“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition.” – Mark Twain
Jaipur
Where we stayed: Rambagh Palace
Rambagh Palace is a great place to escape the chaos of Jaipur and from which to explore. The extensive grounds are full of peacocks strutting their stuff and the opulence of the rooms and quality of the food reminds you that this is a former palace. It is a great base to explore – the Pink Palace, Amber Fort, City Palace and Jal Mahal to name but a few spots are within easy travelling distance.
Agra
Where we stayed: The Oberoi Amarvilas
Any trip to India has to include the Taj Mahal. With balconies overlooking one of the worlds most iconic buildings and a shuttle service that will take you to the door – this hotel is perfectly located for a few days in Agra. We got lucky with the crowds – really fantastic few days.
Legend has it that Emperor Shah Jahan planned to build a “Black Taj Mahal” as a mirror image of the existing structure but using black marble. Imagine that!
Ranthambhore National Park
Where we stayed: Oberoi Vanyavilas
Vanyavilas is a great base for a tiger safari. The grounds are extensive and wildlife spotting in and around the safari style accommodations is pretty great! Spent hours wandering around with my camera.
Seeing a tiger in the wild has been on my wish list for years. I’m not going to lie – it was a LONG day.
Rathambhore National Park is divided into 10 zones. We’d paid to have access to all of them and subsequently spent 12 hours on bone crunching roads trying find a tiger. It’s hot and dusty – but there is plenty to see – even if the main event is elusive.
The number of jeeps allowed in the park is tightly controlled. It’s also expensive if you want a private vehicle. That said, one of the nice things is that it is heavily discounted for locals – helping to provide access and education.
You could get lucky and see a tiger with a ticket for a single zone. When we were there it had just rained – so the tigers didn’t need to visit the waterholes – making them much harder to spot. We spent all day driving across the park and through each of the 10 zones.
We were rewarded right at the end of the day. Totally worth a long day on the road! Jenn not so convinced.
Shimla
Where we stayed: Wildflower Hall
Shimla is a great place to round off a trip to India. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas – it’s much cooler and calmer than the other locations we’d visited. We spent some time hiking and relaxing outdoors. Food was fantastic and the views from the terraces over the mountains morning and evening were pretty special. Would recommend making the trip – the train is interesting if you’re brave enough to try it!
