The Golden Triangle

On arrival at Delhi’s International Airport, you’ll be met by your Instep Adventures guide and driver. You’ll transfer to your hotel, where you’ll be staying for two nights.

Spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxing by the hotel poolside.

After breakfast, you’ll embark on a full day’s sightseeing tour of Delhi. You’ll start in Old Delhi with a visit to the grand Jama Masjid mosque. You’ll climb one of its minarets for a magnificent view of the Red Fort and the streets which were once the the hub of Mughal India. Descending down to street level to explore the bazaars of Old Delhi, you’ll feast on some of the best food in India on a culinary lunch walk.

After lunch, you shall drive around the major landmarks of Lutyen’s imperial capital, New Delhi, including the famous India Gate, Rajpath and the Rashtrapati Bhawan (erstwhile Viceregal Palace).

The afternoon is spent visiting Humayun’s Tomb, one of the India’s greatest Mughal buildings, and then the iconic Qutub Minar to complete the day’s sightseeing.

You will have an early start to catch Gatiman Express, one of India’s fastest express trains, taking you from Delhi to Agra in just over a hour.

On arrival in Agra, you’ll be received and proceed to see some of Agra’s finest Mughal architecture. You’ll start with the Agra Fort, and then visit the exquisitely decorated tomb of Itimad-ud Daulah to appreciate the mausoleum’s delicate inlay work.

You’ll visit the epitome of grand Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal, towards the end of the afternoon. As the evening sun goes down the horizon, the Taj is a magnificent sight, with its white marble transforming into shades of pinks and oranges.

After an early breakfast, you shall drive to atehpur Sikri, the former capital of Emperor Akbar. The well-preserved red sandstone buildings are vivid reminders of the short-lived period in the 16th century when Fatehpur Sikri was the Mughal capital. Among the highlights of Fatehpur Sikri are the grand gateway of Buland Darwaza, the Diwan-i-Khas hall with its richly carved throne pillar  and the beautiful Tomb of Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chishti.

You shall then drive to Ranthambhore, where you’ll check into your hotel in time for the evening safari in the National Park.

You’ll embark on a morning safari, which involves an early morning start. Ranthambhore looks especially photogenic in magnificent early morning light, with its lakes full of busy birdlife. The ramparts of the World Heritage Ranthambhore Fort overlook the jungle. Early morning is a good time to spot Tigers.

After our morning safari, return to our hotel for breakfast. There’s time to relax, read a book, enjoy a swim in the pool, or just observe the birds in the hotel’s gardens. After a leisurely lunch and perhaps a short siesta under the shady trees in the garden, proceed for your second safari of the day.

You start the day early for your forth and last safari in Ranthambhore National Park.

Returning to the hotel after the morning safari, you’ll have breakfast and drive onwards to the city of Jaipur, through a typically dry Rajasthani landscape enlivened by scenes of rural life.

You’ll arrive at Jaipur and check in to your hotel with enough time for an evening exploration of the famous bazaars of Jaipur.

A full day of sightseeing in Jaipur beginning with a trip to Amber Fort, followed by the Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar Observatory and the City Palace museum.

Amber Fort has some of the finest interiors surviving from the 16th and 17th centuries in India, notably the glittering ‘Hall of Mirrors’ where the Maharaja and his consorts would enjoy music and poetry recitals.

Afterwards, proceed to Jaipur’s famous ‘Hawa Mahal’ or ‘Palace of Winds’, a five-storey façade of elaborately screened windows from where the women of the royal household used to watch processions in the town’s streets. You’ll then visit the royal observatory at Jantar Mantar, with its large sundials and instruments for celestial measurement, and the City Palace museum.

The penultimate day of your holiday is to be spent at your leisure. After breakfast, choose to go shopping for gems, or ethnic Indian clothes and fabrics at some of Jaipur’s best knowns outlets such as Fab India and Anokhi, or enjoy the warm waters of the hotel pool.

In the evening, you’ll catch the New Delhi Shatabdi express train from Jaipur. On arrival in Delhi, you’ll be driven to your hotel in Delhi for the final night of our holiday.