Tigers & the Taj MahalEscorted Tour, India

Uncover northern India’s greatest cities on this perfect introduction to one of the world’s most fascinating and alluring destinations.

Explore the teeming, colourful, spectacular cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur that make up the world-famous, fascinating Golden Triangle. See sights like the Red Fort, the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal and the Palace of the Winds. Spend two nights on safari in Ranthambhore Park, a one-time hunting ground of Indian princes, and complete your holiday with a night in a luxury jungle resort.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

The magical sight of the Taj Mahal at sunrise

Searching for Ranthambhore's tigers on two safaris

The astounding sights and sounds of New Delhi

The historic Red Fort, the India Gate war memorial and the ruins of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque

Take a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi

A guided tour of Agra, India's city of love

Explore the ramparts, gates and cobbled paths of Jaipur's Amber Fort

Jaipur's exquisite Palace of the Winds

Chand Baori, Abhaneri's astonishing 13-storey stepwell

Dinner with a local family in Jaipur

Staying in cottages at Vanaashrya Resort

Enjoy a camel cart ride and an Indian cookery demonstration

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Eight nights' dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation in a series of four-star and five-star standard hotels in Delhi (2 nights), Agra (1), Ranthambhore (2), Jaipur (2) and Vanaashrya (1), plus one night on the aircraft

Six lunches

Return flights to Delhi

Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers

The services of a friendly, experienced tour manager

ITINERARY

Day One – Overnight flight to India

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

Day Two – Included Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque visit

Arrive in Delhi, this morning, to be greeted by your Tour Manager, and transferred to your hotel. Later, after an included lunch and time to freshen up, join your tour manager on a guided tour, and explore the ruins of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and the ornate Qutb Minar tower that rises above them.

Day Three – Included Delhi city tour and travel to Agra

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.

Later, you'll travel to Agra, India's City of Love and site of the exquisite Taj Mahal. After a visit to the royal pavilions, palaces and courtyards of majestic Agra Fort, you’ll make your first visit to the Taj, a monument to undying love, to see it in all its glory at sunset.

Day Four – Included excursions to the Taj Mahal and Abhaneri, and travel to Ranthambhore

Start your day with the unforgettable view of the Taj Mahal at dawn, seen from across the Yamuna River. After breakfast, you'll journey to Abhaneri, a small town famed for its amazing baoris (stepwells). Discover the intricate beauty of Chand Baori, one of the deepest and largest stepwells in India, and its carved panels.

Leaving Abhaneri, you'll 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.

Day Five – Included guided wildlife safaris

Today’s two canter (open-air vehicle) safaris in Ranthambhore Park are sure to be among the highlights of your entire holiday. In the company of a knowledgeable naturalist guide, you'll go in search of the park's most animal inhabitants: striped hyenas, sambar deer, sloth bears and, of course, tigers (and perhaps even a leopard).

Day Six – From Ranthambhore to Jaipur

Rest and relax this morning, or join your optional excursion to climb the gradual, 273 steps to ancient Ranthambhore Fort, which sits atop a 600-metre-high hill range, and offers stupendous views of the park below.

This afternoon, after lunch at the hotel, you’ll bid farewell to Ranthambhore and journey to the Pink City of Jaipur, where you'll stay for the next two nights.

Day Seven – Included Amber Fort and Jaipur sightseeing

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

Day Eight – From Jaipur to Vanaashrya

Bid farewell to Jaipur and journey across the desert plain into the Aravali Hills to the jungle-resort of Vanaashyra. En route you'll stop at Bhangarh, a ruined fort dating from the 17th Century.

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).

Day Nine – Included Heritage Transport Museum visit

Today you’ll head back towards Delhi where you'll spend the final night of your holiday. En route, you'll stop at the fascinating Heritage Transport Museum, with its impressive collections covering the development of India’s road, rail and air-travel industries, as you’ll as transport-related toys and memorabilia.

Day 10 – Fly back to the UK

Transfer back to the airport and board your flight home after a wonderful introduction to India.

Tigers & the Taj Mahal is located in Escorted Tour, India. Accommodation rating is the operators own rating and may not be the official rating. Hotel details correct at 27/07/2023