Delhi → Shimla → Delhi → Varanasi → Agra → Ranthambore → Jaipur → Jodhpur → Udaipur → Kochi → Munnar → Alleppey → Kochi → Mumbai
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Twenty-four days. Twelve destinations. And between them, the full length and breadth of a country that resists every attempt to be summarised. This is the grand journey — the one that earns its name. It begins in Delhi, where empires have always begun, and moves through the Himalayan foothills of Shimla, the sacred ghats of Varanasi, the Mughal citadels of Agra, the tiger country of Ranthambore, and the royal desert kingdom of Rajasthan before crossing south into an entirely different India. Kerala arrives like a change of key — the air heavier and greener, the backwaters moving in slow silence, the pace of life gentler in a way that the north rarely allows. And Mumbai closes it all: faster, louder, and more surprising than anything that came before. No single journey can contain India. This one comes closer than most.
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Explore the layered worlds of Old and New Delhi across two full days
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Board a train through the Himalayan foothills to Shimla — colonial charm at 2,200 metres
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Walk Mall Road, Kufri, and the Ridge with its sweeping mountain panoramas
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Ride the Vande Bharat to Varanasi — one of the oldest living cities on earth
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Witness the Ganga Aarti ceremony on the ghats at dusk
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Glide along the Ganges by boat at sunrise, watching the ancient city wake
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Visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the sacred ruins of Sarnath
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Travel by train from Varanasi to Agra — the plains giving way to Mughal country
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Stand before the Taj Mahal at sunrise — marble shifting from grey to rose to brilliant white
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Explore Agra Fort and the living tradition of marble inlay craftsmanship
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Morning and afternoon jungle safaris in Ranthambore National Park
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Opportunity to spot Bengal Tigers, leopards, marsh crocodiles, and rich birdlife
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Discover the royal forts, palaces, and craft workshops of Jaipur's Pink City
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Experience the Pink City Lighting Tour and an evening at Jaipur Dhani
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Ascend Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur — 120 metres above the blue city
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Drive the Aravalli landscape south to Udaipur, the City of Lakes
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Glide across Lake Pichola with views of the floating Lake Palace
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Fly south to Kochi — where Kerala begins and the country changes entirely
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Climb into the Western Ghats to Munnar's tea plantations and mountain light
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Drift through the backwaters of Alleppey by houseboat
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Explore Fort Kochi on foot — Chinese Fishing Nets, colonial churches, and spice-scented lanes
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Arrive in Mumbai — the final city, and the most relentless of them all
Upon arrival at Delhi Airport, our representative meets you and transfers you to your hotel. Delhi does not reveal itself all at once — it accumulates, and your first hours are simply an invitation to begin. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Rest, recover, and let the city’s unmistakable energy settle around you.
A full day to move between Delhi’s many layers — ancient, Mughal, colonial, and fiercely modern. After breakfast, climb into a cycle-rickshaw and plunge into the lively lanes of Old Delhi, passing the great walls of the Red Fort before weaving through the spice markets and silver shops of Chandni Chowk. Continue to Raj Ghat, the serene riverside memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. Drive to India Gate, the great sandstone arch at the ceremonial heart of New Delhi, and along the broad symmetry of Lutyens’ avenues past Rashtrapati Bhavan. End the day at Qutub Minar — the soaring 12th-century minaret that marks the dawn of the Delhi Sultanate, rising in elegant tiers above the ruins of a dozen earlier civilisations.
A pre-packed breakfast in hand, transfer to the railway station for the early morning train to Chandigarh. From there, the road begins to climb — through winding mountain passes and pine-forested slopes — toward Shimla. Once the summer capital of British India, Shimla sits at 2,200 metres in the Himalayan foothills, its colonial architecture and cool mountain air a world entirely apart from the plains below. Arrive, check in, and breathe the difference.
After breakfast, spend a full day exploring Shimla at the gentle pace the mountains invite. Head up to Kufri — a small hill resort above Shimla with crisp air and sweeping valley views — before returning to town. Board the famous Shimla Toy Train — a UNESCO World Heritage listed narrow-gauge railway that winds through tunnels, across viaducts, and past valleys of breathtaking depth. Running since 1903, it turns the act of travel into the experience itself. Stroll along Mall Road, the beating heart of colonial Shimla, past Victorian storefronts and old churches. Walk the Ridge with its Himalayan panoramas and visit Christ Church, one of the oldest churches in northern India.
After breakfast, the road unwinds back down through the foothills and out onto the plains — the mountains receding gradually in the rear-view mirror. Arrive in Delhi by afternoon, check in at the hotel, and rest. The evening is yours — for a quiet dinner, a final walk through a familiar neighbourhood, or simply the stillness before the journey moves east.
