301 REDIRECT India with Nina Compton

Welcome to India, vibrant, chaotic and kinetic! New Delhi is the perfect place to start, with a rickshaw riding through bustling Old Delhi. It’s a 300-year-old walled city packed with street food, bazaars and artisans. It’s also home to Jama Masjid; this Mughal architectural opus is one of India’s largest and most awe-inspiring mosques, a masterpiece of red sandstone and marble. From here, we explore Chandani Chowk, one of Asia’s oldest and busiest markets. Lunch here will be a moving feast of regional delicacies, and we’ll try it all.

In the evening we’ll regroup for a celebratory feast at a favorite local spot in Khan Market, squeezed in between a dizzying array of artisan stalls and eclectic shops.

Today catch a short flight to Jodhpur, in the great golden expanse of Rajasthan known as the Thar Desert. Jodhpur was the former capital of the mighty Kingdom of Marwar; today its iconic palaces, forts and temples are set upon the hillside of this stark, hauntingly beautiful landscape. After settling in we’ll head out for Old Jodhpur, its pastel-blue houses flanking lanes and alleys chock full of bicycles, motorcycles and rickshaws—a colorful beacon in the heart of sun-soaked desert. We’ll see the grain and bamboo markets, spice sellers, and artisans crafting garments and jewelry. Each shop has provides its own unique insight into Rajasthani life.

Dinner tonight is a treat: an alfresco meal at Darikhana with ingredients plucked from the chef’s own garden, Jodhpur’s illuminated fort above, a candlelit courtyard below.

Jodhpur’s iconic Mehrangarh Fort is one of India’s oldest forts and sits 500 feet above everything else in sight. We’ll visit on foot, take in the nearby Jaswant Thada memorial, and spend a few hours sampling street food, checking out artisanal shops and tapping into the pulse of this unique city. 

Tonight, we’re invited to the home of a local family for an authentic homestyle dinner unlike any other. In their Old Jodhpur home, our hosts will prepare a typical Rajasthani meal, teaching us about the traditions and ingredients each step of they way. Afterwards, we’ll head up to the rooftop and enjoy the setting sun washing over Jodhpur’s pastel blue buildings.

Today we’re heading deeper south into Rajasthan, to Chanod, where our opulent 300-year-old palace awaits. Chanoud Garh is resplendent, nothing short of breathtaking and meticulously ornate. We’ll be led into the lush gardens for a welcome drink before lunch: a guided tour of traditional, local delicacies hosted in a vibrant hand-painted room. Everything here is about the small details. 

Lunch serves as a primer for this evening, when we reconvene after settling in like royalty. We meet at an old wing of the palace for a hands-on introduction to our hosts’ favorite dishes. A family member will teach us how to prepare—really, how to unlock the secrets of—coveted house recipes. This is India at its most hospitable, flavorful and artful.

We’ve stayed at the palace. Now let’s get deeper into the royal roots of Chanod with a walk around  Chanod Talao lake, led by a local expert and punctuated by visits to the village school and market, and the royal family’s cenotaphs and vegetable gardens. It’s the perfect introduction to the village way of life, topped off with a Jeep safari out in the countryside. We’ll roam the ancient Aravalli hills past herders with their flocks of goats and sheep, and local villagers going about their days.

Dinner tonight is inspired by Nina and her love of Caribbean spices, by way of their Indian roots. We’ll feast in Mor Chowk, named after our palace’s oldest residents, the peacocks. As we dine, we’ll stay warm by a bonfire and marvel at the fact our India adventure has only just started!

Today is full of palatial perfection. We drive to Devigarh Palace, an 18-century heritage hotel in the village of Delwara. We’ll have a panoramic vantage of the emerald valley hewn by the vast mountain range. Our day’s midpoint features lunch harvested steps away at the palace onsite garden. Then it’s off to the true show-stopper of the day: Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur.

It’s not by the lake, or even at the shore—this stunning 65-room retreat was built in the middle of the lake, like the lair of a supervillain with serious style. We’ll kick back like kings and queens at our island escape for the evening—enjoying the spa, a craft cocktail and regional dishes favored by Indian royalty, or simply admiring the views.

