India's palaces, wildlife and colour — at your own tempo

The white marble mausoleum changes colour through the day — milky dawn light is the definitive moment. An overnight stay in Agra means no early departure from Delhi.

The ruined 10th-century fort that looms over the park makes the landscape unique. Morning and evening safaris in an open-sided jeep with an expert naturalist guide.

The most dramatic fort in Rajasthan rises from a 125-metre rock. The lanes below it are washed in indigo blue — the traditional colour of the Brahmin caste.

Boat to the Taj Lake Palace hotel — an 18th-century white marble island palace — as the Aravalli hills glow pink behind it. Often called the world's most romantic hotel.

A kettuvallam houseboat with a crew of two, rice and coconut fish curry prepared on board, drifting through palm-fringed channels where time appears to have stopped.

The 'Pink City' contains two of India's finest royal complexes. Arrive at Amber Fort by 08:00 and the elephant-flank entrance ramp is quiet enough to photograph properly.

The oldest continuously inhabited city in the world — morning boat on the Ganges as the ghats come to life. Cremation pyres, flower offerings, yoga on the steps. Nothing prepares you.

Walk through cardamom, vanilla and pepper vines with a spice farmer before a four-course Kerala lunch cooked on wood fires under a thatched roof.

A luxury tented camp in the Thar Desert outside Jaisalmer — camel at sunset, Rajasthani folk music around a fire, and the Milky Way without light pollution.

The rock-face Buddhist temples above Dambulla contain 150 statues and murals stretching back 2,000 years — one of the most intact ancient religious sites in Asia.