Day 1
Airport check-in for your overnight flight to Delhi.

Day 2
On arrival, we transfer to the five-star Taj Palace hotel for one night. All rooms are stylishly furnished and air-conditioned with flat-screen TVs, personal safe, mini-bar and complimentary tea/coffee. After a short rest we commence our guided tour of New Delhi. The city centre, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1911, is bisected by wide, tree-lined avenues, a hub which clearly reflects the Raj legacy and home to the former Viceroy’s Palace, now the Presidential Palace. Heading down the imposing Rajpath, we pass India Gate and the Parliament building. We’ll visit some of Delhi’s older monuments, including the Qutub Minaret, started in 1199, which is the tallest stone built tower in India. Nearby is Humayun’s tomb, an outstanding example of Mogul architecture and the first mausoleum of its type, pre-dating the more widely known Taj Mahal by nearly a century.

Day 3
This morning we continue our city tour, first visiting Old Delhi, starting with the Raj Ghat, a fittingly simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. We continue past the imposing walls and battlements of the great Red Fort before visiting the Jama Masjid, one of Asia’s largest mosques. We leave Delhi in the afternoon for our drive to Agra, arriving at the four-star Oberoi Trident hotel.

Day 4
We rise early to catch the sun rising over the Taj Mahal. In the soft morning light, as the mist rises from the Yamuna river behind it, the Taj Mahal seems to float, mirage-like, above the surrounding landscape. A combination of extraordinary beauty, symmetry and history makes this wonder of the world one of the most amazing monuments on the planet and you will have plenty of time to admire it from all angles. Moving on, we continue our tour with a visit to the vast red sandstone Agra Fort. Completed in 1573, it was the headquarters of the Mogul Empire, boasting vast size and opulence, its buildings make it more of a walled palace than a fort. In the evening you have the option of completing a wonderful day with another visit to the Taj Mahal, to witness the shrine at sunset.

Day 5
Leaving Agra this morning we continue towards the ancient abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri, built in 1571, as Emperor Akbar’s imperial capital. Although it was mysteriously abandoned just 15 years late it remains in a remarkable state of preservation, with numerous palaces, wide courtyards and beautiful carvings. Just 15kms away is the Laxmi Niwas Palace, a luxury Heritage hotel in Bharatpur where we stop for lunch before going on to the railway station to catch the Shatabdi express for our comfortable two and a half hour journey to Ranthambore National Park. Originally the private hunting preserve of Maharajahs, its 400 square kilometres of forested rolling hills, valleys and lakes form a unique ecosystem. Started in 1973, India’s famous Tiger Project was created to protect the country’s tiger population. Despite many difficulties, the tigers of Ranthambore have survived and numbers have stabilised. Our hotel for the next two nights is the comfortable family-run three-star Ranthambore Regency on full board basis.

Day 6
An early start this morning is worth the sacrifice as we head out to the park for our safari using specially-built, 20-person, open-top, four-wheel drive vehicles known as canters. After many years of conservation, Ranthambore is now the best place to spot tigers in India, but the reserve is about more than tigers – over 300 bird species have been counted including impressive crested eagles, painted stork and wild peacocks. The park’s residents also include large numbers of sambars, the largest Asian antelope, as well as marsh crocodiles, wild boar and rare sloth bears and leopards. Look out for the playful troop of blackfaced langur monkeys near the main entrance gate. We return to our hotel in the late morning, with time to relax before and after lunch. In the afternoon we take our second trip into the park for another chance to spot the elusive tigers.

Day 7
Leaving Ranthambore after breakfast we head north to the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur. Our afternoon tour will cover all the major highlights of this ancient city. The famous Hawa Mahal, known as the Palace of the Winds, is one of our first stops before we continue to the Astronomical Observatory constructed in 1726 and on to the City Palace, still home to the present Maharajah of Jaipur, where we’ll view collections of costumes, carpets, paintings and the impressive armoury. Our hotel for the next two nights is the new four-star Royal Orchid Hotel on bed and breakfast basis.

Day 8
This morning another highlight, on a tour of highlights. You’ll visit the immense Amber Fort, located in the hills just a short drive out of Jaipur. Sampling all the most fascinating sights, our guided tour includes the sections reserved for the Maharajah’s wives and concubines as well as the remarkable hall of mirrors, with tiny delicate convex mirrors embedded like a mosaic in the walls and ceilings.

Day 9
After breakfast, we bid goodbye to Jaipur and head north, deeper into the interior of rural Rajasthan. We pass numerous small villages and towns on our way to the Sekhawati region of the state and the village of Mandawa. This was once part of India’s Silk Road and over the years the merchants here grew very rich, building a large number of luxurious mansions known as ‘havelis’, to display their wealth through the magnificence of their frescoed walls. Although most of these have now been abandoned, the imposing and luxurious residence of the local kings has been lovingly restored into an amazing Heritage hotel, the Castle Mandawa, where we stay for the night. A maze of winding corridors, cool courtyards and arched colonnades, all the charming rooms are different, but most are very spacious and some have four-poster double beds. Rooms are air-conditioned, with bath and shower, but no TV. In the afternoon we take a guided walk through the village to explore the best examples of the havelis that lie just outside the walls of the Castle Mandawa.

