Your chauffeur meets you at Delhi (DEL) arrivals and transfers you to your hotel to settle in after the flight.

A gentle first evening introduces you to the capital, a briefing on the route ahead and time to rest before the journey west into Rajasthan begins.

A full day across Old and New Delhi: the Red Fort and Jama Masjid, a rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, then India Gate and Humayun's Tomb.

In the evening you board the overnight train to Jaisalmer, a classic Indian rail journey in a reserved air-conditioned berth that carries you deep into the desert as you sleep.

You arrive in Jaisalmer and explore its living sandstone fort, one of the few forts on earth still fully inhabited, with Jain temples, carved havelis and lanes of everyday life inside the walls.

The afternoon eases off at Gadsisar Lake, a man-made oasis ringed by shrines and ghats, before a first desert sunset.

You drive out to the Sam Sand Dunes for a camel safari across the rippled sand as the light turns gold, the signature Thar Desert experience.

The evening unfolds around a campfire with Rajasthani folk musicians and dancers and dinner under a huge desert sky, with the option of a night in a comfortable tented camp.

The morning takes you into the desert's rhythms, village life, artisan crafts and the cenotaphs and abandoned havelis around Jaisalmer.

In the evening you take the train east to Jodhpur, a scenic run across the open Thar into the Blue City.

You tour the colossal Mehrangarh Fort, rising sheer above Jodhpur, with its palace museum, ornate courtyards and cannon-lined ramparts looking out over a sea of blue houses.

Nearby stands Jaswant Thada, the serene white-marble royal cenotaph, before a walk through the old Blue City lanes below the fort.

A long, comfortable drive east brings you to Jaipur, the Pink City, in the afternoon.

An easy first evening introduces you to the old walled city, its rose-washed facades and bustling bazaars, before a full day of sightseeing tomorrow.

The day begins at the hilltop Amber Fort above Maota Lake, with its Sheesh Mahal mirror hall and grand courtyards (jeep ascent included).

Back in the walled city you visit the royal City Palace, still home to the erstwhile royal family, and the Jantar Mantar observatory, pausing at the Hawa Mahal facade for photographs.

The road to Agra pauses at Abhaneri to see Chand Baori, one of India's deepest and most geometrically spectacular stepwells, plunging thirteen storeys underground.

You reach Agra by evening, with time at leisure to rest ahead of an early start at the Taj Mahal.

You enter the Taj Mahal at first light with your guide, when the marble glows and the crowds are thinnest, the finest hour to see and photograph it.

The afternoon explores the red-sandstone Agra Fort, from where a captive Shah Jahan spent his final years gazing across the Yamuna at the Taj he built.

A morning drive up the Yamuna Expressway returns you to Delhi.

The evening closes the tour with a farewell dinner, a relaxed final night to look back over the desert, the forts and the Taj.

After breakfast your chauffeur transfers you to Delhi airport in good time for your onward flight.

A late check-out or day-use room can be arranged for late departures on request.