Kipling's India
Day One: Fly to Mumbai
Depart London on your overnight flight to Mumbai.
Day Two: Mumbai
On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. After lunch, enjoy an afternoon tour of Mumbai, Kipling's birthplace and home for six years. Visit the bungalow where the writer was born, then the towering archway of The Gateway of India. Drive past the Gothic facade of the Bombay High Court, the ornate clock tower of the city university, elegant Victoria Terminus, and colourful Crawford Market, where the fountain built by Kipling's father still stands. Follow the coastal road to Mani Bhavan, Mahatma Gandhi's Bombay residence, before returning to your hotel.
Day Three: Mumbai to Kanha National Park
fter breakfast, depart Mumbai on your flight to Raipur, then drive through colourful rural landscapes to Kanha National Park for your two-night stay.
Day Four: Kanha National Park
Witness the animals that inspired Kipling's Jungle Book adventures on today's full-day jeep safari through the bamboo forests and rolling grasslands of Kanha National Park. Look out for sambar deer, the four-horned Chausingha antelope, panthers and the prowling tigers that inspired the fearsome character, Shere Khan.
Day Five: Kanha National Park to Delhi
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and morning before your afternoon flight from Raipur to Delhi.
Day Six: Delhi
Engage your senses as you take in Delhi's colourful streets, spice-scented alleyways and rumbling rickshaws on today's full-day city tour. Explore the sprawling courtyards of Jama Masjid mosque then take a rickshaw ride through the labyrinth of stalls in Chandni Chowk market. Drive past the imposing walls of the Red Fort, stopping at Raj Ghat to visit Mahatma Gandhi's cremation grounds. Cross over into the neatly planned streets of New Delhi, visiting the commercial hub of Connaught Place, as you make your way to the soaring tower of Qutab Minar and the memorial at India Gate.
Day Seven: Delhi to Shimla
This morning, board your train to Chandigarh, where you'll transfer to the UNESCO-recognised Toy Train, a tiny locomotive that carries you to the city of Shimla in the Himalayan foothills for your three-night stay.
Day Eight: Shimla
Today's tour begins with a visit to one of the Kipling family's residences. Experience Shimla's woods as they were in Kipling's time at Potters Hill Arboretum then walk around Shimla's centre, past the grand State Museum, the hilltop location of Christ Church, and the boulevards of the Mall. After lunch, cross the 'Combermere Bridge' which appears in Kipling's book 'The Phantom Rickshaw' before driving into the Jakhoo Hills. Take in the statue of the Hindu god Hanuman then enjoy free time to explore the Mall.
Day Nine: Shimla
Enjoy a day at leisure to explore Shimla further. Alternatively, take an optional nature walk (at a fee) through the rural landscapes of the Himalayas.
Day 10: Shimla to Delhi
Drive to Kalka railway station then board your train to Delhi, arriving in time for tonight's farewell dinner.
Day 11: Delhi to the UK
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK, or continue on to your chosen extension.
Highlights
Enjoy a Mumbai city tour
Search the animals of The Jungle Book on a safari
Tour the sights of Delhi on a rickshaw ride
Enjoy a tour of Shimla & visit the Kipling's residence
Toy Train ride into the Himalayan foothills
Explore Delhi's Chandni Chowk market