Wander Across India

Mar 3

Highlights: Arrival day, welcome dinner

Included: Dinner

Upon arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to our hotel by a private driver and a member of our team will be there to greet you. The remainder of the day will be yours to rest and recover from jet lag and meet your fellow travelers. We'll then have a tour orientation in the evening followed by our welcome dinner for a first taste of authentic Indian cuisine.

Mar 4

Highlights: Full unique Delhi city tour, Chandni Chowk, Bangla Sahib Temple

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today will begin with a full morning in Chandni Chowk Market in Old Delhi, a full sensory introduction to the city. We'll move through narrow lanes and quieter corners, passing markets selling wedding supplies, sweets, musical instruments, and everyday goods piled high in small shops. You'll hear calls from vendors, smell spices and frying snacks, and watch the constant movement of people doing normal errands, which will make it feel less staged and more lived in. After lunch at a 140 year old eatery, we will head to Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple, a calm contrast to the streets outside. You'll see Sikh pilgrims arriving from around the country, and you will also learn about the huge communal kitchen that will serve around 5,000 free meals per day. As evening rolls around, we'll head to one of Delhi's best restaurants for a group dinner.

Mar 5

Highlights: Akshardham Temple, drive to Agra, home-cooked dinner

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we will visit Akshardham Temple, a modern Hindu complex known for intricate stonework and spacious halls, and for how it will bring together spirituality, art, and storytelling in one place. After our visit we will have an early lunch, then we will hop into our van for the 3 hour drive to Agra. The drive will also be part of the experience, since you will start to see the city edges fall away and a different side of daily life appear along the road. Upon arrival we'll check into our family run guesthouse and you will have time to rest. In the evening, our hosts will prepare a home cooked dinner, which will be a simple, grounding way to end the day and settle into Agra.

Mar 6

Highlights: Taj Mahal, overnight in a palace

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We'll be up early for a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal, leaving around 6:00 AM so we arrive as the gates open and the morning light begins to settle over the complex. We'll walk through the grounds and learn the story behind this 17th century masterpiece, then you will have plenty of free time to explore at your own pace. You will be able to move from the gardens and main mausoleum to the surrounding gates, mosques, and courtyards without feeling hurried. Afterwards we'll enjoy lunch in Agra at a social enterprise restaurant that trains and empowers local women. We will then embark on our 3 hour drive to Jaipur, where we will check into our 5 star heritage hotel set within a restored palace property. You will have time to unwind and enjoy the hotel, with options such as the pool, a spa service, or simply sitting in one of the beautiful common areas and letting the day settle. We will have dinner at the hotel this evening before continuing to Bundi tomorrow.

Mar 7

Highlights: A magical blue town, dinner with a local family

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Today will begin with our 3-hour drive after breakfast and our destination will be one of the most rewarding locations in the country, despite so few people knowing about it. Bundi is a calm, welcoming town where Hindus, Muslims, and Jains live side by side, with the palace and fort rising on the hill above the old quarters. The lanes are lined with pastel painted houses, small shops, and everyday scenes that make it easy to understand local life beyond the usual tourist route. As the day winds down, we’ll have dinner with our friend and his family, who have invited us into their home.

Mar 8

Highlights: Rural school visit, ancient stepwells, Bundi Palace

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we'll head to a school where we'll meet teachers and children and spend time together for a meaningful cultural exchange in a village that will rarely see visitors. It will be a chance to learn about daily routines and classroom life in this part of Rajasthan in a way that feels respectful and natural. After returning to Bundi for lunch, we will visit several of the area’s historic stepwells, which once served as key water sources and gathering places, and you will get a sense of how important water management has always been here. We will also head to Bundi Palace, which towers over the blue town. Inside you will see intricate carvings and murals that offer a glimpse into the lives of the Rajput rulers, and you'll also be able to look back over the town from above and connect the history to what you have been walking through.

Mar 9

Highlights: Tiger safari, local villages

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We'll start early today with a morning safari near Bundi in Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, a newer protected area with quiet tracks and very few visitors. That low traffic will be part of what makes the experience feel more personal and less crowded. With some luck we may spot tigers during the drive, along with deer, antelope, peacocks, owls, and raptors across scrub forest and rocky hills. After lunch we'll travel to a remote village where traditional saris will still be woven using family techniques passed down over generations. We'll walk through the village and meet the artisans, then learn how patterns and methods will be taught, what materials will be used, and how weaving will fit into daily life. There will be time to understand what it takes to keep this craft going and why it can be hard to reach wider markets, which will add a real world layer to something many people only see as a finished product.

