Golden Triangle with Ranthambore — Self-Launched

Land at Indira Gandhi International Airport and take the Airport Express metro line (Orange line) to New Delhi station, about £1.20 and 20 minutes — far cheaper than a prepaid taxi, though a taxi via the official prepaid counter is around £5-6 if you arrive late at night. Check into a guesthouse in Paharganj (the backpacker district right by New Delhi station) or a slightly calmer budget hotel in Karol Bagh. Spend the afternoon gently: wander Connaught Place, sort out a local SIM (Airtel or Jio, roughly £4-6 for a month of data with your passport), and eat a first cheap thali. Don't over-plan day one — jet lag and Delhi traffic are real.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.20, or prepaid taxi ~£5-6

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh, £12-18 per night (double room)

• →Airport Express metro to New Delhi station
• →Connaught Place wander
• →Pick up Airtel/Jio SIM card
• →Evening thali in Paharganj

Do the same sightseeing circuit the guided tour covers, but DIY. Start early at Jama Masjid (£1.50 entry for non-Muslims, plus a few pence for shoe coverings) and then take a cycle rickshaw loop through Chandni Chowk's spice and wedding bazaars — agree the fare up front, expect £2-3. Walk past the Red Fort for photos (full entry is about £5.50 if you want to go inside). Use the Delhi Metro (day of rides about £1-2) to hop between Raj Ghat (free), India Gate and Rajpath, then finish at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (free — cover your head), where the community kitchen is genuinely worth an hour. If you have energy left, take the Yellow Line to Qutub Minar (£5.50 or so; it's a bit out of the way so cut it if you're flagging). Local licensed guides can be hired at the gate in Agra rather than Delhi — in Delhi, a guided walk via GetYourGuide for Old Delhi runs roughly £15-20 if you'd rather have context.

🚌Delhi Metro day pass ~£1.50 + cycle rickshaw ~£2.50

🛏Same Paharganj/Karol Bagh guesthouse

• →Jama Masjid
• →Cycle rickshaw through Chandni Chowk
• →Red Fort photo stop
• →Raj Ghat
• →India Gate & Rajpath
• →Gurudwara Bangla Sahib
• →Qutub Minar (optional)

Book the Gatimaan Express (departs Hazrat Nizamuddin around 08:10, arrives Agra Cantt in about 1h40) — book on IRCTC or 12Go Asia a week or two ahead, chair class around £6-9. Drop bags at a guesthouse in Taj Ganj, the neighbourhood right by the Taj's south gate. Afternoon at Agra Fort (£5.50 with the Taj combined ticket option, allow 2 hours). Then head to the Taj Mahal for the late-afternoon/sunset window — tickets are about £11 for foreigners and the ticket is valid for one entry, so time it well. Book the Taj ticket online in advance at the ASI portal to skip the queue. Eat dinner on a Taj-Ganj rooftop with a view of the dome (many are licensed to serve beer, unlike most of the city) — roughly £6-8.

🚌Gatimaan Express Delhi–Agra ~£6-9; auto-rickshaw around town £1-2 a hop

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj, £12-18 per night

• →Gatimaan Express to Agra
• →Agra Fort
• →Taj Mahal at sunset
• →Taj Ganj rooftop dinner

Get up for sunrise at the Taj — it's a second ticket (£11) but seeing it in soft morning light with a fraction of the crowds is the single best upgrade you can make to this trip; skip it if you'd rather save the money. Then take a local bus or shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri (about 40km, roughly £1.50-3 by bus from Agra's Idgah bus stand). The Mughal ghost city, Buland Darwaza and the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti are all inside the same £5.50 entry — allow 2-3 hours. To get on to Ranthambore (Sawai Madhopur), the cheap way is train: catch an afternoon/evening service via Bharatpur or Mathura to Sawai Madhopur, roughly £3-6 and 4-5 hours depending on connection. Alternatively the overnight bus from Agra to Sawai Madhopur is about £6-8. Check into a guesthouse near the park gate.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Agra–Fatehpur Sikri ~£2; train Fatehpur Sikri/Bharatpur–Sawai Madhopur ~£4-6

