India Discovery: Golden Triangle & Himalayan Highlights — Self-Launched

Land at Indira Gandhi International and take the Delhi Airport Metro Express to New Delhi station (~£1.50) or a prepaid taxi/ Uber (~£5-7) to your guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Skip the taxi touts who claim your ride is broken — book only via the official prepaid counter or an app. Check in, get a local SIM/eSIM (Airtel or Jio, ~£3-5), pick up water and snacks, and take a gentle evening wander around Connaught Place. Sort your IRCTC rail account online before you fly so you can book trains from day one.

🚌Airport Metro Express ~£1.50, or app taxi ~£6

🛏Budget guesthouse, Paharganj or Karol Bagh (~£12-18/night, private room)

• →Airport Metro Express into the city
• →Buy local SIM/eSIM
• →Evening stroll around Connaught Place

Do the G Adventures-style City Walk independently: book a small-group or private Old Delhi street walk through GetYourGuide (~£15-20) — the guides are typically young locals from the communities the original tour supports. Otherwise DIY it: start at Jama Masjid, wander Chandni Chowk's spice lanes, sip chai at a hole-in-the-wall, then visit Red Fort (~£6 for foreigners, closed Mondays). In the afternoon see Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb (~£6 each). Eat at Karim's or a Paranthe Wali Gali stall. Book your Agra train tonight for tomorrow morning.

🚌Delhi Metro day pass ~£1.50; autos ~£2-3 total

🛏Budget guesthouse, Delhi (~£12-18/night)

• →Old Delhi walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£17)
• →Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk
• →Red Fort (~£6)
• →Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb (~£6 each)

Take an early Gatimaan Express or Vande Bharat train from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (1h50, ~£8-12 in AC chair car) — book on IRCTC. Drop bags at your Taj Ganj guesthouse and be at the East Gate before opening (~sunrise) for the Taj Mahal (~£12 foreigners, closed Fridays). Late morning, visit Agra Fort (~£6) and the riverside Itimad-ud-Daulah 'Baby Taj' (~£3). Sunset from Mehtab Bagh across the Yamuna is the classic free-ish photo spot (~£2).

🚌Gatimaan Express Delhi–Agra ~£10; autos in Agra ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj with rooftop Taj view (~£12-18/night)

• →Taj Mahal sunrise entry (~£12)
• →Agra Fort (~£6)
• →Itimad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj) ~£3
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset ~£2

Hire a shared or private car for the day (~£30-40 total, split with other travellers) heading west toward Jaipur. Stop at Fatehpur Sikri (~£6), the beautifully preserved deserted Mughal capital, then at Abhaneri's Chand Baori stepwell (~£3) — one of India's deepest and most photographed. Continue to Dhula village for a simple tented camp/eco-camp stay (~£15-20). Independently bookable via Booking.com or the village community tourism office; arrange a walk through the fields at dusk and a home-cooked Rajasthani dinner.

🚌Shared/private car Agra–Dhula with stops ~£12-15 pp if split

🛏Tented camp / eco-camp at Dhula village (~£15-20/night)

• →Fatehpur Sikri (~£6)
• →Chand Baori stepwell (~£3)
• →Village walk at sunset

Drive on to Jaipur (~2.5h, shared taxi or local bus ~£3-6). En route, stop at a Bagru or Sanganer block-printing workshop — these are the same craft cooperatives the group tours visit and can be booked directly or via Airbnb Experiences/GetYourGuide (~£8-12). Check into a guesthouse in the old city, then walk the Hawa Mahal and Johari/Johri bazaar at golden hour. Eat at Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar in the old town.

🚌Shared car to Jaipur ~£5; autos ~£3

🛏Old-city guesthouse / haveli, Jaipur (~£15-20/night)

• →Block printing workshop (~£10)
• →Hawa Mahal exterior (free) / entry ~£2
• →Johari Bazaar wander

Local bus or auto to Amber Fort (~£1 + fort entry ~£6) early to dodge the crowds; wander the mirror halls. Back in town, visit the City Palace (~£8) and Jantar Mantar (~£2). Optional: morning Jaipur cycling tour with a local operator (~£25-30) including a lassi stop, or a cooking class with a local family (~£18-22). Ask your guesthouse to arrange either — no need to pre-book through an operator.

🚌Local bus/auto ~£2-3

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£15-20/night)

• →Amber Fort (~£6)
• →City Palace (~£8)
• →Jantar Mantar (~£2)
• →Optional cycle tour (~£27) or cooking class (~£20)

Optional sunrise hot air balloon over Jaipur (book direct with Sky Waltz, from ~£200 — skip if budget-conscious; the group-tour price is similar). Otherwise take the morning Shatabdi or Vande Bharat train back to Delhi (~2h, ~£8-12) and spend the afternoon exploring Lodhi Gardens or the Nizamuddin dargah (Thursday qawwali evenings are free and special).

🚌Vande Bharat/Shatabdi Jaipur–Delhi ~£10

🛏Budget guesthouse, Delhi (~£12-18/night)

• →Optional hot air balloon (~£200)
• →Lodhi Gardens (free)
• →Nizamuddin Dargah qawwali (free, Thu)

Your day on your terms. Book a half-day Delhi street food tour via GetYourGuide (~£20-28) covering chaat, kebabs, jalebi and momos. Alternatives: Humayun's Tomb area, the National Museum (~£3), Dilli Haat crafts market, or a walk through Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Repack tonight for the mountains — Himachal nights can be cold Nov-Feb.

