India Explorer Oct 2025

This is the day you arrive in Delhi. Nothing is planned for this day other than

collecting you from the airport and bringing you to the hotel for check-in.

There will be a driver waiting for you as you exit the airport terminal with a Spirit House sign in his hand. Take his hand and he will lead you gently to your car. Your adventure has now begun.

Once at your hotel, check-in, our host will give you a call and make sure you’re all settled in and, if time permits, show you around the neighbourhood.

The hotel is cool so soak it all in and we’ll meet up tomorrow morning ready to hit the streets.

QHANDY TIP
There are money changers in the airport for those who like to

have cash and ATMs as well.

You can also buy a SIM card at the airport but, being India, don’t expect to put it in your phone and have it work straight away - there’s a process - so we advise you set up a Travel Pack with your phone company before you leave.

Flights: Please arrive in Delhi today.

Join us for breakfast at 7am and if that’s too early, hit snooze and meet us in the lobby ready to go at 8am. Don’t worry about missing breakfast because today we are heading in to Old Delhi to meet up with our food guide for a spectacular food walk.

Fantastic food, exciting people and amazing photo opportunities at every turn. We don’t want to give too much away but based on the feedback, this day this is one of the highlights of the tour - right up there with the Taj Mahal!

Lunch will be in a restored Haveli in the old city. This is a very unique opportunity to go behind the amazing facades we see on our walk and enjoy a home cooked lunch in this amazing traditional private home.

HANDY TIP

Wear closed in shoes today - you’re not going to stand in anything horrific but the streets can be a bit dirty in parts. Hand sanitiser and some wipes will come in handy too. Don’t eat too much for breakfast because you will be eating fairly soon after - it’s a food walk remember.

Afternoon:

Our afternoons are usually free so you can do a bit of shopping or just relax. But, and this is what makes Spirit House Tours so unique, we have a plethora of cool things for you to do this afternoon if you want.

If you are in the mood, join us for some eclectic shopping, coffee etc. in a hip upmarket neighbourhood and then we’ll jump in the van for a short ride to a fabulous historic tomb that set the blueprint for the Taj Mahal.

Dinner - wow, do we have some choices here. Funky restaurants, cool bars with great food and fabulous shops to boot. We’ll take you to a few of our favourites - no hotel buffets for you tonight.

f you think today would be all ruins, forts and statues, you’d be wrong.

Delhi is a very old city with a fascinating history that is best observed in her architecture and religion. But we’re going to mix it up and have some fun and a beer or two as well. Let’s get started . . .

We’ll kick start the morning with a visit toHumayun’s tomb. Predating the Taj, this tomb is the precursor for the design of the Taj Mahal and a beautiful monument in its own right.

Next stop - the Sikh Temple and in particular a behind-the-scenes look at the massive kitchens where they cook for 15,000 people a day.

Hungry? So are we so, it’s off to lunch with the office crowd at a local restaurant serving fabulous Thali lunches. Afterwards a sweet pan to cleanse the palate.

Now some history. After lunch we’ll go back in time at the Qutb Minar which has a rich architectural history dating all the way back through the various styles and religions of the rulers.

At this point some of you may want a beer while others may want more history and perhaps a few want to window shop some great boutiques. Thankfully you are on a Spirit House tour and we have you ALL covered.

We’ll have the van drop us off at the super trendy enclave of Hauz Khas that has some interesting ruins to explore, trendy cafés and restaurants, designer boutiques and homeware stores. We’ll book a table at a great restaurant with a view over the ruins and meet you there after your exploring and shopping for a beer/wine, some great food and to watch the sunset.

On this trip you’re going to see plenty of forts, palaces and Mughal architecture to last a lifetime so we won’t bore you with a visit to the Taj Mahal - just kidding, we’re going to blow your socks off with the Taj Mahal, but not today.

After breakfast we depart and arrive in Agra for  lunch. Chill out in our great hotel.

Later in the afternoon we have a nice excursion for you taking in some of the other major sites/sights  and while all the tourists are hitting the buffet in the hotel, you will be on the streets of Agra enjoying one of our most raved about food experiences on the trip.

Today is Taj Day. Having all this time in Agra means there is no rush to visit it. Sunrise and Sunset are great times when crowds are smaller and the light is just right for stunning photos. So let’s play it by ear.

But Agra is more than the Taj Mahal. The Red fort is spectacular and is entwined with the story of the Taj Mahal.

Dinner tonight - let’s have dinner at home with a local family. Find out the life, dreams and aspirations of our hosts - help out in the kitchen and get some tips and tricks too.

This morning we can start a bit later and drive to Fatephur Sikri. King Akbar built this incredible city on the edge of the Rajasthan dessert only to abandon it when water resources ran out. He then relocated to Agra - and built the Taj when his wife passed away.

The ancient palace buildings and surrounds are perfectly intact and should be on everyone's bucket list.

From here we drive back to Delhi and stay in a great hotel that is close to some of our favourite restaurants and some great shopping - the best part, we are just a short drive to the airport ready for our flight tomorrow to Varanasi.

After a leisurely breakfast we take the short trip to the airport for our flight to Varanasi.

Varanasi is the oldest continuously lived-in city in the world - and one of the holiest places in India. Hindus believe Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati came to earth at this site on the sacred Ganges river. Therefore pilgrims from all over India flock to the banks to bathe and wash away sins. It is most Hindu's wish to die or be cremated on the banks of the Ganges as they believe this act will help them escape the cycle of birth and re-birth sooner.

So, as you can imagine, Varanasi is packed with pilgrims, colour, sights and sounds - and Damien and our guide are there to take you through all of this and give you a glimpse into this amazing place.

After check in to the hotel and lunch at a local favourite, you will head down to the river to witness the Aarti Ceremony held on the Ghats on the banks of the Ganges.

Dinner at another local favourite.

Early to bed as we have an early morning start tomorrow.

It is every Hindu’s wish to visit the Ganges river and in the morning we rise early and make our way to the Ganges boarding our boat as our boatsman rows us down the ghats where we can see pilgrims performing their bathing rituals and funeral pyres being lit at the temples that dot the river bank.

Following our guide we venture to shore and take a fascinating walk through the old city of Varanasi taking in the street life, jostling with the pilgrims.

Relax at the hotel and in the afternoon we will take a trip to Sarnath - a pilgrimage site for Buddhists who come from around the world to visit the site where Buddha gave his first sermon

We have a few interesting sights to show you as we slowly make our way to the airport before flying back to Delhi in the afternoon.

Make no mistake, these two days in Varanasi are an absolute highlight and the icing on the cake for what is a very eclectic trip that shows you just a glimpse of the cultural diversity that makes up this fascinating country.

Arrive in Delhi and a short trip to Aerocity where we check back in to The Pride Plaza hotel.  

This hotel is a stone's throw from the airport and is the perfect place to stay for catching your flight home tomorrow.

The show is over. We have organised transfers to take you to the airport. Depending on your flight time, the airport metro is just across the road so we can easily zap in to downtown Delhi to do some last minute shopping if your flight leaves later that night.