North India & Luxury Rajasthan

This is the vibrant and colourful heartland of the great Empires and kingdoms ruled by Emperors and the Maharajas who – according to Kipling – were created by Providence to provide mankind with a spectacle! Here lies the Taj Mahal and other gems of Mughal and Rajput architecture. The diversity of Rajasthan is astounding – not only is it beautiful architecture, from the art deco influences by Le Corbusier to New Delhi which has many buildings and monuments designed by Edwin Lutyens, but desert countryside and nomadic cultures too. This is the India of rich colours, ornate and opulent palaces and gorgeous Royal tented camps. Here are the colourful festivals of Pushkar and Nagaur. there is a miscellany of things to do, from camel riding through the Thar desert, meeting local villagers en route and perhaps watching them making the pottery that they use every day to riding on the magnificent Marwari horses whilst staying in Royal tented camps and palaces. Or stay in beautiful havellis, dining with the owners (who may be a descendant of nobility) and where you will, in all likelihood, depart more as friends than just visitors. This is the essence of what we do, arranging for clients to meet and stay with, for instance, a local Maharajah and get briefly immersed in local affairs of note or politics or being at the stunning Royal tented camps. Being thus in the countryside and as far as possible away from mainstream tourism, one sees the harvesting of the crops such as fenugreek or saffron and experiences somtimes magnificent wildlife. The fauna might range from desert adapted species to the wonderful, evocative, magnificent tiger – surely a “must” for every visitor interested in wildlife (and ideally which should be sought in the quieter small parks, of which we have fundamental knowledge). There is also superb winter birding including sightings of Great Indian Bustards and vast flocks of cranes and waterfowl. This is Rajasthan although one can only offer a glimpse and there is so much more than merely the usually visited so-called Golden Triangle.

Further north there is a whole different feel and setting – and plenty to interest the most jaded traveller! The Golden Temple at Amritsar, the colourful border ceremony with Pakistan, the avian treasures of Harike are all noted highlights but we also love to plan itineraries that include more specialised requirements and have the expertise to arrange for almost any request……