Regal Sanctuaries, Forts and Palaces

Board your flight from the UK - an 8-hour flight. 
Overnight onboard flight.

Upon arrival in Delhi, a representative from TransIndus will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for two nights. The remainder of your day will be spent at leisure, recovering from the flight.

Enjoy a full-day sightseeing tour of the sprawling Capital city, including the narrow and colourful Bazarrs of Emperor Shah Jahan's Old Delhi and vestiges of Colonial India in New Delhi.

After breakfast, you board the express train for Agra (two hours). On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel before heading out for sightseeing visits to the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. Early in the evening, you will return to the Taj Mahal for sunset views of the great monument.

After breakfast, you leave for Gwalior (a three-hour drive). On arrival, you check in at Deo Bagh, a beautiful heritage homestay for two nights. Your afternoon will be at leisure, and in the evening, enjoy a Son et Lumiere show.

Today, you enjoy a full day of sightseeing. The morning's tour takes you to the ancient and imposing Gwalior Fort atop a sandstone plateau overlooking the city. Accessed via a long and winding road lined with sacred Jain statues and secured by 35-foot fortifications, the fort is home to the stunning  15th-century Gujari Mahal Palace, which now houses an impressive archaeological museum.  
 
Your afternoon will be devoted to the intricately carved Sas Bahu Ka Mandir Hindu temple and the Scindia Royal Family Museum inside the equally impressive Jai Vilas Palace.

This morning, you head for the Mela Kothi—Chambal Safari Lodge (three hours), the first of our wildlife and rural experiences. Set in among farmland, close to the village of Bha, Mela Kothi introduces us to rural Indian life, nature, and a little wildlife.

Your afternoon will be dedicated to the nearby medieval Bateshwar temples & Holipura heritage walk.

Today, the full day is devoted to exploring the serene and enchanting Chambal River and its numerous ravines by boat and jeep in search of wildlife, including the snout-nosed Gharial and Gangiatic dolphins, otters, hyenas and wolves. Birding here is particularly enjoyable and unveils a vibrant avian world with over 350 species of birds.

Today, you make your way towards the seat of power of the princely state of Awadh, Lucknow (four hours). This city has long been recognised as multicultural and flourished as a cultural and artistic hub under the Nawabs in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also famous as the site of the  1857 First War of Independence, a revolt led by a woman, Begum Hazrat Mahal. 

After checking in at your hotel, you enjoy a walking tour of the city's famous Hazratganj Market and bazaars, filled with embroideries, jewels, crafts, and street food. Later, you head for a private audience and tea with a Nawab.

In the morning, you visit the Residency Complex, the site of the infamous siege of 1857, one of the first revolts against British occupation. We also see the pok-marked buildings of the British Residency, Dilkusha Gardens, and La Martinière University. We continue our sightseeing tour of the city with visits to the Islamic Imambara shrine and Romi Darwaja city gate. We round off the day with a walking tour of the city's Victorian architecture.

This morning, you depart for Dudhwa National Park and check in at the Heritage Jaagir Manor for three nights (4 -5 hour drive). 

After lunch, you enjoy your first jeep safari through the Terai forest, searching for tigers, tuskers, leopards, and its famous one-horned rhinos among the big game. The park and its surrounding sanctuaries of Kishanpur and Katerniaghat are equally famous for other smaller mammals like the Fishing cat, Indian otters, Terai Grey langur and the impressive Barashingh (swamp deer), whose antlers can grow up to a meter high.

The whole day is devoted to game drives, interrupted only by the wonderful meals prepared by the lodge's chefs.

Enjoy another full day of jungle activities amidst your beautiful surroundings, including walks into the jungle.

This morning, you enjoy your final game drive in this lush park. 

After lunch, you head to Lucknow airport for the 1 hour- 10 minute flight back to Delhi.  You will be received in Delhi and transferred to a nearby airport hotel for relaxation.

Fly back to London,