Indian Odyssey: 8 Days on the Deccan Odyssey from Delhi via the Taj Mahal, Rajasthan and Ellora to Mumbai

Board the Deccan Odyssey in Delhi

Arrive in Delhi and check in to your hotel, which we can arrange, to rest after your flight. We recommend arriving at least a day early: long-haul flights are sometimes delayed, and the train will not wait. A night in Delhi also lets you shake off some jet lag before a week of early starts.

If you land a day or two ahead and feel like sightseeing, we can arrange a private guide for Old and New Delhi: Humayun's Tomb, the Qutub Minar, the lanes of Chandni Chowk and the Jama Masjid. Otherwise, keep the day quiet. Pack a small bag with what you need for the first night or two, as train cabins have less space than a hotel room.

In the evening, report to the railway station for the welcome ceremony and check-in on board the Deccan Odyssey. Settle into your cabin with refreshments and dinner as the train departs overnight for Sawai Madhopur, the gateway to Ranthambore. Set an alarm: tomorrow's safari starts early.

• DayRest in Delhi, or optional private sightseeing
• EveningWelcome and check-in on board
• NightOvernight to Sawai Madhopur

OvernightAboard the Deccan Odyssey.

Tiger safari and a royal hunting lodge

Arrive at Sawai Madhopur early and head straight into Ranthambore National Park on a jeep safari. Once the hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur, Ranthambore is one of the best places in India to see wild tigers, as well as leopards, sambar deer, marsh crocodiles and many birds, among lakes and ruins below a 10th-century hilltop fort. The fort is part of the UNESCO listing of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

Mornings in the open jeep are cold from November to February, so bring a warm layer, a hat and a scarf against the dust. Tigers are never guaranteed, but the park's mix of dry forest, grassland and water gives you a good chance, and the scenery alone repays the early start. Keep quiet near animals and follow your naturalist's lead.

Return to the train for lunch. In the afternoon, take a village tour, a glimpse of rural Rajasthani life, and enjoy high tea at Sawai Madhopur Lodge, the former royal hunting lodge, before the train continues to Agra.

• DawnJeep safari in Ranthambore
• MiddayLunch on board
• AfternoonVillage tour and high tea at Sawai Madhopur Lodge
• NightTrain to Agra

OvernightAboard the Deccan Odyssey.

The Taj Mahal, the Baby Taj and Agra Fort

Wake up in Agra and visit the Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal and one of the most perfect buildings in the world. Your guide will point out the details that photographs miss: the Quranic calligraphy that grows larger as it rises so it looks even from below, the inlaid flowers of semi-precious stone, and the way the marble changes colour with the light. Large bags, food and tripods are not allowed inside the complex.

Continue to the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah, often called the 'Baby Taj', an exquisite marble tomb inlaid with semi-precious stones that inspired the Taj itself. It was built in the 1620s by the empress Nur Jahan for her father.

Then see Agra Fort, the red sandstone citadel of the Mughal emperors, where Shah Jahan spent his last years as a prisoner of his son, with a view of the Taj along the river. Lunch is at a city hotel, and the afternoon is free for shopping or an optional spa session before you return to the train. Agra's marble inlay work and petha, a translucent sweet, are the classic souvenirs.

• MorningThe Taj Mahal
• Late morningItmad-ud-Daulah and Agra Fort
• AfternoonFree, or spa

OvernightAboard the Deccan Odyssey.

Jaipur, the Pink City

Arrive in Jaipur, founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II as one of India's first planned cities, with a grid of wide streets and bazaars. Its old city was painted pink, the colour of welcome, for a royal visit in 1876, and still is.

Drive up to Amber Fort, a UNESCO-listed hill fort and palace of the Kachwaha kings, with its Hall of Mirrors and views over Maota Lake. Inside the Sheesh Mahal, thousands of small mirrors in the ceiling were designed to glitter in candlelight. There are ramps and uneven steps, so wear comfortable shoes.

In the city, see the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Winds, a honeycomb facade of small windows built so royal women could watch street life unseen, and the City Palace, still home to the former royal family. Look for the two enormous silver urns made to carry Ganges water to England for a maharaja's journey. Lunch is at a city hotel, with the afternoon left for the bazaars or a spa session, before the evening departure for Udaipur. Johari Bazaar is the place for jewellery and gems, Bapu Bazaar for textiles and block prints.