Mar 10

Highlights: Drive to Udaipur, orientation walk

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we’ll set out on a 5-hour drive to Udaipur. Located in the state of Rajasthan, this is considered India’s most romantic city. Full of lakes, palaces and rolling hills, Udaipur is truly as charming as can be. Once in the city we'll check into our hotel near the edge of Lake Pichola, then you will have time to settle in and enjoy the setting. As the sun begins to drop, we'll have an optional orientation walk through town to take in the lakeside atmosphere, then we will sit down for dinner on the roof of our hotel, which will be a relaxed way to end the day and take in the evening air.

Mar 11

Highlights: Old town, Jagdish temple, local village

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a relaxed morning we'll head into Udaipur’s old town for an easy walk that will bring the city to life at street level. We will explore narrow lanes close to the lake, pass steps that will lead down to the water, and find quieter corners where locals will pause to talk or watch the day unfold. You will also see small shrines built into walls, neighborhood shops, and workshops tied to the city’s craft traditions. We will then visit Jagdish Temple, a major 17th century Vishnu temple, and we will take time to notice the carved pillars and detailed exterior panels, plus the tall spire rising above the old city. After lunch we'll drive into the countryside to spend the afternoon in a Mewari village. We will sit for chai with families, hear how farming and the seasons will shape the year, and see home based crafts such as pottery and textile work. This will be a real chance to connect with the people who keep these traditions going.

Mar 12

Highlights: Flight to Kochi

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

We’ll fly south to Kochi today with a quick layover. Kochi is a historic port on the Arabian Sea known for its spice trade, layered cultures, and easy coastal pace, and it will be our doorway into Kerala’s food, crafts, and daily life. After we transfer to our hotel you will have time to rest and reset. Later we'll take a light orientation stroll through town, enough to get your bearings and start noticing the coastal feel. For dinner, we will go to a local Keralan restaurant to try South Indian flavors such as appam, fish curry, and a veg thali. We will then return to the hotel for the night, with a calmer rhythm that will set up the next few days well.

Mar 13

Highlights: Full-day tour of Kochi

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we'll set out on a half day tour of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, two areas that will tell the story of Kerala’s relationship with the sea and global trade in a clear, walkable way. We'll walk the waterfront to see the Chinese fishing nets in action, which still shape the rhythm of the shore. We'll then visit St. Francis Church and Santa Cruz Cathedral, stops that help bring Kochi’s Portuguese era and later European chapters into focus. In Mattancherry we'll step into the Dutch Palace to see its detailed murals, then we'll visit the Paradesi Synagogue in the old Jewish quarter. Along the way you will see spice warehouses, small antique shops, and street scenes that will connect history with daily life. The afternoon will be free at leisure. Options will include taking the public ferry across the harbor for breezy views, wandering cafés and galleries, booking an Ayurveda massage, or stopping by a Kathakali museum for a quick introduction to the art form.

Mar 14

Highlights: Drive to Alappuzha, Alleppey Backwaters cruise

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we'll drive for 1.5 hours to Alappuzha, where we will head straight for a Keralan lunch near the jetty. Afterward we will board our private overnight houseboat and settle in as the crew casts off into the backwaters. The shift will be immediate as the noise drops and the scenery begins to move slowly past. Our cruise will drift by coconut groves, rice paddies, chapels, and village jetties where life plays out on the water. There will be time for simple onboard activities such as a cooking demo with the chef, line fishing from the stern, birdwatching from the upper deck, and a slow canoe ride along a narrow canal. Near sunset the boat will anchor by a quiet village for the night, which will be one of the most peaceful settings of the trip. Dinner will be cooked on board, and we'll be able to relax with cards or stargazing before turning in.

Mar 15

Highlights: Travel back to Kochi, Kathakali dance performance, farewell dinner

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

We'll wake to the sound of water and ease into the morning with a slow cruise as the canals will come to life. After breakfast on board, we'll watch village routines along the banks and see how daily life will unfold, with small moments that are easy to miss if you are moving too fast. We'll also have the chance to try a canoe ride through a narrow side channel for a closer look at the backwater landscape. In the early afternoon we will return to Kochi and check back into our hotel, and you will have some free time to rest, freshen up, or take a short walk nearby. This evening we will come together for a Kathakali dance performance, a powerful local art form known for dramatic storytelling, expressive gestures, and detailed costumes. We will pair it with a special farewell dinner, which will be a good chance to look back on the full arc of the trip, from Rajasthan’s towns to Kerala’s waterways, and enjoy one last evening together.

Mar 16

Highlights: Departure day

Included: Breakfast

Depending on the time of your flight, you'll be transferred to the airport by private driver.