INDIA

This main street of Old Delhi doubles as a popular shopping bazaar swarming with colorful crowds.

It is believed that a ritual cleansing in the holy waters of the Ganges at Varanasi absolves the believer of all sins and dying in this sacred city ensures a direct passage to heaven. Join the cacophonous jumble of merchants, barbers, wandering ascetics and tea stall proprietors that line the sandstone steps which descend into the river.

Built as a monument of eternal love by Shah Jahan to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal was built over a period of 20 years by 20,000 laborers and artists and 1,000 elephants. Its transcendent beauty is dazzling at first sight and even more extraordinary on closer inspection.

One of the largest palace complexes in the world, Udaipur’s city palace contains the Moti Mahal with its mirror inlay and the Chini Mahal’s iridescent tile work.

Known as the Palace of Winds because it’s more façade than building, allowing the air to circulate and keep it cool on even the hottest of days. It was from behind this elaborate pink sandstone screen that the ladies of the palace watched the daily goings on in the street below, screened from view.

Take a 26-mile 4WD drive from Jaisalmer to the Sam Sand Dunes and enjoy a camelback safari. Great as a daytrip or stay overnight in a desert camp.

If you are in India, attending a festival like the Pushkar Camel Fair is a must. Part livestock show, part holy pilgrimage site, it is perhaps Asia’s most colorful festival. Dates are determined by the lunar cycles and change each year. Ask your Travel Expert for details.

A half-day’s drive from Khajuraho, Panna National Park provides a good opportunity to spot deer, antelope, Indian bison and perhaps one of the resident Bengal Tigers.

Learn about the fascinating religion of Jainism with a visit to this vibrantly colorful temple located in the lush Malabar Hill area of the city.

One of the country’s largest palaces, this confection of stained glass, domes and turrets possesses an ethereal, fairy-tale ambiance.

Various spices grow in lush, undulating jungle in close proximity with one another, including black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, vanilla and fiery green chilies.

Founded in 1705, this is Sikkim’s oldest monastery. Amid its spectacular setting, beautifully set on a hillside overlooking a lush valley, travelers can experience the hum and buzz of praying monks and soak up the peaceful ambiance.

Carved by a raging Himalayan river, the Teesta River Gorge is extraordinarily beautiful. The road between Darjeeling and Sikkim follows alongside the gorge making it one of the most dramatic drives in the world.