Delhi to Kathmandu

Your Indian adventure starts in the capital city of Delhi. One of our local staff members will be waiting to greet you at the airport, before transferring you to your hotel. You'll have some time to settle in, before we run you through the tour itinerary, introduce you to the local area and discuss a time to collect you tomorrow.

If you're looking for one place to experience the diversity of India, then the capital city of New Delhi should be right at the top of your list. You'll start with a morning tour of the city, which has been built on the banks of the Yamuna River.

We'll visit the towering India Gate Monument, which is inspired by the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris. India Gate is dedicated to the 82,000 soldiers who participated in the undivided Indian Army.

Since New Delhi is the home of India's government, we'll drive past important buildings such as Parliament, the Bangla Sahab Gurudwara Sikh Temple and Humayun's Tomb - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After exploring the New Delhi, you'll hop on a metro train to visit Old Delhi as well, exploring its old and busy markets and bazaars such as the Chandni Chowk and the Chawri Bazaar, famous for its brass, copper and paper products.

This afternoon, you'll have a chance to try Delhi's unique street food cuisine, tasting various snacks and delicacies for lunch. Once you're nice and full, your tour continues with a rickshaw ride and a visit to the Jama Masjid Mosque - one of the largest mosques in India.

You'll say goodbye to Delhi and head towards Rajasthan's largest city - Jaipur. On our way there, we'll stop at Amber Fort, also known as Amer Palace. The fort got its name from Amba Mata, the goddess of earth and fertility.

Built in the 16th century by the ruling Kachhawa clan of Amber, it's one of the best hilltop forts in India, with its breathtaking architecture and marble palaces enthralling visitors from all corners of the earth. It overlooks the Maota Lake, a water source for the palace.

You also have the chance to taste Lassi and MI Road, the pride and joy of Punjabi cuisine. Lassi is a yogurt-based, sweet or salty drink made with water, spices and sometimes fruit. You'll then head to your accommodation for the night or as an option, you can watch a Bollywood movie at the Raj Mandir cinema.

You have an option to embark on a hot air balloon ride this morning, soaring over Jaipur's magnificent palaces and forts as you take in the beauty of the Pink City from above. If you decided not to, your day starts with a sightseeing tour of the city.

You'll visit India's largest astronomical observatory known as the Jantar Mantar Monument, built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II between 1724 and 1730. You'll also make your way to the City Palace created between 1729-1732 AD, which was once the seats of the King of Jaipur and the leader of the renowned Kachwaha Rajput clan.

After lunch, you'll head to Jaipur's famous craft markets, where you can see craftsmen such as jewellers, silversmiths, textile workshops and bangle makers producing some of the most unique creations. You'll also have the chance to browse the fruit, vegetable and spice markets here.

Your day starts with a visit to the rural Rajasthan village of Tordi, which was founded in the 16th century by Th. Akhey Singh, a descendant of Khangar Singh who overthrew the regional chief and built a hilltop fortress. All that remains today are ruins, however, the family still lives in the palace and in a fort on the plains below. You'll be accommodated in a wing of the palace which has been created for guests.

After settling in, your afternoon begins with a walk through the village, visiting a temple, a school and a potter's house, before chatting to some of the locals to find out more about their way of life.

You have a few optional activities available to you today, such as camel cart riding, a jeep safari to a 300-year- old-stepwell, visiting a shepherds village and watching the sun go down at the Tordi Sagar Dam. You can also hike to the 400-year- old Tordi Fort for drinks and snacks at sunset or try some horse-riding or henna hand art.

Say goodbye to Tordi as we make our way to Bharatpur to visit the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, one of the best birdwatching locations in India.

On our way, we'll stop at the Abhaneri step well, which has 3500 steps and is 13 stories deep, making it the largest and deepest step well on the planet.

Once you arrive, you'll check into your accommodation before going on a guided cycle rickshaw ride through Keoladeo, which was once a duck hunting reserve but has since become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with over 360 species of birds calling this sanctuary home.

Keoladeo is also a stopover for the birds who partake in the Central Asian migration, especially for wintering water birds and the endangered Siberian Crane and its huge heronry which in good years can host more than 20,000 nesting birds of various species.

The national park is also home to other wildlife such as wild boar, black buck, sambar, chital, mongoose, porcupine, several different wild cats, and some huge pythons.

Today we'll make our way to the ancient city of Agra - the home of the most famous mausoleum on the planet - the Taj Mahal.

Agra was once the capital of the Mughal between 1572 and 1585 and is the only Indian city to have three UNESCO World Heritage Sites - the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Once you've checked into your hotel and settled it, your afternoon will be spent exploring the Mughal Heritage Walk through the ancient village of Kachhpura and surrounding farmland on the banks of the Yamuna River, which will provide you with spectacular views of the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.

The Mughal Heritage walk was designed by a non-governmental organization who provides employment and new infrastructure to the locals. You'll also be given a tour of the village life and the homes of the locals who live here as well as getting a unique insight into the local cottage industry for leather shoe making which helps Agra export shoes all over the world.

You'll also visit some of the lesser known, but still important Mughal Era Monuments.

As the day comes to an end, we'll visit the Mehtab Bagh Park, which one of 11 parks created by Emperor Babur on the east banks of the Yamuna River, before taking in the spectacular sight of the Taj Mahal at sunset.

This evening you have an option to join a Hindu family for a vegetarian Thali cooking lesson and meal tonight before settling in at your hotel for the night.

Our day starts with a visit to one of the seven wonders of the world - watching the sunrise at the towering Taj Mahal mausoleum. Built over the course of 22 years by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, this morning we'll watch how the colours of the monument changes as the light gets brighter. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

We'll have a tasty breakfast before we hit the road once more, this time to visit the Agra Fort - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - which served as the home of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, before the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi.

