Today begins with a contrasting morning, first visiting the sacred Gandhi Smriti, the house in which Mahatma Gandhi spent his last days and where he was assassinated in January 1948. Its striking memorial and museum pays tribute to the Father of the Nation and sets the scene for your stay. You'll then visit the nearby National Railway Museum, which celebrates the history of the sub-continent’s most revered form of transport, and showcases several historic locomotives. After an enjoyable included lunch at the colourful Chor Bizarre restaurant, you’ll explore the vibrant Old City. See the historic Red Fort, visit Jama Masjid Mosque and Raj Ghat (Gandhi’s cremation site close to the Yamuna River). You’ll also enjoy an exhilarating rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of old Chandni Chowk. Later explore the grandeur of New Delhi, built by the British Raj to reflect the glories of the Empire. Highlights will include the historic India Gate war memorial and the vast boulevard of the Rajpath. To complete a fascinating day, you’ll enjoy a pre-dinner walking tour in the company of a local guide, taking in the colour and bustle of the famous bazaar and food market, and learning the secrets of Delhi’s famous cuisine, before you retire to the hotel.

Today you'll have the opportunity to join an optional excursion to Agra - site of the exquisite, incomparable Taj Mahal. On it, you'll catch the early morning Gaitman Express to the fabled City of Love, and be met on arrival by a local guide who will take you on a visit to the Taj Mahal. After an included lunch, visit the royal pavilions, palaces and courtyards of majestic Agra Fort before continuing by coach or car to Jaipur, enjoying tea en-route at a local restaurant. Those not taking the Agra optional excursion will travel to Jaipur by coach, and meet the family who will be your Jaipur hosts before rejoin the rest of the group for dinner and your first night in the Pink City of Jaipur.

Start your day with an optional yoga session, organised by your hosts. After breakfast, climb aboard a Jeep and head out, first to Amber and its 16th-century hill-top fort. Prepare to be amazed at the décor in the various Royal Halls, and by the stupendous views from the fort’s ramparts. After an included lunch at a typical restaurant frequented by local families, you’ll continue your tour in Jaipur, where your first stop will be the museums and ancient astronomical observatory (Jantar Mantar) of the City Palace complex. You’ll also see the ornate windows and screened balconies of the 18th-century Hawa Mahal (the Palace of the Winds), behind which the royal women could look out over the city and watch important processions while remaining hidden from the world in purdah. Later, an opportunity to learn about the colourful world of Bollywood dancing will be followed by a fascinating evening, during which you'll enjoy dinner, and your hosts will introduce you to the art of masala tea, and share some of the secrets of the family’s generations-old cookery book.

Spend a fascinating day, joining members of the family to travel by tuk-tuk or cycle rickshaw to the local market, and getting to know more about the local culture and foods – especially spices. This afternoon, you'll also have the chance to join an optional excursion to Elefantastic, a conservation sanctuary that's home to some of these most extraordinary animals. Here you will have the chance to get up close and personal with some of the rescued elephants, whose intelligence and sensitivity never fail to amaze. The evening will be spent with the family, preparing a meal from the morning’s purchases and learning a how to make lassi (India's national yoghurt-based drink).

Rest and relax poolside at your hotel today, or perhaps explore the nearby bazaars of Old Jaipur. Later, enjoy an intimate tour of the heritage districts of the city – location for some Marigold Hotel scenes – and take the opportunity to witness a sacred Aarti ceremony at a local temple, this evening, before enjoying dinner at the hotel.

Today you’ll journey across the Land of the Kings, Rajasthan, its landscape studded with exotic temples and lavishly decorated mansions (havelis). In the afternoon you'll arrive in Udaipur for a three-night stay in the City of Lakes. Here, against a background of rolling hills, the waters of Lake Pichola are home to two exquisite marble palaces. Dinner will be served at the hotel, and you'll have the opportunity to enjoy a tuk-tuk ride around the city's the evening illuminations followed by a "night at the movies" with your guide at a Bollywood picture house.

Early this morning you'll be able to join your guide for a cycle ride through Udaipur, pedalling through the awakening streets to see the 'real' city's market traders and local craftsmen at work. After breakfast, back at the hotel, we'll head out for a guided tour of the main sights – the majestic, dome-turreted City Palace, Jagdish Temple and the Saheliyon-ki-Bari - the beautiful Gardens of the Royal Ladies. An afternoon tour, once again by tuk-tuk, takes in colourful local markets and temples, before your wonderful day draws to a close with an evening cruise on Lake Pichola and dinner overlooking the majestic City Palace.

Today we head out of the city to visit the (possibly familiar) Ravla Khempur hotel and its surroundings - setting for the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies and actually a castle hotel with a celebrated stables. Enjoy lunch in "on location" here, then join a local resident for a walking tour of the surrounding village, where some scenes from the movie were shot, before returning to Udaipur. After dinner (payable locally), why not mark your final night here with an evening of traditional dance, music and puppetry in the splendid grounds of the Bagore-ki-Haveli, beside Lake Pichola?

Bid farewell to your Udaipur hosts, and journey to the airport for the early-morning flight, via Mumbai, to Kochi. Once you arrive in this ancient seaport, once better known as Cochin, you'll transfer to your hotel, in the heart of the historic Fort Cochin area. This evening you'll have the chance to dress up smart and enjoy dinner at the historic Le Colonial hotel, setting for The Real Marigold Hotel TV series.

Today, once again travelling by tuk-tuk, you’ll enjoy an included guided tour of historic Kochi, including "Dutch" Mattancherry Palace with its exquisite murals, the ancient Jewish synagogue and enchanting Fort Cochin, where the famous Chinese fishing nets are one of India’s most photographed sights, and where historic St Francis Church overlooks a village green straight from a genteel English scene. The afternoon will be spent exploring Fort Cochin’s colourful fish market, joining a local family to purchase the fish and vegetables that will be prepared, cooked and served this evening.

Spend this morning getting to know the customs and culture of Keralan life. Meet local fishermen as they land their catch in the early morning, encounter coir (coconut fibre) yarn processors and mat weavers, and enjoy breakfast at a beautiful farmhouse with your local family. Spend the afternoon with your hotel hosts or relaxing poolside. This evening, enjoy the experience of a traditional Kathakali dance performance, a colourful spectacle combining elaborate costumes and make-up, traditional music and stories from ancient literature.

Travel the short distance to Alleppey, today. Visit a local temple, and spend more time with a local family preparing and enjoying a traditional lunch, before you board a traditional, thatch-roofed kettuvallam houseboat, to cruise lazily through a labyrinth of canals and waterways, lined with coconut groves and rice fields, and dotted with temples. After a wonderful cruise, disembark to begin the short journey to your final hotel - a beach resort at Marari, where you’ll enjoy a two-night stay.

Round off your wonderful holiday with relaxing day spent exploring the local village, or perhaps just lazing by the pool or beach. Why not enjoy the rejuvenating benefits of an Ayurvedic massage before a farewell dinner with your new found friends and travelling companions brings the opportunity to relive the many wonderful memories and unique experiences of the holiday?

Make an early start – a packed breakfast will be provided – and journey to Cochin International Airport to board your flight home via Abu Dhabi. You'll arrive back in the UK in the evening of the same day.