If India is on your bucket list of dream culinary destinations, it’s time you finally check that box. To insure that the trip exceeds your expectations, then you must have Peggy Markel as your guide.

Peggy has been touring food-driven travelers for more than 25 years. First in her adopted country of Italy, and she’s since expanded her intimate, expertly-guided, immersive culinary adventures to Rajasthan, India.

No matter the destination, the thread of Peggy’s trips is food and culture; which means a wide range of adventures to be had. On the India trip those experiences include riding elephants, visiting a hotel only accessible by boat, a jeep tour, and visiting the thrilling center of the world’s spice market. “People of any age want challenge and travel is about challenge,” says Peggy, “To do things you’ve never done before.”

Courtesy Peggy Markel

What to Expect:

This trip is an awe-inspiring palace tour, but while a five-star trip, it’s also a doorway into the heartbeat of India’s off-the-beaten path treasures.

The trip begins in New Delhi where guests stay in one of the premiere palace hotels then travel by train to Jaipur where you’ll meet food scholars and have the opportunity to cook, eat and listen to their stories. There you’ll stay at the jaw dropping Samode Haveli. While in Jaipur you’ll learn about curries and the traditional vessels in which they are made. You’ll shop for textiles and explore the small palaces with, in addition to Peggy, her incredibly knowledgeable local guides.

From there to Jodhpur you’ll go to one of the most picturesque spots for glamping. You’ll stay on a noble property in tents featuring four-posted beds (and indoor plumbing). While that is surely a bonus, what you’ll takeaway are the incredible sunrises, lake and indigenous animals roaming the property. In the village you’ll visit with weavers, potters and spend time in a local school.

Over the course of the trip you’ll witness the Asian spice trade alongside locals. You’ll visit families and spend time with home cooks. You’ll learn from a grandmother and gain the understanding of depth and breadth of Indian cooking and cuisine. No more spoilers other than to say, this trip is both other-worldly and lavish. It is, however, going to cost you a pretty (well worth it) penny. So, start filling your piggy banks.

The Basics:

In Peggy’s words, this trip is about living a regal and rustic experience. In the north you’ll experience India’s supreme hospitality, while in the south you will get off-the-beaten path to a place that hasn’t changed in thousands of years. Know you will be safe in her hands given her long-time connections to great chefs and amazing home cooks. “It’s very intimate,” says Peggy, “As if you’re traveling with a good friend.”

Cost: $10,357 per person based on double occupancy; single supplement $2,797
Price includes: Most meals and all cooking classes, airport pick-up, transportation in air conditioned vehicles, cultural excursions to palaces and local artisans, villages and marketplaces, and historical sites
Dates: Annually in February
Length: 14 days/13 nights in the region of Rajashthan
Accommodations: 5-star hotels and noble countryside estates

Peggy is always out in the field creating new relationships, blazing down the road less traveled which is precisely what makes her trips unique. They are hand-crafted and hand-led. If you strive to connect with a culinary culture and the people who take pride in their region’s cuisine, take this trip of a lifetime to India’s heart.