Highlights of Northern India

This small group tour with Explore Worldwide begins in New Delhi, where the contrast between Old Delhi’s narrow, crowded streets and the capital’s modern skyscrapers is immediately apparent. Highlights here include a rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk bazaar and visits to Mughal monuments such as Humayun’s Tomb.

The itinerary moves on to Rajasthan with stays in Jaipur and Pushkar, featuring the pink-hued Palace of the Winds and the annual camel fair—packed with decorated livestock and traders hawking their wares. From there it’s a five-hour drive to Ranthambore National Park, where shared 4x4 safaris offer a chance to spot Bengal tigers amid lakes and rocky cliffs.

Later, a quieter stretch brings a stay in the Chambal Valley, where boat trips focus on gharial crocodiles and rare birdlife, before heading to Agra to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. The final stop is Varanasi, one of Hinduism’s oldest cities, where early morning boat rides and evening river ceremonies reveal a more contemplative side to a place better known for its hectic pace.

Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, a first triangle, not the whole of India

4 min read

These are the places the trip visits, in order. Explore Worldwide publishes the day-by-day itinerary on its own site.