Delhi to Kathmandu

Our tour starts in New Delhi, India's bustling capital, where old meets new and you can catch glimpses of a bygone era at every turn. For those arriving in time, our tour leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 1.30pm for a welcome meeting followed by an afternoon city tour. We'll visit Qutab Minar, the tallest stone tower in India and Humayun's Tomb dating from the Mughal Dynasty. We also drive past the imposing India Gate (war memorial arch), the Parliament buildings and the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President's residence. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), which is around a 40-minute drive from the hotel. If you'd like to join the city tour, you need to arrive at the hotel by 1.30pm. If you're booking your own flights, we recommend giving yourself at least one hour to clear the airport and 45 minutes to transfer to the hotel. The latest your flight should arrive is 12pm. If you miss the welcome meeting, the tour leader will catch you up as soon as possible.

Compared to New Delhi, the Old City is much closer to the image conjured up by Rudyard Kipling. This morning, a local guide will show us around Old Delhi by metro and on foot, culminating with a jamboree of deafening barter at Chandni Chowk Bazaar. A short cycle rickshaw ride will then take us to the Jama Masjid mosque. Later in the afternoon, we'll transfer to New Delhi station for the train journey to Jaipur, arriving in the evening. Sometimes called the 'Pink City', Jaipur was first painted terracotta pink by Maharajah Sawai Ram Singh to celebrate the visit of Prince Albert in 1853.

This morning, we'll visit the once mighty Rajput capital of Amber (traditionally known as Amber Fort) and its fortress. Lying at the mouth of a rocky mountain gorge, overlooking Maotha Lake, the fort is a stunning creation of white marble and red sandstone that combines Hindu and Muslim ornamentation, including the mirrored halls of the Sheesh Mahal. It was from these towering walls that the Kachchawahas ruled over their kingdom for seven centuries, until its importance was eclipsed by nearby Jaipur. We'll also take in the unique Hawa Mahal, the famous Palace of the Winds, whose extraordinary façade of red and pink sandstone towers five stories above the city streets. Built at the end of the 18th century, its 935 windows were designed to allow the women of the harem to gaze out on the city scene below without themselves being seen, the openings also create a refreshing breeze (hawa), which kept the palace cool in the hot summer months. We'll spend some time exploring the lavish and well-preserved City Palace. Here, we'll find a fine collection of textiles, costumes, and armoury. Later this afternoon, we'll visit the extraordinary Jantar Mantar - a star-gazing observatory built by Jai Singh, the great Maharajah-astronomer.

Leaving Jaipur, we'll take the train to Sawai Modhopur, the gateway to Ranthambore National Park. One of the best of India's 'Project Tiger' conservation projects, Ranthambore was once the private reserve of the Maharajahs of Jaipur and covers nearly 400 square kilometres of lush jungle, turquoise lakes and ancient temples that provide a haven for crocodiles, leopards, tigers and 300 species of birds. During the dry season from September to May, when water is scarce, the animals stay close to the lakes and rivers, giving us the ideal opportunity to spot these elusive animals. We'll take a game drive into the park this afternoon.

Heading back to the train station, we'll take the morning train to Bharatpur and then drive to the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri in the late morning. Founded in 1569 and abandoned scarcely 16 years later, it's a perfectly intact example of Akbar's imperial court. Among the many noteworthy buildings is the five-storied Panch Mahal. In the centre of the courtyard is the Pachisi Board where the emperor played a chess-like game with slaves as pieces. Perhaps the finest structure of all is the lotus-shaped central pillar of the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience). Later we'll drive on to Agra, arriving in the afternoon.

This morning, we'll have an early start to see the sun rise over the marble dome of the Taj Mahal. Built by the emperor Shah Jahan to honour the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz, the building took 22 years to complete and was once described by Rudyard Kipling as 'the embodiment of all things pure'. Built from marble and decorated with the most exquisite inlay work, the Taj Mahal required the labour of 20,000 men and is estimated to have cost something in the region of 3 million rupees (around $70 million today). Once we've witnessed the majesty of the Taj Mahal, we'll journey on to Delhi. This afternoon, we'll visit the Agra Fort. Built by Akbar the Great, the fort stands in an imposing position on a bend in the Yamuna River with views of the Taj Mahal further along its banks. We might have time before sunset to revisit the Taj Mahal, or the Itimad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj) after which, we'll drive to Agra train station to catch our overnight train to Allahabad. Sleeper trains are a rite of passage on any journey through India and are a great way to meet locals as we travel. Please note, we try our best to book second-class carriages and keep the group together, however due to demand and the train booking system, our group might be split, with some passengers in third class. If this happens, our tour leader will make sure everyone finds their seat and is comfortable. Second-class sleeper carriages have four beds per compartment, separated by curtains. They're air-conditioned and bedding is provided, however, you might want to bring a sleeping bag liner for added comfort.

