North and Central India Tour: 15 Days of Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho, Bandhavgarh and Varanasi

Arrive in Delhi and drive to Agra

Your driver meets you at Delhi airport, holding a sign with your name, and drives you south to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway, a smooth, fast road through flat farmland of wheat, mustard and sugar cane. There are clean rest stops along the way for tea, a snack or a stretch. If you land late at night, we can arrange a first night in Delhi instead and drive the next morning.

Just before Agra, stop at Sikandra to see the tomb of Emperor Akbar, begun in his lifetime and completed by his son Jahangir in 1613. The great gateway, inlaid with bold geometric patterns in white marble and coloured stone and topped by four white minarets, looks ahead to the Taj Mahal. Blackbuck and langur monkeys graze in the walled garden, and the tomb is usually much quieter than Agra's better-known sights.

Check in to your hotel in Agra and rest after your journey. If you have energy, have dinner of Mughlai dishes such as a slow-cooked korma or kebabs, and try petha, Agra's translucent sweet made from ash gourd. Go to bed early: tomorrow starts before dawn.

• ArrivalMeet and greet at Delhi airport
• DayDrive to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway
• AfternoonAkbar's tomb at Sikandra
• EveningCheck in and rest

OvernightAgra, 2 nights.

The Taj Mahal at sunrise and Fatehpur Sikri

Enter the Taj Mahal with your guide as the gates open, 30 minutes before sunrise. Built between 1632 and 1653 by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, it glows pink and gold in the first light. Look closely at the pietra dura, flowers of semi-precious stone set into the marble, and at the Quranic calligraphy around the arches, whose letters grow larger towards the top so that they appear the same size from the ground. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.

After breakfast, explore Agra Fort, the red sandstone citadel that was the main Mughal residence until the court moved to Delhi in 1638. See the Diwan-i-Am and the octagonal Musamman Burj, where Shah Jahan spent his last years as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb, looking down the river to the Taj.

In the afternoon, drive to Fatehpur Sikri, the abandoned capital Emperor Akbar built in the 1570s and left after about 14 years. Walk through its sandstone palaces, the five-storey Panch Mahal, then the great mosque behind the 54-metre Buland Darwaza. In the courtyard, the white marble tomb of the Sufi saint Salim Chishti has fine lattice screens, where visitors tie threads for a wish.

• SunriseThe Taj Mahal
• MorningAgra Fort
• AfternoonFatehpur Sikri and the tomb of Salim Chishti

OvernightAgra.

South to Orchha

Leave Agra after breakfast and drive south across the Chambal river into Madhya Pradesh. The landscape changes from flat farmland to the eroded ravines of the Chambal valley and then to rocky, open country. Break the journey at Gwalior, where the great hilltop fort rises on a long sandstone plateau. If you would like a stop, see the Man Mandir Palace, built by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the late 15th century, its outer walls decorated with bands of blue and yellow tiles showing ducks, elephants and banana trees.

Continue past Jhansi into Bundelkhand and the small town of Orchha on the Betwa River, capital of the Bundela Rajput kings from the 16th century. Its palaces, temples and cenotaphs have changed remarkably little since, and the town is quiet, walkable and full of birds.

Check in to your heritage hotel, several of which are converted royal buildings. In the evening, walk to the Ram Raja Temple for the evening prayers. It is the only temple in India where Rama is worshipped as a king, and armed police give him a daily guard of honour. Dress modestly and leave your shoes at the entrance.

• MorningDrive south from Agra
• MiddayOptional stop at Gwalior Fort and the Man Mandir Palace
• AfternoonArrive in Orchha
• EveningEvening prayers at the Ram Raja Temple

OvernightOrchha, 2 nights.

Palaces and cenotaphs

Explore the Orchha Fort complex, crossing a stone bridge to the Raja Mahal, with painted ceilings and murals of the Ramayana, and the Jahangir Mahal, a palace of domes and balconies built to welcome the Mughal emperor Jahangir in the early 17th century. Climb to the upper terraces for views over the river and the temple spires.

