Taj Mahal and the Treasures of India

Once the stronghold of the British East India Company, Mumbai is the financial and commercial capital of India. Situated on the west coast of the sub-continent, beside the Arabian Sea, the former Bombay is home to India's massive Hindi film and television industry, collectively known as Bollywood. Upon arrival, settle into your iconic hotel.

Experience Mumbai's incredible cultural diversity and entrepreneurial spirit on an exciting morning excursion. Visit a local Bollywood studio and try out some choreographed steps yourself. At a local spice market, take in the dazzling array of colors and scents. View the Gateway of India, whose design reflects India's Muslim and Hindu traditions, and hop by train for a short ride, as millions do here daily. Finish at Dhobi Ghat, the world’s largest open-air laundry and a spectacle to behold. Tonight, gather for a welcome dinner.

Fly to Udaipur and settle into your stunning palace hotel set on an island in the middle of scenic Lake Pichola. Romantic, wistful and serene, Udaipur is a city built around shimmering lakes that reflect the green of the surrounding Aravalli hills. After time to relax, embark on a private cruise past Jag Mandir, a marble palace with eight life-size sculptures of elephants flanking its entrance.

Visit the stunning City Palace, a marble complex that offers unforgettable views of the lake. Continue to the Crystal Gallery in Fateh Prakash Palace. Stroll through the Sahelion Ki Bari (Garden of the Maids of Honor). Later, savor a chef-led cooking demonstration, followed by lunch, learning about the preparation of royal Mewar cuisine in a local family’s home.

Early this morning, drive to the otherwise quiet, secluded desert town of Pushkar, sharing the road with camels, trucks, cattle, water buffalo and rickshaws as you approach. Gracing the shores of a sacred lake near northwestern India’s Thar Desert, Pushkar is world renowned as a destination for Hindu pilgrims and for its dazzling 12-day fair. Each November, this peaceful town of hallowed temples and bathing ghats transforms into a vibrant, buzzing fairground of market stalls and prized cattle. Spend the next two days experiencing the bustling Pushkar Fair, a colorful whirl of activity drawing people from all around the globe.

Enjoy another opportunity to experience the Pushkar Fair. See painted and adorned camels and cattle being traded; peruse stalls selling camel tassels and woven dowry bags; and witness Hindu devotees as they throng the ghats around Pushkar Lake in order to bathe, cleanse their sins and attain a place in heaven.

Drive to Jaipur and check in to your hotel, the former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur. Capital city of northern India’s Rajasthan state, beautiful Jaipur traces its origins to the 18th century. A bustling metropolis today, Jaipur is an exciting fusion of contemporary works of art with timeless archaeological splendors. Explore the City Palace, a complex of palaces, pavilions, gardens and temples, viewing textiles at the “Auspicious Palace.” Head outdoors to visit Jantar Mantar, an open-air array of astronomical instruments.

View the Palace of the Winds — built so the women of the royal household could observe street life without being seen. Explore the Mughal-style Amber Fort, a red sandstone and marble palace that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This afternoon, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities.Practice Yoga During a Private Session at historic Rambagh Palace.Visit Badal Mahal to Interact with Local Women receiving training in craft making, supported by A&K Philanthropy.Discover the Bazaars of Jaipur, taking in the vibe of local life.Return to your hotel for some time on your own.

Drive to Agra, observing the colorful rural life of Rajasthan on your journey. Poised on a bend of theYamuna River in Uttar Pradesh, Agra is a magnet for those who come to wander the dreamy grounds ofthe Taj Mahal, perhaps the world’s most perfectly proportioned monument. Visit the peerless structure inthe late afternoon, as the setting sun bathes it in a soft orange glow.

Return to the Taj Mahal early this morning, when the rising sun lends a warm pink tint to its marble face. Then visit the Agra Fort, once the prison of the same Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife.

Board a train to Jhansi and the remote Panna National Park, a haven for India’s wildlife that spans over 200 square miles. Check in to your wilderness lodge amid pristine forests, rivers, plateaus and waterfalls. While the park is renowned for its recovering population of Bengal tigers, it also harbors crocodiles, leopards, sloth bears and over 200 species of exotic birds. Today, on an A&K-exclusive experience, meet with a member of the local Pardhi community to learn their role in efforts to grow the park’s precious cohort of the iconic big cats.

Rise early for a 4x4 game drive in Panna National Park, spotting crocodiles and searching for tigers, with your chance of sighting one improved by the park’s diligent conservation program. Return to the lodge to savor an Indian cooking demonstration led by a chef. Set off on one more game drive for a last chance to see India’s mighty tiger in the wild.

Drive to Khajuraho to see all of life — joy, love, divinity, war — depicted in detail on every inch of its 85 Hindu and Jain temples. Then, fly to Varanasi, a city of more than a thousand Buddhist and Hindu temples and shrines, where pilgrims come to bathe in the sacred Ganges River. At dusk, beside the Ganges, witness the aarti ceremony. Chanted prayers and rhythmic drumming fill the air as you watch lantern-bearing priests bid the gods and goddesses a restful slumber.

Rise early for a private sunrise cruise on the Ganges River to observe activity along the ghats, wherelocals and pilgrims cleanse themselves, literally and spiritually. Later, fly to Delhi for a farewell dinner.

Ever-bustling and excitingly chaotic, Delhi is a study in history and modernization, with a story that dates back 3,000 years. Comprising 12 distinct cities, it is largely divided into two parts: Old Delhi and New Delhi, both with captivating features, from Mughal monuments to lively bazaars. Visit the great Jama Masjid, the most important mosque in India, completed in 1656. Then ride by rickshaw through the narrow alleys and stalls of Chandni Chowk bazaar, one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi. After lunch, tour New Delhi, including Humayun’s Tomb, an architectural precursor of the Taj Mahal.

Transfer privately to the airport early this morning for your flight home, or begin your post-tour extension to Kathmandu.