A spectacular 12-night itinerary visiting India's finest national parks including Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Panna.

Khau Gully

Mumbai

If you love street food, this tour of Mumbai’s Khau Gully, which translates to food lane, is a must. This trip was devised to give travellers an understanding of what quintessential street food is like in Mumbai. You’ll visit the city’s various communities and hear the stories behind their dishes and ingredients. It’s one of the best ways to learn about Indian culture and history because there’s so much woven into food, from migration to politics.

Foodies rave about this experience; you get to taste around eight different dishes over three and a half hours. You’ll try signature snacks like the Bombay burger and bhel puri, which is made of puffed rice, vegetable and tamarind sauce. People enjoy the pav bhaji, a vegetable curry with bread that was loved by workers from Mumbai’s cotton mills. You’ll also get to visit some of the oldest restaurants in Mumbai, including a famous puri. Then there’s the 100-year-old Irani cafés that sprung up in the early 19th century, when bakers migrated here from Iran. Here you can enjoy tea and to meet the people who’ve been running the cafés for what feels like eternity.

The tour ends in Girgaon Chowpatty beach, where you’ll witness real street food culture. On a Sunday, when families want to escape the kitchen, they get dressed up and go down to eat at the beach. You can sample treats like dosas from southern India that have been adapted Bombay style.

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Mumbai by Dawn

Mumbai

If you want to see Mumbai at its best and meet the real people of the city, this is the tour for you. It’s worth the early start to see the city as it wakes, when it’s cooler and the industrial morning routines are in full swing. This trip really gives you an insight into the spirit and culture of Mumbai.

Down at the docks, watch the Koli fisher-folk, the original Mumbai inhabitants, hauling and grading 25 tonnes of fish straight from the boat. Led by a Mumbai storyteller, you’ll learn all about this community and migration in Mumbai, meeting people who’ve come from all over to make a living here, from fishermen to flower women.

Next stop is the newspaper distribution centre where vendors sort newspapers in seven different languages in the middle of the road. Unlike the rest of the world, the newspaper industry in Mumbai is thriving. You’ll delve into why this is and talk to some of the staff to learn how the printing industry works. The office is near the Victoria Terminus railway station, which you will visit to see its awesome architecture. Next visit a Synagogue, where you’ll learn about Judaism and other religions in Mumbai.

At the market, you’ll encounter all kinds of colourful produce and learn what’s endemic to the country, it’s a very popular photography stop. You’ll see more morning activity, from milkmen driving past to the bustle at the flower market.

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Mumbai Dreams Bollywood Tour

Mumbai

Experience the madness that is Bollywood, from joining a dance workshop to visiting a working film set and trying your hand at dubbing in the sound studio. Bollywood is such an integral part of Indian culture and the stars are revered as role models.

This full-day tour kicks off with a Bollywood dance workshop led by a professional choreographer, who’ll teach you ten minutes of an iconic dance routine. Your performance will be recorded to take away on a USB. Next, you’ll visit a production studio where you’ll watch a film or TV shoot in action. It’s very immersive and you’ll get a chance to chat with actors and crew in between takes.

After lunch (own expense), head to the recording studio where you can try dubbing some Bollywood dialogue over a film clip. You’ll be given a classic Bollywood line often about the underdog’s place in society and triumphing over bad guys, and then you’ll perform it in Hindi to the clip. It’s great fun and you get an idea of how hilariously over the top Bollywood can be. If there’s time after the studio tour, you can visit the Bollywood Museum to see hand-painted movie posters before ending the trip at an old-school theatre, where you’ll watch an excerpt of a Bollywood movie.

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Colonial Walk

Mumbai

Explore Mumbai’s colonial history on this half-day tour, led by a local storyteller. The tour focuses on the tales behind the city’s famous colonial buildings, not just the dates and facts. These landmarks are woven into Mumbai’s past, set against a backdrop of modern Indian culture.