🛏Budget guesthouse/homestay in Sawai Madhopur, £12-20 per night

• →Sunrise at the Taj Mahal (optional)
• →Fatehpur Sikri & Buland Darwaza
• →Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti
• →Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri
• →Train to Sawai Madhopur

The critical bit: book your safari permits yourself, well in advance, through the official Rajasthan forest department online booking (run by Rajcomp) — they release seats about 90 days out and tiger-zone jeeps (a 6-seat Gypsy shared) sell out fast in peak season. A shared Gypsy seat costs roughly £12-18 per person per safari for Indians and £22-30 for foreigners, depending on zone and season; a full private jeep is around £70-90 if you want to split it between friends. Book one morning (6:30am) and one afternoon (2:30pm) safari — a 3-hour drive each, with a naturalist guide included in the permit. Between safaris, visit Ranthambore Fort on foot (free, 45 min climb, lovely views) and rest. Carry water, a hat and binoculars; the zone you're assigned affects your tiger odds but all zones are beautiful.

🚌Hotel-to-gate transfers by shared jeep ~£3-5 total

🛏Same Sawai Madhopur guesthouse

• →Morning jeep safari in Ranthambore National Park
• →Afternoon jeep safari
• →Walk up to Ranthambore Fort between safaris

Take a morning train from Sawai Madhopur to Jaipur (roughly 2.5-3.5 hours, general/sleeper class about £2-4, AC chair about £7-9 — plenty of services daily). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal or in Bani Park. Spend the afternoon orienting: Hawa Mahal from the street is free and best in late light, and the bazaars of Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar are where the real Jaipur is — block-print textiles, silver, mojari shoes. Have dinner at a rooftop in the old city with a view of the pink facades (~£6) or try a Rajasthani thali.

🚌Train Sawai Madhopur–Jaipur ~£3-9; auto-rickshaw ~£1.50

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Jaipur old city, £12-20 per night (private room) or £6-9 dorm

• →Train to Jaipur
• →Hawa Mahal from the street
• →Johari and Bapu bazaars
• →Rooftop dinner in the old city

Start early at Amber Fort (about 20 minutes by local bus — £0.40 — or auto ~£3). Entry is roughly £5.50 and the ticket also covers Nahargarh and Jaigarh if you use it on the same day. Skip the elephant ride — it's the one part of the original tour most independent travellers avoid on animal-welfare grounds; the walk up the ramp or a jeep shuttle is cheaper and kinder. Hire a licensed local guide at the gate for 2 hours (~£10-15, split between two people) to get the history. Come back into town and do the City Palace (£8-10), Jantar Mantar (£2.50) and Hawa Mahal interior (£2.50) — all within walking distance of each other. Consider a GetYourGuide bazaar food walk in the evening (~£18) if you want to eat your way through the old city with someone who knows which stalls are safe and good.

🚌Local bus to Amber ~£0.40; autos ~£3 total

🛏Same Jaipur guesthouse

• →Amber Fort (skip the elephant ride)
• →Jal Mahal photo stop
• →City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal interior
• →Optional old-city food walk

Take a morning train back to Delhi — Jaipur to New Delhi (NDLS) is about 4.5-5.5 hours, AC chair class roughly £8-12, or the double-decker/express services are cheaper. If your flight leaves from Delhi the same day, build in a big buffer: Indian trains run late and Delhi traffic is unforgiving. If you have spare hours, leave bags at New Delhi station's cloakroom (~£1) and do a last wander in Paharganj for chai and gifts. Airport Express metro to the airport and out.

🚌Train Jaipur–New Delhi ~£8-12; Airport Express ~£1.20

🛏N/A — depart

• →Morning train to Delhi
• →Last-minute shopping in Paharganj
• →Airport Express to IGI Airport