Footsteps through the Himalayas

Footsteps through the Himalayas

Some India tours show you the country. This one takes you inside it. The Footsteps through the Himalayas with Royal India tour — designed and delivered by India Escapes, a Government of India approved and Ministry of Tourism certified tour operator — is a 17-day private journey that moves through the most extraordinary and diverse corridor of the Indian subcontinent, from the soaring, pine-scented ridges of Shimla and the spiritual heartland of Amritsar's Golden Temple, to the Rajput royal magnificence of Jaipur and the enduring perfection of the Taj Mahal at sunset in Agra. With 33 meals included, complete flexibility to choose your own travel dates, no shared groups, and a dedicated travel expert managing every detail from first enquiry to final farewell, this is private guided India touring at its most thoughtfully realised. The tour opens in Delhi with a full day of city sightseeing that introduces the extraordinary layered depth of India's capital — rickshaw through the medieval lanes of Chandni Chowk, the grandeur of Jama Masjid, the moving simplicity of Raj Ghat, and the towering UNESCO-listed Qutub Minar. The train journey to Amritsar marks the first of the tour's great transitions: the capital's urban energy giving way to the broad, fertile plains of Punjab and then the gold-domed spiritual beauty of the Golden Temple complex, where two full days of immersive sightseeing — including the deeply moving Palki Sahib ceremony, the Langar community kitchen, the Central Sikh Museum, and Jallianwala Bagh memorial — create one of the most spiritually and historically complete India experiences available on any north India itinerary. From Punjab, the tour climbs into the Himalayan foothills through two of the most rewarding and least-touristed chapters in the programme: Pragpur Heritage Village — India's first government-designated Heritage Village, with its cobblestone lanes and colonial manor hotel overlooking the Dhauladhar range — and Dharamshala, the mountain city that has been home to the Dalai Lama since 1960, where the Temple complex, the ancient Kangra Fort, and the cedar-forested hillsides create an experience of genuine Himalayan spiritual depth. Shimla follows with the UNESCO Toy Train, the Viceregal Lodge, and the pine-scented colonial promenades of Mall Road. The Vande Bharat Express train to Jaipur opens the tour's royal Rajasthani chapter: two full days of the Pink City's finest — Amber Fort, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, and a block-printing workshop — before the safari chapter begins at Ranthambore, where two open-canter game drives with an expert naturalist through one of India's greatest tiger reserves provide the wildlife adventure at the heart of this itinerary. The journey ends in Agra: Mehtab Bagh's unforgettable sunset Taj Mahal panorama, the UNESCO Agra Fort, and the optional sunrise Taj visit that many guests describe as the single most beautiful moment of the entire seventeen days. India Escapes — rated 4.9 out of 5 on TripAdvisor — takes care of every detail so that you can focus entirely on the extraordinary experience.