Colours of Rajasthan — Self-Launched Solo Adventure

Land in Delhi and settle into a guesthouse in Paharganj or Connaught Place, the two best-connected bases for solo travellers. Spend the afternoon acclimatising — walk the tree-lined Rajpath area near India Gate, or simply rest and sort your onward train tickets. Book tomorrow's Ranthambore connection or the overnight option tonight if you'd rather travel by train. Grab dinner at a rooftop cafe overlooking Main Bazaar.

🚌Arrive by flight; prepaid airport taxi to centre ~£5

🛏Budget guesthouse, Paharganj or Connaught Place (e.g. Smyle Inn area), £12-20

• →Arrive and check in
• →Evening walk around Connaught Place or India Gate
• →Book onward transport and Ranthambore safari permits

Morning walking tour of Old Delhi's walled city: Jama Masjid (free entry, modest dress), the chaos of Chandni Chowk, Rajghat memorial and the colonial sweep of New Delhi. Rather than a six-hour private coach transfer, take an afternoon/evening train from Hazrat Nizamuddin or New Delhi station to Sawai Madhopur — around 4-5 hours. Book a bed in a guesthouse near the park gate.

🚌Delhi → Sawai Madhopur train, ~£3-7 (AC chair) or ~£10 (sleeper/3AC)

🛏Guesthouse near Ranthambore park gate, £15-25

• →Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk walk
• →Rajghat and India Gate
• →Train to Sawai Madhopur

The headline of the trip: two shared jeep/canter safaris (dawn and afternoon) in Ranthambore National Park. Book permits in advance via the official Rajasthan Forest Department portal or a local agent — zones 1-5 are the best tiger territory. Each vehicle carries a mandatory Forest Guard, an expert spotter. Between drives, relax at your guesthouse and watch for monkeys, deer, crocodiles and birdlife around the lakes.

🚌Local jeep to park gate; included in safari booking

🛏Guesthouse near Ranthambore park gate, £15-25

• →Dawn safari (shared jeep/canter)
• →Afternoon safari
• →Wildlife spotting and fortress views inside the park

Travel to Bundi — the lesser-known fairytale town on the Aravalli foothills. By local bus or shared taxi it's 3-4 hours. In the afternoon climb to Bundi Fort (Garh Palace), one of India's most beautiful palaces, famed for its miniature paintings and Chitrashala murals. Wander the town's Krishna-blue stonewashed lanes and the ornate stepwells, including Raniji ki Baori.

🚌Local bus or shared taxi Sawai Madhopur → Bundi, ~£2-4

🛏Haveli-style guesthouse in old Bundi, £12-20

• →Bundi Fort and Chitrashala visit
• →Raniji ki Baori stepwell
• →Evening walk through Bundi's old town

Journey to Udaipur, the 'Venice of the East'. Take a local bus (roughly 5 hours) or a shared taxi for a faster run. Check into a rooftop guesthouse overlooking Lake Pichola — the views at sunset are the whole point. Stroll the ghats, watch the lake at golden hour and eat a thali with a view.

🚌Local bus or shared taxi Bundi → Udaipur, ~£4-7

🛏Lakefront rooftop guesthouse near Lal Ghat, £15-25

• →Travel day
• →Sunset at Lake Pichola ghats
• →Rooftop dinner with lake views

Full day in Udaipur. Start at the City Palace complex — a maze of courtyards, mirror work and mosaics, half still home to the current Maharana. Visit Jagdish Temple with its black-stone image of Jagannath, then spend the afternoon on the lake: a shared boat to Jag Mandir island, or explore Saheliyon ki Bari and Gulab Bagh gardens. Optional evening folk-dance show at Bagore ki Haveli.

🚌Walkable old city; auto-rickshaws ~£1-2 per hop

🛏Lakefront rooftop guesthouse near Lal Ghat, £15-25

• →City Palace tour (self-guided audio guide, ~£4)
• →Jagdish Temple visit
• →Lake Pichola boat trip to Jag Mandir
• →Optional Bagore ki Haveli cultural show

The scenic road to the Blue City, broken by a stop at the 15th-century Ranakpur Jain Temple — 1,444 individually carved marble pillars, a genuine highlight. Local buses run Udaipur → Ranakpur → Jodhpur, or shared taxis can be arranged. Arrive in Jodhpur, the old Marwar capital, and settle into a guesthouse in the blue-washed lanes below the fort.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi Udaipur → Ranakpur → Jodhpur, ~£5-9 total

🛏Guesthouse in Jodhpur old city near the clock tower, £12-20

• →Ranakpur Jain Temple (modest dress required)
• →Scenic drive through the Aravallis
• →Evening in Jodhpur's blue old town

Morning at Mehrangarh Fort, towering 120m above the blue houses — buy the audio guide and linger in the decorated palaces, lattice screens and museum. Descend into the spice market by the clock tower (Sardar Market) for a sensory overload, then the afternoon is free: Mandore Gardens' royal cenotaphs, or a Blue City heritage walk through the Brahmin quarter.