In the afternoon, visit the Chaturbhuj Temple, built on a huge scale, and walk down to the chhatris, the royal cenotaphs on the bank of the Betwa. At sunset they are reflected in the river, and vultures nest in their domes.

If you have energy, walk or drive up to the Lakshminarayan Temple on the hill above town, an unusual blend of temple and fort with colourful 19th-century murals of battles, processions and scenes from the life of Krishna. Orchha is compact and easy to explore on foot, but the palaces involve many steep steps and dark passages, so wear good shoes and bring a small torch.

For a quieter hour, the forest across the river is a small wildlife sanctuary, good for birdwatching in the early morning or late afternoon.

• MorningRaja Mahal and Jahangir Mahal
• AfternoonChaturbhuj Temple
• SunsetThe chhatris on the Betwa River

OvernightOrchha.

To the temples of Khajuraho

If you are up early, walk down to the Betwa River to see the royal chhatris, or cenotaphs, in the soft morning light, when vultures often perch on their domes. After breakfast, drive south-east to Khajuraho through the heart of Bundelkhand, a rural landscape of granite outcrops, small reservoirs, wheat fields and villages of whitewashed mud houses. Your driver will stop for tea along the way.

Khajuraho is a small, quiet town, a village really, that grew up around its medieval temples. They were built by the Chandela kings between about 950 and 1050, and about 25 of an original 85 or so survive. They were largely forgotten by the outside world until a British army officer was guided to them in 1838, and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Check in and rest in the afternoon. In the evening, watch the sound and light show at the Western Group of Temples, which tells the story of the Chandela kings who built them, as the temple spires are lit up against the night sky. Bring a light jacket or shawl in winter, as the evenings get cool.

• Early morningOptional walk to the chhatris on the Betwa
• DayDrive to Khajuraho
• AfternoonCheck in and rest
• EveningOptional sound and light show

OvernightKhajuraho, 2 nights.

The Western and Eastern temple groups

Spend the day at Khajuraho's temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between about 950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty. Of around 85 temples, about 25 survive. Their sandstone walls are covered in sculptures of gods and goddesses, celestial dancers, musicians, warriors, animals and daily life, including the famous erotic carvings, which make up only a small part of the whole.

Start early in the Western Group, when the light is soft on the sandstone and there is still some shade. It is the most elaborate group, led by the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, whose towers rise like a mountain range, and the Lakshmana Temple, with a frieze of soldiers, hunters and elephants around its base. In the afternoon, visit the quieter Eastern Group, with its Jain temples, including the finely carved Parsvanath Temple, and the Chaturbhuj Temple in the south.

Your guide explains the symbolism of the carvings and how the temples were built without mortar. If you have time, the small Archaeological Museum opposite the Western Group displays sculptures found around the site. Wear a hat and comfortable shoes, and carry water: there is little shade in the middle of the day.

• MorningWestern Group, including the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple
• AfternoonEastern Group and Jain temples

OvernightKhajuraho.

Into tiger country

Drive south to Bandhavgarh National Park through the forests and villages of Madhya Pradesh. The road passes close to Panna Tiger Reserve and crosses a landscape of teak and sal forest, small farms and villages where life still follows the seasons. Your driver will stop for lunch along the way at a simple roadside restaurant or a hotel.

Bandhavgarh lies in the hills of the Vindhya range, and its forests of sal, bamboo and grassy meadows are home to one of the highest densities of tigers in India. High on a cliff in the middle of the park stand the ruins of Bandhavgarh Fort, said to be about 2,000 years old, and the park's name comes from the legend that Rama gave the fort to his brother Lakshmana.

Check in to your lodge near the park's Tala gate in time for a sunset drink as the birdsong changes for the evening. Your naturalist will brief you on tomorrow's safaris, including what to wear: neutral colours, and warm layers, a hat and gloves for winter mornings, when open jeeps are very cold before sunrise. Dinner is at the lodge.

