For the traveller who wants to draw the entire arc of the Subcontinent — from the snow peaks of the Nepalese Himalaya, across the Bhutanese cliff-monasteries of Paro, down through the Thar Desert citadels of Rajasthan, and ending at the gold-domed Sikh shrine of Amritsar. Distilled from a private tour we built for two couples.
An easy first landing — early check-in, drive-throughs of Lutyens' Delhi, and an optional visit to the Mother Teresa-managed school for the blind.
A morning mountain flight along the spine of the Himalayas — Everest off the wing — followed by Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, and the medieval lanes of Patan.
A short flight west to lakes and white peaks. Sunrise at Sarangkot — the Annapurna massif lighting up over Phewa Lake.
The hike up to Tiger's Nest Monastery, the dzongs and chortens of the valley, and three quiet nights at a heritage retreat — full board.
The painted havelis of Shekhawati — open-air frescoes from 18th-century merchant houses, the world's largest gallery of folk art.
Junagarh Fort, Lalgarh Palace, the Laxmi Nath Temple — and the spicy snacks Bikaner is, somewhat improbably, world-famous for.
The Golden City rising from the dunes — Jain temples carved like lace, the Patwon Ki Haveli, and a camel-back sunset across Sam Sand Dunes with folk dancers and dinner under the stars.
A jeep safari to a Bishnoi village, Mehrangarh Fort high above the blue city, the cenotaphs of Jaswant Thada, and the bustling 'haat bazaar' of Sadar Market.
A 17th-century palace-hotel in the Aravalli foothills — rural Rajasthan, lakeside picnics, no other guests for kilometres.
The Pink City — Amber Fort, City Palace, Jantar Mantar — and a more local pleasure: a visit to the street barber.
A road via Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned red-sandstone capital — and a dawn visit to the Taj Mahal the next morning.
The Golden Temple by day and by lamplight — the 'Palki' ceremony in the evening, when the holy book is laid to rest. Jallianwala Bagh. The 'Beating the Retreat' at the Wagah border, where India and Pakistan march each evening at dusk.
An airport hotel for an early morning flight home — the gentle landing back into the modern world.
A handful of representative days. Every one of these is moveable, lengthenable, and re-shapeable around your interests.
A 5:30 AM transfer to the domestic terminal for the one-hour mountain flight. The Saab 340 climbs east from Kathmandu and runs the full spine of the Himalayas — fourteen 7,000-metre peaks visible from the right-side window, Everest itself off the wing.
Back at the hotel by 9 AM for breakfast. The afternoon is unhurried: Pashupatinath at the cremation ghats, Boudhanath stupa, and the brick lanes of Patan Durbar Square.
There are flights with views, and there are flights you remember the rest of your life. This is the second kind.
A 7 AM start with packed breakfast for the hike up to Taktsang — the Tiger's Nest Monastery — clinging 900 metres above the valley floor. Three hours up, including a stop at the cafeteria viewpoint for hot tea.
The monastery itself is small, dim, butter-lamp-lit. The descent is gentler. A late lunch at the resort, an afternoon hot stone bath, and dinner of red rice and ema datshi.
Bhutan does not let you in if you are unwilling to walk.
A morning tour of the living fort — the Patwon Ki Haveli, the Jain temples carved like ivory — and a long siesta through the desert afternoon.
At 4 PM, drive 40 km west to Sam Sand Dunes. Camel ride to the crest. Sit. Watch the sun drop. Folk dancers arrive. A bonfire is lit. Dinner is a Rajasthani thali on a low table on the sand.
The Thar at sunset is the cleanest silence on earth.
A 5:30 AM departure for the Taj — gates open at sunrise, and you'll have it nearly to yourselves for thirty golden minutes. Back to Amarvilas for breakfast on the lawn, then a drive to Delhi, a 3:25 PM Vistara flight to Amritsar, and arrival at the Hyatt by evening.
After dinner — optional but strongly recommended — the 'Palki' service at the Golden Temple. The holy book of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, is carried from the inner sanctum to its night chamber by hand. Pilgrims line the marble walkways. The temple, lit and reflected in the pool, is somehow even more beautiful at night than at dawn.
"An awe-inspiring moment of peace, tranquillity and spirituality."
A morning at the Golden Temple — the langar kitchen, where 100,000 people are fed for free every day; the museum; the Akal Takht. Then to Jallianwala Bagh, the garden where in 1919 Brigadier Dyer's troops fired 1,650 rounds into an unarmed crowd — the moment the Raj began to lose India.
Late afternoon, drive 30 km west to Attari-Wagah — the only road border between India and Pakistan. Both nations conduct a synchronised flag-lowering ceremony at sunset, with high-kicking soldiers, brass bands, and crowds chanting from facing stadiums. It is part military drill, part spectator sport, and entirely unique.
Two countries, two flags, one sunset, lowered at the same instant.
A full day-by-day, room-by-room itinerary is written for you once we begin a conversation. This is the shape of the journey — yours will be one of a kind.
In the spirit of the original tour we built — a heritage flagship in each of the thirteen stops. Substitute, mix, or upgrade as you wish.
Equivalent properties — Taj, Leela, ITC, Aman and others — can be substituted at any city.
Three nights split between Kathmandu and Pokhara. A mountain flight along the Everest range, sunrise at Sarangkot, the great Boudhanath stupa, and the medieval brickwork of Patan Durbar Square.
Three quiet nights in the Paro valley with full board — the hike up to Tiger's Nest, the dzongs and chortens, traditional hot-stone baths, and hours of nothing but mountain silence.
Sixteen nights — Delhi, the Shekhawati frescoes, four desert citadels of Rajasthan, the Taj at dawn, and the gold-domed shrine of Sikhism at Amritsar with the spectacle of the Wagah border.
The itinerary above is one ambitious edition we have built for travellers who wanted to draw the entire arc of the Subcontinent in one journey — three countries, twenty-two nights.
Yours may be longer or shorter, drop a country, add Sikkim or Ladakh, slow down in Rajasthan, or trade Amritsar for Varanasi. We listen first, propose within a week, and refine until it feels right.
Delhi · Shimla · Mumbai · Pench · Kanha · Varanasi · Agra · Ranthambore · Jaipur · Udaipur
A north-India sweep with Himalayan hill stations, two jungle reserves, and the ghats of Varanasi.
Read the itinerary →Delhi · Agra · Ranthambore · Jaipur · Udaipur · Mumbai · Cochin · Backwaters · Kumarakom
Both Indias — Mughal forts and tiger country, then a houseboat through the Kerala backwaters.
Read the itinerary →We listen first, propose within a week, and refine until the itinerary feels right. No pressure, no packages — just a quiet, careful conversation.