🚌Auto-rickshaw to fort ~£1-2

🛏Guesthouse in Jodhpur old city, £12-20

• →Mehrangarh Fort with audio guide (~£6)
• →Sardar Market spice walk
• →Optional Mandore Gardens cenotaphs

Transfer to Pushkar (6 hours by bus or shared taxi), the sacred lakeside pilgrimage town. Afternoon exploring the ghats around Pushkar Lake — 52 of them, each with a story — and the Brahma Temple, said to be the world's only temple to this deity. If your timing lands on the Pushkar Fair (Kartik Purnima, usually November), the desert camel fair is a spectacle unlike anything else in India.

🚌Bus or shared taxi Jodhpur → Pushkar, ~£4-8

🛏Guesthouse near Pushkar Lake, £10-18

• →Pushkar Lake ghats and Brahma Temple
• →Free wander of the bazaar
• →Optional Pushkar Fair if travelling in November

Leisurely morning in Pushkar — hunt for souvenirs in the bazaar and sip chai by the lake as the town wakes up. In the afternoon travel to Jaipur (about 3 hours), the Pink City. Check into a guesthouse inside or near the walled city so you're within walking distance of tomorrow's sights.

🚌Bus or shared taxi Pushkar → Jaipur, ~£2-5

🛏Guesthouse near Hawa Mahal / old city, £12-20

• →Morning at leisure in Pushkar
• →Travel to Jaipur
• →Evening stroll around Hawa Mahal facade

Start at sunrise with a self-guided or locally hired dawn walk through the chowkris (blocks) of the old city — see the markets and temples come to life. After breakfast, hire a local guide or join a GetYourGuide small-group city tour: Jantar Mantar observatory (immense astronomical instruments), Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), and the magnificent Amber Palace above Maota Lake. Back for sunset at Nahargarh Fort if you have the energy.

🚌Auto-rickshaw to Amber ~£2; local bus ~£0.50

🛏Guesthouse near Hawa Mahal / old city, £12-20

• →Dawn old-city walk
• →Jantar Mantar observatory (~£2)
• →Hawa Mahal photo stop
• →Amber Palace (~£5)
• →Optional Nahargarh Fort sunset

Travel to Agra (about 4.5 hours) with a stop at Fatehpur Sikri, Emperor Akbar's deserted red-sandstone capital — the vast Jama Masjid, palaces and halls of audience. Continue by bus or shared taxi. In the afternoon visit Agra Fort, the massive red-sandstone stronghold with its white-marble Pearl Mosque and views across the Yamuna toward the Taj. Check into a budget hotel near the Taj's east or south gate.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Jaipur → Fatehpur Sikri → Agra, ~£4-7

🛏Budget hotel near Taj Ganj, £10-18

• →Fatehpur Sikri tour (~£4)
• →Agra Fort visit (~£6)
• →Evening Taj viewpoint from Mehtab Bagh if time allows

The magic moment: Taj Mahal at sunrise, when cool light hits the white marble and crowds are thin. Buy your ticket in advance (£11 foreigners + small mausoleum fee). Afterwards, visit Wildlife SOS's Elephant Conservation and Care Centre on the Agra outskirts — a GetYourGuide or direct-booking tour supports rescued sloth bears and elephants and is a genuine ethical highlight. Then travel back to Delhi by express train (Agra → Nizamuddin, ~2 hours) or bus, and check in for your final night.

🚌Agra → Delhi express train, ~£4-8

🛏Budget guesthouse, Paharganj or Connaught Place, £12-20

• →Taj Mahal sunrise entry (~£11)
• →Wildlife SOS Elephant Care Centre visit (~£8-12)
• →Train back to Delhi

Trip ends after breakfast. If you have a late flight, squeeze in a last dose of Delhi — Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar or the Lodi Gardens — or extend with a few days toward Varanasi or Amritsar by train if the wanderlust bites.

🚌Taxi/metro to airport, ~£4-5

🛏None (departure day)

• →Breakfast and checkout
• →Optional final Delhi sightseeing
• →Airport transfer