• DayDrive to Bandhavgarh, with a lunch stop
• AfternoonCheck in at your lodge
• EveningSafari briefing with your naturalist

OvernightBandhavgarh, 2 nights.

Tiger safaris in Bandhavgarh

Head into Bandhavgarh National Park at dawn in an open jeep with your naturalist. Once the hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Rewa, it has been a tiger reserve since 1993 and is known for one of the highest densities of tigers in India. Grassy valleys below a central hill make sightings easier than in thicker forest. The park is divided into zones, of which Tala, below the fort, is the best known, and each permit is for one zone. Breakfast is usually a packed picnic eaten at a forest rest point.

Rest at the lodge in the middle of the day, then return for an afternoon safari. Look out for leopards, sloth bears, sambar and spotted deer, and the ancient rock-cut caves and inscriptions below Bandhavgarh Fort.

Madhya Pradesh parks close for one safari a week, usually Wednesday afternoon, so we plan around it. In winter, dawn drives are bitterly cold in an open jeep, so bring a hat, gloves and a warm jacket.

• DawnMorning safari
• MiddayRest at the lodge
• AfternoonSecond safari

OvernightBandhavgarh.

Fly to Varanasi

Take an early safari if your permits and flight times allow, for one last chance to see a tiger, a sloth bear or a leopard in the misty morning light. Then return to the lodge for breakfast and drive to Khajuraho or Jabalpur airport, depending on the day's flights, through forest and farmland.

Fly to Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the holiest city in Hinduism, set on a great curve of the Ganges. Many Hindus come here to bathe in the river, to pray, and, at the end of their lives, to die, believing that it brings release from the cycle of rebirth.

Your Varanasi driver meets you at the airport, about 25 km from the city, and takes you to your hotel overlooking the Ganges; the drive can take an hour or more in traffic. The lanes of the old city are too narrow for cars, so the last stretch may be on foot or by cycle rickshaw, with help for your luggage. If you arrive in time, sit on the ghats as the evening lamps are lit and small leaf boats of marigolds and candles float down the river.

• MorningOptional early safari, then drive to the airport
• AfternoonFlight to Varanasi
• EveningArrive by the Ganges

OvernightVaranasi, 5 nights, overlooking the Ganges.

Sunrise on the Ganges and Kashi Vishwanath

Take a rowing boat at sunrise along the ghats, the stone steps that line the river for several kilometres, as the morning rituals begin: pilgrims bathing and offering marigolds, priests chanting, washermen at work and wrestlers training on the steps. You pass the cremation ghats at Manikarnika and Harishchandra, where fires burn day and night. Cameras must go away here, out of respect for the families.

After breakfast, walk the old city's lanes with your guide to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva, whose spires were covered in gold given by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It is now approached through a wide new corridor from the river, opened in 2021. Phones, bags and leather items are not allowed inside, so many guests view it from the corridor outside. On the way, try a breakfast of kachori with spiced potato and hot jalebi, or a lassi served in a clay cup.

The afternoon is free. Rest at your hotel, or cross the river to Ramnagar Fort, the 18th-century home of the Maharajas of Benares, with a small museum of vintage cars, palanquins, weapons and costumes.

• SunriseBoat along the ghats
• MorningOld city and Kashi Vishwanath
• AfternoonFree; optional Ramnagar Fort

OvernightVaranasi.

Sarnath and the Ganga aarti

Drive to Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, in the Deer Park, to the five companions who had practised with him, about 2,500 years ago. It is one of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage sites, and you will often see monks and pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet and Japan.

See the Dhamek Stupa, a massive solid stupa of brick and carved stone, mostly from the Gupta period, the brick foundations of ancient monasteries and the stump of an Ashokan pillar. The Mulagandha Kuti Vihara, a modern temple opened in 1931, has wall paintings of the Buddha's life by the Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu. The archaeological museum is home to the Lion Capital of Ashoka, India's national emblem, and a serene 5th-century seated Buddha shown teaching. The museum is closed on Fridays, and photography is not allowed inside.

