Day 1 Delhi You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The day includes a sightseeing tour of Sir Edward Lutyens' New Delhi, the garden city built in 1911 by the British. We also visit the Birla Mandir (Lakshminarayan Temple), the President's House, Humayun's Tomb (the forerunner of the Taj Mahal), and India Gate.

Days 2 & 3 Darjeeling We begin our journey by flying to Bagdogra, from where we continue by private coach along the winding roads to Darjeeling. We journey through tea estates and lush green fields. Although famous for its tea, Darjeeling is also known for its cool climate and majestic mountain views. Originally part of the kingdom of Sikkim, Darjeeling became so popular with the British that the King was forced to cede the area to Colonial India. While in Darjeeling we take a trip out to Tiger Hill, the best spot for views of Kanchenjunga, at 8586m the world's third highest mountain and India's tallest. We take in the fantastic sunrise and on our return visit Ghoom Monastery, taking a ride on the famous toy train. We also visit a working tea estate and the Mountaineering Institute, where we can see some of the relics from the first conquest of Mt. Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

Day 4 Pemayangtse Today we enter beautiful Sikkim, traveling by jeep to Pemayangtse (2085 m), home of one of the most important red hat monasteries in Sikkim. We visit the monastery here and spend the night. Culturally, historically, and spiritually, Sikkim's strongest links are with Tibet. Buddhism arrived here from Tibet in the thirteenth century and took on its distinctive Sikkimese form four centuries later, when three Tibetan monks of the Nyingmapa order migrated to Yoksum in western Sikkim and crowned the first 'Chogyal' or 'Righteous King' of Denzong in 1642.

Day 5 Gangtok We continue the journey to Gangtok – the capital of Sikkim. Here we make an excursion to Rumtek gompa, a black hat order of monks founded in the 12 th century.

Day 6 Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary Today we travel by road to the small Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary was established in 1943 to help protect wildlife against the encroachment of tea cultivation. It consists of tracts of elephant grass on the banks of the River Torsa and shelters around 50 highly endangered one horned rhinoceroses as well as tiger, leopard, wild elephant, sambar, and hog deer.

Day 7 - 9 Thimpu Our journey now takes us into Bhutan – the "Land of the Dragon." We start in one of the country's most picturesque valleys – Thimpu (2350m). We explore the colorful market bazaar. From Thimpu we take a fascinating journey by road to Gangtey Gompa, and Wangdi and Punakha Dzongs.

Days 11 & 12 Paro It's a short journey by road to Paro where we visit the sacred remains of Taktsang, the ‘Tiger's Lair," which hangs form an almost sheer cliff-face, some 1000 meters above the Paro valley.

Days 13 & 14 Delhi We return to Delhi by flight. This time we visit Old Delhi, the ancient city built by Emperor Shah Jahan. We visit the Red Fort, and then take a rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of old Delhi to the Jama Masjid – the largest mosque in India. Finally we visit the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi (Raj Ghat). Last but not least on our itinerary is a day trip to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. We travel to Agra by Shatabdi express train. In Agra we see the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, as well as the magnificent Red Fort. The Taj was built in 1652 by Emperor Shah Jahan. It took 22 years and 20,000 skilled artisans to complete. The Agra Fort lies across the river Jamuna. It was here that Aurangzeb, the third son of Shah Jahan, kept his father under house arrest. One can get a fantastic view of the Taj from the little octagonal tower in the Fort.