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A sensory overload of vibrant colours, rich aromas, bustling cities, and mouthwatering meals: there’s nowhere quite like India.
For many, India is a dream destination, but the sheer size and complexity of the country, coupled with an overwhelming array of incredible experiences, can make planning a trip daunting.
Enter Luxury Gold's Essence of India Tour — a luxurious and effortless way to discover the very best of India's treasures.
Travel Associates Advisor Tara Thillainath recently returned home from an unforgettable 9-day adventure with Luxury Gold. Read on as she recounts tracing the illustrious Golden Triangle, from the rich melting pot of Delhi to the majestic Taj Mahal in Agra and the pink-hued streets of Jaipur.
What can you expect when travelling on a Luxury Gold tour?
Travelling with Luxury Gold means that you can sit back and enjoy the journey, rather than spending all of your time and energy working out the logistics of how to get from A to B. This was particularly helpful in India, where arriving in the bustling country was overwhelming enough!
Luxury Gold specialise in offering special unique experiences you would never be able to arrange independently. Continue reading for my favourite moments.
What makes Luxury Gold ‘luxury’ compared to other tour companies?
On a tour with Luxury Gold, you will receive luxury touches from start to finish. From complimentary door-to-door transfers, one-of-a-kind hotels (including staying in an Indian Palace), mouthwatering meals, and a comfortable coach to get around, Luxury Gold have thought of everything.
These luxury benefits even extended to include drinking water anytime we needed it and unlimited internet access thanks to our guide’s wifi pod. It can be a very complex process to get a sim card in India, so this saved a lot of stress. Luxury Gold made us feel unbelievably special and looked after, time and time again.
Talk us through your itinerary.
Our journey started in Delhi, with a visit to Ghandi’s cremation memorial and the Jama Masjid Mosque. This was followed by the most amazing foodie tour around Old Delhi with esteemed Chef Rajeev Goyal who taught us how to properly taste the flavours of Indian foods. This was a tour highlight.
We continued on to Agra, to experience the majestic Taj Mahal at sunrise and the iconic Agra Fort. It was fantastic to have our guide tell us the captivating history and stories of these two iconic buildings.
Next was a train journey to Ranthambore National Park for a stay at a stunning palace. We spent the following day on safari in search of the elusive Bengal Tiger, a powerful icon of India’s cultural and natural heritage. We managed to spot a beautiful tigress in our open-air Jeep and spent 45 minutes in her captivating presence.
Our tour finished up with the pink city of Jaipur to explore the Amer Fort and the City Palace. We were very lucky our timing had us in the city for their largest annual celebration - the Gangaur Festival. We arrived to find that Luxury Gold had arranged us our seats alongside the Indian media to witness the parade of colour, music, and traditional dancing!
Which part of your itinerary was one of a kind?
When we arrived at the City Palace in Jaipur, we were told our visit would conclude with a high tea. Little did we know, our high tea would be taking place on the roof of the City Palace, and that we’d be the only table. We had the most wonderful afternoon feasting on pakoras, cakes, biscuits, sandwiches, local teas and coffee while dining at our beautifully decorated table looking over Jaipur. It was such a special moment.
What was your accommodation like?
Our accommodation on the Essence of India tour included some of the most famous and luxurious properties in India. My personal favourite of our accommodations was the opulent Nahargarh Palace - a stunning royal retreat, often booked for famous weddings and Bollywood movies in India. The lavish Leela Palace in Delhi was a fabulous way to start our journey, and beautiful Taj properties in Agra and Jaipur rounded out our luxury itinerary.
Best hidden gem from the trip?
Whilst on our foodie tour, our guide took us to Kuremal’s Mohan Lal Kulfi in Old Delhi - a small cafe established in 1906. They only serve Kulfi, which is a mixture of milk, sugar and fruit puree poured back into the original fruit skin and frozen - many varieties also have cardamon or saffron mixed in. It was the most brilliant frozen dessert with such a rich fruit flavour and the best way to cool off from the Delhi heat.
Who would you recommend a Luxury Gold tour to?
I’m in my late twenties and I took my mother along with me who is in her early sixties, so I would recommend the tour for most age groups. The inclusions on our tour suited us both perfectly.
Luxury Gold is very good at advising the activity levels of their tours. This particular one was ‘balanced’, which means walking around 5km per day, sometimes on uneven surfaces and up stairs. This tour kept us on our toes and had something exciting to experience on every single day, which may be something to consider.
