The Best of India & Bhutan — Self-Launched

Land at Indira Gandhi International and take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (about £1.50, 20 mins) or a prepaid taxi from the official counter (~£4–5). Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse, then wander Connaught Place for dinner. Sort your cash today — ATMs in the centre are reliable; carry small notes for rickshaws.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£1.50

🛏Paharganj guesthouse, private twin/dorm, £10–16

• →Airport Express Metro into the city
• →Evening wander around Connaught Place

Book a half-day Old Delhi walking tour with a local social-enterprise guide (GetYourGuide, ~£15–25) covering Chandni Chowk, the spice market and Jama Masjid — the independent equivalent of the tour's youth-led 'City Walk'. Ride a cycle-rickshaw through the lanes (~£1), grab lunch, then take an afternoon Gatimaan/Vande Bharat express train from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra (~1h50, £7–15 — book on IRCTC or 12Go). Evening free at the Taj Ganj rooftop cafés.

🚌Cycle-rickshaw ~£1 + express train Delhi–Agra ~£7–15

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse, private room, £12–18

• →Old Delhi walking tour with local guide
• →Jama Masjid & Chandni Chowk
• →Cycle-rickshaw ride

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online the night before (₹1,100, ~£11, +₹200 mausoleum) — gates open at sunrise and the light is best before 8am. Consider a licensed guide at the gate (~£12 for a small group, so ask other travellers to split). After breakfast, walk or tuk-tuk to I'timad-ud-Daulah ('Baby Taj', £2) and Agra Fort (£6). Sunset from Mehtab Bagh across the river is the classic free view.

🚌Tuk-tuks around town ~£3 total

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse, £12–18

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →I'timad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj)
• →Agra Fort
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset view

Hire a shared taxi or book a car with driver for the day (Agr–Fatehpur Sikri–Abhaneri–Dhula, ~£45 split between 2–3 travellers) — there's no practical public transport combo. Stop at Fatehpur Sikri (£6, guides ~£10) and climb down into Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri (₹25, ~£0.25). Overnight in a rural Rajasthan tented camp or farmstay near Dhula — book via Booking.com or a local village tourism operator (~£15–22 with dinner).

🚌Full-day car with driver ~£45 split

🛏Tented village camp/farmstay near Dhula, £15–22

• →Fatehpur Sikri UNESCO site
• →Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri
• →Village walk and bonfire evening

Ask your camp to arrange a morning block-printing workshop with a local women's collective (~£8–12) — check whether the Anoothi Project near Bagru (the artisan village G Adventures uses) takes direct visitors, or book a Bagru/Sanganer block-print workshop via GetYourGuide. Then take a state bus or your driver on to Jaipur (~2.5–3.5hrs, bus £2–3). Check in near Hawa Mahal or Bani Park and spend the evening in the old walled city.

🚌Bus Dhula–Jaipur ~£2–3

🛏Jaipur guesthouse/hostel, £10–18

• →Block-printing workshop with local artisans
• →Evening walk in the Pink City bazaars

Take local bus #5 or a tuk-tuk to Amber Fort early (~£1 each way; entry £5.50) and climb up through the courtyards — skip the elephant rides. Drop into Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell nearby. Afternoon: City Palace (£9–11) and the Hawa Mahal facade (£1 or free from the street-side café). Optional evening Jaipur cycle tour (~£18) or a cooking class with a local family (~£20 via GetYourGuide), matching the tour's add-ons.

🚌Local bus + tuk-tuks ~£4

🛏Jaipur guesthouse/hostel, £10–18

• →Amber Fort
• →Panna Meena ka Kund
• →City Palace
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Optional cooking class or cycle tour

Optional sunrise hot-air balloon over Jaipur if you want the splurge (from ~£180 booked direct with Sky Waltz — the group price was $325). Otherwise a slow morning then the Vande Bharat or Shatabdi train back to Delhi (~3.5–4.5hrs, £10–20). In Delhi, eat your way through Chandni Chowk — parathas at Paranthe Wali Gali, kulfi, and a ₹ snack crawl. Collect your Bhutan flight details and check visa status tonight.