Return to Varanasi and rest in the afternoon. In the evening, take a boat to watch the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat from the water, a 45-minute ceremony of fire, bells, conch shells and chanting held every night. Arrive about half an hour early to find a good spot among the other boats.

• MorningSarnath, the Dhamek Stupa and the museum
• AfternoonRest
• EveningThe Ganga aarti from a boat

OvernightVaranasi.

The old city and the silk weavers

Walk through the old city's lanes with your guide, past tiny shrines, sweet shops, brass sellers and old courtyard houses. The lanes are narrow, busy and full of life, so wear comfortable closed shoes and watch out for cows and motorbikes. Stop to taste local sweets; in winter, look for malaiyo, a light, saffron-flavoured milk froth sold only in the early morning.

Then visit a traditional silk-weaving workshop to see how Banarasi saris, woven with gold and silver zari thread, are made on handlooms, often by families who have done this work for generations. The patterns are set out on punched cards above the loom, and a richly worked brocade sari can take weeks to finish. There is no pressure to buy.

Spend the afternoon at the quieter ghats away from the main tourist circuit, such as Assi Ghat in the south of the city, where the Assi river meets the Ganges, and neighbouring Tulsi Ghat, where the poet Tulsidas is said to have written his Ramcharitmanas. Have a cup of masala chai from a stall and watch the river.

• MorningOld city walk and a silk-weaving workshop
• AfternoonQuieter ghats such as Assi and Tulsi

OvernightVaranasi.

A free day by the river

An unscheduled day to revisit the ghats at your own pace. If you missed it, go early to Assi Ghat for the morning programme, Subah-e-Banaras, which begins before dawn with prayers, music and yoga. Varanasi is also a good place to take a yoga class or a beginner's lesson in sitar, tabla or classical singing; ask us and we can arrange one.

Other ideas: take a boat across to the quiet sandy far bank of the Ganges for a walk; visit Banaras Hindu University, one of India's largest university campuses, with its Bharat Kala Bhavan museum of sculptures, miniature paintings and textiles and the New Vishwanath Temple, open to all; or browse the old city for Banarasi silk, brassware and wooden toys.

Or simply sit by the river and watch the city's daily rhythms: boatmen, pilgrims, cricket on the steps and kites in the sky. End the day with a Banarasi paan, a betel-leaf parcel of sweet or spiced fillings, or a last evening aarti.

• DawnOptional Subah-e-Banaras at Assi Ghat
• DayFree; yoga, a music lesson, BHU or the far bank
• EveningThe ghats at your own pace

OvernightVaranasi.

Fly to Delhi

After breakfast, your driver takes you to Varanasi airport for the flight back to Delhi. Your Delhi driver meets you on arrival, and the afternoon is free for last-minute sightseeing or shopping.

If you did not see them on the way in, visit Humayun's Tomb, built in the 1560s for the second Mughal emperor and the first great garden tomb in India, a clear ancestor of the Taj Mahal. Or go to the Qutub Minar, the 73-metre victory tower begun around 1199, with the iron pillar that has barely rusted in over 1,500 years. Lodhi Garden, nearby, is a pleasant place to walk among 15th-century tombs.

For shopping, Dilli Haat has stalls of crafts and textiles from across India, and Khan Market has bookshops, cafés and good clothing stores. Your last night is at a hotel near the airport, convenient for an early flight.

• MorningFlight to Delhi
• AfternoonFree; Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar or shopping
• EveningHotel near the airport

OvernightDelhi, 1 night, near the airport.

Fly home from Delhi

Depending on your flight time, have a relaxed breakfast and finish your packing. Many international flights leave Delhi late at night or in the early hours; if yours does, ask us about a late check-out or a day-use room.

Your driver transfers you to Indira Gandhi International Airport for your onward or departing flight. Aim to arrive about three hours before an international departure, as security queues can be long. Delhi has direct flights to the UK, the US, Australia and the main Gulf and Asian hubs.

• DepartureTransfer to Delhi airport