Sikhs & Exiles

Day 1 Fly overnight from London Heathrow, via Delhi, to Amritsar.

Day 2 On arrival in the afternoon, transfer to the boutique hotel Ranjit Vilas, brimming with traditional Punjab character, for a two-night stay. Relax for the rest of the afternoon, or perhaps explore the city’s labyrinth of lanes and bazaars, selling everything from carpets to kites and cut-glass. This evening, enjoy a cooking demo and dinner at the hotel. (D)

Day 3 Visit the Golden Temple, gleaming with hundreds of kilos of gold leaf. The most sacred place of pilgrimage, in the holiest city of the Sikh religion, it stands as an island of calm amid the melee of the medieval ‘old town’. Continue to visit the ‘world’s largest’ community kitchen, where thousands of volunteers feed tens of thousands of pilgrims every day; and the garden memorial to those killed in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Optional early-evening excursion to the Indo-Pakistan Wagah Border village, to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony (£25, bookable locally). Later attend the Palki religious ceremony at the Golden Temple. (B)

Day 4 Drive to Dharamsala (5hrs), stopping enroute to visit the Masrur Rock Cut Temples, a unique, 8^th-century, Hindu complex, cut into a cluster of rock towers, and housing stone statues of Lords Rama and Laxmana, and the goddess Sita, and a carving of Shiva. Surrounded by dense forestry in the secluded Kangra Valley, Dharamsala is the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile, and the residence of the Dalai Lama. Stay two nights at the simply styled and scenically positioned Clouds End Villa. (B, L, D)

Day 5 At 1,700m above sea level, McLeod Ganj is the upper section of the split village, and the spiritual home of Tibetan Buddhism. Among the shrines and statues of the serene Tsuglagkhang Complex, visit the magnificent Namgyal Monastery, the library, and Tibetan Museum of traditions and art; and drive to the spellbinding surroundings of Norbulingka Institute, established to support Tibetan refugees and to preserve Tibetan culture and crafts. Enjoy exotic views on a village walk this afternoon. (B, D)

Day 6 Travel just 20km south to visit Kangra Fort, the little-known but largest fortress in the Himalayas and, dating back to 400BC, believed to be the oldest in India. Continue to Pragpur. An intriguing step-back-in-time, with an ongoing programme of restoration and conservation, its cobbled, traffic-free lanes are lined with painted, mud-rendered houses, its market draped with colourful fabrics. Overnight at the heritage hotel Judge’s Court, a country manor built for Justice Sir Jai Lal. (B, D)

Day 7 Call in at the neighbouring village of Garli, where old-world shops include a cobbler’s and a traditional bakery; and continue (7hrs) to Shimla, the British-era summer capital, a picture-perfect retreat, now blending cool colonial charm with fabulously colourful Himachal character. Stay three nights at the heritage Clarke’s Hotel, set on the broad pedestrian avenue, The Mall (The 5-star Oberoi Cecil for October 24 departure). (B)

Day 8 Explore the Mall on a morning tour of Shimla, which includes a visit to the very grand Viceregal Lodge (now named Rashtrapati Niwas), its majestic façade matched by manicured gardens at the summit of Observatory Hill, its museum recording the British colonial era with texts and photographs. Enjoy high tea and meet a member of the family at Chapslee House, one of the town’s oldest surviving residences. (B)

Day 9 A day at leisure, perhaps to see the five windows of the Virtues in Christ Church, explore the tumble of twisting lanes of the bazaar, or take an optional tour into Shimla’s surrounds, including high tea at Wildflower Hall, and a gentle walk along Mahasu Ridge (£65, bookable locally). (B)

Day 10 Board the narrow-gauge ‘Toy Train’ for its spectacularly scenic journey (5hrs), cutting through pine forests and countless tunnels, and crossing 864 bridges to reveal fantastic panoramas, on its route to Kalka; where we switch to the Shatabdi Express train for Delhi (4hrs), with a light dinner aboard. Two nights at the heritage Maidens Hotel, one of the first hotels in the city. (5-star The Claridges Delhi for October/November departures). (B, D)

Day 11 A ‘Return to Delhi’ tour includes Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, formerly the Jaisinghpura Palace, its golden cupolas, elegant colonnades and Sarovar pool now a sacred site, home to the haunting chants of the Sikh religion; the city’s iconic Red Fort, where huge sandstone walls encircle a series of pavilions, linked by the Nahr-i-Behisht (‘stream of paradise’) water channel; the 14^th-century, Agrasen ki Baoli step well, 60m-long and three storeys deep; and the National Rail Museum, celebrating 17 decades of railway heritage, with historic locomotives and carriages. A cooking demo this evening is followed by a farewell dinner. (B, D)

Day 12 Transfer to the airport for the return flight to London Heathrow, arriving later the same day. (B)

• Key
• B - Breakfast
• L - Lunch
• D - Dinner