India Women's Expedition

Route: Delhi airport → Delhi hotel

Your leader and driver meet you at arrivals with a name board and take you to the hotel. Sealed bottled water is in the car. If your flight lands late at night, the leader still meets you, and the briefing moves to the next morning.

In the early evening, once the group has met, your leader gives the briefing. It covers water and food, cash and cards, and how to set up a local SIM or eSIM. It also covers what to wear, what to do about staring, following or touching, how to say no to street sellers, and who to call for help. She shares the daily plan, and you can ask anything.

Note on Late arrivals: Please send your flight details at least two weeks before you travel. If you land after 10 p.m., the leader and driver still meet you, and the hotel is told to expect a late check-in.

Experience of the Day

–  Airport meeting with your female trip leader

–  Group welcome and safety briefing

Food

Recommended:

–  A light group dinner at the hotel, with bottled water

Activities to Do

–  Meet the other women in the group

–  Save the leader’s number and the 24-hour contact number in your phone

Route: Delhi hotel → Humayun’s Tomb → Old Delhi → Dilli Haat → hotel

The day starts late, since many guests are still on another time zone. Humayun’s Tomb comes first. It was begun in 1565 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a red sandstone and white marble tomb in the middle of a four-part garden. The Taj Mahal later followed its plan.

After lunch the group takes cycle rickshaws through a short stretch of Chandni Chowk, with its spice sellers and sweet shops, to Jama Masjid, built between 1650 and 1656. The leader walks at the back of the group in the crowds, and you cover your shoulders and knees and carry a scarf for the mosque. The afternoon ends at Dilli Haat, a craft market where each stall sells handloom and handicraft goods at set prices.

Note on air quality: From November to January Delhi’s air quality can be poor and mornings are often foggy. If the air is bad on your day, the leader moves outdoor stops to the afternoon.

Experience of the Day

–  Humayun’s Tomb and its gardens

–  Cycle-rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk

–  Jama Masjid

–  Handicraft shopping at Dilli Haat

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant near the hotel, picked by the leader

Must-Try:

–  Parathas and chai in the morning

–  Dal makhani with naan at dinner

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Handloom shawls and scarves at set prices at Dilli Haat

Activities to Do

–  Cover your head and shoulders with a scarf at Jama Masjid

–  Ask the leader to practise a polite ‘no, thank you’ with the group

–  Pick a scarf to wear for the trip

Optional Nearby Excursions

–  Qutub Minar, a 73-metre victory tower begun in 1193

Route: Delhi → Jaipur (~280 km / 5–6 hrs)

The drive south-west is on the Delhi–Jaipur highway, with a halt at a clean rest stop for tea, a toilet break and lunch. The leader chooses the stop, and the group uses the same stop each time on the way back. You reach Jaipur in the late afternoon, in time for a swim or a rest.

Dinner is at the hotel, and the leader walks through the next day’s plan. The Pink City earned its colour in 1876, when the old city was painted terracotta to welcome the Prince of Wales.

Experience of the Day

–  Highway drive with a clean rest-stop halt

–  Evening arrival and hotel dinner

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted highway restaurant, with simple hot dishes

Must-Try:

–  Fresh lime soda made with bottled water, on request

Activities to Do

–  Swim or rest at the hotel

–  Check the next day’s plan with the leader

Route: Jaipur hotel → Amber Fort → Hawa Mahal → City Palace → Jantar Mantar

Amber Fort comes first, built in the late 1500s on a ridge above Maota Lake. The group goes up by private jeep. Elephant rides here have drawn well-documented welfare criticism, including a PETA India campaign and a government committee’s recommendation to use electric vehicles. Inside, the Sheesh Mahal has a ceiling set with tiny mirrors.

Hawa Mahal follows, seen from across the street. It was built in 1799 with 953 small windows, so the women of the court could watch the street below without being seen. It faces east, so the best light is in the morning.

After lunch the group visits the City Palace, which is still partly the home of Jaipur’s royal family, and Jantar Mantar, a UNESCO World Heritage observatory built between 1728 and 1734. Its Samrat Yantra sundial tells time to within about two seconds.

Experience of the Day

–  Amber Fort by private jeep

–  Hawa Mahal in morning light

–  City Palace courtyards and museum

–  Jantar Mantar instruments

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a local restaurant near the City Palace

Must-Try:

–  Pyaaz kachori

–  Dal baati churma

–  Ghewar, the honeycomb sweet of Rajasthan

Activities to Do

–  Find the mirrored ceiling in the Sheesh Mahal

–  Count the windows of Hawa Mahal from the street

–  Read your own shadow time on a giant sundial

Optional Nearby Excursions

–  Nahargarh Fort at sunset, with a view over the city

Route: Jaipur hotel → Sanganer workshop → family kitchen → Maniharon ka Rasta

Sanganer is a town south of Jaipur where cloth has been block-printed by hand for generations. At a family workshop you watch a printer press a carved wooden block into dye, then print your own cloth. You take the cloth with you.

