India's Golden Triangle

Most people when travelling to a country for the first time want to take in all the major sights and yet also journey off the beaten track to experience something more authentic. For this reason our unique mini-adventure to India enriches a classic first-time itinerary with experiences that transport its participants closer to the heart of India. The railway stations for example present a tableau as rich as a bazaar. All classes and castes that can afford the cost of a ticket are present on its thronging platforms, whilst many that can’t are also present, plying their trade to the assembled. ‘Passage to India’ readily springs to mind as one waits to travel (Chair Class) to Ajmer.

A further sought-after experience that we’ve included is a stay at an historic ‘hotel’ at Kuchaman. Previously a fort and the ancestral home of an aristocratic family it has been lovingly restored and converted into a hotel by local artisans. Its murals are outstanding, depicting historical scenes featuring the ruling family and detailing everyday life at their court. Most striking perhaps is the feeling of immediacy of contact, both with the building’s history and its former occupiers, which at better-visited sites is somehow lost in a confusion of tourists. weather permitting, the highlight of the stay will be dining al fresco in the fort to the accompanying strains of a Rajasthani troubadour. Firmly back on the tourist trail is the palace at Amber. What a wonderfully romantic monument! Entering the so-called Golden Triangle formed by Jaipur, Agra and Delhi we include a visit to Fatephur Sikri, Akbar’s deserted city, in addition to the icon of the entire sub-continent, the magical and romantic Taj Mahal.