India is known for its incredibly diverse mosaic of ethnicities and cultures. Escape city life in Rajasthan for a day and visit a traditional Bishnoi village. This unique sect of Hinduism worships nature and wildlife and their community has enshrined in law the importance of protecting animals and trees. You’ll be welcomed with a traditional ceremony in the village before spending your time engaging with the local Bishnoi community to learn about the way they live and how they strive to be in harmony with the earth.

The narrow, stone laneways invite you into the old city of Jodhpur, where India’s priestly caste, the Brahmins, traditionally coloured their buildings in blue. By following obscure paths, you will discover the hidden legends of the city by interacting with the residents and observing local life.Lose yourself amongst the buildings awash in a cooling blue tone to emerge above the old city skyline. Seen from a unique viewpoint, the maze of streets and buildings spread out before you will simply astound you and your guide will be able to explain its unique story of the Mawar.

Prepare yourself for a confronting and enlightening experience at the Manikarnika or Burning Ghats of Varanasi. Hindu pilgrims come to this ancient city to cremate their loved ones or to simply die there themselves, in the hope to be liberated from the cycle of life and death.  On this night walk, you will visit a temple amongst the Burning Ghats to understand how the Goddess Kali is able to liberate people’s souls by killing the ego. It’s a moving experience that combines the physical, emotional, philosophical and supernatural elements of Varanasi all in one.

Allow yourself to be enthralled by the flamboyant performance of Kathakali, one of the oldest theatre acts in the world. The elaborate make-up and perfectly controlled body movements help create one of the most entertaining classical dances from South India.The performances are based on ancient Hindu literature and performed with acrobatic energy, often accompanied by traditionally decorated puppets. In this private performance, you’ll gain a very personal insight into an ancient art and dance act.

Varanasi is a place like no other. For many, this ancient city is the very quintessence of India itself. It evokes many images of India first-time visitors preconceive in their minds. On this private experience you’ll observe the pilgrims as they come down to the banks of the mighty Ganges River to wash away their sins. Listen as religious chants are belted into the smoke-filled air and priests lift lamps as an offering to Mother Ganga.You can join the pilgrims at the water’s edge and let an offering float down the river, joining hundreds of others in a mission to find peace amongst this frenzied place.

The intoxicating fervour of the performance is undeniable. The mesmeric chanting to a blend of Indian and Persian music fills the space crowded with worshippers. You may not understand the words being recited but you almost feel compelled to join in the clapping at this 700-year-old Sufi shrine. This musical performance of Sufi poetry is considered a melodic way to connect to the Almighty and you will get to witness this unique ancestral tradition being upheld in India.

From the roadside vendors selling second-hand copies of classics to big multilevel stores with well organised collections, Kolkata is a book lover’s dream. What many visitors don’t realise, however, is the city’s rich literary history that runs centuries deep. The city has given birth to many well-known authors like Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, as well as trailblazers like Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first non-European Nobel Prize laureate. As you stop to chat with local vendors about their best-selling copies and visit Tagore’s ancestral home-turned-museum, you’ll come to appreciate the multilayered literary history of Kolkata.

Each evening you can witness the pulsating spirituality of Varanasi’s ghats. This is the holy city at its most vibrant and enchanting best. The nightly aarti ceremonies take place close to Dashashwamedh Ghat. Crowds gather around the steps to enjoy a show of bells, chanting and swinging lamps led by priests. It’s one of the most energetic acts of devotion you can witness in India.In this special Varanasi moment, you’ll have a private aarti ceremony with a priest, as he recites Sanskrit chants and invokes positive blessings for your future. You will be sprinkled with holy water and a dot to the forehead, in this intensely spiritual experience.

Follow the steady stream of pilgrims into Sarnath, the site where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon and attained nirvana or enlightenment. Observe the crowd of worshippers and travellers throughout the ruins of the original monasteries and stupas. To discover more about this holy place, you’ll head into the Archaeological Museum where many relics are found, including the Ashoka Pillar, whose four lions were adopted as India’s national emblem.

The sound of beating drums reverberates through a small crowd gathered around this rare act of worship. Performers emerge dressed completely in colourful costumes, with their faces painted in an elaborate design. As they start to move to the sounds of the drums, you’ll come to understand that this is not just any dance performance. Theyyam is a very unique act of worship found only among the Malabar Coast of Kerala. It’s an ancient Hindu ritual performed by lower caste members of society outside rural village temples. To catch a glimpse of a Theyyam performance is an incredibly rare spectacle.

From the small hilltop village of Bir you will follow a trail to an important Buddhist monastery hidden amongst the pine trees.Entering the inner courtyard you may hear the reverberation of young novice monks chanting their recitations. Inside the main prayer hall, you’ll come face to face with a two-storey golden Maitreya Buddha, the interior’s most alluring feature.The Sherab Ling monastery is the seat of the exiled Tai Situpa, one of the highest-ranking Black Hat Lamas of Tibetan Buddhism. And one of the monks will show you around.

Witness the bizarre and brilliant show of nationalism at the tense India-Pakistan border. Pile into the purpose-built stadium and be stunned as Indian and Pakistani soldiers scream, kick and march towards each other in an aggressive yet somehow jovial display. As the ceremony reaches its peak, the soldiers are within inches of each other, but don’t be concerned, as they end with a friendly shake of hands before closing the border gate again. As a somewhat unusual attraction it attracts thousands of passionate locals every day, for a show you simply can’t witness anywhere else in the world.