Included Excursions:

• Delhi * Leader-led Old Delhi walking tour,
• Delhi - Sheeshganj Gurudwara (Sikh Temple),
• Delhi - Visit to the Jama Masjid Mosque,
• Delhi - Rickshaw ride,
• Panna National Park - Evening Safari,
• Bandhavgarh National Park - Morning Safari with a Naturalist Guide,
• Jabalpur - River Narmada Aarti Ceremony,
• Satpura National Park - Boat Safari,
• Satpura National Park - Afternoon Safari with a Naturalist Guide,
• Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary - Rickshaw Safari with a Naturalist Guide,
• Agra -Taj Mahal, Agra - Agra Fort,
• Agra - Sheroes Cafe Visit.

Itinerary:

Day 1 -  Delhi

Namaste and welcome to India, where your journey begins in Delhi. You’ll meet your trip leader and fellow travellers at a welcome meeting at 6 pm, giving you a clear feel for the days ahead. If you arrive early, you may like to join an Urban Adventure through the city, then enjoy an optional welcome dinner with the group over local cuisine.

Day 2 - Delhi to Overnight Train

Today, explore the energy and character of Old Delhi with your local leader. Ride a cycle rickshaw through the busy streets, visit Jama Masjid, one of the city’s most impressive mosques, and stop at Sheeshganj Gurudwara to learn more about the Sikh faith. Later, take a moment over a chai before boarding your overnight train to Khajuraho.

Day 3 - Panna National Park

Arrive at Khajuraho Station this morning, then drive on to Panna National Park. With a local naturalist guide, head into a landscape of waterfalls, forest, open plains, and rich birdlife, with more than 200 bird species found here. Keep watch for tigers, spotted deer, leopards, and sloth bears, with the option to pre-book a second morning safari for more time in the park.

Day 4 - Bandhavgarh National Park

If you’ve pre-booked the morning safari, start early with one more chance to explore Panna before continuing to Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve. Known as the ‘Land of Tigers’, Bandhavgarh has one of the highest densities of royal Bengal tigers in India. Once you arrive, enjoy a relaxed evening at your forest resort and settle into the sounds of the wilderness.

Day 5 - Bandhavgarh National Park

Set off this morning on a safari through Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve, with a local naturalist guide helping you make sense of the tracks, calls, and movement around you. This is prime royal Bengal tiger territory, but keep your eyes peeled for leopards, wild boar, gaur, langurs, eagles, deer, and the rich birdlife drawn to the park’s mix of tropical forest, swamps, cliffs, Sal trees, and grasslands. If you’d like even more time in the wild, you can pre-book an optional afternoon safari and give yourself another chance to see Bandhavgarh at its best.

Day 6 - Jabalpur

After breakfast, leave Bandhavgarh behind and travel towards Jabalpur, a city set among low hills on the banks of the Holy River Narmada, also known as Maa Rewa. On arrival, join your leader for a walking tour to get your bearings before enjoying some free time in the afternoon. At dusk, visit Gauri Ghat for the Aarti ceremony, a deeply spiritual riverside experience on a more intimate scale than those in Haridwar or Varanasi.

Day 7 - Satpura National Park

This morning, say goodbye to Jabalpur and drive towards the Satpura Mountain Range. As central India rolls past, you can chat with your fellow travellers, catch up on rest, or settle in with a favourite podcast. After arriving, head out by boat at sunset and look for jungle cats, fruit bats, and flying foxes as the park shifts into evening.

Day 8 - Satpura National Park

After breakfast, you can join an optional pre-booked morning safari to see Satpura National Park in daylight. This varied landscape of waterfalls, canyons, natural pools, and forest is home to sloth bears, giant squirrels, deer, monkeys, and hundreds of bird species. Later, after lunch and some time to rest, head out on an afternoon safari with a naturalist guide and keep watch for leopards, flying squirrels, and flying foxes.

Day 9 - Agra

Continue your journey this morning with a drive to Bhopal, so keep a book, playlist, or a few travel games close to hand. After time for lunch in Bhopal, board the train to Agra. When you arrive, the evening is yours, and your local leader can point you towards the best places for dinner.

Day 10 - Agra

Start the day in Agra before heading to Keoladeo National Park, one of the world’s most important breeding and feeding grounds for birdlife. With a local naturalist guide, explore by rickshaw safari and look out for some of the park’s 260 bird species, along with deer, nilgai, and wild boar. Later, return to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal with a local guide, learning the story behind this 17th-century Mughal masterpiece before seeing the marble glow in the soft light of sunset.

Day 11 - Delhi

This morning, visit Agra Fort, an impressive red sandstone complex that blends fortress, palace, and prison. Explore its throne rooms and beautifully detailed mosques before enjoying a vegetarian lunch at Sheroes Hangout, a social enterprise supporting women who have survived acid attacks. In the early evening, travel by bus to Delhi, then settle into your hotel and perhaps share a final drink with your fellow travellers.

Day 12 - Delhi

Your adventure comes to an end after breakfast today. There are no further activities planned, so you can leave at a time that suits your onward travel plans. If you’d like more time in Delhi, you can arrange extra nights in advance through your booking agent.

Terms and Conditions

INCLUDES: accommodation in hotels and overnight on a train, 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners, transport (train, auto rickshaw, boat, cycle rickshaw, private vehicle, Jeep, overnight train).

12 Days From R44,222 per person sharing