Delhi encapsulates the depth of history, the utter chaos and the irrepressible vibrancy of India – and it’s the perfect place to begin your trip. Recharge at your colonial-era hotel before you explore the city, heading out to sample the street food of Chandni Chowk, feel the atmosphere at one of Asia’s biggest mosques, and wander the leafy streets of the old British capital. Then, leave the usual tourist trail and pop into Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh temple where you can help roll chapattis, stir curries and serve free meals to all visitors at the community kitchen. It’s such a fantastic way to mingle with real Delhiites, and get a delicious meal into the bargain.

Varanasi is unlike anywhere else on Earth. This is the holiest city in Hinduism, and one of the oldest living cities in the world. Begin your exploration with an evening boat ride on the Ganges, from which you’ll have the best vantage point of the city’s myriad ghats (stone steps leading down into the river). See an aarti prayer ceremony, in which priests offer fire and chant to the river, then return the next morning to watch as pilgrims immerse themselves in the water and incense fills the air. Varanasi is intense: full of life, and of death. Our local guides are your key to getting beyond the superficial, appreciating Varanasi for the profoundly spiritual and important place it is.

After immersing yourself in the spiritual life of Varanasi, your next destination concerns itself more with the, ahem, physical. The temples of Khajuraho are best-known for their intricately carved erotica, but what really makes them remarkable isn’t their subject matter but their astonishing grace and naturalism, offering a glimpse of a world that vanished over a millennium ago. After exploring the temples, it’s onwards to Panna, one of our favorite national parks in India. Less visited than some, yet totally atmospheric, it’s a wonderful place to spend a couple of nights soaking in the sights and sounds of the wilderness from the comfort of a luxurious safari lodge.

After a leisurely morning and an early lunch in Panna, it’s a full afternoon’s high-speed train ride across the north Indian plains to Agra: home of the Taj Mahal. Though it’s the image of the Taj that defines Agra in the public imagination, what makes a visit here special are the stories of the emperors and intrigue that shaped it. Learn about rise and fall of the Mughals as you explore their relics with one of our expert guides, seeing the Taj glow pink at sunrise, then wandering the grand halls and marble pavilions of Agra Fort. Finally, we’ve included a pottery-making workshop so you can have a go at an ancient skill little changed since the days of Emperor Akbar.

The Taj Mahal is a pretty tough act to follow, but Ranthambore is a worthy competitor. One of India’s most popular national parks, Ranthambore is a different experience from the seclusion of Panna, but its thriving tiger population means that sightings are wonderfully common – and heart-stoppingly thrilling when they happen. Though the park itself can be busy, your accommodation provides an oasis of calm, surrounded by thick forest and grassland where you can spot jackals, jungle cats and crocodiles from the comfort of your own veranda.

Your first three-night stay of the trip, Jaipur rewards a slightly longer visit. Indeed, the ‘pink city’ could keep you busy for much longer: it’s packed with architectural wonders, traditional craft workshops, and unexpected experiences. Begin with a Rajasthani cooking session on your first evening, then head out for a morning rickshaw tour of the city, stopping in at palaces and observatories to appreciate the vision of Jaipur’s founder, Maharajah Jai Singh. Later, explore Jaipur’s intangible heritage with a tour of the bazaars, where block-printed fabric and semi-precious stones share the alleyways with spicy chaats and sweet jalebis.

It’s a long but wonderfully scenic drive from Jaipur to your next port of call, the market town of Deogarh in the Aravalli Hills. Here in the countryside it’s a chance to slow down a little, enjoy the comfort of the Singh family’s heritage-style hotel, and immerse yourself in the rhythms of rural Rajasthan. Eat home-cooked meals, unwind with a book in the garden, drink chai while peacocks mingle in the courtyard – after the clamor of Jaipur, it’s a wonderfully serene place to relax. The most high-octane things get round here are birdwatching walks round the lake and trips into the local village by Jeep.

After your sojourn in the countryside, it’s back to the city – but not as you’ve experienced it before. Udaipur is one of Rajasthan’s loveliest cities, set around Lake Pichola, where royal palaces twinkle on islands and dominate the shores. As ever, our hand-picked local guides are your key to the heart of the city, leading you on heritage walks through the Old Town, taking you to palaces, temples and lakeside bathing ghats, and introducing master textile artists on a private tour of a local workshop. As dusk falls, we highly recommend you join your guide for an evening aarti ceremony at the lakeshore, when the air fills with the flickering of oil lamps and the ringing of temple bells.

Welcome to India’s biggest city, its gateway to the West, its City of Dreams – of Bollywood stars and the uber-rich, but also of Koli fishermen, silk weavers and flower vendors. There is no real getting your bearings in Mumbai: at least not in two days, which is all you have. Instead, we’ve arranged for one of the city’s best guides to lead you on a ‘Five Senses’ tour, introducing Mumbai through its sounds, smells, tastes and textures. Fragrant marigolds, freshly ground spices, buttery pav bhaji, cool marble, temple bells, hawkers’ shouts. It’s all about immersing yourself in everyday life, appreciating the little things that make up a city.