After arriving in Allahabad early this morning, we'll head to a local hotel to freshen up and have breakfast before continuing our journey by road for approximately three to four hours to the sacred River Ganges. Once we reach the water, we'll start our boat trip downstream. The next two days will give a unique glimpse at rural life in India and a welcome chance to relax and unwind. We'll float peacefully through the Gangetic plain to Varanasi, passing villages and ornate temples, fields of wheat and rice paddies, and stunning sunsets. The traditional wooden boats take up to four passengers plus two crew, who have all grown up living and working on or around the river. We'll make regular comfort breaks by the side of the river and there will be a 'support boat' which doubles as the kitchen following closely behind, with a chef on board preparing your lunch and dinner. You can also buy drinks onboard. For our overnight stop, we'll camp on a sandbank in the middle of the Ganges in two-man tents. The location we use varies according to local conditions, but wherever we stop you'll be able to relax over dinner and stargaze before bed. Our wild camping is a simple but unique experience - facilities are basic and toilets are set up in a single pop-up tent.

Today we'll continue our journey down river to the holy city of Varanasi where we'll disembark at Asi Ghat and transfer to our hotel. Varanasi (Benares) has been the centre of Hinduism since the dawn of history, its age is contemporary with Babylon and Thebes. Often known as 'Kashi' (City of Light) by Hindus it attracts over a million pilgrims each year - many of whom come to spend their last years here in the holy city. This evening, you can return to the ghats to witness the evening aarti ceremony when the Ganga is venerated with a display of light and sound.

This morning we'll take an early morning boat trip along the Ganges to see the Hindu devout bathing in its sacred waters. We'll then pay a visit to nearby Sarnath. Having gained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya Buddha came to Sarnath to preach his first sermon. The city was at its peak in the 5th century, when it was a respected centre of religious activity, learning and art. Muslim invaders destroyed much of the city and today remains of several monasteries and stupas can be seen. The afternoon is free to explore Varanasi's labyrinth of streets, bazaars and temples at your own pace. In the evening, there might be the option to take in a classical musical performance.

We have a long yet interesting journey today (around 8 hours), as we head north across the Gangetic Plains villages to the Nepalese border at Sonauli. First, we'll take a train from Varanasi to the town of Gorphpur. This is the furthest we can travel by train, so we'll switch to a bus and drive the remaining distance to Sonauli. We'll walk through customs and immigration into Nepal and meet our Nepalese bus which will transfer us to Lumbini to spend the night.

We'll start our day with a rickshaw sightseeing tour of Lumbini accompanied by a local guide. We'll have the opportunity to visit the birthplace of the Buddha, the Peace Lamp. and the Monastery of Peace pagoda. From here, we'll drive (approximately seven hours) through the Terai, the narrow-forested lowland strip that stretches the full width of the southern border of Nepal. We'll stop en route so we can pick up some lunch and then aim to arrive at Chitwan in the late afternoon. The oldest and best known of the national parks in Nepal, Chitwan consists of swamp, tall elephant grass and dense forest, and is a natural habitat for tiger, the rare one-horned Indian rhino, leopard, and sloth bear to name but a few. Once we arrive at the park, we'll take a short afternoon village walk close to the park to orient ourselves.

Once a private hunting ground, Chitwan is now a National Park, with thick tree cover and tall elephant grass sheltering a wealth of animals, most famously the one-horned rhino. Today we'll be kept busy with plenty of activities available, including jeep safaris to search out the rhino, bird watching, jungle walks and canoe trips along the Rapti River. The river trip will be dependent on the water level. Floating silently down the Rapti River allows us to spot many varieties of water birds and other wildlife. On a nature walk in the company of trained native naturalists, you can walk along trails in the less densely forested parts of the park. An early morning bird-watching walk near the river will reveal many of the 450 bird species that can be found in the park, especially kingfisher. A trained naturalist will help us get the most out of these excursions.

After a final early morning walk through the park, we'll leave for Pokhara. The drive will take around eight hours depending on the traffic, and we'll take a packed lunch to have along the way. We pass through the bustling town of Naryanghat Bazaar, then head north beside the River Trisuli to the 'wild west' town of Mugling at the confluence of the Marsyandi and Trisuli rivers, before reaching our final destination for today. Pokhara is a relaxed town situated on the banks of Lake Phewa Tal and set beneath the Annapurna Range. The afternoon is left free to wander through the town, to pick up some souvenirs at the many Tibetan handicraft stalls or just relax by the lakeside after the journey.

After breakfast this morning we'll stretch our legs walking up through small villages to the Japanese Peace Pagoda. This lookout point offers views across to the Annapurna Range and back down to the town of Pokhara. After enjoying the views, we'll walk back following a different path and stop to visit the Tibetan Tashiling Monastery. The afternoon is free to relax in Pokhara, where it's possible to take short walks around the lake. There's also the option to visit the Mountain Museum, an interesting museum dedicated to the history of Himalayan Mountaineering.

This morning, we'll drive to Kathmandu (approximately ten hours away). We'll retrace our route back to Mugling, then continue heading east. Once we reach Naubise the road starts to climb and reaches a pass on the Kathmandu valley rim via a series of breathtaking zigzags before descending to the city.

This morning, we'll have a walking tour of this historic city, visiting the bazaar and temples of old Kathmandu, accompanied by a local Nepali guide. Much of the day-to-day life of Kathmandu takes place in the local bazaar: a fascinating mixture of people selling spices; potters spinning their wheels; rickshaw wallahs honking their horns. We'll end up in Durbar Square at the heart of the city. In the afternoon we'll plan to visit the temple of Pashupatinath on the banks of the Bagmati River, the holiest Hindu shrine in Nepal, and also to visit Bodnath, the largest stupa in the country and a destination for Buddhist pilgrims from all over Nepal.

Our tour ends at our hotel in Kathmandu.