Varanasi to Jaipur: a north India route by way of Khajuraho and Agra

Why start with Varanasi?

Because it is the far end of the route, and flying there first means every journey afterwards heads back towards Delhi. Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities in the world and the holiest place on the Ganges for Hindus. Its life is on the ghats, the long flights of steps down to the river.

• The river at dawn. A boat along the ghats at first light, when the city comes down to the water to bathe and pray.
• The evening aarti. The ceremony of lamps held on the ghats at dusk. It can be watched from the steps or from a boat.
• Sarnath. A short drive away, the deer park where the Buddha is said to have taught for the first time, with its ruins and a small museum.

How do Khajuraho and Panna fit together?

They are close neighbours, so one stay covers both. The flight lands at Khajuraho, and the forest at Panna is a short drive on. Staying by the Ken River gives the temples on one day and the tiger reserve on another, with a boat on the river in between.

The Khajuraho temples were built by the Chandela kings about a thousand years ago and are known for their carving, which covers the walls in bands of figures.

How do you get from Panna to Agra?

By road to Orchha, then on to the railway at Jhansi for the train to Agra. Orchha is worth the stop: a small town on the Betwa river with a palace, temples and a row of royal cenotaphs, and far fewer visitors than the cities on either side of it.

This is the one day of the route that mixes a car and a train, so it is the one to plan with care. Book the train first and fit the drive around it.

What do Agra and Jaipur add at the end?

• Agra. The Taj Mahal at sunrise, Agra Fort, and a walk through the old city.
• The road to Jaipur. The stepwell at Abhaneri, a deep well lined with flights of steps, breaks the drive.
• Jaipur. The walled pink city, with time at the end of a long trip to slow down before the return to Delhi.