India: Women's Expedition

Namaste! Welcome to Delhi – India’s bustling capital city. Your women’s expedition begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm at your hotel. Meet your local leader and fellow female travellers and find out what to expect over the course of your adventure. If you arrive early, maybe kick-start your adventure with a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Humayun's Tomb. After the meeting tonight, get to know your group and have your first taste of India’s famous cuisine over an included dinner at a local restaurant.

Navigate the city’s metro system to discover Old Delhi on a walking tour. You may ride the metro in a female-only carriage today, giving you an insight into how local women travel around Delhi. Hitch a traditional cycle rickshaw ride through a typical Indian traffic jam in the streets around Chandni Chowk marketplace. Visit Delhi’s oldest and largest mosque – Jama Masjid, then duck into a Sikh temple for a quiet escape from the city and observe the spiritual side of this bustling metropolis. Visit the Dilli Haat market, where artisans from across the country showcase their wares and there’s a tempting array of food stalls – you might like to take your tastebuds on a trip with some momos from Sikkim, spicy chicken from Nagaland or kebabs from Jammu. Later tonight, you’ll leave Delhi on an overnight sleeper train to Bikaner.

Your overnight train will arrive in Bikaner just after 7 am this morning. Your group will be picked up by tuk-tuks and transferred to the hotel, where you can freshen up and grab some breakfast. Later, you’ll visit Junagarh Fort – built in the late 16th century, this red sandstone and marble fort is one of the most impressive forts in Rajasthan. You’ll explore the various palaces, courtyards and museums within the fort complex, then hop back in a tuk-tuk to visit a local home in the Old Town. Here, some local women will show you how they make poppadoms and bhajia. Try some of these savoury snacks and chat with the women while you sip on cups of chai together. This initiative, started by the RGAVP’s government program, nurtures the economic capability of women living below the poverty line in rural and urban areas. The women of Bikaner have created a platform through which they can support their livelihoods through their cooking.

This morning, take a private vehicle towards the Thar Desert for an exclusive desert stay experience. You’ll stop in Khichan along the way to freshen up, then continue to the sprawling sand dunes of the Thar. When you arrive, you’ll enjoy high tea surrounded by views of the dunes. Snack on vegetable pakora (fritters) and sip chai as you soak up an I’m-so-far-from-home moment. This evening, you’ll have a candle-lit dinner under the open night sky, consisting of a traditional Rajasthani thali (platter) served on bajots (traditional low wooden tables). The meal will be prepared by women from a nearby village, and you’ll have the chance to get hands-on and help them prepare chapati, pakora, beans, kadhi (a yoghurt-based curry) and some dessert. Get to know the women as you cook together, learning about village life and sharing stories. You’ll spend the night sleeping among the dunes with the starry sky stretching out above you.

Wake up at your desert camp and tuck into a breakfast of Indian porridge, breads and fresh fruit. Then, leave the dunes behind and begin your journey to Jaisalmer, stopping to collect your luggage along the way. Arrive around lunchtime, then you’ll have some free time to either relax at your accommodation or head out to do some exploring – ask your leader for recommendations if you need help planning your afternoon.

Head out on a walking tour with your leader today to get to know this storied desert city. The citadel was built by Rawal Jaisal of the Bhati Rajput in AD1156, and with a history that’s been carefully recorded by the bards of Rajasthan since the 12th century, it’s not hard to imagine what life here once looked like. Strung between the former trade routes of the Great Thar Desert, your leader will share stories of Jaisalmer’s prosperous past. Return to your hotel and transfer to the train station to board the train to Jodhpur, arriving in the evening.

Visit the striking Mehrangarh Fort that towers over the city. You’ll take a guided tour here to explore some of the ornately decorated palaces and visit one of Rajasthan’s most interesting museums to learn about historic battles. From here, you’ll continue to the Sadar Bazaar in the Old City for a guided market tour, where you’ll taste local delicacies like lassi and dal baati – both classics of Indian cuisine. You might like to spend the rest of the evening exploring the Old City – your local leader will be able to recommend some great places for dinner.