Golden Triangle Tour with Ranthambore

Day 1:

Arrive in Delhi

Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. Once you've settled, your guide takes you out for the afternoon: the garden tomb of Humayun, whose design influenced the Taj Mahal, the 12th-century Qutub Minar, and a drive past India Gate and the wide avenues of the colonial capital. If you'd rather sleep off a long flight, we can move the sightseeing to another day.

Overnight in Delhi.

Day 2:

Delhi to Agra and the Taj Mahal

You explore Old Delhi in the morning, with Jama Masjid and a cycle rickshaw ride through the packed lanes of Chandni Chowk, then drive to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway, about three and a half hours.

After check-in you meet your Agra guide for the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan's memorial to Mumtaz Mahal, and Agra Fort, where the emperor was later held by his son within sight of it. As the sun drops you cross the river to Mehtab Bagh for the view of the marble turning gold.

Overnight in Agra.

Day 3:

Sunrise at the Taj, then on to Ranthambore

You return to the Taj Mahal at opening time, when it is at its quietest. After breakfast and check-out, you set off south for Sawai Madhopur, about five to six hours, with a stop at Abhaneri's Chand Baori stepwell or Keoladeo National Park at Bharatpur, depending on your interests.

You reach your jungle lodge in the afternoon, with time to settle in, swim or walk the grounds. Your naturalist briefs you on the park, the zones and what to expect. An evening talk or wildlife film is often on offer.

Overnight in Ranthambore (Sawai Madhopur).

Day 4:

Two Safaris in Ranthambore National Park

You set out before dawn, wrapped up against the cold, for the morning safari. Your vehicle enters the zone allotted to it and your naturalist reads the forest with you: alarm calls from langurs and chital, fresh pugmarks on the track, a crocodile on the bank of Padam Talao. Tigers here are well habituated to vehicles, though nothing is promised.

You return for a late breakfast and rest through the heat of the middle of the day. In the afternoon you head out again for the second safari, when the park's cats are often on the move.

Overnight in Ranthambore.

Day 5:

Final Safari or Ranthambore Fort, then Jaipur

You have a choice this morning: a third safari in a different zone, or a walk up to Ranthambore Fort, which has stood above the park since the 10th century. The climb passes banyan roots and old gateways, ends at the Trinetra Ganesh temple, and gives you a long view across the lakes and forest.

After breakfast you drive to Jaipur, about four hours. In the afternoon you tour the City Palace, still partly home to Jaipur's royal family, and Jantar Mantar, the observatory of giant stone instruments, and stop at Hawa Mahal for photographs. The evening is free for the bazaars.

Overnight in Jaipur.

Day 6:

Amber Fort and the Drive Back to Delhi

You start early at Amber Fort, above Maota Lake, walking up through the Ganesh Pol gateway to the mirrored Sheesh Mahal. On the way back you stop at Jal Mahal, sitting low on the water of Man Sagar Lake.

After lunch you begin the drive to Delhi, around five to six hours, and your driver drops you at the airport, railway station or hotel.