• MorningAmber Fort
• AfternoonHawa Mahal, City Palace and the bazaars
• EveningTrain to Udaipur

OvernightAboard the Deccan Odyssey.

Udaipur and lunch on Jag Mandir

Arrive in Udaipur, the City of Lakes, set among the Aravalli hills and founded in the 16th century by Maharana Udai Singh II of Mewar. Visit the City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, built up over several centuries along the shore of Lake Pichola. Its courtyards, balconies and painted rooms open onto views of the lake and the white Lake Palace floating in the middle of it.

Inside is the Crystal Gallery of glass furniture ordered from England by a maharana in 1877; he died before it arrived, and the crates lay unopened for many years. Allow time for the palace's peacock mosaics and miniature paintings too.

Take a boat across Lake Pichola to Jag Mandir, the island palace, for lunch with live Rajasthani music. The young Mughal prince who later became Shah Jahan is said to have sheltered here in the 1620s. In the evening, walk through the old city's lanes and temples, such as the 17th-century Jagdish Temple near the palace gate, before the overnight journey into Gujarat. The lanes are lined with miniature-painting studios and textile shops.

• MorningCity Palace and the Crystal Gallery
• MiddayBoat to Jag Mandir for lunch
• EveningOld city walk
• NightTrain into Gujarat

OvernightAboard the Deccan Odyssey.

Champaner-Pavagadh, a lost sultanate city

Arrive in Vadodara (Baroda), the former capital of the Gaekwad Maharajas, whose Laxmi Vilas Palace is one of the largest private residences ever built. Completed in 1890 for Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, a reforming ruler who built schools, libraries and a university, it mixes Indian and European styles in a vast red-sandstone facade.

Drive to the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Champaner was the capital of the Sultan of Gujarat in the 15th and 16th centuries, and its mosques, especially the Jami Masjid, with its carved minarets and stone screens, blend Hindu and Islamic design. Look up at the carved balconies and the domed ceilings of the prayer hall. After the Mughal emperor Humayun took the city in 1535 it was largely abandoned, which is why so much of it survives, half-hidden in scrub and farmland.

Above it rises Pavagadh Hill, an important Hindu pilgrimage site. It is warm here for much of the year, so carry water, a hat and sun cream. The train departs in the evening for Aurangabad.

• MorningVadodara
• AfternoonChampaner's Jami Masjid and the archaeological park
• EveningTrain to Aurangabad

OvernightAboard the Deccan Odyssey.

The Ellora Caves and the Kailasa temple

Arrive in Aurangabad, now officially Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and visit the Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 34 Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves carved into a basalt cliff between about the 6th and 10th centuries. That three faiths built side by side here, over several centuries, is part of what makes Ellora special.

Among the Buddhist caves, look for Cave 10, a vaulted prayer hall carved to imitate timber beams, with a seated Buddha before a stupa. The highlight is Cave 16, the Kailasa temple, commissioned in the 8th century: a complete temple with towers, bridges and life-size elephants, carved downward from a single mass of rock. It is the largest monolithic rock excavation in the world. Walk up the path behind it to see the whole temple from above.

The Jain caves at the northern end are smaller but finely detailed. Expect a fair amount of walking and some steps, often in the heat, so wear comfortable shoes, carry water and take your time. The train departs in the evening for the final leg to Mumbai.

• MorningEllora's Buddhist caves
• AfternoonThe Kailasa temple and the Hindu and Jain caves
• EveningTrain to Mumbai

OvernightAboard the Deccan Odyssey.

Arrive in Mumbai

Arrive in Mumbai in the morning at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Victorian Gothic railway station and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Completed in 1888, its domes, turrets, carved stone animals and stained glass make it a fitting end to a rail journey, so take a moment to look up as you leave the platform.

We meet you with a private transfer to your hotel or the airport, and can arrange a Mumbai city tour, the Elephanta Caves or a few days in Goa. A city tour might take in the Gateway of India, the Art Deco and Gothic buildings around the Oval Maidan, and the Dhobi Ghat open-air laundry.

• MorningArrive in Mumbai; private transfer
• OptionalMumbai city tour or Elephanta Caves