Trip to South India & North India

This month-long trip covers two very different Indias. You start in the south, from Cochin through Kerala's forests and backwaters, then across to the temple towns of Tamil Nadu and the old French quarter of Pondicherry, before flying north to the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur classics and deeper into Rajasthan.

Along the way you get wildlife parks, colonial history, Mughal architecture, desert forts and lake towns, with a houseboat night in Alleppey and a safari shot at spotting tigers in Ranthambore. It's a lot of ground, but the pace is broken up by some genuinely different experiences rather than just temple after temple.

Timed around Christmas and New Year, this is a small-group trip built for travellers who want the big names of India covered in one go rather than picking one region.

What you'll do

• Look for wildlife in Mudumalai and Bandipur National Parks
• Explore the temples of Kanchipuram and the shore temple at Mahabalipuram
• Wander the old French quarter of Pondicherry
• Spend a night on a houseboat in the Alleppey backwaters
• See the Taj Mahal at Agra and ride an elephant or jeep up to Amber Fort in Jaipur
• Go looking for Bengal tigers on safari in Ranthambore