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Hong Kong tram street scene (departure-city illustration) · Destination illustration

Suggested flight: Hong Kong–Delhi CX695 / 17:40 / 21:35 Fly with Cathay Pacific to Delhi. On arrival, meet your guide at the airport, then check in and rest.

Accommodation:Delhi

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Lake Pichola and City Palace, Udaipur · Destination illustration

Suggested flight: Delhi–Udaipur AI1737 / 11:50 / 13:20 Udaipur, the White City, is a jewel in the desert, also called the Venice of the Desert, where generations of residents have lived beside the lake. After arrival, photograph sunset over Lake Pichola and take a small boat to photograph the lake palace (now the Oberoi hotel).

Accommodation:Udaipur

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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City Palace, Udaipur · Destination illustration

Rise early, then visit Jagdish Temple and the lakeside City Palace. Continue to Saheliyon-ki-Bari, a leisure garden built especially for royal women. The Bagore Ki Haveli folk museum displays Rajasthan’s woodblock printing, traditional dress, puppets, masks and other folk culture. Folk dance, music and puppet shows take place every evening, making it popular for experiencing local culture. At sunset, photograph the city from the top of the fort.

Accommodation:Udaipur

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur · Destination illustration

After breakfast, depart for Jodhpur. En route, photograph the Temple of a Thousand Pillars, approximately 100 kilometers from Udaipur. In the afternoon, photograph Mehrangarh Fort and wait for the sunset afterglow. Perched on a 125-meter hill, the fort’s height becomes increasingly apparent as you approach. It is an architectural achievement both captivating and intimidating. The scene in The Dark Knight Rises in which Batman escapes an underground prison and sees daylight again was filmed against the backdrop of Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India.

Accommodation:Jodhpur

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Blue City of Jodhpur · Destination illustration

A full day photographing Jodhpur. Rise early and head to the old town to photograph sunrise over the fort. Visit Umaid Bhawan Palace, described as the world’s second-largest private residence after Britain’s Buckingham Palace. Construction began in 1929, with a design by Britain’s Royal Institute of Architects, and took 3,000 workers 15 years to complete using marble and Burmese teak. Covering 26 acres with 365 rooms, it was the Jodhpur royal family’s principal residence. A large shaded garden surrounds it, with freely roaming peacocks. The palace now has three sections: a luxury hotel; a museum open to visitors, displaying royal treasures, clocks and memorabilia; and a section still occupied by descendants of the former royal family. Explore the Blue Old City: houses large and small, rich and poor, are painted in varying shades of blue. Seen from above, the city resembles a dreamlike mosaic of blue gemstones. In its narrow lanes, young women in bright saris occasionally pass gracefully against blue walls, adding to its spellbinding charm. Then visit Jaswant Thada, a white-marble memorial built in 1899 by Maharaja Sardar Singh in memory of his father. It also serves as the Jaswant family burial ground, with tombs of eight queens and 32 consorts surrounding the central marble structure. Nearby white pavilions and terraces display genealogies and portraits of successive Jodhpur rulers. This traditional royal cremation ground features intricately carved terraces, lattice windows, lovely gardens and small lakes, and is one of the best places for distant views of Mehrangarh Fort. If time allows, visit the Clock Tower Market. Jodhpur has almost no tall buildings, so the tower can be seen from afar from nearly anywhere. Locally called ‘Sardar,’ the market bustles from morning to night, selling almost every everyday necessity. Its lively scenes make it an excellent place to experience daily Indian life. Several busy neighboring streets specialize in silk, spices, silverware and antiques, attracting visitors from around the world.

Accommodation:Jodhpur

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Street life at Hawa Mahal (Jaipur city illustration) · Destination illustration

After breakfast, drive to Jaipur, the Pink City. In the afternoon, photograph sunset at the City Palace and astronomical observatory.

Accommodation:Jaipur

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Hawa Mahal, Jaipur · Destination illustration

A full day photographing Jaipur. In the morning, visit the Palace of Winds to photograph its exterior and the street crowds. Continue to the Water Palace and Birla Temple, then take a jeep to Amber Fort to photograph palace architecture and panoramic city views. Afterwards, you may head to Nahargarh Fort to wait for sunset.

Accommodation:Jaipur

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Taj Mahal architecture, Agra (destination illustration) · Destination illustration

After breakfast, drive to Agra. Photograph Chand Baori stepwell along the way if possible, then visit Agra Fort in the afternoon. In the evening, Mehtab Bagh offers distant views of the Taj Mahal in the setting sun; ask the guide to take you to this garden opposite the Taj Mahal to wait for sunset.

Accommodation:Agra

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Taj Mahal, Agra · Destination illustration

After breakfast, photograph the exquisite Taj Mahal, then return to New Delhi. On arrival, photograph Swaminarayan Temple and wait for the evening light show.

Accommodation:Delhi

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Ganges riverfront, Varanasi · Destination illustration

Suggested flight: Delhi–Varanasi AI1741 / 10:40 / 12:00 Take a morning flight to the holy city of Varanasi. Its old town lies west of the Ganges and is distinguished by a maze of lanes packed with shops, guesthouses and temples. Every evening, streets leading to the old town fill with visitors heading to the river for the nighttime ritual, also an ideal opportunity for local vendors selling Indian accessories and clothing. Visit Sarnath, where Shakyamuni Buddha first preached after attaining enlightenment. It contains an archaeological museum, Dhamek Stupa, Chinese and Burmese temples, Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and more. Pilgrims arrive year-round from across the world, seeking enlightenment with devotion at this sacred teaching site. The archaeological museum holds Ashoka’s Pillar and various stone sculptures, deserving a leisurely visit. Afterwards, photograph everyday street life in Varanasi, then head to Dashashwamedh Ghat in the evening to watch the Ganges night ceremony.

Accommodation:Varanasi

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Early morning by the Ganges, Varanasi · Destination illustration

Suggested flight: Varanasi–Delhi AI2624 / 15:45 / 17:25 Rise early to photograph sunrise over the Ganges, then return to the hotel for breakfast. The Golden Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, stands on a street north of the river’s bathing ghats and was built in 1776. Its domed roof glitters gold in sunlight. Non-Hindu visitors may not enter, but can watch the crowds entering from the second floor of a building opposite, or glimpse the interior through an opening in the wall along a lane behind the temple. Its name comes from its golden spire, said to contain 880 kilograms of gold. It is the most important of Varanasi’s many temples. For Hindus, the Ganges is sacred and auspicious, and bathing in it at least once in a lifetime washes away sins. Take a domestic flight back to Delhi. On arrival, visit and photograph Qutb Minar.

Accommodation:New Delhi

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Jama Masjid, Delhi · Destination illustration

Suggested flight: New Delhi–Hong Kong CX698 / 22:45 / 06:15 the following day After breakfast, photograph Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi’s largest Sikh gurdwara. Its entire complex is built of white marble, with a huge central onion-shaped dome and several smaller domes covered in gold leaf, creating a strikingly opulent appearance. Sikhs worldwide revere the pool’s water as holy and believe it has healing properties. Photograph Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque and a world-renowned example of Islamic architecture. Visit Delhi Gate. Depending on time, photograph local market life or Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi. Transfer to the airport after dinner.

Accommodation:none

Meals:breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Hong Kong streets and trams (arrival-city illustration) · Destination illustration

Arrive at Hong Kong Airport, concluding this colorful journey through India, and return to the warmth of home.