India – Tigers & the Taj Mahal with Shimla

Your Indian holiday begins with an overnight flight from the UK to Delhi.

Arrive in Delhi, this morning, to be greeted by your Tour Manager, and transferred to your hotel. Later, after some time to freshen up, join your tour manager on a guided tour to the sixteenth century red sandstone and marble Humayun's tomb, an impressive example of Mughal architecture with lush Persian style gardens.

Today's guided tour will introduce Delhi's vibrant Old City. Drive by the historic Red Fort, Jama Masjid Mosque and Raj Ghat – Gandhi’s cremation site close to the Yamuna River – and enjoy an exhilarating rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk.

You’ll also experience the grandeur of New Delhi, built by the British Raj to reflect the glories of the Empire. Highlights will include the historic India Gate war memorial and the vast boulevard of the Rajpath. You’ll finish this morning’s sightseeing with a stop at the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, one of India’s most significant Sikh temples. See the temple’s grand façade mirrored in its nearby sarovar (reflecting pool) and marvel at the impressive marble walls and golden domes of this remarkable landmark.

Later, after an included lunch in Delhi, travel to Jaipur, the ‘Pink City’. After checking into your hotel, and taking dinner with your fellow travellers, enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure.

After breakfast, visit Amber, the ancient capital of the Rajput Empire. Climb by jeep to the city's vast sixth-century hill-top fort to wander its Royal Halls and take in the magnificent views from the ramparts. After an included lunch, you'll tour Jaipur to see the City Palace complex, with its museums and ancient astronomical observatory, and drive past the innumerable windows and screened balconies of the 18th-century Palace of the Winds.

This evening, enjoy dinner a special dinner at the Nokha House, hosted in traditional Rajasthani style by the Rathore family.

Depart Jaipur this morning, after enjoying breakfast at the hotel, and travel to Ranthambhore National Park, stopping en route for lunch at the sumptuous Umaid Lake Palace, a lovely heritage hotel and organic retreat that grows produce for its fine restaurant. Once the hunting ground of Indian princes, Ranthambhore is landscape of thorn trees, scrub and grasslands dotted with beautiful ponds, streams and lakes is a perfect habitat for the famous, elusive (and still endangered) Tigers of Ranthambhore, and other species.

Relax for the afternoon, then enjoy an evening tiger talk with a local naturalist: the perfect preparation for tomorrow's adventures.

Wake early this morning and board your vehicle to explore the wilderness of Ranthambore National Park, an opportunity to explore the untamed landscapes alongside your knowledgeable naturalist guide.

As the sun rises over the treetops, you’ll venture off to witness the park’s incredible biodiversity. Keep your eyes peeled for the Bengal tigers, leopards, sloth bears, jackals, wild dogs, and hyenas that call Ranthambore National Park home. Your naturalist guide will share their expertise, providing insights into the behaviour, habitats, and unique characteristics of the animals you encounter.

Breakfast will then be served back at the resort followed by some time to relax, perhaps by the swimming pool before lunch.

Later, gear up for an afternoon safari game drive – another chance to spot more animals on your wish-list and survey more of the prey-rich woodlands and bird species before dinner in the evening.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning before setting off for Agra, India's City of Love. There’ll be a comfort break along the way, and you’ll be able to find lunch before continuing along the road.

Upon arrival in Agra, take in the royal pavilions, palaces and courtyards of majestic Agra Fort, which has stood watch over the city for over 500 years and was once the royal residence of the city’s Mughal emperors. You’ll then head out under the evening light to the Taj Mahal, a monument to undying love, to see it in all its glory at sunset and enjoy a guided tour.

This evening, check into your hotel and enjoy dinner at your leisure.

Early this morning, you’ll be taken to Mehtab Bagh – a garden complex away from the bustle of the city and on the opposite side of the Yamuna River, showcasing a splendid view of the Taj Mahal in all its glory as the sun rises.

You’ll then return for breakfast at the hotel and afterwards, drive to Chand Baori Stepwell in Abhaneri, which was built over 1,000 years ago and is one of the biggest stepwells in the world. With intricately geometrically designed staircases, this architectural wonder serves as a source of water and a place of respite in the desert heat. Also of interest will be the Harshat Mata Temple, an ancient place of worship dedicated to the goddess of happiness and joy, Harshat Mata.

A stop for lunch will be enjoyed at Umaid Bhawan Palace, a hotel set in an opulent building that was once home to the Jodhpur royal family. You can enjoy your meal while looking out over the beautiful, manicured gardens.

Following lunch, journey across the desert plain into the Aravali Hills to the jungle-resort of Vanaashrya, where you’ll spend the next two nights.

Enjoy a leisurely start to the day with breakfast at the hotel and the rest of the morning at you own pace, perhaps with a swim in the pool or time spent reflecting on your journey through India.

This afternoon, take a camel cart to visit the local village and enjoy a pre-dinner cookery demonstration. You'll spend the night in a private cottage designed to give you a sense of the India of the past with the little luxuries of the present (like air conditioning).

Return to the hotel this evening for dinner.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel before being driven from Vanaashrya to the next hotel in the town of Dwarka, located within suburban Delhi.

Enjoy a relaxed evening and dinner.

Leave Delhi behind this morning and board a train for rural Kalka. Upon arrival, stretch your legs and step aboard the iconic ‘Toy Train’ for an onward journey, climbing through stunning mountain scenery to Shimla. You’ll be given a packed lunch for your rail journey.

Check into your hotel, overlooking the Himalayan mountains, before dinner.

After breakfast, head out on a guided tour of Shimla. The Viceregal Lodge, in which the map of Indian Partition was drawn, is your first stop, and you’ll be free to admire its teak-panelled interiors. You’ll then pass the Gaiety Theatre, with its distinctly colonial architecture, and if time permits, have a look inside before taking a leisurely stroll along Mall Road, one of Shimla’s main retail areas.

Spend time at Scandal Point, a traditional meeting place for locals, and take the chance to browse the area’s local markets at leisure before returning to the hotel for dinner.

Today, you can choose to enjoy a day of leisure, exploring at your own pace, or relaxing at the hotel.

Alternatively, join an optional walking tour covering the backstreets of Shimla. Begin on Elysium Hill, one of Shimla’s legendary seven hills. Once home to European settlers and educational institutions, this area still reflects the quiet grandeur of the British Raj.

From here, head towards the bustling Lakkar Bazaar, a market popular for its hand-carved wooden artefacts, walking sticks, and traditional jewellery. As you explore, your tour manager will point out notable landmarks connected to the architects and engineers who built the UNESCO-listed Kalka–Shimla Railway, one of the world’s most scenic mountain lines.

Enjoy breakfast in your Shimla hotel ahead of a drive to bustling Chandigarh, the shared state capital of both the Punjab and Hariyana. From here, travel by rail to Delhi and check into your hotel in Dwarka.

Following your last breakfast, travel to Delhi airport for your day flight home. You’ll arrive back in the UK later this evening.