People still work at the BMC building and thousands of travellers pass through the Victoria Terminus Station every day. It is a living heritage and a vital part of understanding the city.

The tour starts at the Victory Arch, the Gateway of India, which was built to commemorate King George V. Continue to key sites like the high court and Yacht Club, which are examples of stunning colonial architecture. At the police headquarters, which used to be the Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home, you’ll learn about its connection with the film Alien – the film director Ridley Scott named the spaceship Narcissus after a boat in one of Joseph Conrad’s books, which was set in Mumbai.

Highlights include the Regal Cinema, where you’ll hear about the first Bollywood film that came to Mumbai and a visit Watson's Hotel, which hosted Mark Twain and was the city’s first iron cast building, located in the Kala Ghoda art district of Mumbai. Guests love meeting the Dabbawalas, the couriers who deliver over 500,000 lunch boxes in the city per day, with a staggering 99 percent accuracy despite the fact that they still work without any kind of technology.

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Game Drive (from Singinawa Wildlife Camp)

Kanha National Park

While the Bengal tiger remains India’s most famous yet elusive of creatures, Kanha’s reputation for sightings surpasses many expectations. As one of India’s oldest tiger reserves, people from all over the world are drawn to the vast meadows and forests of sal trees in the hope of spotting these majestic animals. Despite its large size, its well-honed infrastructure allows visitors to explore the various portions of the park without huge crowds and in sustainable ways.

The star attraction here is undoubtedly the sustained population of over 110 tigers, a figure expected to rise in the near future. Even in the tamer buffer areas, the number of these wonderful creatures has increased. This means the possibility of sightings is high and makes the night drives, which are usually done in these outer perimeters, especially exciting. All game drives are led by guides who are drawn to Kanha for their shared love of nature. They take visitors through the forest’s entirety explaining the various ecosystems as well as the role in which humans play. The villages that were once there have been relocated outside of the park but the stories of how people lived alongside tigers, sloth bears, wild dogs and jackals continue to live on.

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Eco-Restoration Walk (from Singinawa Wildlife Camp)

Kanha National Park

This one-hour guided walk follows part of a nature trail covering around 58 acres of land in the forested buffer areas of the Kanha reserve and gives you a different perspective of the jungle. An expert knowledge of the forest is imperative to these walks. The guides will explain and introduce you to the many practices designed to help conserve the land.

There are huge sal trees, prevalent to the area, that make up this moist deciduous forest. Then there’s the vast grasslands for which Kanha is famous where you may see barasingha deer grazing in the golden light. Treading through the jungle you might also spot chital deer, muntjac, foxes and some of the 150 species of birds whose natural habitat has been rigorously preserved. The excursions are created by trained forest guides, many of whom have been born and bred in the region. They understand every type of residential creature whether that’s tigers, sloth bears or sambar deer, as well as all the different parts of the park from the forested core to the wild outer perimeters.

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Game Drive

Bandhavgarh National Park

Tracking tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park is like living out your every jungle fantasy. Bandhavgarh, like all of India’s national parks, is divided up into different zones only one of which you can explore on each outing.

On a full day safari though you can explore all four zones which is a little more expensive but fantastic. The star attraction is the park’s Bengal tigers of which researchers still only know around 8% of their behavioural patterns. Among the huge array of fauna, there are also leopard, sloth bears, four species of deer and a multitude of bird life. The topography is riveting; tall sal trees, sloping hills, vast grassland and thick forest. Each animal sighting is as unique as the next but there’s nothing more special than seeing the distinctive stripes of your first tiger sighting.

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Saffron Palate

Delhi

Your host Neha Gupta, will introduce you to the secrets of cooking delicious Indian cuisine in her home. Neha grew up watching her mother cook and because her father was in the air force, they lived all over India, so she was exposed to regional cuisine. She has now created a cultural culinary experience, something hands-on that gives people a feel for Indian food but also the stories behind famous dishes.

