"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked." --Mark Twain, from Following the Equator

It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely.

Most visitors to Northern India will come first to Delhi, Shah Jahan’s 17th Century Old Delhi, with its teeming bazaars, battlemented Red Fort and the country’s largest mosque, and New Delhi, whose elegant 1930s avenues and buildings reveal the enduring influence of the British Raj.

To the south-east, Agra is the setting of the renowned Taj Mahal. Westwards stretch the vast deserts and rugged mountains of Rajasthan, whose customs, palaces and fortresses vividly reflect the classical image of popular India.

Here, famous Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur draw the visitor, while those for whom colourful Rajput history has a special spell, will want to travel to such locations as Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Gwalior, historic princely cities and to some of the smaller towns and villages that we have included in our programme.

Eastwards lie Khajuraho famed for temples with their extraordinary erotic carvings and the holy city, Varanasi on the sacred Ganges.