Tour North India, Amritsar, Shimla Toy Train, Rajasthan, Goa by train.

Arrive at any time and welcome to India's bustling capital - Delhi!

Tonight, wander through the electric Karol Bagh market as your hotel is located in this vicinity or if you want to have rest then full day is for leisure and rest. Night stay is in Delhi.

Today we shall pay a visit to the Jalianwala Bagh, site of the tarnished slaughter under General Dyer in 1919, which headed to 379 Sikhs being shot from point blank range by British troops. This entirely motiveless attack on a peaceful demonstration led to Gandhi's programme of civil rebellion

and helped to spur India's burgeoning independence movement. Also, visit the Golden Temple,

where we make sure to remove our shoes, cover heads and wash-down our feet before entering

Golden Temple. The temple itself is a unpredictably small building encircled almost wholly by tanks

of holy water in which the Sikh pilgrims bathe (the name of the town itself comes from the Amrit

Sarovar - the Pool of Nectar).

The ambiance is one of incredible calm, with disciples taking their turn to pass through the main

shrine, where there is a continuous and melodic recital (known as the Akhand Path) from the Guru

Granth Sahib. This afternoon there will be an excursion to Wagah Border to see the Flag Down

ceremony. Night stay is in Amritsar.

Amritsar – Dharamshala (6 – 7 Hours Drive)

Morning check out and drive to Dharamshala. On arrival check in at your hotel.

Opt for an orientation walk around McLeod Ganj, the famed seat of the Tibetan government in

exile and present home of Dalai Lama. Choose a tour of the Norbulingka Institute, located among

beautiful gardens, devoted to preserving Tibetan culture.

Night stay is in Dharamshala.

In Dharamshala-Enjoy free time to explore Dharamsala on your own.

There are lots of ways to spend free time in this charming place. Visit the Kangra Art Museum in

the Kotwali bazaar, or take in a performance of the Tibetan folk opera 'Lhamo' at the Tibetan

Institute of Performing Arts. Night stay is in Dharamshala

Enjoy a long drive to the amiable town of Shimla, high in the beautiful Himalayas. Evening is for leisure and rest. Night stay is in summer capitals of British Raj era.

Experience an orientation walk on The Ridge and The Mall (local retreats) and discover this summer

capital of British India. Choose to visit the Viceregal Lodge or admire the neo-Gothic or

Tudorbethan design of the heritage buildings. Night stay is in Shimla.

Opt for the World Heritage-listed toy train from Shimla to Kalka. Over the passage of 3 hours, the

train gusts within tunnels as you head out of the mountains of Shimla. On arrival at Kalka Shift to

the Shatabdi Express for the rest of the journey back to Delhi, with dinner included on board.

On arrival at Delhi you will be transferred to your hotel for overnight stay.

Morning board the fastest train of India as Gatiman Express Enjoy a guided tour of the impressive Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Time permitting, opt to visit the Baby Taj. Built by the emperor Shah Jahan to honour the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz, it is built of marble and decorated with the most delicate inlay work, the Taj Mahal needed the labours of 20,000 men and is assessed to have cost something in the region of 3 million rupees (at today’s prices that equates to around $70 million).

We then pay a break to the splendor of Agra Fort. Built by Emperor Akbar and then elaborated by his grandson, Shah Jahan, the fort was once a great city, with palaces, mosques and halls all lying behind the protective clinch of 20m high walls.

After breakfast, there will be some leisure time to wander the city, possibly taking in the rich classiness of the beautiful Itimad-ud-Daulah, a 17th century tomb constructed for the Emperor Jehangir’s chief minister that reflects the marble majesty of the more famous Taj Mahal (hence its rather apt title of ‘Baby Taj). In the evening board your train for Jaipur. Night stay is in Jaipur

Arrive and transfer to your hotel. Later discover Jagdish Temple and the City Palace, one of the largest royal palaces in India. Attend a Rajasthani cultural show on Gangaur Ghat.

Night stay is in Udaipur

Enjoy a free day in Udaipur. There’s loads to explore and do in Udaipur, and we sought to make sure that you had some time to take it all in. Feel free to rest or try optional happenings such as discovering the Monsoon Palace, understanding Rajasthani cuisine with a cooking class, and visiting the Saheliyon-ki-Bari Garden.