To start, you’ll be introduced to the dishes you’re going to make and go through the ingredients and spices that will be used. Typically cook four dishes will be cooked, a mix of vegetarian and chicken, along with breads like rotis and chapatis, but it can be tailored to your dietary needs. Dishes vary by season but may include a chana masala or biryani.

Guests often say it’s like cooking with a friend - it’s very casual and you can ask Neha about anything, be it food, culture or being a married woman in India. She lives in a multi-floor house with her extended family and they may also pop in to meet you. Neha will tell you about the dishes being prepared, what part of the country they’re from and what bread they’re best paired with. Indian food is all about knowing spices, so there is a focus on that, as well as how to make dough from scratch for the breads.

Once everything is cooked, you will eat in the kitchen together or out on the terrace with drinks followed by dessert. The whole class takes around two hours and at the end, you’ll get a copy of Neha’s recipe book. Guests love the hands-on element of the class and getting to see how an Indian household lives. This experience is for anyone who’s fond of trying new things – you don’t need to be a cook, you just need to like food.

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Chandni Chowk by Night

Delhi

Exploring Chandni Chowk by night gives you a chance to understand the real spirit of Delhi. At night, it’s less crowded so there’s more opportunity to engage with locals and after sunset, Chandni Chowk glows and glitters with store lights. There’s a maze of different streets to discover that specialise in everything from silver and spices to saris and glass bangles. If you want to buy something, you guide will help you haggle, which is a ritual in Old Delhi. The highlight of the trip is trying some of the local food.

The tour starts at around 5.30pm exploring on foot, as your guide explains the evolution of Old Delhi. You’ll see various businesses and have the opportunity to sit with people and hear about their lives. You might meet the ear-cleaning-man, who wears a red hat and carries tools to remove wax from people’s ears – it’s a great photo opportunity as is the chai vendors swirling tea in their metal pans. As you walk, your guide will point out religious landmarks like the Sunehri Masjid and Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, a Sikh temple with a community kitchen.

The highlight of the trip though is always the food. You will have dinner at Karim’s (guest to pay directly), a restaurant that serves Mughlai cuisine. It was set up in the 1940s by Karim, a chef who served in the kitchen of a Mughal emperor and wanted to introduce this food to ordinary people. The dishes have a Persian influence and include lots of bread and kormas, all cooked in an open kitchen. Afterwards, wander around the street food area where you can sample desserts like bread pudding and mango ice cream. You’ll get to try everything from samosas to chai – food is a very important part of experiencing Old Delhi.

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Old Delhi by Rickshaw

Delhi

Tour Old Delhi by rickshaw to visit temples and markets, taste street food and meet the locals in a convenient and fun way. The city is a crowded, congested place so travelling by rickshaw makes it a comfortable experience and you can cover more ground. The rickshaws look traditionally Indian but with wider seats and better safety standards. They have audio headsets so your guide – a Delhi local - can provide live commentary along the way.

You will start at a Jain temple known for its intricate architecture and bird hospital, before boarding the rickshaws. As you drive through the city you’ll see famous landmarks like the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk. There will be a visit a Sikh temple and the Jama Masjid, which is one of the largest mosques in India. Guests love the buzzing bazaars and spice market, with its different colours and scents, the vendors are so friendly and will want to show you how they prepare their masala spices and take pictures with you. Eventually you will reach the Gadodia Palace, which has an incredible view over Chandni Chowk from the fourth floor.

After working up an appetite, you will visit a local restaurant to try some typical Delhi dishes (guest to pay direct) such as puri puri, Indian bread which is deep fried so it blows up into a ball, served with a chickpea and potato curry. There’s also samosas and jalebi, a traditional deep-fried sweet soaked in syrup. The final stop on the tour is Naughara, a street with nine old havelis that feature Mughal architecture. Here you will get to meet a resident who’ll invite you in to have chai, chat and see the historic haveli where he’s lived all his life.

