We are not a pilgrimage operator and we do not run trips with a chaplain or a liturgical programme. If you are looking for an organised religious pilgrimage, this is not the right address.
What we do is different: journeys whose route passes through India's most important sacred places, with time to experience them rather than tick them off. We go there with respect, with a local guide who explains what is happening, and with a tour leader who makes sure nobody causes offence out of simple ignorance.
Varanasi — the holiest city of Hinduism and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. The evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, a dawn boat ride on the Ganges, the Kashi Vishwanath Golden Temple. A city where life and death happen side by side on one riverbank.
Sarnath — where the Buddha gave his first sermon, ten kilometres from Varanasi. Monastery ruins, the Dhamek Stupa and pilgrims from across Asia.
Rishikesh — the world capital of yoga on the Ganges, at the foot of the Himalayas. Evening ceremonies by the river, ashrams, practice from dawn.
Amritsar — the Sikh Golden Temple, gilded and standing in the middle of a pool, open to everyone around the clock. Its kitchen serves tens of thousands of free meals every day.
Pushkar — a sacred lake ringed by 52 ghats and one of the very few temples to Brahma in the world. The town is vegetarian and alcohol-free.
Khajuraho and Orchha — UNESCO-listed temple complexes; and in Goa, the Christian heritage of the Basilica of Bom Jesus, where St Francis Xavier lies.
Every one of these routes can also be arranged privately — if sacred places are all you care about, we will build a programme without the forts and palaces.
Your tour leader and local guide go through this before entering each place — there is nothing to memorise.
No. We do not run trips with a liturgical programme or a spiritual guide. Our routes pass through India's most important sacred places — Varanasi, Sarnath, Rishikesh, Amritsar, Pushkar — with time to experience them and a guide who explains the religious context.
It depends on the programme. Pearls of North India includes Varanasi with the Ganga Aarti and Sarnath; Kashmir takes in the Golden Temple at Amritsar; Colourful India and Golden Cities include Pushkar with its Brahma temple and Varanasi; and Rishikesh is sixteen days in one of the holiest cities on the Ganges.
Into the great majority, yes, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is open to everyone around the clock. A few sanctuaries admit worshippers only, and at Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi foreign visitors enter on showing a passport. Rules change, so the tour leader confirms them on the spot.
Shoulders and knees covered, shoes that slip off easily and socks, because you enter barefoot. In Sikh temples everyone covers their head — a scarf is provided. A light shawl you can throw on is useful.
Yes, we build routes privately. If forts and palaces are not what you are after, we will put together a programme centred on Varanasi, Rishikesh, Amritsar and Bodh Gaya, matched to the number of days you have.
Tell us what you want to see and how many days you have — we will plan the rest.