In the evening board your train for Bundi. On arrival at Bundi check in at your hotel for overnight stay.

One of the unexplored cities with a rich historical wealth. Bundi is surrounded by the Aravalli hills on the three sides and is circumscribed by a massive wall with four gateways. Interesting monuments including impressive medieval forts, palaces, havelis, temples with beautiful stone idols and chattris with carved pillars, along with a picturesque lake in the heart of the town, add to its charm.

Bundi is very famous for its intricate carvings and murals. Visit Step-wells of Bundi: For anyone who wants to see the beauty of different types of stepwells, a visit to the township of Bundi is recommended. A number of stepwells have been made over a period of three centuries by members of the royal families as well as the people of Bundi who took interest in a worthwhile cause. Out of around 20 stepwells in the area, those worth a mention are Naval Sagar, Sisodiaji ki Baori, Purushottam ki Baori, Sukhi Baori, Manoharji ki Baori and RAmi ki Baori.

Taragarh Fort: The serpentine Taragarh Fort and its palace is what immediately strike visitors on arrival in Bundi. Rudyard Kipling who visited here a century ago wrote, “No human hand can create such a splendour; for only angels have that skill”. Taragarh is Bundi’s pride. This imposing fort was raised at a height of 500 meters atop a hill by Rao Bar Singh in the 13th century.

In time get transferred to a nearby railway station and board your overnight train for Mumbai. Night is on board.

On arrival at Mumai this morning get transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay.

[Note check in time at the hotel is around 1200 hours so room is subject to availability at time of check in. However we have arranged breakfast till the room gets ready for check in]

Made up of seven islands on the eastern periphery of the Arabian Sea, Mumbai attracts people from all over the country to its prosperous streets. Mumbai is also the abode of ‘Bollywood’, an industry that creates more films per year than any other city in the world.

After freshen up we will be exploring city this morning, watching the honey-coloured Gateway of India arch and the macabre Towers of Silence. Built by the Parsis escaping persecution in Persia during the 17th century, the Towers were a mortuary for the dead. Being Zoroastrians the Parsis were not allowed to bury or cremate their dead, so in its place they were left in these towers to allow nature to dispose of them.

We also visit the Prince of Wales Museum, which has an outstanding compilation of Indian miniatures from the Moghal and Rajasthan schools, whilst at the Mahatma Gandhi Museum we’ll learn a slight of the great man’s life and ideas, because of an notable collection of books, photographs and letters.

[The train is basic with overnight beds]

Leaving the city timely this morning we travel by train to Goa, following the Konkan Railway to the station at Thivim.

Travelling along this line offers us an occasion to rightly realize some of the most stunning scenery tendered by any of the Indian rail networks as we surpass through the amazing scenery of the Western Ghats. The palmfringed shores of Goa were colonised by the Portuguese in the 16th century, who seized the original Arab trade settlement and began building a city on the Arabian Sea sprinkled with houses, gardens monasteries and churches, lots of which unluckily no longer remain.

Goa ultimately became the commercial centre for East and West, where traders could purchase pearls, coral, rubies, golden jewellery, silks, China porcelain, lacquered furniture, ambergris and exotic spices. The Portuguese influence is still very much apparent – the main religion is still Roman Catholic and siestas are still widely applied in the hot afternoons. Like most parts in India, Goa also has its own food specialities, the most well-liked is pork vindaloo! You may also want to sample the locally prepared spirit feni – a spine-tingling drink made from coconut or cashew apples.

We have a comfortable start to the day with the morning free before we meet in the afternoon and take a walk around the city of Panjim. While Goa is mainly known for the beaches that lure tourists during the year, the wide streets of Panjim are worth discovering.

The buildings are noticeably European in style with shutters, balconies and red tiled roofs though they are assorted with more traditional temples to form a rather unusual style.

If you wish to spend some time on the beach it is just a short taxi ride away.

This morning we will go to a local spice plantation, to learn a little of the spices and plants that grow between these fertile landscapes. This part of India has long been famous for its plentiful array of spices; indeed Christopher Columbus was en route to the spice rich Malabar Coast when he bounced into America by mistake. A journey of the gardens with a local guide will disclose the massive wealth of Goa’s aromatic treasures, containing pepper and nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon.

Night stay is in Goa

In time you shall be transferred to Goa Airport to board your flight for onwards journey