashupatinath - the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites in Nepal. Take a seat on the steps of one of the many temples, indulge in some people-watching and soak up the energetic local atmosphere. Another highlight of the tour is the trip to Bouddhanath temple, a Tibetan Buddhist monument and one of the largest stupas in the world. 

By the end of the day you'll be totally templed-out, but you'll certainly have a clear idea of the important role that religion plays in Nepalese daily life. For a more detailed description of the various sights in the city, take a look at our Kathmandu Valley information page.

You'll get up early this morning, ready for the 5-hour bus journey to Chitwan National Park (paid locally) on the tourist class Green Line bus. We'll point you in the right direction to the bus station, but it is a journey that really is far easier (not to mention cheaper) to organise on the spot. However, if you would prefer, we can arrange a private transfer for you - just ask one of our travel specialists. After a short briefing about wildlife and safety in the park, you can freshen up in your quaint bungalow and grab some lunch.

In the afternoon, you'll have your first elephant safari. Perched high on the back of your gentle giant, you'll be safely out of reach of anything lurking in the tall grass. If you're lucky you'll spot a rhino, although there's a better chance of seeing them on foot on your walking safari tomorrow morning. If your trusty elephant spots a rhino, he'll sound the alarm with an almighty growl, just to let the rhino know who's boss...

Chitwan National Park is at its most beautiful at dawn, when the early golden light sweeping across the plains, gives it a mystical atmosphere. The river is even more magical at this time of day. Working elephants stride through the water, rickety ferries glide across the river, and rhinos graze contentedly in the grass. Today, you'll start off with a guided walk through the jungle, hiking along narrow paths through the forests and plains where the high grass seems almost impenetrable.

It's a little scary knowing that this long grass is the perfect hiding place for rhinos, leopards and tigers, but the experienced guides know exactly what they're doing. If a rhino gets too close, you'll be quickly directed to scramble up the nearest tree. As harmless as these animals may seem, don't underestimate them! In the afternoon, you'll take another thrilling elephant safari through the wilds of the park.

 

Your itinerary ends after breakfast this morning, and, when the time comes, you'll head towards the airport to check in for your flight home (usually via Delhi).

Of course, you could choose to stay and explore more of Nepal. Take a look at our sister website Nepal Travel Plan for short trips and suggested itineraries in Nepal.