Private journeys in seven lands · a planner replies within one working day

Tales of Luxury

Travel style

Crafts and textiles

Meet the makers

Block printers in Bagru and Sanganer, Banarasi silk weavers, Lucknow's chikankari embroiderers, Kashmiri-style pashmina in Ladakh and Newar woodcarvers in Patan. Studio visits, not showrooms.

Many of South Asia's great crafts are still made by hand, in workshops a few streets from the tourist sites. We arrange visits with makers, not sales floors, and there is no commission on anything you buy.

Workshops close on festival days and some weekly holidays. We check your dates with each studio before we confirm the plan.

Journeys

Routes in this style

Nepal in Depth: Valley, Hills and Terai
Nepal · 14 nights Nepal in Depth: Valley, Hills and Terai Kathmandu · Dhulikhel · Bandipur · Pokhara · Chitwan · Lumbini · Kathmandu From₹6,20,000 pp
Kathmandu, Bandipur and Pokhara by road
Nepal · 7 nights Kathmandu, Bandipur and Pokhara by road Kathmandu · Bandipur · Pokhara From₹2,90,000 pp
Kathmandu Valley and Dhulikhel short break
Nepal · 5 nights Kathmandu Valley and Dhulikhel short break Kathmandu · Dhulikhel From₹2,20,000 pp
Crafts and textiles of Rajasthan
Rajasthan · 8 nights Crafts and textiles of Rajasthan Jaipur · Jodhpur · Udaipur From₹3,90,000 pp
The grand tour of Rajasthan
Rajasthan · 15 nights The grand tour of Rajasthan Jaipur · Shekhawati (Mandawa) · Bikaner · Jaisalmer · Jodhpur · Jawai · Udaipur From₹8,60,000 pp
Jaipur and Samode in five nights
Rajasthan · 5 nights Jaipur and Samode in five nights Jaipur · Samode From₹2,40,000 pp
Palaces of Rajasthan
Rajasthan · 11 nights Palaces of Rajasthan Samode · Jaipur · Jodhpur · Kumbhalgarh · Udaipur From₹6,50,000 pp
Painted havelis of Shekhawati
Rajasthan · 6 nights Painted havelis of Shekhawati Shekhawati (Mandawa) · Samode · Jaipur From₹2,60,000 pp
Hornbill Festival, Kohima and Kaziranga
North East India · 8 nights Hornbill Festival, Kohima and Kaziranga Kohima and Khonoma · Kaziranga National Park From₹2,90,000 pp
A Kerala food and spice trail
Kerala · 8 nights A Kerala food and spice trail Fort Kochi · Thekkady (Periyar) · Kumarakom From₹2,45,000 pp
Temple arts and Theyyam
Kerala · 8 nights Temple arts and Theyyam Thrissur · Kannur · Bekal From₹2,40,000 pp
Art and design Goa: Correa to the Museum of Goa
Goa · 5 nights Art and design Goa: Correa to the Museum of Goa Panjim and Fontainhas · Candolim, Sinquerim and Nerul From₹1,65,000 pp
A Goan food and feni trail
Goa · 6 nights A Goan food and feni trail Panjim and Fontainhas · Assagao, Anjuna and Vagator · Benaulim, Varca and Cavelossim From₹1,85,000 pp
Marble, chikan and silk: a crafts journey
UP & Bihar · 8 nights Marble, chikan and silk: a crafts journey Agra · Lucknow · Varanasi From₹2,95,000 pp
Lucknow by the plate: four nights of Awadhi food
UP & Bihar · 4 nights Lucknow by the plate: four nights of Awadhi food Lucknow From₹95,000 pp

Places

Where it fits best

Bhaktapur
city Bhaktapur

Brick squares, potters and the five-tiered Nyatapola temple

Best Feb – Apr · Oct – Nov · Day trip nights
Kathmandu
city Kathmandu

Stupas, temples and royal squares in Nepal's capital valley

Best Feb – Apr · Oct – Nov · 3 nights
Patan
city Patan

Newar temples, a palace museum and bronze casters across the river

Best Feb – Apr · Oct – Nov · Day trip nights
Bikaner
city Bikaner

A desert city of red forts, havelis and bhujia

Best Oct – Feb · 1–2 nights
Bundi
fort town Bundi

Stepwells, murals and a palace on the hillside

Best Aug – Feb · 1–2 nights
Deogarh
village Deogarh

A hilltop palace, a mountain railway and rural Mewar

Best Oct – Feb · 1–2 nights
Jaipur
city Jaipur

The pink city of forts, bazaars and royal hotels

Best Oct – Feb · 2–3 nights
Jodhpur
city Jodhpur

The blue city below Mehrangarh Fort

Best Oct – Feb · 2–3 nights
Ranthambore
national park Ranthambore

Tigers among lakes, ruins and a thousand-year-old fort

Best Nov – Apr · 2–3 nights
Samode
village Samode

A painted palace in the hills an hour from Jaipur

Best Oct – Feb · 1–2 nights
Shekhawati (Mandawa)
heritage site Shekhawati (Mandawa)

