Fairy Queen Train

If you fancy a luxury train tour in India, but don't have much time, book your tickets for the Fairy Queen. On the two-day luxury trip aboard this train, you'll get to see enchanting sights in Rajasthan and will also have an experience that is quaint, comfortable and pretty much the once-in-a-lifetime kind of luxury trip you've been looking for.

The Fairy Queen dates back to a long while ago - in fact, it first chugged out in 1855 for what was then called the East Indian Railway. It's the oldest broad gauge steam locomotive in the world that still works - and how! The Fairy Queen is high on comfort and service and will guarantee you a luxury train trip that you'll always treasure.

The Fairy Queen experience starts when you board this delightful train at the New Delhi Cantonment. Your first ride aboard this train lasts for no longer than an hour and a half. Around afternoon, the train pulls into Alwar station.

Alwar is a place that captures the color that is the soul of Rajasthan. As the luxury bus takes you to Sariska Hotel, your destination for the night, get a glimpse of the vivid, vibrant markets that are the life of Alwar.

Even if you're a traveler who likes lying in late, there's every chance that you'll be up and about pretty early for the trip of the next day - to the Sariska Tiger Reserve and National Park. Sariska lies cradled between the Aravalli mountains and the drive to the reserve will leave you feeling awestruck and connected to nature.

The track leading to Sariska is heavily wooded and you can spot wildlife to your heart's content on your way here. Earthy brown roots and leafy creepers take on the azure of the sky as you ride in your jeep along the red earth-lined roads.

The reserve is home to tigers and herds of spotted deer and wild boar. You can also spot the occasional sambhar in the woods, and a host of birds. Your trip to Sariska takes you to the site of a ruined temple and the Kankwari Fort, with the jungle running riot all over the place. Although a short trip, this is one tour that gently revitalizes your bond with nature.

As the day grows old, you return to your hotel for breakfast. It's then time to head for Alwar again, where the Fairy Queen patiently awaits you. After a sumptuous lunch on board, lose yourself to the comfort of this luxury train, as she brings you back to Delhi the same evening.

The Fairy Queen has found mention in the Guinness Book of World Records and has also won the National Tourism Award. It was the first exhibit of the National Rail Museum. However, you cannot keep a good train off its tracks and sure enough, the Fairy Queen was back, spruced up and raring to run, in 1996.

The Fairy Queen runs between October and March.