Taj Mahal & Tiger Safari

Welcome to India. Our representative meets you at Delhi airport or railway station with a traditional garland welcome and escorts you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned car. After a long journey, the rest of the day is yours to rest and adjust to the new time zone. If you arrive early and feel like stretching your legs, take a gentle evening walk around Connaught Place, the elegant colonnaded circle at the heart of New Delhi, with its cafes, bookshops and busy street life. Your tour manager will brief you on the days ahead.

Begin in Old Delhi at Jama Masjid, one of India's largest mosques, built by Shah Jahan in the 1650s, then take a cycle-rickshaw through the crowded lanes of Chandni Chowk, a 17th-century bazaar of spices, silver and sweets. Drive past the red sandstone walls of the Red Fort and pause at Raj Ghat, the simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. In the afternoon, explore New Delhi: Humayun's Tomb, the Mughal garden tomb that inspired the Taj Mahal, and the 73-metre Qutub Minar, begun around 1200. End with a drive past India Gate and the grand government buildings of Lutyens' Delhi.

After breakfast, leave Delhi and drive south-west through the farmland of Haryana and into Rajasthan, with tea stops along the way. Arrive in Jaipur, Rajasthan's capital, founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and laid out on a grid inspired by ancient Indian planning. The old city's buildings were painted pink to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876, earning it the name Pink City. Check in and spend the evening at leisure, or visit Birla Mandir, a white marble temple to Vishnu and Lakshmi that glows beautifully after dark.

Start early at Amber Fort, the hilltop palace of the Kachwaha rulers above Maota Lake, riding up to the ramparts by jeep. Explore its courtyards and the Sheesh Mahal, a hall lined with thousands of tiny mirrors. Pause for photos at Jal Mahal, the palace in the lake. In the afternoon, visit the City Palace, still home to the former royal family, and Jantar Mantar, the 18th-century observatory of giant stone instruments and a UNESCO site. See the honeycomb facade of Hawa Mahal, then browse the bazaars for block prints, gems and blue pottery.

After breakfast, drive south-east from Jaipur through farmland and small villages to Sawai Madhopur, the gateway to Ranthambore National Park. Once a royal hunting ground of the Jaipur maharajas, Ranthambore became part of Project Tiger in 1973 and is now one of the best places in India to see tigers in daylight. Check in to your jungle lodge and enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, set out on your first safari in an open jeep or canter with a naturalist, through dry forest, lakes and ancient ruins.

Head out on a morning safari at first light, in an open jeep or canter with a naturalist who knows the park's tigers and their territories. Ranthambore's dry forest, lakes and ruined pavilions make a dramatic backdrop, and you may also see leopards, sloth bears, sambar, crocodiles and many birds. Return to the lodge for breakfast and rest, or visit the 10th-century Ranthambore Fort inside the park and its Ganesh temple. In the afternoon, set out on a second safari, often into a different zone of the park.

After breakfast at the lodge, drive north-east to Agra, about six hours away, with tea stops along the way. In the afternoon, stop at Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone city Emperor Akbar built as his capital in the 16th century and abandoned soon after. Walk through the Buland Darwaza, the towering Gate of Victory, the Panch Mahal and the royal courtyards, and visit the marble shrine of Sheikh Salim Chishti. Arrive in Agra in the late afternoon and check in to your hotel.

See the Taj Mahal at sunrise, the quietest and most beautiful time of day, when the marble changes colour with the light. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Then visit Agra Fort, the red sandstone citadel where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son and looked out at the Taj in his last years, and Itmad-ud-Daulah, the jewel-like marble tomb known as the Baby Taj. In the afternoon, drive back to Delhi on the Yamuna Expressway. You are dropped at the airport for your flight or at your hotel.