Rajasthan: Forts, Palaces and the Thar Desert
Overview
- Duration: 15 days / 14 nights
- Departures: Private, any date
- Group size: Private, from 2 travellers
- Accommodation: Comfortable 3–4★ hotels, heritage havelis and palace hotels, and a desert camp
- Country: India
A full journey through Rajasthan in India: Delhi and the Taj Mahal, then Jaipur, the blue city of Jodhpur, a night in the dunes near Jaisalmer and the lakes of Udaipur.
This fifteen-day tour suits travellers who want to see Rajasthan properly, not just the Golden Triangle. It is a journey of forts, palaces, temples and desert towns, with time to walk the old cities and meet the people who live in them.
The route starts in Delhi and Agra, with sunrise at the Taj Mahal. Then it heads into Rajasthan. Jaipur has three nights, including a slow day. From there you go west to Jodhpur, where Mehrangarh Fort towers over the blue houses, and on across the desert to Jaisalmer, a golden fort that is still home to families. A night at a desert camp brings camels, music and stars. You then return east by way of Jodhpur and the marble temple of Ranakpur, and end among the lakes and palaces of Udaipur.
The pace is steady. Most places have two or three nights, and the long drives are broken with stops and a rest day.
A few honest notes:
- There are several drives of about five to six hours. They are part of the experience, but they are long.
- Desert nights in winter are cold, and summer heat makes this a winter route.
- Early starts are worth it at the Taj Mahal and the big forts, before the heat and crowds.
- Some monuments close one day a week. We plan around it.
We can add Ranthambore for tigers, fly part of the way, or give you more time in Udaipur. Tell us your ideas on our plan your trip page.
Day-by-day itinerary
Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to recover from your flight. Later, you might take an easy walk in Lodhi Garden among fifteenth-century tombs. Your specialist goes through the route with you and answers any last questions.
Overnight: Delhi
Explore Old Delhi by cycle-rickshaw through Chandni Chowk, then visit the Jama Masjid and see the walls of the Red Fort. Stop at a Sikh gurdwara and its community kitchen. In the afternoon, visit Humayun’s Tomb and the Qutb Minar, with the ruins of Delhi’s first sultanates around it.
Overnight: Delhi · Meals: Breakfast
Take the fast train to Agra, about two hours, or drive in about three to four. After lunch, explore Agra Fort and the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, the “Baby Taj”, with its fine marble inlay. At sunset, walk in the Mehtab Bagh gardens across the river and watch the Taj Mahal change colour.
Overnight: Agra · Meals: Breakfast
See the Taj Mahal at sunrise with a licensed guide, the calmest time of day. After breakfast, drive towards Jaipur, about four to five hours, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri, the royal city Akbar built in the sixteenth century, with its palaces and great mosque. Arrive in Jaipur in the late afternoon.
Overnight: Jaipur · Meals: Breakfast
Visit Amber Fort early, before the heat and crowds, and walk its ramparts and mirrored halls. Stop at the Panna Meena ka Kund step-well nearby and the Hawa Mahal on the way back. In the afternoon, explore the City Palace and Jantar Mantar, the eighteenth-century observatory listed by UNESCO.
Overnight: Jaipur · Meals: Breakfast
A rest day after the first busy stretch. Sleep in, then browse the textile and gem bazaars with your guide, or visit a block-printing workshop in a nearby craft village. Keep the afternoon free, and end the day with sunset over the Pink City from Nahargarh Fort.
Overnight: Jaipur · Meals: Breakfast
Drive west to Jodhpur, about five to six hours, through farmland and small towns. Arrive in the afternoon and walk through the lanes of the old city to the clock tower market, with its spices, textiles and street snacks. Look up to see Mehrangarh Fort rising above the blue houses.
Overnight: Jodhpur · Meals: Breakfast
Visit Mehrangarh Fort early, while the light is soft on its towering walls, and explore its carved palaces and museum. Walk down to the white marble cenotaph of Jaswant Thada, then see the restored step-well of Toorji ka Jhalra. In the afternoon, choose a visit to Bishnoi villages outside the city or a quiet rest.