In the afternoon the group cooks lunch in a family kitchen in Jaipur. A woman of the house teaches you dal, chapati and a vegetable dish, and you eat what you cook. The host family is confirmed by the ground team.

The evening is free, and there is an optional walk to Maniharon ka Rasta, a lane known for lac bangles, with the leader beside you. The afternoon is kept light, with time at the pool.

Experience of the Day

–  Block printing at a family workshop

–  Cooking lunch in a family kitchen

–  Bangle lane at dusk

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch that the group cooks in the family kitchen

Must-Try:

–  Dal with chapati, made by you

–  Masala chai at the workshop

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Hand-printed cloth and scarves from Sanganer, from the workshop in the inclusions

–  Lac bangles from Maniharon ka Rasta, at prices the leader helps you settle

Activities to Do

–  Print a pattern on your own length of cloth

–  Roll a chapati with the family

–  Choose a set of bangles

Route: Jaipur → Pushkar (~145 km / ~3 hrs)

The road runs south-west through Ajmer and over a low pass to Pushkar, a small town beside a holy lake with 52 bathing ghats. It has one of the few temples in India dedicated to Brahma. Pushkar is a vegetarian town, and alcohol and eggs are not served near the lake.

The group walks to the ghats in the late afternoon. Women cover shoulders and knees, shoes come off at the water’s edge, and no photographs are taken of people bathing. Before you go, the leader explains the informal ‘puja’ offers, where a man hands you flowers and then asks for money, and she shows you how to say no politely.

At sunset the ghats fill with lamps and chanting. Dinner is at the hotel.

Note on Pushkar etiquette: The ghats are holy ground. Shoes come off, shoulders and knees are covered, and photographs of people bathing are not taken. If someone offers you flowers, the leader handles it.

Experience of the Day

–  Drive to Pushkar

–  Walk along the lake ghats

–  Brahma Temple

–  Sunset ceremony by the water

Food

Recommended:

–  Dinner at the hotel, vegetarian

Must-Try:

–  Malpua, a fried sweet pancake, a local treat

–  Rose lassi

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Silver jewellery and cotton scarves in the main bazaar, at the leader’s side

Activities to Do

–  Light a small lamp at the ghat at dusk

–  Watch pilgrims at prayer from the steps

–  Browse the bazaar with the group

Route: Pushkar → Jodhpur (~200 km / 3.5–4 hrs)

The morning starts with a ropeway ride up to Savitri Temple on the hill above Pushkar. From the top you see the lake, the town and the desert beyond. The ride is short, and the group goes together.

After breakfast you leave for Jodhpur. The drive is about 3.5 to 4 hours, with a lunch halt on the way. You reach the hotel in the afternoon, which leaves time to rest before the group walks to a rooftop for dinner under Mehrangarh’s lit walls.

Experience of the Day

–  Savitri Temple by ropeway

–  Drive to Jodhpur

–  First view of Mehrangarh Fort

–  Rooftop dinner

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted highway restaurant

–  Dinner at a rooftop restaurant with a fort view, picked by the leader

Must-Try:

–  Mirchi bada, a fried chilli fritter, mild on request

–  Mawa kachori

Activities to Do

–  Take photographs from the ropeway

–  Rest in the afternoon

–  Look up at the fort at night

Route: Jodhpur hotel → Mehrangarh Fort → Jaswant Thada → Brahmpuri lanes → Sardar Market

Mehrangarh Fort stands on a rock about 125 metres above the city. Rao Jodha founded it in 1459. The audio guide leads you through the palace rooms, which hold painted ceilings, a collection of howdahs and a small gallery of women’s palanquins.

Jaswant Thada, a white marble memorial built in 1899, comes next. In the afternoon the group walks the blue-painted lanes of the old city below the fort, with the leader at the back. The day ends at Sardar Market by the clock tower, where the spice sellers and sari shops stay busy until dusk.

Experience of the Day

–  Mehrangarh Fort and its palace rooms

–  Jaswant Thada

–  Walk through the blue lanes of the old city

–  Sardar Market at dusk

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant near the fort

Must-Try:

–  Makhaniya lassi, thick and sweet

–  Gulab jamun at the market

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Lac bangles, tie-dye scarves and spices in Sardar Market, at the leader’s side

Activities to Do

–  Listen to the audio guide in the palace rooms

–  Look for the painted blue doors in the old lanes

–  Climb to the fort’s ramparts for a view over the city

Optional Nearby Excursions

–  The zip-line tour across the fort’s moat, for guests who want a thrill

Route: Jodhpur hotel → Khejarli → Bishnoi villages → hotel

Khejarli is a village about 25 km from Jodhpur where, in 1730, a woman named Amrita Devi held a khejri tree when the Maharaja’s men came to cut trees for a new palace. She and her daughters, and about 363 Bishnois in all, died protecting them. The community’s faith still forbids harming trees and wildlife, and today you see blackbuck and chinkara beside the villages.

