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Taj & Tigers — 7 nights through Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore and Jaipur.
The Golden Triangle with two days at Ranthambore dropped into the middle of it. You do Delhi and Agra as usual, then turn south-west into a dry forest of ravines and old hunting ground where tigers live alongside the ruins of a fort, and spend a full day on safari before carrying on to Jaipur. It is the simplest way to get a realistic chance of a tiger into a trip that is otherwise about Mughal architecture.
Two warnings, both worth taking seriously. The Agra to Ranthambore day is 275 km and seven hours with Fatehpur Sikri stopped at on the way, so it is a long one. And the safaris are in a canter, a shared open-topped twenty-seater, which means cold air on your face at dawn in January and no roof when the sun is high in April. All meals are included at Ranthambore, which helps: you come back from the morning drive and breakfast is waiting.
One private car and driver throughout, including the seven-hour run to Ranthambore and the six hours back to Delhi.
Through the gateway and there it is, framed on purpose, with the marble shifting tone as the afternoon goes on. Agra Fort earlier in the day gives you the other side of the story, since that is where Shah Jahan spent his last years. The Taj is closed on Fridays.
Akbar's capital, used for fourteen years and then left alone, which is why the courtyards feel as empty as they do. You walk the residential complex, the mosque and the Tomb of Salim Chisti early in the day, then get back in the car for the long haul south.
Out at first light in an open canter through dry forest and ravines, with the old fort walls above you and alarm calls doing most of the work of finding anything. Back for breakfast, a free few hours, then out again for the afternoon. All meals are included, so the day is built around the park's timings rather than yours.
Amber Fort is a ramp, a gate and then a series of courtyards on the ridge above a lake, with an elephant ride up when elephants are available. Jantar Mantar later is stranger and better than it sounds: a yard of enormous stone instruments, all of them still working.
October to March suits both halves of the trip. November to February give the most comfortable sightseeing, though the dawn canter drive is genuinely cold then. March and early April can be better for sightings as water gets scarce, but the heat builds quickly after that.
Arrive Delhi
You are met at the airport and taken to your hotel, where rooms are available from 1400. Do nothing useful with the rest of the day; the pace picks up tomorrow.
Delhi
Jama Masjid, then Chandni Chowk, then Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar. The Red Fort, India Gate and the President's House are seen from the car between stops.
Delhi to Agra
204 km / 4 hrs
Sikandra on the way in, then Agra Fort, then the Taj Mahal in the afternoon light. The Taj closes on Fridays, so we check your dates and reorder the itinerary if one falls awkwardly.
Agra to Ranthambore via Fatehpur Sikri
275 km / 7 hrs
The long day. Fatehpur Sikri comes early, while it is still cool and quiet, and the rest is road. You arrive at Ranthambore in time for dinner, which is included, and an early night before the morning drive.
Ranthambore
Two canter safaris, one at first light and one in the afternoon, with the hours in between free and all three meals provided. Take a fleece for the morning drive between November and February; an open vehicle at 6am is colder than the forecast suggests.
Ranthambore to Jaipur
185 km / 4 hrs
A shorter drive north to Jaipur, with nothing scheduled at the other end. After yesterday's two dawn-to-dusk drives, an afternoon doing very little is the right call.
Jaipur
Amber Fort in the morning, with the elephant ride up to the gate subject to availability. Then the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal.
Jaipur to Delhi
275 km / 6 hrs
Back to Delhi by road and on to the airport for your flight home. Six hours, so we leave early and build in a buffer for the traffic coming into the city.
We price the land arrangements and your flights together, then come back with one number. No deposit is taken on the call and nothing is booked until you say so.
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No. The from-price is land only: hotels, the meals listed, the car and driver, guided sightseeing and the two safaris. UK flights are quoted separately and booked under ATOL 74904.
Yes. British passport holders need an Indian visa arranged before travel, at your own cost. It is not included in the tour price, so allow time for the application when choosing dates.
Possibly, and anyone who promises otherwise is selling you something. Ranthambore is one of the better parks in India for sightings and two drives give you two chances, but tigers are wild animals in a large park and plenty of people go home having seen deer, crocodiles, langurs and a lot of birds instead.
A shared open-topped safari vehicle seating about twenty people, which is what the two included drives use. It is sociable and perfectly good for spotting, but you share it with other guests and there is no roof, so dress for the hour rather than the daytime temperature.
275 km and about seven hours from Agra, including the stop at Fatehpur Sikri. It is the longest day of the tour by some margin. The drive on from the park to Jaipur is a much gentler four hours.
October to March suits both halves of the trip. November to February give the most comfortable sightseeing, though the early canter drive is genuinely cold then. March and the start of April can be good for sightings as water gets scarcer, but the heat builds quickly after that, and July to September is the monsoon.
Prices shown are the supplier’s published “from” price for the land arrangements only, per person on a twin-share basis, and vary by date, hotel grade and party size. International flights are quoted separately. The route map is an illustration of the order of stops, not an accurate map. Patel Travel is ATOL 74904 and IATA accredited. Tours are operated by our ground partner in India; your confirmation will state who is responsible for your booking.
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