Highlights of India, Mumbai and the Golden Triangle

We meet at London Heathrow ahead of our overnight flight to Delhi.

Landing on Day 2, we transfer to our hotel for the next two nights.

We begin exploring this chaotic yet charming city on Day 3, taking a guided tour of both Old and New Delhi. India's vibrant capital presents a heady blend of medieval, colonial and modern architecture and culture to admire. To really absorb the atmosphere here, we travel by rickshaw through the narrow streets of Old Delhi and admire Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in the country, before moving on to New Delhi, where the imposing India Gate, Mughal Emperor Humayun's tomb and the towering Qutab Minar await us.

We board India's first semi-high-speed train, the Gatimaan Express, for the journey to Agra. Agra is a former capital of the Mughal Empire and is famed worldwide for its fantastic ancient architecture, much of which has UNESCO World Heritage status. After settling into our hotel for the night, we take a tour of the city, visiting two of its best-known attractions: the imposing Agra Fort and the incredible Taj Mahal. Constructed from pearlescent white marble and decorated with precious stones, the Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved queen of Emperor Shah Jahan, and dates back to the 17th century. We admire the intricate calligraphy carvings of poems and scripture from the Quran on our visit to this, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

We call in at the short-lived ancient capital of India, Fatephur Sikri, this morning. Abandoned after only 14 years due to a dwindling water supply, the city remains beautifully preserved to this day, a red sandstone reminder of what city life was like during the 16th century. We continue to Ranthambore this afternoon aboard the Shatabdi Express and check into our hotel for two nights.

We enjoy another highlight of our holiday today, taking two game drives in Ranthambore National Park. Considered to be the best park in India for spotting the elusive Royal Bengal tiger, the sanctuary is also home to over 300 other species of birds, crocodiles, deer and monkeys. Some of the other rare creatures that roam its forests and scrublands include leopards, panthers, hyenas and even sloth bears. Look out for the park's incredible range of wildlife as we explore on both morning and afternoon game drives, scheduled at different times to increase our chance of a tiger sighting. In the evening, we enjoy a talk by a local naturalist - an ex-pert on the 515 square miles that make up Ranthambore and all the animals that live within its boundaries.

Travelling to the pink city of Jaipur for two nights, the rest of your day is free to unwind or start exploring.

We head out on our guided tour on Day 8. The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur was founded in 1727 and is famed for an array of striking sights. We see the impressive Amber Fort, sat on the edge of Maota Lake and one of three ancient hilltop forts that dominate the hills above Jaipur, known for its artistic Hindu elements as well as its complex collection of underground passages, courtyards and gateways. We also drive by the Palace of the Winds which has a pale pink façade that once disguised the presence of courtly ladies who did not wish to appear in public.

We board our internal flight to Mumbai, home for the next two nights. Set on India's west coast beside the Arabian Sea, the city is famous as the birthplace of Bollywood and is also a thriving financial and commercial district. A gateway to the rest of India ever since the Suez Canal opened in 1869, Mumbai became the heart of the spice trade between the sub-continent and the Mediterranean. We taste some of these delicious flavours for ourselves with a cooking demonstration at our hotel this evening.

Discover Mumbai on an early morning walking tour, we visit the Colaba Dock, where fishermen gather after a night at sea. Continuing along the almost empty DN Road, we admire the colonial-era buildings on our way to Crawford Market, where we experience an authentic Indian bazaar, filled with people shopping for their favourite ingredients. We also explore the vibrant neighbourhoods of Byculla and Dadar before returning to the hotel for breakfast and some free time. Later, we set out on a sightseeing tour by coach. This includes the Gateway of India, an arched monument from the colonial era, the impressive Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a UNESCO-listed railway station dating back to 1887, and Mani Bhavan, Gandhi's former home. We also see Mahalakshmi Dhobi Ghat, an open-air laundromat where hundreds of dedicated washers clean clothes the time-honoured way - with elbow grease and concrete tubs.

Bidding farewell to India, we transfer to the airport for our flight back to London Heathrow.