Tigers and birds

Your driver meets you in Delhi and heads south on the expressway to Agra, roughly three and a half to four hours with a tea stop.

• You arrive around lunchtime and check in.
• After a rest, your guide takes you to Agra Fort, the red sandstone fortress beside the Yamuna, where the emperors held court.
• Late afternoon light on the walls is warm, and from the upper balconies the Taj Mahal appears across the river.
• If you are visiting the Taj tomorrow morning, your guide explains the plan and the gate timing over dinner.
• The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so when your dates fall on one we move the Taj to the day before and use the fort in the morning instead.
• Wear shoes that are easy to slip off.

Start before sunrise to be at the Taj Mahal when the gates open.

• Tickets are arranged for you.
• The marble moves from grey to gold to white as the light rises, and your guide points out the inlay and the symmetry of the gardens.
• In December and January, fog can hide the sunrise.
• Return for breakfast, then leave Agra for Bharatpur, roughly an hour's drive west.
• After lunch, you enter Keoladeo National Park, a flat, wooded wetland that was once a royal duck shoot.
• Hire a cycle rickshaw or walk the broad paths with your guide, who knows the herons, storks, painted storks and kingfishers.
• Bring binoculars if you have them.
• The light is best from late afternoon, and the park closes at dusk.

This is a travel day of roughly four hours, so you set out after breakfast.

• You can add an early morning in Keoladeo if the birdlife is good, then drive south through farmland and small towns, with a lunch stop on the way.
• You reach Ranthambore in the afternoon and check in at your lodge, which is arranged by category.
• If time allows, your guide can take you to a short orientation walk, or you can rest before the first safari.
• The park is run in morning and afternoon safari slots, with seating arranged in advance.
• Tonight, your guide explains how the zones are allocated and what a good day looks like.
• Tiger sightings are never guaranteed, and the forest rewards patience as much as luck.

The first safari starts early, shortly after dawn, in an open vehicle shared with other guests.

• Dress in layers, since the morning air is cold in winter, and wear muted colours.
• Your naturalist drives slowly through dry deciduous forest, past lake edges and ruined pavilions, watching for alarm calls from langurs and deer, which often reveal a tiger before you see it.
• Expect to see sambar, spotted deer, wild boar, peacocks and perhaps a leopard or sloth bear.
• Return to the lodge for a late breakfast and a long rest at midday.
• The afternoon safari follows a different zone, leaving around three.
• Back at the lodge, dinner is early, and the guide briefs you on tomorrow's plan.
• No sighting is promised, but the park is one of the better places in India to look.

Today repeats the safari rhythm with a variation.

• After the morning drive and a late breakfast, spend a couple of hours at Ranthambore Fort, which stands on a rocky plateau inside the park.
• The climb is steep, so bring comfortable shoes, but the ramparts look out over lakes and forest, and a Ganesh temple sits at the top.
• Langurs and peacocks wander the ruins.
• A rest at midday is sensible.
• The afternoon safari goes to a different zone from the previous ones, to improve your chances.
• If you have already seen a tiger, you may prefer to spend the time on birds and smaller animals.
• Your naturalist adjusts the pace to what you want to look for.

Leave after breakfast, or after a short optional morning safari if the schedule allows.

• The drive to Jaipur takes roughly four hours, mostly on good roads, with a stop for lunch.
• You arrive in the early afternoon and check in.
• In the late afternoon your guide takes you to the old city.
• See the pink-washed bazaars, the Hawa Mahal facade from the street opposite and the City Palace, which is still partly a royal residence.
• If you are tired from the safaris, the city tour can be shortened to a single stop.
• Dinner is at the hotel or a restaurant your guide suggests.
• Tomorrow's plan is simple, with Amber Fort in the morning and a drive back to Delhi in the afternoon.

Begin at Amber Fort in the morning light, when it is quiet.

• The courtyards, the mirror hall and the gates take roughly two hours.
• Your guide can show you the fort walls and the Maota lake below.
• Return to the hotel for a late breakfast or early lunch, then set off for Delhi, roughly five to six hours' drive with a rest stop.
• The road passes through Rajasthan's dry country and then the outskirts of Gurgaon, so traffic near the capital can be heavy.
• Your driver takes you to Delhi airport or to your hotel, depending on your plans.
• If you have an evening flight, we time the drive to leave a good margin.
• Your guide will check the timing with you the night before.