Your chauffeur meets you at Delhi (DEL) and, after check-in, your guide sets the spiritual arc of the journey ahead.

In the afternoon you visit the vast Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex, an intricately carved sandstone-and-marble sanctuary on the Yamuna's banks (note: cameras and phones are not permitted inside).

A morning heritage walk covers Old Delhi's Red Fort and Jama Masjid and New Delhi's Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar, with lunch and a rest before evening.

You then board an overnight train to Varanasi from Delhi, a comfortable air-conditioned berth and an authentic slice of Indian rail travel as you sleep your way east.

You arrive in Varanasi and transfer to your hotel to freshen up and rest after the train, easing into the world's oldest living city.

As dusk falls you take your place for the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, a mesmerising ritual of fire lamps, chanting and incense honouring the river, best watched from a boat just offshore.

Before dawn you glide onto the Ganges by boat as the sun rises over the ghats and pilgrims perform their morning ablutions, the defining, unforgettable Varanasi experience.

Later you visit Sarnath, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after enlightenment, taking in the Dhamek Stupa, the ruined monasteries and the archaeological museum.

A walking tour threads the labyrinthine lanes of Old Kashi, past the Kashi Vishwanath temple precinct, silk-weaving workshops and tucked-away shrines that reveal the city's living faith.

As the day winds down you join a guided meditation or yoga session by the river, a calm counterpoint to the intensity of the ghats.

After a final Varanasi morning you fly back to Delhi, a short hop that saves a long overland return and keeps the pace easy.

The evening is at leisure, rest, or an optional stroll and dinner, before the Golden Triangle leg begins.

A morning run down the Yamuna Expressway brings you to Agra and your hotel by lunchtime.

The afternoon starts at the red-sandstone Agra Fort, the Mughal seat of power, before you visit the Taj Mahal at sunset, when the marble warms to amber and the crowds thin.

You return to enter the Taj Mahal at first light for the full inside tour, when the mausoleum shifts from pink to pearl-white, the best hour to see and photograph it.

After breakfast you drive to Jaipur via Abhaneri's Chand Baori, one of India's deepest and most spectacular ancient stepwells, and UNESCO-listed Fatehpur Sikri en route.

The day explores the Pink City: the City Palace, still home to the erstwhile royal family, and the honeycombed Hawa Mahal, the 'Palace of Winds'.

You also visit Jantar Mantar, the 18th-century royal observatory of monumental stone instruments, with time to browse the bazaars for textiles and gemstones.

The morning ascends to the honey-coloured Amber Fort above Maota Lake, exploring the Sheesh Mahal mirror hall and ramparts (walk up, or jeep on request).

In the afternoon a hands-on heritage craft session, block-printing or blue pottery, with local artisans lets you make and take home a piece of Rajasthan.

After breakfast you're transferred for your departure, a direct flight out of Jaipur, or a road transfer to Delhi for an onward international connection, as your ticket requires.

The tour closes having traced the circle of life on the Ganges and the grandeur of the Mughal and Rajput north.