Jewels of India & the Deccan Odyssey

Day 2 Delhi

On arrival we transfer to our hotel, where the afternoon has been left free to rest after the flight. This evening, we come together for a welcome drink and dinner at the hotel, a chance to meet fellow travellers.

Day 3 Delhi

We begin our exploration of Delhi with a visit to the Salaam Baalak Trust, a Planeterra community project dedicated to providing care, education and opportunities for street and working children. Our guides are young adults who have benefited from the Trust's programmes, and during a walk through the city, they provide a perspective on Delhi that many visitors never see.

From here we continue into Old Delhi to see the Red Fort before a cycle rickshaw ride navigates the narrow lanes, past spice stalls and silver merchants. In New Delhi we take in the grand government buildings of India Gate, the President’s House and Parliament House, a striking contrast from the older parts of the city.

Later we visit the Rail Museum, which tells the story of India's railway heritage, before calling at the beautiful Sikh temple of Bangla Sahib Gurudwara. Here volunteers prepare and serve free meals to thousands of people every day – a simple but powerful expression of the Sikh principle of Seva, or selfless service.

Day 4 Delhi to Amritsar

An early start this morning sees us travel by train from Delhi to Amritsar. On arrival we transfer to the hotel with free time to settle in before our first visit to the Golden Temple this evening. As dusk falls, we’ll watch the Palki Ceremony, when the temple's holy scripture is carried in procession, it’s one of the most atmospheric rituals we'll witness on this trip.

Day 5 Amritsar

This morning we return to the Golden Temple in daylight, its gilded dome reflected in the surrounding pool makes it one of Sikhism’s most sacred pilgrim sites. The Central Shrine is reached by a marble causeway and houses the Guru Granth Sahib while the temple’s kitchens serve a free meal to thousands of visitors each day, whatever their faith.

Just a short walk away, we visit Jallianwala Bagh, a historic garden and national memorial that marks a pivotal moment in India’s independence. Following this visit we’ll wander through the busy bazaars of Amritsar's old town.

Day 6 Amritsar to Mumbai

Today we fly from Amritsar to Mumbai and the pace changes the moment we land. Traffic weaves past art deco buildings and modern towers. The air carries salt from the sea and spice from street stalls. There's a sense here of a city that never quite slows down.

It's easy to forget Mumbai was built from seven separate islands, joined together over more than a century until the coastline became one. Today it’s a city of real contrasts – Gothic Revival architecture from the British era and centuries-old temples sit alongside Bollywood film studios and glass office towers.

Day 7 Mumbai & Deccan Odyssey

This morning we explore some of Mumbai's landmarks, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum, then take a short walking tour of Kala Ghoda, where galleries and art stalls sit side by side. We take in Marine Drive and visit the Gateway of India, before travelling to the station to board the Deccan Odyssey.

As we board the luxury heritage train, this is the moment the tour changes gear. For the next seven nights, we travel in the style of a different era with lavish cabins, impeccable service and a genuine nod to yesteryear. After a welcome reception, settle into your cabin as we depart for Vadodara.

Day 8 Deccan Odyssey - Vadodara

After breakfast onboard, we step off the train into Champaner-Pavagadh, where a ruined medieval city sits quietly beneath a hill that is very much alive with worship. Mosques and stepwells stand half reclaimed by the forest below, won by siege in 1484 and abandoned within a few generations, while pilgrims today climb the hill above to the Kalikamata Temple much as they have for centuries. It's a rare place where Hindu and Islamic architecture sit together rather than in competition and where the ruins and the living temple feel like part of the same story rather than two separate ones.

After lunch on the train, we arrive in Vadodara once the seat of the Gaekwad family, one of the great royal dynasties of western India. Their legacy is best seen at the Laxmi Vilas Palace, completed in 1890 and still home to the Gaekwad family today. It is rumoured to be one of the largest private residencies in India and estimated to be nearly four times the size of Buckingham Palace. We’ll visit the palace before settling down for tea in the grounds, a properly regal way to spend an afternoon.

Day 9 Deccan Odyssey - Udaipur

Udaipur is often called the City of Lakes and is one of the country’s most beautiful royal cities. Palaces rise from the water's edge and the light changes constantly across Lake Pichola. This morning we visit the City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, where scalloped arches and fretted balconies lead visitors through room after room, including the Crystal Gallery. We complete our tour with a boat trip across Lake Pichola, taking in views of the Lake Palace and Jag Mandir, said to have featured in the James Bond film Octopussy.

After lunch we explore the Old City’s lively and colourful bazaar where narrow streets open onto stalls selling spices, tea, bamboo baskets, flowers, textiles and other household items, much as they have for generations.

Day 10 Deccan Odyssey - Jodhpur

Jodhpur announces itself long before we arrive, its skyline rising out of the desert with the sandstone walls of Mehrangarh Fort towering above the city below. Jodhpur’s real signature is its colour - wander through walkways and passages towards views that stretch out over rooftops washed in blue.

After lunch we walk through the Old Clock Tower market, where stallholders sell spice, cloth and silver.

Day 11 Deccan Odyssey - Jaipur

We arrive today in Jaipur and the light itself seems to shift as we reach the old city. Its walls and buildings glow a warm terracotta pink, a tradition dating back to 1876, when the whole city was repainted to welcome a visiting Prince of Wales, pink being the colour of hospitality in Rajasthan. The tradition has stuck ever since and it gives Jaipur an identity unlike anywhere else on this trip.

We spend the day exploring the forts, palaces and bazaars of the Pink City, though nothing quite matches Amer Fort. Rising above the old capital on a hillside, its courtyards and marble halls carry the same blend of Hindu and Muslim design we've seen elsewhere in Rajasthan. Inside, keep an eye out for the Sheesh Mahal, the Mirror Palace, where thousands of tiny, mirrored tiles line the walls and ceiling. Even a single candle is enough to fill the room with what looks like a full night sky.

Day 12 Deccan Odyssey - Agra

Today the Deccan Odyssey brings us to Agra and nothing quite prepares you for that first sights of the Taj Mahal. Built by the Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, it is one of the world's greatest monuments to love and loss. Its white marble, inlaid with gems, is said to change colour with the light from a soft pink in the morning to a warm gold in the evening.

After lunch in the city we visit Agra Fort, another example of Mughal architecture and the place where Shah Jahan spent his final years. He was imprisoned here by his own son, reportedly able to see the Taj Mahal only from a distance, a small detail that adds real weight to the story.

Day 13 Deccan Odyssey - Ranthambore

Our final stop before Delhi is Sawai Madhopur, gateway to Ranthambore National Park, one of India’s finest tiger reserves.

We take a short village walk before heading into the park itself for a safari in search of the elusive Bengal tiger. Our guide will point out some of the other wildlife you may encounter such as deer, wild boar, sloth bear and the varied birdlife found here.

Day 14

Our time aboard the Deccan Odyssey comes to an end today as we transfer to the airport in Delhi for the flight home.