Wander Across India

Nov 7

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.

Nov 8

Highlights: Full tour of Mumbai

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast we’ll spend the day getting to know Mumbai through its street scenes, coastal corners, and the layers of history that still shape daily life here. We’ll start at Victoria Terminus, one of the city’s great landmarks and one of the busiest stations in the country, then continue into Colaba and the Gateway of India, where cafés, small shops, and constant movement make it easy to understand Mumbai’s energy as a port city built on trade and migration. For lunch we’ll sit down at a Parsi café, a classic part of old Mumbai food culture, then in the evening we’ll visit Shree Siddhivinayak Temple, dedicated to Ganesha, where you’ll see how devotion fits right into the everyday flow of the city. We’ll finish with a drive along Marine Drive and time at Chowpatty Beach, a favorite local hangout, before dinner in the Juhu area.

Nov 9

Highlights: Flight to Udaipur, orientation walk

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Today we’ll head to the airport for a short 1.5-hour flight to Udaipur, going deeper into Rajasthan. After checking into our hotel near Lake Pichola, we’ll take a little time to reset, then head out for an afternoon wander that will give you a first feel for the city. We’ll visit a Hindu temple, walk along the lake’s ghats where locals gather and pass through, and stop by artist workshops that connect Udaipur’s craft traditions to real working studios. As the light starts to fade, we’ll keep walking through the calmer streets, then we’ll sit down for dinner on the roof of our hotel with views over the water.

Nov 10

Highlights: Old town, Jagdish temple, local village

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a relaxed start to the day, we’ll head into Udaipur’s old town for an easy walk through lanes, with small shrines tucked into walls, neighborhood shops, and workshops tied to the city’s craft scene. We’ll visit Jagdish Temple, a major 17th century Vishnu temple, and take time to notice the carved pillars, detailed exterior panels, and the tall spire rising above the rooftops. After lunch we’ll drive into the countryside to spend the afternoon in a Mewari village, where we’ll sit for chai with families, hear how farming and the seasons 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.

Nov 11

Highlights: A magical blue town

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

We’ll begin our 6-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 known for its calm pace and the way everyday life plays out in the lanes below the palace and fort on the hill, so once we arrive you’ll feel that shift right away. We’ll get settled, then you’ll have time to start taking it in, the pastel-painted houses, the small shops, and the kind of everyday scenes that make it easy to understand local life beyond the usual tourist route.

Nov 12

Highlights: Rural school visit, ancient stepwells, Bundi Palace, dinner with a local family

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today 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’ll visit several historic stepwells, which once served as key water sources and community gathering places, then we’ll head up to Bundi Palace, rising above the blue town. Inside, you’ll see intricate carvings and murals that give a real sense of the Rajput world, and from above you’ll be able to look back over the town and connect the history to what you’ve been walking through.

Nov 13

Highlights: Local villages, best chai in India

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our contacts in Bundi have arranged a day that gives us a real look at the area beyond the usual route. We’ll drive to a remote village where traditional saris are still woven using family techniques that have been passed down over generations. We’ll walk through the village and meet the artisans. We’ll learn how the patterns and methods are taught, what materials are used, and how this work fits into daily life. There will be time to understand how weaving supports the community and why it can be hard to reach a wider market. After lunch near the village we’ll return to Bundi for a chance to try one of the town’s best chais before dinner.

Nov 14

Highlights: Tiger safari, overnight in a palace

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

We’ll start the day with a morning safari near Bundi in Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, a newer protected area with quiet tracks and very few visitors, which makes it one of the best places in India to look for tigers in their natural habitat. With some luck we’ll spot tigers during the drive along with deer, antelope, peacocks, owls, and raptors across scrub forest and rocky hills. After the safari we’ll embark on our 5 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 Agra tomorrow.

Nov 15

Highlights: Drive to Agra, Taj Mahal

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a relaxing morning in our palace, we’ll hop into our van and begin the 4.5-hour drive to Agra, a former Mughal capital set along the Yamuna River and best known as the home of the Taj Mahal. After checking into our family-run guesthouse, we'll enjoy lunch in Agra at a social enterprise restaurant that trains and empowers local women. We’ll then meet our local guide and head to the Taj Mahal in the afternoon, when the light is at its best and the marble starts to shift in tone as the day moves on. We’ll spend time learning the basics of what you’re seeing, then you’ll have as much time as you want to wander, take it in, and explore the grounds at your own pace. We’ll return to our guesthouse for a home cooked dinner prepared by our hosts.

Nov 16

Highlights: Taj Mahal, travel to Delhi, flight to Varanasi

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Today will be a travel day that moves us toward one of India’s most intense and meaningful places. We'll start with a 3.5-hour drive back to Delhi’s airport for our 1.5-hour flight to Varanasi. After landing we’ll drive about an hour into the old city and check in near the Ganges. As we arrive, you’ll start noticing how faith and everyday life share the same streets, with temple bells, prayer chants, small shrines tucked into corners, and families moving through the lanes as the river pulls everything toward it. After settling in, we’ll have dinner and get some rest before tomorrow’s deeper look at the city.

Nov 17

Highlights: Activity along the ghats, temples, markets

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We’ll spend the day on foot in Varanasi’s old city, starting along the ghats to watch morning life on the river, bathers filling brass pots, priests offering flowers and incense, and boats sliding past the steps. We’ll then walk through the lanes around the main bazaar, stopping for a thick cardamom-spiced lassi and watching the daily work of silk sellers, spice stalls, puja shops, and brassware vendors. We’ll also view the cremation ghats from an appropriate distance, with our guide explaining their role in Hindu rites and why these rituals matter so deeply here. After lunch, the afternoon will be open for rest or wandering at your own pace, then in the evening we’ll meet up again for a surprise event that shows another side of the city.

Nov 18

Highlights: Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges River, Assi Ghat, free time

Included: Breakfast

Today we’ll head out early for a sunrise boat trip on the Ganges in a traditional wooden row boat, watching the city wake up as offerings are made, bells ring, chanting carries over the water, and daily routines unfold right on the steps. In the afternoon we’ll walk down to Assi Ghat, the last ghat along the river, to get a different feel and visit a local organization, then after sunset we’ll witness the evening Aarti ceremony on the main ghat, with fire, music, and synchronized ritual that is hard to forget once you’ve seen it in person.

Nov 19

Highlights: Travel to Delhi, farewell dinner

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we’ll have time for one more wander through Varanasi, and there will also be optional half day trips available if you want to go a little further, including Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first teachings, or Ramnagar Fort and Museum on the river. Later we’ll catch an evening flight back to Delhi for the night near the airport, then we’ll gather for our farewell dinner as the tour comes to an end.

Nov 20

Highlights: Departure day

Included: Breakfast

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