Overnight: Jodhpur · Meals: Breakfast
Drive west across open desert to Jaisalmer, about five hours, with stops at villages along the way. In the late afternoon, watch the sun set over the royal cenotaphs at Bada Bagh, as the golden walls of Jaisalmer Fort glow in the distance.
Overnight: Jaisalmer · Meals: Breakfast
Start early by Gadisar Lake, with its shrines and pavilions. Then walk the lanes of Jaisalmer Fort, where families still live and work, and visit its finely carved Jain temples. After lunch, see the stone lattice balconies of the havelis built by old merchant families. Rest in the afternoon heat.
Overnight: Jaisalmer · Meals: Breakfast
Visit the empty stone houses of Kuldhara village in the morning. Later, head out to the dunes beyond the city for a camel ride or a jeep drive as the sun goes down. Spend the night at a desert camp, with dinner, folk music around a fire and a wide, starry sky. Nights can be cold in winter.
Overnight: Jaisalmer (desert camp) · Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Watch the sunrise over the sand, then drive back to Jodhpur, about five hours. This breaks the long journey from the desert to Udaipur into two easier days. Spend a relaxed evening in the city, perhaps with dinner overlooking the fort, or visit the palace museum at Umaid Bhawan if you arrive in time.
Overnight: Jodhpur · Meals: Breakfast
Drive south towards Udaipur, stopping at the Jain temple of Ranakpur, carved from pale marble in the fifteenth century. Shoes come off at the entrance, and leather items may not be allowed inside. Continue through the Aravalli hills to Udaipur, arriving in the late afternoon. The drive is about five hours, plus time at the temple.
Overnight: Udaipur · Meals: Breakfast
Explore the City Palace and its museum, then the carved Jagdish Temple in the old city. Rest in the middle of the day. In the late afternoon, take a boat on Lake Pichola past the island palaces, and end the evening with folk dance and music at Bagore ki Haveli.
Overnight: Udaipur · Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy a last morning by the lake, perhaps in the Saheliyon ki Bari garden. Your driver takes you to Udaipur airport for a flight of about an hour and a half to Delhi, where you connect with your international flight. We time the day around your onward connection.
Overnight: — · Meals: Breakfast
What’s included
- Fourteen nights’ accommodation with breakfast, including one night at a desert camp with dinner
- Private airport and station transfers
- Private air-conditioned car and driver throughout
- Local English-speaking guides for sightseeing in each city
- Train from Delhi to Agra, where chosen
- Domestic flight from Udaipur to Delhi in economy class
- Camel ride or jeep drive in the dunes, and a boat ride on Lake Pichola
- Entrance fees to the sights in the itinerary
- 24/7 support during your trip
Not included
- International flights
- Visas
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Personal expenses
- Optional activities
Good to know
Sample itinerary: we adapt the route, hotels and dates to you and confirm everything in your written quote. Best October–March.
You travel with your own driver in an air-conditioned car for most of the route. Drives are typically about four to six hours: Jaipur to Jodhpur about five to six, Jodhpur to Jaisalmer about five, and Jodhpur to Udaipur about five plus a stop at Ranakpur. A fast train can take you from Delhi to Agra, and you fly from Udaipur to Delhi at the end.
Frequently asked questions
Jaisalmer is a long way from Udaipur, and the direct drive takes most of a long day. Spending one night back in Jodhpur splits it into two journeys of about five hours each, with the Ranakpur temple as a break on the second day.
Camps range from simple tents to comfortable ones with proper beds and private bathrooms; we choose a comfortable camp for this tour. Evenings often bring folk music around a fire. Desert nights in December and January are cold, so pack warm layers.
Rajasthan is large, so yes, there are several drives of about five hours. We spread them out with rest days and two nights in most places, and break journeys with stops at temples, villages and forts. Overnight trains are an option for some legs if you prefer.
October to March is the most comfortable time, with warm days and cool or cold nights in the desert. From April to June it is very hot, especially in the Thar Desert. Winter fog can sometimes slow roads around Delhi and Agra.