An early morning transfer to the railway station to board the Vande Bharat — India’s fastest express train — eastward to Varanasi. The journey itself is part of the experience: the landscape shifting from the density of the capital to the wide, flat light of the Gangetic plain. Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. Arrive, check in, and rest. As evening falls, make your way to the ghats for the Ganga Aarti — one of the most profoundly atmospheric ceremonies in India. Priests in saffron robes raise fire to the river as bells ring and smoke curls over the water. Devotion made visible.
Rise before dawn for a boat ride on the River Ganges. In the early morning light, the ghats come alive — pilgrims bathing, priests performing rituals, the city waking in the way it has for thousands of years. There is no better way to understand Varanasi than from the water. After breakfast, visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the most sacred Shiva shrines in India, its golden spire rising above the dense, labyrinthine lanes of the old city. Continue to Sarnath — where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, a place of extraordinary quiet and deep historical resonance. The afternoon is free to wander the ghats, browse the local markets for Banarasi silk sarees, or simply sit by the river and let the city do what it has always done.
After lunch, board the Vande Bharat — India’s fastest express train — westward toward Agra. The journey takes approximately 5–6 hours, the plains unrolling slowly outside the window as the train carries you from one great civilisation’s heartland into another. It is a crossing worth watching: the wide, sacred flatness of the Gangetic plain gradually giving way to the drier, more ancient landscape of Uttar Pradesh. Arrive in Agra by evening, check in at the hotel, and rest. The Taj Mahal waits for morning.
The morning belongs to the Taj Mahal. Rise early for sunrise — in the first light, the white marble shifts from pale grey to rose to brilliant white. Shah Jahan built it as a monument to eternal love; standing before it, that intention is felt rather than simply understood. After breakfast, continue to Agra Fort — the great red sandstone citadel that served as the seat of Mughal power for generations. Its halls, audience chambers, and riverside pavilions speak quietly of an empire at its height. Continue to a marble inlay workshop, where craftsmen press semi-precious stones into white marble using techniques unchanged since the 17th century — the same art that adorns the Taj Mahal’s extraordinary surface.
After breakfast, the road turns southwest toward Ranthambore — and toward something altogether different. The landscape shifts as you travel west, the cities thinning and the terrain growing wilder, drier, more ancient. Arrive at your wildlife resort and check in amidst the sounds of the forest. Tonight, the wilderness begins.
Rise before dawn. The forest at this hour has a quality all its own — the air cool and sharp, the birds already calling across the canopy, every track through the undergrowth a question waiting to be answered. The morning safari moves through Ranthambore slowly and deliberately — the guide reading the ground, the silence of an open jeep moving through tiger country, the way the deer hold still before they run. Return to the resort for breakfast and a long, unhurried rest. The afternoon safari goes out when the light turns golden and the animals begin to move toward water — leopards, sambar deer, nilgai, marsh crocodiles, and over 300 species of birds moving through dry deciduous forest and open grassland. The Bengal Tiger, if it chooses to appear, will make everything else feel like a rehearsal.
After breakfast, the road northwest carries you from the forest into the Pink City — two completely different faces of Rajasthan, separated by less than four hours of driving. Upon arrival, check in at the hotel and proceed to Jantar Mantar — the remarkable 18th-century observatory where enormous stone instruments once tracked the movements of the heavens with extraordinary precision. As darkness falls, join the Pink City Lighting Tour — the old city’s monuments, havelis, and bazaar facades illuminated in warm gold, the architecture that dazzles by day becoming something altogether more dramatic by night. End the evening at Jaipur Dhani — a traditional Rajasthani village experience of folk dancers, artisan demonstrations, camel carts, and a lavish authentic thali dinner served under open skies.
A full, rich day in the Pink City — monuments, craft traditions, and the bazaars that have supplied the world with textiles and gemstones for centuries. After breakfast, ride a Jeep up to Amber Fort — the majestic hilltop fortress where Rajput military genius and Mughal decorative sensibility meet in its mirrored halls and carved courtyards. Pause at Jal Mahal, the Water Palace appearing to float serenely on Man Sagar Lake, and stand before Hawa Mahal — the Palace of Winds — its 953 latticed windows one of the most recognisable facades in India. The afternoon takes you into Jaipur’s thriving craft world — textile mills, carpet factories, and gemstone cutting and polishing workshops where traditional artistry continues without interruption. As evening falls, explore the bazaars: block-printed fabrics, lac bangles, blue pottery, and silver jewellery in lanes that have been trading since the city was founded.
After breakfast, the road carries you westward into deeper Rajasthan — the landscape opening into the scrubland and sparse beauty of the desert kingdom as Jodhpur draws near. The Blue City announces itself before you arrive: Mehrangarh Fort rising on a sheer rock face above a cityscape of indigo and cobalt walls. Check in at the hotel and explore the old town on foot as evening falls — the colour of the lanes, the scent of the spice markets, the particular atmosphere of a city that has always lived in the shadow of its great fort.