🚌Metro ~£1.50

🛏Budget guesthouse, Delhi (~£12-18/night)

• →Half-day food tour (~£24)
• →Dilli Haat crafts market (~£1)
• →Repack for Himachal

Long travel day but stunning. Take the Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Pathankot Cantt (~7h, AC chair ~£12-15; book on IRCTC weeks ahead). From Pathankot, take a shared jeep/taxi or local bus up to Chamba (~3-3.5h mountain roads, ~£4-6). Pre-book a Himalayan farm-stay — the orchard huts/homestays around Chamba run ~£18-25 per night with home-cooked meals (~£5-6 extra) and are bookable via Airbnb or directly by WhatsApp. Arrive for a family welcome dinner on the terrace and a huge starry sky.

🚌Vande Bharat Delhi–Pathankot ~£13; shared jeep to Chamba ~£5

🛏Himalayan farm-stay / orchard huts near Chamba (~£18-25/night incl. breakfast)

• →Vande Bharat Express ride
• →Himalayan mountain road transfer
• →Family welcome dinner

Sunrise yoga on the homestead terrace (many farm-stays offer a session, ~£4-6, or use a free app). Then explore Chamba town: Lakshmi Narayan temple complex, Bhuri Singh Museum (~£1), and the ornate Chamba rumal embroidery workshops — ask your host to connect you with a local artisan family for a short demonstration (~£5-10 tip/donation). Afternoon wander through the old palace quarter and Chaugan meadow.

🚌Local bus/walk; shared jeep into town ~£1-2

🛏Chamba farm-stay (~£18-25/night incl. breakfast)

• →Morning yoga (~£5)
• →Lakshmi Narayan temples (free)
• →Bhuri Singh Museum (~£1)
• →Embroidery workshop visit (~£8)

Take an easy half-day valley walk — the trail from Chamba toward Sarol or up to the Khajjiar road side trails, ~3-4 hours, suitable for all levels. Pack water and snacks (~£2). In the evening, ask your hosts to arrange a cooking session — himachali madra, siddu and rajma — and learn the recipes before eating together (~£5-8 contribution for ingredients and a fair share).

🚌Walking; short jeep ride to trailhead ~£2

🛏Chamba farm-stay (~£18-25/night incl. breakfast)

• →Chamba valley half-day hike (free)
• →Cooking session with host family (~£6)
• →Evening feast on the terrace

Say goodbye to your hosts and take a shared jeep/taxi or bus to Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj (~4-5h via Kangra, ~£5-7). Check into a McLeod Ganj guesthouse (~£10-15). Walk the Tibetan market, visit the Tsuglagkhang Complex (Dalai Lama's temple, free, modest dress required) and the Tibet Museum (~£1). If you're lucky the Dalai Lama is giving a public teaching — check his official schedule and register free in advance. Dinner at a Tibetan momo/thukpa spot.

🚌Shared jeep/bus Chamba–McLeod Ganj ~£6

🛏McLeod Ganj guesthouse (~£10-15/night)

• →Tsuglagkhang Complex / Dalai Lama temple (free)
• →Tibet Museum (~£1)
• →McLeod Ganj Tibetan market

Option A: hike Triund (9km each way, ~5-6h round trip, doable independently, no permit needed; start early). Option B: gentler Bhagsu Nag waterfall walk plus the Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan arts (~£3 entry, superb craft workshops and gardens). Either way, finish at a Bhagsu café and, if time allows, catch an evening transfer toward Amritsar or pre-book tomorrow's bus.

🚌Local taxis ~£3-5

🛏McLeod Ganj guesthouse (~£10-15/night)

• →Triund hike (free)
• →Bhagsu Nag waterfall (free)
• →Norbulingka Institute (~£3)

Morning bus or shared taxi to Amritsar (~5h, HRTC ordinary/super deluxe ~£5-8, or a shared cab ~£12). Check into a guesthouse near the Golden Temple (~£12-18). Be at the Wagah Border by ~3.30pm for the flag-lowering ceremony (free; take a shared auto/e-rickshaw from town ~£2, or book a shared van ~£6). Back in the evening, see the Golden Temple lit up at night — free entry, head covering and shoe deposit required.

🚌Bus Dharamshala–Amritsar ~£7; e-rickshaw to Wagah ~£2

🛏Guesthouse near the Golden Temple, Amritsar (~£12-18/night)

• →Wagah Border ceremony (free)
• →Golden Temple at night (free)

Return to the Golden Temple at sunrise for the quietest, most atmospheric hour, then eat langar at the community kitchen (free, donation optional). Wander Jallianwala Bagh (~free) and the Partition Museum (~£2) before heading to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee airport for onward travel — book flights after 15:00. If you're staying a night longer, add the Tenacious Bee Collective honey project or a Hall Bazaar food crawl.

🚌Airport taxi ~£4-5

🛏—

• →Golden Temple at sunrise (free)
• →Langar breakfast (free)
• →Partition Museum (~£2)