Suggested Itinerary
HIGHLIGHTS
• Warm up with a three-course cooking class with an Indian chef.
• Visit the Kinari Bazar, with its long list of street food experiences.
• Pass through the “Elephant Gate” in the Red Fort of Agra.
• Catch the morning light of sunrise at the Taj Mahal.
• Cook dinner in a Rajasthani home, learning the host’s age-old recipes.
• Board a Jeep for a village safari ending at a farmhouse.
• Pick your own fruits and vegetables from an organic plot of land.
• Blend cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and coriander in a complex lamb dish.
• Stay in luxury lodges, from safari tents to opulent boutiques and resorts.
Day 1: Delhi
Arrive in Delhi, where you will be met and accompanied to your hotel. Check in and rest. Welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Delhi.
Day 2: Delhi
After breakfast, head to Old Delhi for a heritage and bazaar walk. This is your chance to try a rickshaw cycle ride in the bustling Chandni Chowk area and visit the silver, wedding, and spice markets. The more adventurous might also decide to taste some of the local street food.
Lunch today will be the fruits of your first cooking class, set in a local restaurant. An Indian chef will lead you in a cooking demonstration of four dishes for a three-course meal. Later, visit with a family in a local home to get a taste of Indian tea and hospitality. Return to the hotel and overnight in Delhi.
Day 3: Delhi – Agra
Drive to Agra and visit the Kinari Bazar, where a long list of street food experiences await. You’ll be guided through samples of Aloo Tikki, Paani Puri, Papri Chat, Kachori, Namkeen, or Dal Moth. See how the famed sweet dish of Agra, known as Petha, is made.
In the afternoon, visit the Agra Fort, the famed UNESCO World Heritage Site. This semi-circular walled city is called the “Red Fort of Agra,” for its bright color, and boasts walls that are seventy feet high as well as the monumental Delhi Gate and the whimsical “Elephant Gate.”
Day 04: Agra – Jaipur
Enjoy an early morning sunrise visit (around 7:00 am) to one of the most famous sites in the world, the Taj Mahal, a spectacular sight not to be missed. Return to the hotel for breakfast around 9:30 am and start the approximately 6-hour drive to Jaipur, stopping for lunch on route.
Arrive in Jaipur and check in to your hotel. This evening, enjoy a cooking class and dinner with a local family in their home. Your host will be Vasudha, who is famous for her slow-cooked Mughlai meat dishes that are inspired by Rajasthani flavors. India has a treasure of culinary secrets that Vasudha loves to share with her guests. Vasudha’s recipes are from the heart.
Transfer back to the hotel and overnight in Jaipur.
Day 5: Jaipur
After breakfast, proceed to Amber Fort and visit the beautiful hilltop palace with its ramparts and cobbled paths. Later, proceed to Samode, where you will arrive around 11 am. Enjoy a traditional welcome with Arati lamps, tikka (the traditional vermillion bindi dot on the forehead), and garlanding, along with a non-alcoholic drink and a palace tour.
Next, board a Jeep for a village safari visiting local villages and ending at a farm house that is maintained by a local farmer and his family. Enjoy a meal of homemade vegetarian cuisine including lentils, rotis, vegetables, pickles, chutney, and rice kheer. The meal will be prepared for you on a wood-burning sigri (stove), served in traditional metal thalis and katoris (platters and bowls). Relax on charpoys (a type of cot) and muddas (seating poufs), or enjoy a tour of the farm with the farmer, who will explain the local crops.
Return to the your hotel and overnight in Jaipur.
Day 6: Lakshman Sagar
After breakfast, depart for Lakshman Sagar by road. This luxurious resort setting is a place where you can truly experience the ‘slow life’ away from the hustle bustle of the city. Watch the sunset by the dam and relax by the single-cut rock pool.
Based on the concept of slow food, Lakshman Sagar makes use of the cuisine from the vicinity, with special traditional hunting recipes of the Raipur family. Their organic fields allow you to pick your own seasonal, fresh vegetables and you can also try your hand at angling to catch fresh fish from the lake to bring to the culinary experience. The dhaba-style open air kitchen, smell wafts the delicious aroma of spices, bringing the essence of Rajasthani cuisine alive.
Day 7: Rohet Garh
Drive to the quaint ancestral heritage home dating back to 1622 AD, now a stylish boutique hotel. Rohet Garh proudly boasts the finest kitchens in traditional cuisine. The chefs have been trained by the lady of the house, the late Thakurani Sahiba, who was the author of Cuisine of Rohet Garh and Quick and Easy Rajasthani Cuisine, the former published due to popular demand from guests.
Immerse yourselves in cooking Safed Maas–boneless lamb cooked in a white curry sauce. ‘Safed’ means white, while ‘Maas’ means meat. This is a truly decadent version of a Korma, and is a delicious recipe that involves making it entirely from scratch – but the taste is worth the effort. It features a delectable combination of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and coriander seeds that all have their own distinctive flavour, but work beautifully together. Unlike many Kormas it doesn’t contain coconut. Instead the flavours are distinctly nutty, somewhat sweet – and utterly delicious.
Late this evening, enjoy a village safari. From the warm and hospitable people, to the various customs and ceremonies and the abundant wildlife, you’ll have the rare privilege of being welcomed into homes and seizing a moment of daily life. You’ll meet the ‘premier ecologists of the world’, the Bishnois, who have protected nature for more than 500 years and are responsible for the very survival of species like the Black Buck antelope.
Day 08: Rohet Garh – Jodhpur – flight to Delhi
Return to Delhi where you may wish to explore the local nearby market for fusion food.
Day 9: Delhi – Bhopal
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Bhopal. During the long drive to Satpura, stop to see the Bhimbetka Caves – archaeological sites exhibiting traces of human life and paintings depicting early evidence of dance.
Arrive at Satpura and check into the very charming Reni Pani Lodge.
Day 10: Satpura
Enjoy an early morning safari in the park with a guide who can explain the indigenous flora and fauna. Later this evening, you will be accompanied by a resident naturalist on a boat safari through the park.
You will cruise down the Denwa River into the mammoth Tawa Dam, a haven for birdlife and the home of the Indian Fresh Water Crocodile.
Day 11: Satpura
This morning starts with a village walk, visiting the local tribal area, craftsmen, and learn about the unique local architecture, and of the lives and livelihood of its denizens. Meet a Gond artist to meet with you and show their paintings. A tribal art where stories were told through paintings, an expression of their everyday quest for life.
In the evening a dinner and a cookery demonstration by the Chief Chef, Mahadev who has mastered the family recipes. Bano Rashid, Begum of Bhopal and owner of the lodge will give you a brief history on her lineage and share her wisdom of delicious recipes passed down through through generations.
Return to Delhi. Once arrived, you may wish to pick up last minute spices, teas and treats. A car will be at your disposal for the day until your international departure.
Interested in booking this itinerary or customizing a trip to India? Get in touch with a private trip designer!
