Rajasthan Adventure — Self-Launched Edition

Land at IGI Airport and take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (~£2) or a prepaid taxi (~£5–7). Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse. In the late afternoon, join a self-booked Old Delhi food and walking tour (GetYourGuide, ~£18–22) that covers Chandni Chowk, paranthe wali gali and Karim's, or DIY it with a metro ride to Chandni Chowk and a plate of parathas for £1.50. Sort your onward train ticket on IRCTC tonight — Jodhpur and Jaipur trains sell out.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£2; Delhi Metro ~£0.50/ride

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj (private room, ~£14)

• →Old Delhi food walking tour (GetYourGuide)
• →Chandni Chowk bazaar wander
• →Airport Express Metro

Early bus from Kashmere Gate ISBT or a shared taxi to Jhunjhunu/Nawalgarh, then a local bus or auto to Mandawa (~£5–7 total, 6–7 hrs). Shekhawati's merchant havelis are covered in frescoes and are almost entirely free to wander — a local guide at Mandawa Haveli costs around £8–10 for two hours. Sleep in a heritage haveli guesthouse if you want the atmosphere without the tour markup.

🚌State bus Delhi–Mandawa ~£6

🛏Heritage haveli guesthouse (~£16)

• →Shekhawati haveli fresco walk
• →Mandawa old town wander
• →Local guide (~£9 split)

Bus to Jaipur or directly to Jodhpur (7–8 hrs, ~£7); the train from Nawalgarh/Jhunjhunu is an alternative if seats are available. Drop bags in the old blue city near Sardar Market, then walk up to Mehrangarh Fort (entry ~£5, audio guide ~£3) for the last light. Evening in Sadar Bazaar for mirchi vada and lassi (~£3).

🚌Bus Mandawa–Jodhpur ~£7; autos ~£2

🛏Guesthouse near Sardar Market (~£15)

• →Mehrangarh Fort & museum
• →Sadar Bazaar street food
• →Blue city rooftop sunset

Morning bus (6 hrs, ~£6) or train to Udaipur. Settle into a guesthouse in the Lal Ghat/Gangaur Ghat area with a lake view for £13–18. Join a free-ish walking tour (tip-based, ~£5) around the ghats, then catch the evening folk show at Bagore-ki-Haveli (tickets ~£4, buy at the gate or via Klook). Dinner rooftop-side overlooking Lake Pichola (~£5).

🚌Bus Jodhpur–Udaipur ~£6

🛏Lake-view guesthouse, Lal Ghat (~£16)

• →Bagore-ki-Haveli folk dance show
• →Lal Ghat / Gangaur Ghat orientation walk
• →Lake Pichola sunset

Self-guided morning at the City Palace complex (~£5.50) and Jagdish Temple (free). Book a sunrise cycle tour (~£12) or a half-day cooking class (~£15–18) through GetYourGuide or directly with a local school like Shashi's. Late afternoon, take a shared boat ride on Lake Pichola (~£5) to Jag Mandir. Monsoon Palace is another £5 plus auto fare if you want the viewpoint.

🚌Walking + autos ~£3

🛏Lake-view guesthouse, Lal Ghat (~£16)

• →City Palace Udaipur
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Lake Pichola boat ride
• →Optional Udaipur cooking class

Bus or shared jeep towards Rajsamand/Khinwara (~£3–4, 2 hrs). Khinwara-style village stays can be booked directly with rural tourism guesthouses (roughly £20–25 including dinner and a guided village walk with a local family). This is the quietest, most memorable night of the trip — bring cash, there are no ATMs.

🚌Bus/shared jeep Udaipur–Khinwara ~£4

🛏Village guesthouse, dinner included (~£22)

• →Guided village walk
• →Home-cooked Rajasthani dinner
• →Farm and craft visit

Morning bus back via Ajmer to Pushkar (~£4, 3–4 hrs). Check into a guesthouse near the lake (£10–14). Visit the Brahma Temple (free, phones not allowed inside) and wander the ghats and bazaar. Book a sunset camel ride through your guesthouse or Klook (~£8–10) — agree the price before you mount.