A Bishnoi family hosts you for tea in a village courtyard, and a guide explains the community’s way of life. You do not take part in any staged ceremony. The afternoon is free, for the pool, a spa treatment or a quiet walk.

Experience of the Day

–  Khejarli memorial

–  Tea with a Bishnoi family

–  Blackbuck and chinkara beside the road

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at the hotel or a vetted restaurant

Must-Try:

–  Bajra roti with garlic chutney, a village staple

–  Masala chai in the courtyard

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Hand-woven dhurries and block-printed cloth from a village cooperative, only if you want them

Activities to Do

–  Place a hand on a khejri tree and read the story of Amrita Devi

–  Look for blackbuck in the fields

–  Rest or swim in the afternoon

Route: Jodhpur → Ranakpur (~165 km / ~3.5 hrs) → Udaipur (~90 km / ~2 hrs)

The drive south-east passes through the Aravalli hills to Ranakpur, a quiet valley with a Jain temple built in the 15th century. Its marble halls are carved with about 1,444 pillars, and no two are alike. Women cover shoulders and knees, and the temple has its own dress and photography rules, which the leader explains at the gate.

After lunch the road continues to Udaipur, with the Pichola lake coming into view at the end of the day. You reach the hotel in the early evening for an easy dinner. The total is about 255 km, and the stop at Ranakpur breaks it into two parts.

Experience of the Day

–  Drive through the Aravalli hills

–  Ranakpur Jain temple

–  Evening arrival at the lake city

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted vegetarian restaurant near the temple

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Dal bati churma, once on the way

Activities to Do

–  Count the carved pillars with the group

–  Take photographs where the temple’s rules allow

Route: Udaipur hotel → City Palace → Jagdish Temple → Lake Pichola cruise

The City Palace complex on the lake’s eastern shore was begun in 1553 by Maharana Udai Singh II, and later rulers added to it for nearly 400 years. The group walks through the courtyards, peacock mosaics and balconies with a guide, and the leader keeps a steady pace for the stairs.

Jagdish Temple, built in 1651, stands near the palace gate. Late in the afternoon the group boards a boat on Lake Pichola for the sunset, passing the island palaces. An evening folk-dance show at Bagore Ki Haveli is optional, and the leader buys the tickets.

Experience of the Day

–  City Palace courtyards and museum

–  Jagdish Temple

–  Sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola

–  Optional folk-dance show

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted lakeside restaurant, picked by the leader

Must-Try:

–  Dal bati churma with ghee

–  Mawa kachori

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Miniature paintings in the old-city lanes, from studios the leader knows, only if you want them

Activities to Do

–  Climb to a City Palace balcony for the lake view

–  Watch the sunset from the boat

–  Try a spot of miniature painting in a studio

Optional Nearby Excursions

–  Bagore Ki Haveli’s evening folk-dance show

Route: Udaipur hotel → Saheliyon-ki-Bari → Shilpgram → hotel

Saheliyon-ki-Bari, the Garden of the Maidens, was laid out in the early 18th century as a garden for the women of the royal court, with fountains, marble pavilions and lotus pools. The group walks it slowly and sits in the shade.

Shilpgram, a craft village on the edge of town, shows the textiles, pottery and wood carving of western India, and the stalls are staffed by artisans. The afternoon is free, for a spa treatment, shopping or a rest.

In the evening the group meets for a farewell dinner, and the leader helps with last-day questions about flights and packing.

Experience of the Day

–  Garden of the Maidens

–  Shilpgram craft village

–  Free afternoon

–  Group farewell dinner

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted garden restaurant

–  Farewell dinner at the hotel or a lake-view restaurant

Must-Try:

–  Thali with local vegetables and fresh chapati

–  Kulfi after dinner

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Handwoven shawls and carved wooden toys at Shilpgram, from the artisans

Activities to Do

–  Sit by a lotus pool in the garden

–  Browse the craft stalls at Shilpgram

–  Exchange contact details with the group

Route: Udaipur hotel → Udaipur airport (~25 km / ~45 min)

Check out after breakfast and transfer to Udaipur airport with your leader and driver. Udaipur has direct flights to Delhi and Mumbai, and the leader helps you with bags and check-in if you wish. Please book your onward or international flight from Udaipur or Delhi with enough connection time.

Experience of the Day

–  Private transfer to the airport

Food

Recommended:

–  Breakfast at the hotel before check-out

Activities to Do

–  Say goodbye to your leader, driver and group