Golden Triangle with Ranthambore

Your driver and guide meet you at the airport or hotel.

• Begin in Old Delhi: Jama Masjid, then a walk through Chandni Chowk with its spice stalls, sweet shops and old havelis.
• A cycle rickshaw through the narrowest lanes can be arranged.
• Lunch is at a local restaurant the guide recommends.
• In the afternoon, drive through New Delhi, passing India Gate and the government buildings, then visit Humayun's Tomb, the garden tomb that shaped the Taj.
• Allow about an hour there.
• Finish at Qutub Minar if there is daylight, or at Lodhi Garden for a quiet stroll.
• Dress for temples and mosques, with shoulders and knees covered.
• If it is a Monday, the Red Fort is closed, so we reorder the sights.
• Dinner and a good night's sleep prepare you for the drive to Agra in the morning.

Leave Delhi after breakfast and take the Yamuna Expressway to Agra, about three and a half to four hours, with a rest stop halfway.

• You arrive around midday, check in and have lunch.
• In the afternoon your Agra guide meets you at Agra Fort, the red sandstone fortress beside the river, where you walk the audience halls and marble terraces for about two hours.
• Next is Itimad-ud-Daulah, the small tomb with delicate inlay.
• For sunset, cross the river to Mehtab Bagh, the garden facing the Taj, which is open even on Fridays when the Taj is closed.
• The evening is quiet.
• Tomorrow begins early with the Taj Mahal, so we suggest an early dinner and keeping luggage packed before bed.
• Your guide will confirm the morning meeting time.

Your guide meets you at opening time for the Taj Mahal.

• The marble is cooler and the crowd lighter early in the day, and you can take around two hours to see the inlay, the calligraphy and the gardens.
• The Taj is closed on Fridays, so we adjust the order if needed.
• After breakfast and checkout, the driver heads toward Ranthambore, roughly five hours, with a lunch stop on the highway.
• The farmland gives way to drier, rockier country near Sawai Madhopur.
• You reach your hotel near the park in the late afternoon.
• Rest and have dinner early, since the first safari leaves before dawn tomorrow.
• The hotel staff and your driver will confirm the pickup time, and we suggest packing a warm layer and muted clothing for the open vehicle.

Safaris run twice a day, at sunrise and in the afternoon.

• Your morning pickup is before dawn, and an open vehicle takes you into the park with a naturalist.
• Tigers are seen on some drives and missed on others, and no one can guarantee a sighting.
• You may also see deer, langurs, crocodiles in the lakes and many birds.
• Return for a late breakfast and a rest.
• In the middle of the day you can visit Ranthambore Fort on its hill, with an old temple and views over the forest and lakes.
• The afternoon safari follows in a different zone.
• Zones are assigned by the park, so we cannot pick them in advance.
• Dress in layers, since early mornings are cold in winter.
• Dinner is at the hotel, with a quiet evening to follow.

Take a slow morning in Ranthambore, perhaps a walk near the hotel or an unhurried breakfast, then drive to Jaipur.

• The road takes roughly three and a half hours.
• A lunch stop on the way breaks the journey, and the scenery moves from dry forest into more open farmland.
• You reach Jaipur in the afternoon.
• After checking in, your Jaipur guide joins you for a first look at the city.
• A good option is the Hawa Mahal from the main street, followed by a walk through the old bazaars as the light softens.
• Lamps come on, and you can browse block-printed cloth and lacquer bangles.
• The pace is easy after the early safari mornings.
• Dinner is at your hotel or at a restaurant the guide recommends.
• Tomorrow is your main sightseeing day in the Pink City.

Start at Amber Fort in the morning, when the courtyards are quiet and the light is gentle.

• Your guide leads you through the gateways, the mirrored hall and the zenana, and you can spend about two hours on the hill.
• On the way down, stop to photograph Jal Mahal on its lake.
• Then visit the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar observatory in the old city, where the guide explains the stone instruments.
• Have a late lunch in town.
• By early afternoon, the driver takes you back to Delhi, roughly five to six hours depending on traffic, with a tea stop along the way.
• Evening traffic near Delhi can be slow, so the schedule leaves a margin.
• You are dropped at your hotel, the airport or the station.
• If you have a night flight, share the time when we plan.