🚌Bus Khinwara–Ajmer–Pushkar ~£4

🛏Pushkar guesthouse (~£12)

• →Brahma Temple
• →Pushkar ghats and bazaar
• →Sunset camel ride

Start before dawn for the 20–30 minute stair climb to Savitri Temple for sunrise over the lake and dunes (free; there's a ropeway for ~£1.50 if you'd rather). Spend the rest of the day on the lake cafés, a yoga class (~£6) and the evening aarti at the ghats. Keep it slow — this is the trip's recovery day.

🚌Walking, autos ~£2

🛏Pushkar guesthouse (~£12)

• →Savitri Temple sunrise hike
• →Pushkar Lake aarti
• →Optional yoga class

Bus to Jaipur (~£4, 3 hrs; trains from Ajmer also work). Check in near the old city (£13–17). In the afternoon, do a block-printing workshop at a Bagru or Sanganer workshop, bookable via Klook/GetYourGuide or directly (~£15–20, and you keep your printed cloth). Then an evening wander past Hawa Mahal and a film at Raj Mandir (~£3).

🚌Bus Pushkar–Jaipur ~£4; autos ~£2

🛏Old city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£15)

• →Block printing workshop
• →Hawa Mahal from outside (free)
• →Raj Mandir cinema
• →Pink city bazaar walk

Take a local bus or auto to Amber Fort (entry ~£5.50; a local guide at the gate is ~£10 split between a few travellers, or use the £2 audio guide). Come down to see Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell and Jal Mahal on the way back. Optional: Jantar Mantar (~£2) and a hot-air balloon flight (~£150+) if you're splashing out. Evening thali at a local spot (~£4).

🚌Local bus + autos ~£3

🛏Old city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£15)

• →Amber Fort & Sheesh Mahal
• →Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell
• →Jantar Mantar (optional)

Train from Jaipur to Sawai Madhopur (~£2.50, 2.5 hrs) — the early one gets you in by mid-morning. Stay in a budget jungle resort or guesthouse in Sawai Madhopur (£18–25). Climb to Ranthambore Fort in the late afternoon (free, 45 mins up) for sunset over the reserve, keeping an eye out for langurs and maybe a distant tiger.

🚌Train Jaipur–Sawai Madhopur ~£2.50; autos ~£3

🛏Budget jungle resort, Sawai Madhopur (~£22)

• →Ranthambore Fort sunset climb
• →Village and reserve-edge walk

Book a shared canter safari online through the official Rajasthan Forest Department portal or a local agent (approx £35–45/₹3,500–4,500 per person for the 3.5 hr morning slot — book weeks ahead, zones sell out). A second afternoon safari (~£35) is optional. Quiet evening at the guesthouse; this is also the day to reorganise laundry and cash.

🚌Safari jeep included in ticket

🛏Budget jungle resort, Sawai Madhopur (~£22)

• →Morning shared canter safari in Ranthambore NP
• →Optional afternoon safari
• →Birdwatching from the resort

Train Sawai Madhopur to Bharatpur or Mathura, or the direct overnight train towards Agra, with a stop at Abhaneri's Chand Baori stepwell (~£1 entry) — reached by a local bus to Sikandra/Abhaneri or a shared taxi (~£8 total). Arrive Agra and stay in Taj Ganj (£12–16), then see the Taj from Mehtab Bagh across the river at sunset (~£3).

🚌Train + local bus/shared taxi ~£12

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj, Agra (~£14)

• →Chand Baori stepwell, Abhaneri
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset view of the Taj

Be at the East Gate before opening for the Taj Mahal (entry ~£11, plus £2 for the main mausoleum; buy online to skip queues). A licensed local guide at the gate is ~£12 split, or bring a good audio app. Walk or auto to Agra Fort (~£5.50) and, if time allows, Itimad-ud-Daulah's 'Baby Taj'. Late afternoon train to Delhi (~£4, 2 hrs) and back to a Paharganj guesthouse.

🚌Train Agra–Delhi ~£4; autos ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj, Delhi (~£14)

• →Taj Mahal sunrise
• →Agra Fort
• →Optional Baby Taj

A slow morning: Humayun's Tomb (~£5) or Lodhi Garden (free) depending on your flight time, a final plate of chole bhature (~£1.50), then the Airport Express Metro to IGI (~£2). Keep a couple of hours' buffer for Delhi traffic before an international departure.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£2

🛏—

• →Humayun's Tomb or Lodhi Garden
• →Last-minute bazaar shopping