After breakfast, begin at Mehrangarh Fort — one of the largest and most imposing forts in India, rising 120 metres above the city on a sheer rock face. Its vast courtyards, intricately carved palace rooms, and commanding views over the blue city below make it one of the finest fort experiences in Rajasthan. Continue to Jaswant Thada, the white marble cenotaph that glows almost luminously against the blue city below. Then the road turns south through the Aravalli landscape toward Udaipur — the most romantic city in Rajasthan, and arguably in India. Arrive as the city begins to glow in the late afternoon light and check in.
Udaipur rises from the Aravalli Hills as a vision in white marble and sandstone. Founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II, it served as the historic capital of the Kingdom of Mewar — and its natural beauty, framed by interconnected lakes and palaces that seem to float on the water’s surface, has lost none of its power. After breakfast, begin at the City Palace — a vast complex overlooking Lake Pichola, its courtyards and chambers a layered testament to centuries of Mewar royalty. Visit the Jagdish Temple, where the sound of bells and the scent of incense have welcomed devotees since 1651. Wander through Saheliyon Ki Bari — the Garden of the Maidens — a serene retreat of fountains, lotus pools, and marble kiosks built for the royal ladies of the court. Then to Lake Pichola itself, where a boat ride at the right hour offers views of the Lake Palace and Jag Mandir rising from the water, seemingly untethered to the earth.
After breakfast, transfer to Udaipur Airport for your flight to Kochi — and with it, a complete change of landscape, climate, and cultural register. Kerala announces itself from the moment you land: the air heavier and greener, the vegetation tropical and dense, the pace gentler. Kochi, with its layered history of Arab traders, Portuguese colonisers, Dutch merchants, and Jewish settlers, is one of India’s most cosmopolitan port cities. Arrive, check in, and let the south begin.
A gentle day in the hills. After breakfast, visit the tea plantations that have defined Munnar’s landscape since the British planted them in the 19th century. Continue to the Tea Museum, where the process from leaf to cup is explained with the care it deserves. Head to Mattupetty Dam for views across the reservoir and surrounding hills, and to Echo Point — where the valley returns your voice across the water. Visit Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, and spend the afternoon at the viewpoints where the light, at the right hour, turns everything a particular shade of gold.
A gentle day in the hills. After breakfast, visit the tea plantations that have defined Munnar’s landscape since the British planted them in the 19th century. Continue to the Tea Museum, where the process from leaf to cup is explained with the care it deserves. Head to Mattupetty Dam for views across the reservoir and surrounding hills, and to Echo Point — where the valley returns your voice across the water. Visit Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, and spend the afternoon at the viewpoints where the light, at the right hour, turns everything a particular shade of gold.
After breakfast, the road descends from the hills toward the coast — the landscape shifting from cool mountain green to the flat, water-threaded world of Kerala’s backwaters. Alleppey, known as the Venice of the East, sits at the edge of an extraordinary network of canals, lakes, and lagoons that stretch along the Kerala coast. Board your houseboat — a traditional kettuvallam, its wooden hull moving in near-silence through the waterways — and spend the afternoon drifting past paddy fields, coconut groves, village life on the banks, and the particular stillness that only water can offer. Dinner and an overnight stay on the houseboat, moored under an open sky.
After breakfast on the houseboat, disembark and drive to Kochi for a final afternoon in one of India’s most layered port cities. Explore Fort Kochi on foot: the Chinese Fishing Nets that have stood at the harbour’s edge since the 14th century, their cantilever arms dipping into the water at the hour when the light is best. Visit St. Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was originally buried, and the Dutch Palace with its remarkable Kerala murals. Wander the winding streets of the old town where history is still visible in the architecture, the spice shops, and the synagogue at the heart of Jew Town.
After breakfast, transfer to Kochi Airport for your flight to Mumbai — India’s city of perpetual motion. Mumbai operates at a different frequency from everywhere else in the country: faster, louder, more ambitious, and more surprising. Arrive, check in, and let the city make its first impression.
A full day in a city that rewards curiosity at every turn. Begin at the Gateway of India — the great basalt arch on the waterfront that once welcomed British dignitaries and now watches over the harbour with a certain irony. Stroll along Marine Drive, the sweeping seafront promenade that locals call the Queen’s Necklace for the way its lights curve along the bay at night. Visit Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus — the UNESCO-listed Victorian Gothic railway station that is as much a cathedral as it is a transport hub. Continue to Dhobi Ghat, the extraordinary open-air laundry where hundreds of washermen work in a choreography unchanged for over a century. Walk through the Hanging Gardens and visit Mani Bhavan — the modest house where Mahatma Gandhi stayed during his visits to the city, now a thoughtful museum.
After breakfast, transfer to Mumbai Airport for your onward journey — carrying with you the memory of twenty-four days, twelve destinations, and a country that reveals a new image of itself around every corner.
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Note: The hotels listed reflect the standard and character of stay you can expect. We aim to confirm these exact properties; however, where availability shifts, we arrange a similar hotel of equivalent category. Final hotel details are shared 30 days ahead of departure.
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