Taj Mahal and the Treasures of India

Experience Mumbai’s incredible vibe as you visit a dance studio and try some choreographed steps yourself. At a local spice market, take in the dazzling array of colors and scents. View the Gateway of India, with its design reflecting Muslim and Hindu traditions, and hop a train for a short ride, as millions do here daily. Finish at Dhobi Ghat, the world’s largest open-air laundry, 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. After some free time, embark on a private cruise past Jag Mandir, a marble palace with eight life-size sculptures of elephants flanking its entrance.

View the Palace of the Winds — built so the women of the royal household could watch street life unobserved. Explore the Mughal-style Amber Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return to your hotel for some time on your own.

Board a train to Jhansi and the remote Panna National Park, renowned for its recovering population of Bengal tigers. 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 big cats. Also learn about the Wildpines Center, dedicated to empowering young women from the Pardhi community through block printing and artisan training, an initiative supported by A&K Philanthropy.

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

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