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Saffron Palate

Delhi

Your host Neha Gupta, will introduce you to the secrets of cooking delicious Indian cuisine in her home. Neha grew up watching her mother cook and because her father was in the air force, they lived all over India, so she was exposed to regional cuisine. She has now created a cultural culinary experience, something hands-on that gives people a feel for Indian food but also the stories behind famous dishes.

To start, you’ll be introduced to the dishes you’re going to make and go through the ingredients and spices that will be used. Typically cook four dishes will be cooked, a mix of vegetarian and chicken, along with breads like rotis and chapatis, but it can be tailored to your dietary needs. Dishes vary by season but may include a chana masala or biryani.

Guests often say it’s like cooking with a friend - it’s very casual and you can ask Neha about anything, be it food, culture or being a married woman in India. She lives in a multi-floor house with her extended family and they may also pop in to meet you. Neha will tell you about the dishes being prepared, what part of the country they’re from and what bread they’re best paired with. Indian food is all about knowing spices, so there is a focus on that, as well as how to make dough from scratch for the breads.

Once everything is cooked, you will eat in the kitchen together or out on the terrace with drinks followed by dessert. The whole class takes around two hours and at the end, you’ll get a copy of Neha’s recipe book. Guests love the hands-on element of the class and getting to see how an Indian household lives. This experience is for anyone who’s fond of trying new things – you don’t need to be a cook, you just need to like food.

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Old Delhi Street Photography Tour

Delhi

If you want to capture images of real life in Delhi, this photography tour is perfect. You’ll meet your guide over tea to discuss what you’d like to photograph. It doesn’t matter if you have hi-spec camera equipment or want to take pictures on your phone. The team are passionate storytellers who know Delhi intimately and can adapt to your photographic skill set, lighting and weather conditions. If you have a particular theme you’d like to shoot, whether its people or architecture, the guides will take you on a walking tour to find the best captures.

Often, guests want to photograph the by-lanes and markets like Chawri Bazar. The flower market is particularly good for photography. Walking through the crowded by-lanes of Old Delhi, taking candid pictures of the people who live there, Chandni Chowk is one of the favourite places for photography. During the tour there will be plenty of stops to get a drink, relax and perhaps try some street food.

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Delhi by Dawn

Delhi

Discover the magic of Delhi at dawn on this one-of-a-kind walking tour with a Delhi local. Your guide grew up in Delhi and believes that the city is a great example of Indian culture, which is a mixture of different faiths and communities woven together through history. You’ll see worshippers at the ghats by the Yamuna River, perhaps an aarti in session with Hindu chanting – it’s a beautiful, meditative start to the tour. Delhi is a super contrasting city which is represented in the tour, as you move on from this peaceful place towards the hustle of Old Delhi.

The walk starts at 6.00am in the most ancient precinct of the city which dates back to the Mahabharata era. After seeing the early morning worshippers at the ghats by the Yamuna River you will move on to Old Delhi.

The next stop is at the oldest wrestling school (akhara) in India, where you’ll learn all about the sport. Here, you might get to meet the wrestlers who’ve inherited the sport from their ancestors. Witness a different side of Delhi culture at a nearby gaushala, a cow shed, where you’ll have an interesting conversation about the veneration of cows in India.

Moving on to Old Delhi’s markets and bustle, you will get a chance to sample a typical Delhi breakfast dish, Nihari. Food is a huge part of the city, and you can see all Delhi’s communities represented in its various cuisines. Nihari is a meat dish cooked overnight, that was originally served to soldiers building the Red Fort – Nihar means morning. After a photo stop at India Gate, you’ll visit the iconic Humayun’s Tomb, which is free from crowds at this time of the morning. Built by Humayun’s wife to honour India’s second Mughal ruler, it’s a blueprint for mature tombs in India and a perfect end to the tour.

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