🚌Train Jaipur–Delhi ~£10–20

🛏Delhi hostel/guesthouse near Aerocity or Paharganj, £12–18

• →Optional hot-air balloon
• →Delhi street-food crawl
• →Delhi Metro exploration

Fly Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines from Delhi to Paro (~2hrs; one-way roughly £180–260 — book direct on drukair.com.bt or bhutanairlines.bt as early as possible). Your Bhutan visa must be arranged through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator (required by law) before arrival — most operators handle the visa, the US$100/night Sustainable Development Fee (£80–85/night) and a private guide/driver as a package. You can still choose your own guesthouse and pace the sightseeing; expect ~£120–140/day all-in for Bhutan for a solo traveller. From Paro Airport take a shared taxi or your operator's car to Thimphu (~1hr). Stroll the capital's clock tower square in the evening.

🚌Flight Delhi–Paro ~£180–260; shared taxi Paro–Thimphu ~£10

🛏Thimphu guesthouse, £20–28

• →Flight over the Himalaya
• →Evening walk in Thimphu town

With your licensed guide: National Memorial Chorten (entry free, donations welcome), the giant Buddha Dordenma at Buddha Point (£4), and Motithang Takin Preserve to see Bhutan's odd national animal (free). In the late afternoon visit Tashichho Dzong, still a working seat of government (£4). Some sites have photography restrictions — always ask first. Evening: momos and red rice at a local eatery (~£5).

🚌Guide's car / shared taxis ~£8

🛏Thimphu guesthouse, £20–28

• →National Memorial Chorten
• →Buddha Dordenma (Buddha Point)
• →Motithang Takin Preserve
• →Tashichho Dzong

Drive over Dochula Pass (3,100m) for the panorama of Himalayan peaks and the 108 chortens — early morning gives the clearest view. Descend to Punakha and take the short 20-minute walk across rice paddies to Chimi Lhakhang, the 'Divine Madman' temple (£2). In the afternoon explore Punakha Dzong at the river confluence (£4) and, if time allows, walk out to the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan (free).

🚌Guide's car Thimphu–Punakha, ~£10 share

🛏Punakha guesthouse, £20–28

• →Dochula Pass viewpoint
• →Chimi Lhakhang hike
• →Punakha Dzong
• →Punakha suspension bridge

Scenic drive back over the pass to Paro (~3hrs), stopping at the Royal Botanical Garden or roadside viewpoints. Visit Paro Dzong (Rinpung, £4 — a great example of Bhutanese fortress architecture) and watch a local archery match on the adjacent grounds if one's on (free). Drop into the National Museum at Ta Dzong (optional, £4). Evening free in Paro town.

🚌Guide's car Punakha–Paro ~£10 share

🛏Paro guesthouse, £20–28

• →Paro Dzong
• →Archery grounds
• →Optional Ta Dzong National Museum

The big one. Start by 7–7:30am from the roadhead car park (~£5 entry). The 7km round trip climbs ~900m through pine forest to the cliffside monastery, with a café stop halfway — allow 4–5 hours total. Rest at the top, then walk down for a hot stone bath (a local specialty, ~£12) and a final Bhutanese dinner. Optional side trip to Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan's oldest temples (£3). Bring warm layers and allow for altitude.

🚌Local taxi to trailhead ~£5

🛏Paro guesthouse, £20–28

• →Tiger's Nest Monastery hike
• →Hot stone bath
• →Optional Kyichu Lhakhang temple

Tiger's Nest is done and the trip ends. Fly out of Paro to Delhi, Bangkok, Kathmandu or Kolkata — or extend into Bhutan if your visa operator permits (extra days must be covered by the SDF and a guide). Confirm your departure flight was booked direct with the airline; Bhutan has strict baggage limits (30kg checked + 5kg carry-on per person).

🚌Flight Paro outbound, ~£150–250 depending on destination

🛏Departure day — no accommodation

• →Departure