Southern India
Our tour begins in Mumbai and includes eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among which are the Ellora and Ajanta rock-cut cave temples and Mamallapuram, the famous shore temples outside Madras. We also visit the temples and palaces of Trichy, Madurai, Mysore and Goa. After an evening viewing the wildlife at Periyar Lake, we will travel along the backwaters of Kerala to Cochin on the Malabar Coast. A highlight of the tour will be the extraordinary Vijayanagara ruins at Hampi, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will explore bazaars, sample exotic foods and attend classical dance and musical performances.

Northern India

This amazing tour takes us to 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and explores important sites relating to the 4 major religions of India: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Jainism. We will travel from the palaces and fortresses of the wonderful Rajasthani cities of Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur, and the breathtaking Taj Mahal, to the sacred ghats and temples in Varanasi, India's holiest Hindu city. Additional highlights of this special tour include visits to the lovely Hindu temples in Khajuraho, renowned for their voluptuous sculptures, the magnificent Buddhist temples spaning the whole range of Indian Buddist art at Sanchi, as well as the wonderful museums and Neolithic cave paintings near Bholpal. Our experience will be enhanced by several classical music and dance performances as well as deluxe accommodations in many palace hotels including the famous Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur.