Land of the Maharajas — Self-Launched Edition

Land at Indira Gandhi International Airport and make your own way in — the Delhi Airport Express (Orange Line) runs to New Delhi station every 10–15 mins for about £1.50, or book a pre-paid taxi/Ola cab for £6–9. Check into a budget guesthouse in Paharganj or a Madpackers-style hostel near Connaught Place. Ease in: walk Connaught Place, grab a cheap thali, buy a local SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~£3–5 with data) and pick up your onward train tickets at New Delhi Railway Station's tourist counter.

🚌Airport Express ~£1.50 or pre-paid taxi ~£6–9

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj or Connaught Place hostel (dorm ~£7–10, private ~£15–20)

• →Airport Express or pre-paid taxi to hotel
• →Buy local SIM and set up UPI/train bookings
• →Evening wander around Connaught Place

Book a small-group or private backstreets walking tour of Old Delhi via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£12–18) — the same style of local-led city walk included in the original itinerary, often with a guide from a community youth project. Wander Chandni Chowk, sip chai, taste street food and duck into the spice market. In the afternoon take a cycle-rickshaw through the lanes and an auto to New Delhi's colonial core: India Gate, Rajpath, Humayun's Tomb (~£5 entry) and Qutub Minar. Note: if you want to support the same cause directly, look for community-tourism walks run by local Delhi NGOs.

🚌Auto-rickshaw and metro around the city ~£3–5

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj or Connaught Place hostel

• →Old Delhi backstreets walking tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£12–18)
• →Cycle-rickshaw through Chandni Chowk ~£2–3
• →Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar entries ~£5 each

No direct train to Mandawa, so take an AC chair car or sleeper train from Delhi to Jhunjhunu or Nawalgarh (nearest railheads, ~4–5 hrs, £3–6), then a shared jeep or auto for the final ~30–45 min to Mandawa (~£3–5). Check into a budget heritage haveli (Mandawa's whole draw is its painted merchant mansions). Spend the afternoon on a self-led walking tour of the frescoed havelis — many are free or ask a few rupees — and grab dinner in the village bazaar.

🚌Train ~£3–6 + shared jeep ~£3–5

🛏Budget heritage haveli/guesthouse in Mandawa (~£12–18)

• →Train Delhi to Nawalgarh/Jhunjhunu
• →Self-guided haveli fresco walk in Mandawa
• →Evening in the village bazaar

Morning walking tour of Mandawa's havelis (Vishnath, Gulab Rai, etc.) — consider hiring a local guide for ~£8 to bring the frescoes to life. Then travel on to Bikaner: the practical option is a shared jeep/taxi or a connecting train via Jhunjhunu, ~4–5 hrs (£5–10). Settle into a heritage hotel/guesthouse (Bikaner has excellent-value ones) and spend the evening in Kote Gate's colourful markets. Optional: a camel breeding centre visit a short auto ride from town (~£3 entry).

🚌Shared jeep or connecting train ~£5–10

🛏Heritage guesthouse/hotel in Bikaner (~£15–22)

• →Guided haveli walk in Mandawa ~£8
• →Kote Gate markets
• →Optional camel breeding centre visit ~£3

Full day in Bikaner. Start at Junagarh Fort, one of Rajasthan's finest, with an audio guide (~£5 entry + ~£1 audio). An auto ride out to Deshnoke for the Karni Mata 'Rat Temple' is a genuine oddity worth the trip (~£4 return + free entry, small donation). Back in town, visit the Rampuria Havelis and the camel research centre if you skipped it. Bikaner bhujia and rasgullas are mandatory snacks.

🚌Auto-rickshaws around Bikaner and to Deshnoke ~£5–7

🛏Heritage guesthouse/hotel in Bikaner

• →Junagarh Fort with audio guide ~£6
• →Karni Mata Rat Temple at Deshnoke ~£4 auto return
• →Bikaner old-city sweets and bazaar walk

Board a morning train from Bikaner to Jodhpur (~4–5 hrs, AC chair car £3–5). Arrive in the 'Blue City', check into a guesthouse in the old town with a rooftop view of Mehrangarh. Spend the afternoon at Mehrangarh Fort — arguably India's most dramatic — with the audio guide (~£6 entry) — then wander down through the blue-washed lanes of Navchokiya to the Clock Tower and Sardar Market for omelettes and lassi.

🚌Train Bikaner–Jodhpur ~£3–5 + autos ~£3

🛏Old-town guesthouse/rooftop hostel in Jodhpur (~£12–20)

• →Train Bikaner to Jodhpur
• →Mehrangarh Fort with audio guide ~£6
• →Clock Tower and Sardar Market

Hire a jeep or shared taxi (~45 mins, £10–15 for the vehicle) out of Jodhpur to Chandelao, a small village near the Bishnoi heartland. The Bishnoi and Prajapat communities live around here — the same tribal-hamlet excursion the group tour includes. Book a jeep safari into the hamlets (arrange through your guesthouse, ~£15–20 per jeep) to see blackbuck, traditional water huts and weaving. Stay in a village heritage property (Chandelao Garh style) and eat a home-cooked dinner.

🚌Private jeep/shared taxi from Jodhpur ~£10–15

🛏Village heritage guesthouse (Chandelao Garh area) (~£15–22)

• →Jeep excursion to Bishnoi and Prajapat villages ~£15–20 per jeep
• →Village walk and local markets
• →Blackbuck spotting in the surrounding scrub

A slow day with no long travel. Explore the village on foot, visit the local school or craft co-ops if you're welcome, watch block printing or potters at work, and cycle or walk the surrounding farmland. Your guesthouse will arrange a village orientation walk; alternatively rent a bike for ~£2. Great chance to actually talk to people rather than just see sights.

🚌On foot or bicycle

🛏Village heritage guesthouse (Chandelao Garh area)

• →Village orientation walk
• →Optional bicycle hire ~£2
• →Craft and market browsing

Drive (private taxi or shared jeep booked via your guesthouse, ~£25–35 for the vehicle) to Udaipur, breaking the journey at the spectacular Ranakpur Jain temples — the marble carving is extraordinary (~£4 entry, camera fee extra). Continue to Udaipur, Rajasthan's most romantic city, and check into a lakeside guesthouse in the old town. Sunset from a rooftop over Lake Pichola.

🚌Private taxi/shared jeep Chandelao–Udaipur via Ranakpur ~£8–12 per person if shared

🛏Lakeside old-town guesthouse in Udaipur (~£15–25)

• →Ranakpur Jain temples ~£4
• →Drive through the Aravalli hills
• →Sunset over Lake Pichola

Visit the City Palace museum (~£8 entry), then take a boat ride on Lake Pichola to Jagmandir island (~£7–9). Drop into Jagdish Temple and the ghats around Gangaur Ghat. Consider a hands-on cooking class with a local family (~£15) or an evening Dharohar folk-dance show at Bagore ki Haveli (~£5). Udaipur is walkable, so save money and legs by staying central.

🚌Walking and short autos ~£3

🛏Lakeside old-town guesthouse in Udaipur

• →City Palace museum ~£8
• →Lake Pichola boat ride ~£7–9
• →Optional cooking class ~£15 or Bagore ki Haveli folk show ~£5

Take the local (slow, atmospheric) train from Udaipur toward Jojawar/Marwar Junction — this is the 'rural train safari' the group tour features — roughly 3–4 hrs, a few pounds, with village life rolling past the windows. Connect by shared jeep/auto to Jojawar (~30 mins). Stay in the Heritage Palace at Jojawar (bookable direct) and take an evening village orientation walk through farmland and hamlets.

🚌Local train + shared jeep ~£3–6

🛏Heritage Palace guesthouse, Jojawar (~£18–28)

• →Local rural train Udaipur–Marwar Junction ~£2–4
• →Village orientation walk in Jojawar
• →Sunset at the heritage palace

Travel on to Jaipur, the Pink City and Rajasthan's capital — train via Marwar Junction/Ajmer Jaipur (~5 hrs, £4–7), or a shared taxi if you're short on time. Arrive and check into a guesthouse in the old walled city near Hawa Mahal. Spend the afternoon exploring the bazaars: Johari Bazaar for jewellery, Bapu Bazaar for textiles and mojari shoes, and the block-printing and blue-pottery workshops Jaipur is famous for.

🚌Train ~£4–7 + autos ~£3

🛏Old-city guesthouse/hostel in Jaipur (~£12–20)

• →Train to Jaipur ~£4–7
• →Old-city bazaar browsing (Johari and Bapu Bazaar)
• →Optional block-printing or blue-pottery workshop

Book an Amber Fort guided tour or just take the local bus/auto out (~£2–3 each way) and pick up an audio guide (~£7 entry). The honeycomb of palaces and the Sheesh Mahal mirror hall are the highlights. Back in the city, visit the City Palace and Jantar Mantar (~£8 and £5) and drive past Hawa Mahal — best photographed from a rooftop café opposite. Optional evening: Chokhi Dhani village experience for Rajasthani food and dance (~£12).

🚌Local bus/auto to Amer ~£4 return

🛏Old-city guesthouse/hostel in Jaipur

• →Amber Fort with audio guide ~£7
• →City Palace ~£8 and Jantar Mantar ~£5
• →Hawa Mahal viewpoint from a rooftop café
• →Optional Chokhi Dhani ~£12

Take an early train from Jaipur to Agra (Shatabdi or similar, ~4–5 hrs, AC chair car £6–10) — or run the classic route and see Fatehpur Sikri en route by pre-booked car if you'd rather not backtrack. Check into an Agra guesthouse near the East Gate. If timing allows, spend the afternoon at Agra Fort (~£6), built of red sandstone and white marble, then catch the Taj at sunset or save it for sunrise. Buy the Taj ticket online (~£11 for foreigners, plus ~£2 for the main mausoleum).

🚌Train ~£6–10 + autos ~£3

🛏Budget guesthouse near Agra East Gate (~£12–20)

• →Train Jaipur to Agra ~£6–10
• →Agra Fort visit ~£6
• →Evening Taj Mahal view from Mehtab Bagh ~£3

Beat the crowds for sunrise at the Taj Mahal (~£11 + £2 mausoleum) — the light and the story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are the perfect finale. Also worth a stop: Fatehpur Sikri (the abandoned Mughal capital, ~£6, if you didn't see it en route). Then take an afternoon or evening train from Agra to Delhi (~2–3 hrs, £4–8) for your onward flight, or a pre-booked taxi (~£35–45 for the car). Tour ends back in Delhi.

🚌Train Agra–Delhi ~£4–8 or taxi ~£35–45 per car

🛏Not included (or one final budget night in Delhi ~£15)

• →Sunrise at the Taj Mahal ~£13 total
• →Optional Fatehpur Sikri visit ~£6
• →Train Agra to Delhi ~£4–8