Painted merchant towns of the northern desert

Best Oct – Feb · 2 nights
Udaipur
lake town Udaipur

Lakes, palaces and the slowest days in Rajasthan

Best Aug – Mar · 3–4 nights
Alchi
heritage site Alchi

Ladakh's oldest temple murals, in a village of apricot trees

Best May – Oct · Day trip, or 2–3 nearby nights
Guwahati
city Guwahati

Gateway city on the Brahmaputra, with Kamakhya on its hill

Best Oct – Mar · 1 nights
Kohima and Khonoma
hill station Kohima and Khonoma

Naga hill capital, war memorial and the Hornbill Festival

Best Oct – Mar · 3–5 nights
Majuli
island Majuli

Vaishnava monasteries on a great Brahmaputra river island

Best Nov – Feb · 2 nights
Ziro
valley Ziro

The Apatani rice valley and its September music festival

Best Mar – Apr · Sep – Nov · 3–4 nights
Kannur
city Kannur

Theyyam country, looms and the old Malabar forts

Best Nov – Mar · 2–3 nights
Fort Kochi
city Fort Kochi

Five centuries of spice traders on one small peninsula

Best Nov – Feb · 2–3 nights
Thrissur
temple town Thrissur

Kerala's cultural capital, temples and the great Pooram

Best Nov – Feb · 1–2 nights
Chandor, Loutolim and the Salcete mansions
village Chandor, Loutolim and the Salcete mansions

The great Portuguese-era houses of south Goa's villages

Best Nov – Feb · Day visit nights
Agra
city Agra

The Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and the Mughal river bank

Best Feb – Mar · Oct – Nov · 2–3 nights
Lucknow
city Lucknow

Nawabi architecture, Awadhi kebabs and chikankari

Best Feb – Mar · Oct – Nov · 2–3 nights
Varanasi
city Varanasi

Dawn boats, evening aarti and the oldest lanes on the Ganges

Best Feb – Mar · Oct – Nov · 3 nights

Stays

Rooms that suit it

Dwarika's Hotel
heritage haveli · Kathmandu Dwarika's Hotel

Kathmandu's most characterful hotel, built in Newar style around brick courtyards set with carved windows, doors and pillars rescued from old valley buildings. It sits in …

Rambagh Palace
palace hotel · Jaipur Rambagh Palace

The former home of the Maharajas of Jaipur, run by Taj, set in large Mughal-style gardens about 15 minutes from the old city. It is the …

The Oberoi Rajvilas
resort · Jaipur The Oberoi Rajvilas

A low-rise resort on the eastern edge of Jaipur, built as a Rajasthani fort-village with courtyards, pools, luxury tents and private villas. Quieter and more private …

Samode Palace
palace hotel · Samode Samode Palace

A family-owned palace hotel in a village in the Aravalli hills, about 42 km northwest of Jaipur. Its painted Durbar Hall and mirrored Sheesh Mahal are …

Taj Lake Palace
palace hotel · Udaipur Taj Lake Palace

An 18th-century white marble palace that covers its own island in Lake Pichola, reached only by boat. Built as a royal summer retreat and run by …

The Oberoi Udaivilas
resort · Udaipur The Oberoi Udaivilas

A palace-style resort on the eastern shore of Lake Pichola, with domed pavilions, courtyards, gardens and rooms opening onto shared or semi-private pools. It faces the …

Umaid Bhawan Palace
palace hotel · Jodhpur Umaid Bhawan Palace

A golden sandstone Art Deco palace on Chittar Hill above Jodhpur, completed in 1943 and still home to the royal family of Marwar in one wing. …

RAAS Jodhpur
boutique hotel · Jodhpur RAAS Jodhpur

A boutique hotel inside the walled old city of Jodhpur, built around a restored 18th-century haveli directly below Mehrangarh Fort. Clean contemporary rooms, a courtyard pool …

The Oberoi Vanyavilas
tented camp · Ranthambore The Oberoi Vanyavilas

A luxury tented resort on the edge of Ranthambore National Park, with large canvas tents set in landscaped gardens, a spa and naturalist-led safaris. It is …

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