This afternoon, we'll continue to discover Agra from the back of an electric rickshaw, experiencing the incredible culture and cuisine that the city has to offer, before visiting its old bazaars, restaurants and places of worship.

We'll also visit the Gurdwara, situated a stone's throw away from the Taj Mahal, Dara Shikoh's library, Mirza Ghalib's birthplace, the ancient Manka Meshwar Temple, the Jama Masjid as well as Asia's oldest convent, St. Patrick's Junior College. While we're here, you'll visit the Johri Bazar, the paan mandi, the petha mandi and the chaat-pakori street of Seth Gali.

We'll head back to our accommodation, where a day-use room will be available for you to relax and freshen up before we head to the station to board an overnight train to Varanasi.

Upon arrival in Varanasi - one of India's holiest cities, you'll enjoy breakfast before visiting the Sarai Mohana Weavers Village, famous for its silk weaving, in fact, most of the residents here are skilled in the craft. In fact, the Banarasi sarees made here are some of the most expensive in India. While you're here, we'll also visit the Chiraigaon Village, famous for its pickles, jams and guavas.

This evening, we'll make our way to the holy Ganges River to partake in an Aarti ceremony - a Hindu ritual which sees small candles lit inside cups made from leaves and flowers, before it's floated down the river - a very important ceremony for the people who call Varanasi home.

Our day begins with a morning boat ride along the holy waters of the Ganges, which is a constant hub of activity during the day, as the locals head to the banks of the river to pray and immerse themselves in it's spiritually cleansing waters.

Today we'll explore the city on foot, browsing its medieval streets, holy temples and bustling markets, abuzz with the authentic noise of Indian life. We'll then visit a Hindu Brahaman family, where you'll learn how to make authentic Indian dishes, before enjoying the fruits of our labour by having lunch with the family.

After lunch, we'll make our way to the ancient Buddhist site at Sarnath, the place where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon after becoming enlightened. Explore the brilliant stupas and monasteries erected here, as well as an engraved pillar, which was built in the 3rd century BC by the Emperor known as Ashoka.

We'll overnight at our hotel in Varanasi, be sure to get enough rest as we'll have another early start tomorrow.

We'll leave Varanasi early this morning and drive north to the India-Nepal border. It's a long drive, but you'll see a lot of typical Indian rural life on the way, passing through the busy town of Gorakhpur before reaching the border.

After entering Nepal you'll change vehicles and drive to nearby Lumbini, the birthplace of the Lord Buddha where we'll spend the night.

We start this morning with a tour of the most important sites in Lumbini with a local guide. Despite being one of the world's most important religious sites, Lumbini has a very relaxed and peaceful atmosphere and the sites are spread over a large area, called the Lumbini Development Zone.

Our tour will include the Temple of Mayadevi, built over the spot that Buddha was born, the Mayadevi pond, where the Buddha's mother is said to have bathed before giving birth, the Bodhi Tree covered in prayer flats, and the Ashoka Pillar.

We'll then drive through the Terai lowland region of Nepal to Bardia National Park. During the drive we'll see tiny Nepalese villages and farmland, and can contrast these to the Indian rural life we saw along the road yesterday. We'll break for a snack lunch along the way, and also stop at a bridge close before the park where we can often see mugger or gharial crocodiles in the river below.

Finally we arrive at our lodge located right next to a branch of the Karnali River, overlooking the park where we settle in for the evening.

Bardia National Park is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Nepal and is home to a huge variety of animals, plants and birds. Much less visited than the better known Chitwan due to its more remote location, we prefer Bardia for many reasons, not least the fact that you have a much better chance of seeing wild tigers here, as well as rhino, wild elephant, crocodiles, otters, a variety of deer and monkeys and numerous birds. There's even a chance of seeing Gangetic dolphins in the Karnali river though sightings are very rare.

The lodge we use also makes you feel much closer to both nature and the surrounding village community. From our vantage point on the lodge balcony we often see monkeys, peacocks, deer, eagles, bee-eaters, as well as the National Park's domestic elephants passing to and fro from their stables.

We include a variety of safaris into the park during your stay. These include a jeep safari and a jungle walk with a local guide.

This evening we will take a walk through the surrounding villages, seeing a local school, and learning how the Tharu people of the region here make their living.

We spend a full day in the park today, taking an easy rafting trip along branches of the mighty Karnali River both outside and through the park itself. We break the journey regularly for short jungle walks to good viewing spots, and aim to stop to watch some of the local villagers panning for grains of gold in the river.

While the Karnali is famous for its white water rafting, this is a very different experience as we drift slowly down the river with only a few very minor rapids. You'll see lots of birdlife on the river, hopefully some otters and dolphins too, as well as looking for tigers, rhinos and other land animals during the jungle walks. A packed lunch is provided.

We leave Bardia reluctantly this morning and drive to the nearest major town, Nepalganj, about two and a half hours away. From here we fly to Kathmandu (aim to sit on the left side of the plane for great views of the Annapurnas, Langtang and other Himalayan peaks).

On arrival in Kathmandu we tour the important Hindu pilgrimage temple of Pasupatinath, and the correspondingly important, but very different Buddhist Boudhanath stupa. Our final evening is spent exploring the cafes and restaurants of the busy Thamel area of the city.

Our tour ends today and your time is free until we transfer you to the airport for your flight home.

If you would like to extend your time in Nepal then we offer a range of extra sightseeing tours in Kathmandu and the surrounding valley, as well as trekking and whitewater rafting trips into the Himalayas.