The Golden Triangle Tour

Uncover Old and New Delhi with a Savvy Local

Delhi

With a diverse population of around 25 million, Delhi is a hub for Indian politics, delicious food and boasts the country’s largest wholesale markets. The tour starts in Old Delhi visiting Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque. Later take a cycle rickshaw through the famous Chandni Chowk bazaar before exploring the sights in New Delhi.

Most people use Delhi as a transit to other places but there’s so much the capital has to offer that time spent here is time well spent. With a diverse population of around 25 million, it’s a hub for Indian politics, delicious food and boasts the country’s largest wholesale markets.

First time visitors generally assume that Old Delhi is the oldest part of the city but the oldest part is in fact located in New Delhi and around 1,200 years old. Old Delhi was the walled city out of Delhi’s seven medieval cities. Shahjahanbad, as it was originally called, was founded by the Mughal Emperor in 1648 who, when he moved the Mughal capital from Agra, built landmarks such as the resplendent Red Fort.

The tour starts in Old Delhi visiting Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque, and then, on a cycle rickshaw, explore the famous Chandni Chowk bazaar where little has changed over 370 years. Then it’s onto Raj Ghat, a beautiful memorial to Mahatama Gandhi before venturing to New Delhi driving by the government buildings including Parliament and the old Viceroy’s House built by the British.

After a break for lunch, you will visit Humayun’s tomb that inspired the Taj Mahal. The final stop is the UNESCO-credited Qutab Minar especially stunning when illuminated in the evening.

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Discover the Architectural Marvel of Agra Fort

Agra

Learn why Agra Fort is sometimes referred to as a city within a city on this interesting tour of Agra Fort. A Rajput king called Badul Singh constructed the building as a residence with brick in the late 15th century.  Your guide will go into detail as to its history, how it became one of the world’s most beautiful prisons, a fort and a residence.

The guidebooks usually skip the history until the 3rd Mughal Emperor, Akbar, lived there and whose father, Humayun, was crowned at Agra Fort. The 5th ruler, Shah Jahan, was responsible for the exquisite use of marble seen throughout the architecture. An interesting anecdote about Shah Jahan says that every morning at sunrise he was obligated to show himself from his bedroom windows to his people as evidence that he was alive and well.

On this excursion, your guide will go into detail as to its history, how it became one of the world’s most beautiful prisons, a fort and a residence.

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Taj Mahal by Sunrise

Agra

Every day, the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous World Heritage Site, will see on average 15,000 people. Visit at dawn though and you cut those numbers right down resulting in a more peaceful stroll around the magnificent monuments. The early hours really are the best time to visit when you can just sit quietly and listen to the birds as you take in its architectural beauty.

When the sun starts to rise on a clear day, you can see the mausoleum turn from gold yellow to orange to a sparkling mountain white. You can roam the splendid gardens decorated with fountains and inspect the ornamental craftwork without the crowds. As the sun slowly bathes the walls, the stunning pietra dura inlay lights up the whole façade. This only occurs during the hours of dawn and makes the early start well worth it.

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Half Day Visit to Amber Fort

Jaipur

Jaipur has so many beautiful monuments, Amber Fort being the most impressive at 1,000 years old, located high on a hill, surrounded by the Aravalli mountains. The rampart is around 11km long and in some ways looks like the Great Wall of China.

Founded in the 16th century by the great commander of the Mughal rulers, Raja Man Singh, the whole palace is divided into four levels each with their own courtyard. Enter through the east-facing Sun Gate used by the maharajas and their VIP guests that in turn opens up to the first courtyard where victory parades would take place.

You will then go through the Singh Pol or the Lion Gate to the Hall of Public Audience filled with beautiful paintings, carved pillars and latticed marble. In the second courtyard, visit a beautiful hammam with stunning views of the Maota Lake below and Saffron Garden, constructed using the well-known star-shaped geometrical architecture attributed to the Mughals. Ganesh Gate, the entry point to the private palace of the maharajas, is one of the most beautiful gates in the world, decorated with countless fresco paintings and semi-precious stones. Inside the complex, you’ll find the Hall of Mirrors, adorned with a ceiling filled with mirror mosaics and colourful glass which used to glitter under candlelight.

Enter the Hall of Pleasure used as a summer retreat with white marble and walls made of sandalwood that would perfume the evening air. You can’t miss the oldest part of the Amber Fort where Man Singh’s 12 wives were kept in apartments. Each room has a secret passage to the maharaja’s palace!

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Supper on the Roof at Ikaki Niwas

Jaipur

When you visit this family home for a cooking experience, you’re greeted with a shower of petals. You will be shown around their temple and don't be surprised if some of the family albums come out. Then it’s up to the terrace for drinks and pakoras.

During the cooking demonstration you will be shown how to make a curry using local spices and the famous halva, a delicious pudding with carrot and cardamom. Dinner genrally starts with salad and a soup, followed by two vegetarian curries with seasonal vegetables such as eggplant, pumpkin or okra cooked with the all-important mustard oil. There will probably be a meat dish and of course rice and daal. There’s no family secret, just fresh ingredients most of which are sourced from the family farm outside the city.

The family will dine with you as it’s not just about cooking but the conversations. Your host is a political speech writer and his wife and sister can talk about local cultures and tradition.

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Temples & Havelis of Old Jaipur

Jaipur

On this Jaipur walking tour, you’ll join locals for early-morning temple visits and have tea with families in their historic havelis. Jaipur is unique because it was the first planned city in India and many artists and craftsmen were invited to settle here. As you wander the streets of the walled city you can sample street food and see the mix of Bengali, Mughal and Hindu architecture.

The tour starts at 8.30am when it’s peaceful, before the bazaars and markets take over. This is when locals go to worship and you can join them at one of the city’s oldest temples, which is known for its 300-year-old fresco painting and set in a private family home. This begins a discussion about religion and architecture in Jaipur; where at a junction in the city, you get to see a Jain Temple, a mosque and a Hindu temple.

Continue the walk at Broad Road, which was once used by the royal family, so it’s lined by grand houses. As you enter the winding by-lanes you’ll hear about Jaipur’s history as the first planned city in India, the vastu shastra and shilpa shastra architecture and havelis owned by artists, craftsmen and traders. You’ll get to meet some of these characters when you visit the metal-beating community who still work without technology, in the same way they have for 200 years. It’s fascinating to see how everything has been hand-created. Other key architectural sights on the tour include the City Palace, the Ayurvedic hospital and two huge, 10-foot-tall silver jars which belonged to a king of Jaipur. Guests love visiting a local family in their haveli to chat about life in Jaipur and meeting traditional bangle makers.

You will end the tour with an immersion into some of Jaipur’s hectic markets. There’s the spice market with over 300 shops which draws buyers from far and wide, followed by the vegetable and flower markets. The flower market is always busy with people shopping for weddings and festivals. This tour is a great orientation of Jaipur; you’ll discover its architecture, religion and crafts and meet the locals, learning the stories and legends behind the city.

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