India Real Food Adventure - 13 Days

Namaste! Welcome to India. Delhi is an exciting and chaotic capital city filled with historical sites, museums, galleries, shops and bazaars. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. After, celebrate the start of your adventure with a short stroll to a local restaurant for your first taste of North Indian cuisine – a delicious (and completely vegetarian) thali feast. A thali is an assortment of small dishes put together on one platter – the perfect way to sample a range of flavours. After, your leader will take you to a hole-in-the-wall eatery where you may like to sample some of Delhi’s best kulfi falooda (a delicious ice cream-style dessert). 

Start your day with authentic local chai tea then jump on the city's metro system to venture out to Old Delhi. Ready your appetite as you wander through alleyways for an authentic street food breakfast. Maybe pick up some bedmi, potato curry, sweet fried jalebi or paratha flatbread. Next, head to Jama Masjid, Delhi’s oldest mosque. After some time at this ancient building, hop aboard a rickshaw and head to Chandni Chowk – one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi. Visit the spice warehouses in the back alleys of Khari Baoli and meet a seller to learn about the spice mixes they take to market. Visit the Gali Paranthe Wali (lane of parathas) – parathas are one of the most popular unleavened flat breads in Punjabi North Indian cuisine, and you’ll taste some filled with potatoes, cauliflower and paneer. While Hinduism is the dominant religion in Delhi, there is also a significant Sikh population, which you’ll learn more about over a vegetarian lunch at a local Sikh temple. Tonight, you’ve got the option to visit a local family for a homecooked meal- – this is great insight into the day-to-day life of Delhites, so find out some secret recipes, get involved or just chat with your welcoming hosts. 

Jump aboard a local train for an air-conditioned ride to Agra. Famed for one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal, Agra is a city of fascinating history, rich in Mughal heritage. Agra is also home to one of the finest looking forts in India – Agra Fort. Enter the dark red sandstone stronghold and search through throne rooms and tiny but ornate mosques. After, head to the Taj Mahal to explore the grounds and take in the changing scenes as day turns to evening – a truly unforgettable experience. For dinner, join a Mughlai cooking demonstration. Influenced by Central Asian and Islamic recipes, Mughlai cuisine is unique and fragrant. Meet a passionate cook who'll teach you how to prepare classics such as malai ki sabzi (vegetables cooked with cream) and onion paratha (flatbread stuffed with onions and potato), depending on the season.

Today, you’ll drive from Agra to Karauli for your stay in a royal-palace-turned-hotel in Karauli. The estate is expansive – as it’s a palace property, and they grow their own vegetables, fruits and seasonal crops. Take a walk through the estate’s landscaped gardens, vegetable patches, orchards and cow shed, where the milk used in the kitchens is sourced – an important element of traditional Indian cuisine. Everything grown and produced on the estate is organic! If you’d like, you can also visit the Madan Mohan Ji Temple and Karauli Palace this afternoon. The stay also provides a welcome opportunity to slow down and unwind after the busy sightseeing schedule in Delhi and Agra and tonight, you’ll sit down to a farm-to-table dinner with your group to settle in.

Say goodbye to your royal digs this morning and drive to Jaipur. Designed by royalty, the city has delighted visitors for centuries with its pink-hued buildings and buzzing bazaars. Jump on a rickshaw and swing by one of India’s most photographed buildings, the Hawa Mahal or ‘Palace of the Winds’, to snap some pictures yourself. Then, you’ll have the chance to try kachori (a deep-fried snack and local favourite, typically made from a spiced dough filled with vegetables and lentils) at the iconic Rawat Mishthan Bhandar. In the evening, you may like to check out the extravagance of a Bollywood blockbuster, with all the Hollywood-style elements of action, romance, drama and music (sometimes all rolled into one) at the Raj Mandir Cinema.

Travel to the old capital of Amber today to explore the hilltop complex known as the Amber Fort. Overlooking Maota Lake, this opulent palace is the legacy of a fallen empire and a great example of Rajput architecture. One of its most spectacular buildings is the Sheesh Mahal – with its walls completely covered with tiny mirrors, the hall becomes a dazzling fantasy with the light of a single match. For lunch, follow your leader to LMB, a local restaurant opened in 1727, and try their ghevar. After the meal, sample the mawa kachori (deep-fried pastry stuffed with dried fruits and milk solids, coated in sugar syrup). Finish the day in a local home where you’ll take a hands-on cooking class to learn how to make some plant-based Rajasthani dishes like ker sangri, using dried ker berries and sangri beans. Enjoy the fruits of your labour in the peaceful garden, where your hosts grow fresh greens. 

Leave the city behind and drive to a local heritage stay located in the Vindhyanchal Hills in the Mewar region of south-central Rajasthan – a great opportunity to learn about rural life and culinary customs. You’ll stop for lunch along the way at a local restaurant. Your accommodation for the next two nights will be at 16th-century Castle Bijaipur – now a heritage hotel with domes, arched windows and doorways, all within the original fortified walls. Take in the palace’s blend architecture as you relax by the pool or in the gardens, enjoying the famous Mewar hospitality. 

Today you’ll jump in a jeep and explore the surrounding farming communities. This is a major agricultural area and, depending on the season, you’ll pass through fields growing wheat, corn, maize, lentils, aubergine, spinach, fenugreek, okra, green chilies, tomatoes, potatoes, gourd, onion and garlic. Some of India’s most-loved spices, such as turmeric and cumin, are also grown here. Return to your heritage stay and join the estate’s chef to discover how the ingredients you’ve seen today are used in Rajasthani cooking. Savour the results over a delicious lunch on the lake side with your group.

This morning, travel to Udaipur – a charming city known for its Hindu temples and palaces, and small but renowned Jain temples. Jainism is a minority religion in India and is considered among the most rigorous and spiritually motivated diets in India. When you arrive, visit a Jain temple where you’ll learn about the religion and the food connected to it. Jain cuisine is strictly vegetarian and excludes the eating of root vegetables like carrots, onion and garlic due to the belief that uprooting the plant kills it and the micro-organisms around the roots. Taste Jainist cuisine at the famous Natraj restaurant, serving delicious thali since 1960s. Tonight, you’ll have a free evening for dinner. Udaipur has several inviting rooftop restaurants, so climb some stairs and settle in to watch the sunset over one of the city’s shimmering central lakes. 

This morning, hop in a tuk-tuk for a unique local experience. Visit a bustling vegetable market where most of the vendors are women, and with the guidance of your local hosts, purchase fresh ingredients for your hands-on cooking class. You’ll prepare some traditional Rajasthani dishes, then sit down and enjoy them for lunch with your group. The evening is free for you to relax or explore Udaipur at your own pace.

This morning, fly to Mumbai and check into your hotel. In the evening, head out for a Chowpatty Beach food crawl, where you’ll sample some of Mumbai’s most iconic street and beach food specialties while experiencing the city’s vibrant seaside atmosphere.

This morning, experience Mumbai like a local with a ride on the city’s famous suburban train network. Visit Dhobi Ghat, the world’s largest open-air laundry, followed by the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) and the iconic Gateway of India. Then, tuck into a traditional Parsi lunch in the fort area. The afternoon is free for you to explore at your own pace or simply relax before joining your group for a farewell dinner at the renowned Mahesh Lunch Home, celebrated for its authentic local coastal cuisine.

Your food adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning. If you would like to spend more time in Goa and explore more of the city, just get in touch with your booking agent ahead of time.