e are proud to introduce an ancient destination in a new way...India. Striving to create authentic cultural experiences for our travelers, our two new itineraries deliver contemporary real-world India as part of India's vast cultural history. From the battlements of Agra's Red Fort, Rajasthan's opulent Maharaja's palaces and the Taj Mahal in the north, to the soaring Gopuram architecture, Malabar's tropical backwaters and Spice Hill's plantations in the south, India remains the "great frontier" for those travelers that seek a land where magic is still real.

Two Journeys in India

Of Tigers & Palaces is an eleven day itinerary in the north, and our twelve day itinerary Of Temples & Spice explores the south. The itineraries can be combined or extended by adding one or more of our five day India Trip Extensions, three in the north and two in the south. In this way Wildland Travelers can design and build their own authentic Indian experience.

Stay in Maharaja's palaces. Ride elephants in the southern jungles. Seek tigers in the spectacular landscape of Rajasthan Tiger Reserve. Home-stay on a Cardamom plantation in the Spice Hills. Walk among ancient temples, desert castles, and palaces. See the Taj Mahal and Gandhi Museum. Explore Jaipur, Udaipur, Varanasi and Khajuraho. Visit Bangalore, Trichy, Madurai, Delhi and Cochin.

The ambiance and character of India's historic palace hotels is legendary. Once the personal residences of kings and princes a renaissance of art and culture flowered under their patronage. India's palaces were built by these men and today are transformed into boutique hotels. Each is quirky and individualistic, each expressing its owner's perspective on centuries of Indian taste and cultural development:

• The Samode Haveli in Jaipur, built over 150 years ago by the Prime Minister of Jaipur's royal court
• The Nahargarh Hotel with the aristocratic elegance of a Rajput hunting palace on the edge of Ranthambhore Tiger Sanctuary
• The mighty Shiv Niwas Palace in Udaipur, featuring spectacular jeweled and inlaid bedrooms and a magnificent central courtyard
• The Spice Village Hotel in Thekkady, with each cottage designed around a dwelling of different Periyar tribesmen

India is as much a journey of self discovery as a travel adventure. Many travelers return again and again to the subcontinent, drawn by India's gift to its travelers - a deeper sense of oneself. India has both an alluring mystique and a majestic terrain. To the north the vast Himalayas, home to the gods, sweep eastwards shedding ridges like tendrils down onto endless sun-burned plains. To the south, as the humidity rises, a verdant and fertile tropical jungle protects some of the world's finest and most imaginative temple architecture and an exotic variety of spice production.

Amidst all this wonder live a people so colorful, hospitable and varied, that to stay in the personal palace of a Maharaja, to thrill at one's first elephant ride, to spot a tiger at dawn - all such magical experiences seem entirely natural; like the realization of a long cherished dream.

There is just something about India……