Day 10
After a leisurely breakfast, we head back to Delhi and the last night of our tour, at the Taj Palace Hotel.

Day 11
In the morning we will transfer to the airport for our flight home, arriving back in the UK to reflect on a once-in-lifetime tour.

New Delhi - the five-star deluxe Taj Palace Hotel (www.tajhotels.com/luxury) is located in the tree-lined, Diplomatic Enclave of New Delhi. As soon as you step into its cool white marble lobby, you know you have arrived somewhere exceptional! There are several dining options: the Kafe Fontana is open all day and offers continental, middle-eastern and Indian cuisine, whilst the Blue Ginger is the city’s best Vietnamese restaurant. The Masala Art specialises in contemporary Indian cuisine with a uniquely interactive show kitchen, and the Orient Express is a more formal dining experience in a replica carriage of the famous train, with an emphasis on French cuisine. There is also a stylish cocktail bar and a popular Tea Lounge serving a variety of teas & coffees with light snacks and desserts throughout the day and liqueurs in the evenings. The open-air pool is surrounded by a spacious sun terrace and a putting green, and there’s a fitness centre, a beauty salon and spa with an extensive range of treatments. All 402 beautifully appointed rooms are air-conditioned, with luxury en-suite bathroom with bathrobes & hairdryer, flat-screen satellite TV & DVD, wireless internet (extra charge), writing desk, safe, minibar, tea/coffee-maker and city/pool views.

Agra - the four-star Oberoi Trident Hotel (www.tridenthotels.com/agra/) is located in quiet surroundings, near to the Taj Mahal. Managed by the famed Oberoi group, this low-rise modern hotel is surrounded by beautiful gardens with water features and a swimming pool. The hotel grows all its own vegetables and the contemporary-style restaurant offers both buffets and a la carte Indian and continental cuisine, as well as popular wood-fired pizza oven. There is also a small lobby bar and fitness room. All 137 comfortable rooms overlook the Mogul-style gardens or pool and are air-conditioned, with en-suite bathroom, hairdryer, minibar, satellite TV, safe, wireless internet (extra charge) and tea/coffee-maker.

Ranthambore - the three-star Ranthambore Regency Hotel (www.ranthambhor.com) is a charming family-run, low-rise hotel located close to the entrance of the National Park. Built around lush, well-tended gardens with a small pool and plenty of quiet shady spots to relax in, this is one of our clients’ favourite hotels for its low-key informal atmosphere and personal service. There is also a large lounge with bar and a small shop. All guests are on full board basis and the hotel’s buffet restaurant offers a wide selection of (mild!) regional Indian dishes and western options. All 42 rooms are spacious and air-conditioned, with en-suite bathroom, hairdryer, cable TV, wireless internet (extra charge), mini-fridge, tea/coffee-maker and look out into the gardens.

Jaipur - the four-star Royal Orchid Hotel (www.royalorchidhotels.com/hotel-royal-orchid-jaipur/overview.asp) is located on the way into the centre of Jaipur. This new hotel features a roof-top swimming pool and sundeck, an all-day dining restaurant with Indian & continental buffets and a la carte menus, an Indian restaurant and a cocktail bar. All 139 rooms are tastefully decorated and offer air-conditioning, with en-suite bathroom, hairdryer, flat-screen TV & DVD, wireless internet (extra charge), writing desk, minibar, safe and tea/coffee-maker.

Mandawa - the Castle Mandawa (www.mandawahotels.com) is a Heritage Hotel lovingly converted from the original Mandawa fort. As soon as you pass through its stout wooden gates, still studded with sharp metal spikes to deter attackers, you’ll realise that this is a very different sort of hotel! Dating back to 1755, the village grew up around the fort and the original buildings have been considerably added to over the centuries creating a maze of turrets, battlements, winding corridors, cool courtyards and arched colonnades, with some little surprise round every corner. There is an open-air pool and ayurvedic spa and meals are taken either inside or outside in one of the courtyards. Take a seat in the imposing drawing room hung with portraits and photographs from a bygone era, relax in the high-ceilinged verandah bar or play a game of pool in the billiard room. The 70 charming rooms are all very different, but most are spacious and are simply decorated with locally-made furniture – some even have four-poster beds. They are air-conditioned with en-suite bath or shower, but in keeping with the ambience of the hotel, there are no TVs.

Swimming pools in India: most outside pools are not heated and may not be usable in the winter months.