This morning, we head into Udaipur. Known as the “City of Lakes,” it’s been romanticized through the ages for its rich cultural legacies and sparkling bucolic scenery. We’ll get a look into the lives of ancient Udaipur royalty at the City Palace complex, with towering marble and granite walls, ornate glass works and intricate paintings. We’ll also explore Jagdish Temple, a stair-stepped, 16-century stone masterpiece, and the city’s old quarters meeting local artists and craftspeople.

In the afternoon we’ll take a short flight to coastal Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Prepare yourself for an unforgettable welcome dinner at Masala Library. Dubbed the “Czar of Indian Cuisine” and “Tastemaker to the Nation,” Chef Jiggs Kalra will take us on a gastronomic journey of Indian cuisine, from centuries-old traditions to the most modern techniques. It’s a vision of Indian cuisine unlike any other, showcasing decades of research, swaths of India’s diverse geography and robust flavors highlighted through molecular gastronomy. Simply put, this will be astoundingly delicious.

In a city of 18 million people, Mumbai is home to everything you know but on a colossal level. From the intricate rail system that acts as the lifeblood of the city, to the legendary Bollywood film industry, Mumbai is a sensory onslaught in all the best ways. First up, we visit the Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, an historic train station and UNESCO world heritage site—and the literal busiest railway station in the world! Next, we see a different kind of efficiency at Dhobi Ghat, an open-air laundromat where, for up to 20 hours a day, local dhobis (washers) scrub, soak and clean linens from around the city.

We’ll then slow down and stop for lunch at a local Mumbai favorite before heading to Khotachiwadi, an 18th-century Portuguese hamlet untouched by time. We’ll stroll down quaint narrow lanes, past colorful cottages with curved roofs and spacious verandas. Dinner tonight is served oceanside at Trishna; we’ll enjoy outstanding fresh seafood and take it easy after an energetic day.

Today, we trade the Mumbai bustle for quiet countryside. We fly east from Mumbai to Nagpur, then drive to Jamtara Wilderness Camp at the edge of pristine Pench National Park. A true sanctuary, Jamtara was founded in deference to nature and India’s national animal: the tiger. Now in the second generation of the founding family, this luxurious jungle retreat is as peaceful as it is beautiful.

After lunch, we’ll visit the nearby village of Jamtara, a rural getaway that feels lost somewhere in the bucolic 19th century. Dinner tonight showcases India in all its glory: Nina and our camp’s chef will prepare a feast under the stars for us, highlighting rustic Indian flavors and spices. Cozy up by the fire, and revel in the joy and warmth of Nina and this amazing group of people.

We wake in our private tents to the jungle breeze and the soft swaying of Arjuna trees. It’s time for adventure! After breakfast we saddle up in Jeeps for the Indian safari experience we’ve been waiting for. Guided by Jamtara’s resident naturalists, we’ll ride through the preserve in search of monkeys, eagles, osprey, hawks, gaur herds, deer, wild boar—and above all, the elusive Bengal tiger. Our host family’s commitment to tiger conservation is unparalleled. Manager Amit Sankhala’s grandfather was a famous early conservationist, and the family’s multi-generational efforts are a large part of the reason we may be able to spot one of the 55 tigers that call the national park home.

Dinner tonight is prepared by our on-site chef, well-versed in everything from campfire pizza to laal mass (a spicy Rajasthani favorite) to South Indian udupi dosa (vegetable and rice medley). We’ll kick back, swap wildlife stories and enjoy our company in the greatest outdoors.

We’re heading back out into Pench National Park today. It was declared a sanctuary in 1965 and served as the setting of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Coated in teak, tall grasses, banyan roots and white kulu or “ghost trees,” it’s a journey through another planet. Even if we didn’t see a single animal there would be endless sights to behold. But don’t worry, we’ll see plenty! Back at camp tonight, our chef will prepare a special farewell feast, and we’ll toast to a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience on these sacred lands.

We’ll sleep in this morning and soak in the last bits of our jungle getaway, before heading back to the airport in Nagpur and on to New Delhi. We’ve literally come full circle, our travels through India, urban and rural, picking up where we started. Our dinner is one last delicious Indian meal, one last time to reminisce and a final farewell to our traveling companions. This will be an experience we share for the rest of our lives.