India Taj to Tiger Journey — Self-Launched

Land at Indira Gandhi International Airport and take the Airport Express metro (£1.50, ~20 min) or a prepaid taxi (~£5-7) to a guesthouse in Paharganj or the quieter Karol Bagh. Sort out a local SIM/eSIM at the airport, withdraw rupees, and take it easy — it's a big, loud city on day one. Evening wander to Connaught Place for a cheap thali or chole bhature (£3-4). Use the Delhi Metro for everything; a tourist day-pass costs ~£2.50.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.50 or prepaid taxi ~£6

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Paharganj / Karol Bagh (~£15-20/night)

• →Airport Express metro to city
• →Connaught Place evening stroll
• →Street food dinner

Rather than a private guide, join a small-group Old Delhi walking tour (£12-18 on GetYourGuide/Klook) covering Jama Masjid, the Red Fort exterior, Chandni Chowk and a spice market. In the afternoon take the metro to Rajpath for India Gate and Parliament House (free), then hit Humayun's Tomb (£5) and Qutub Minar (£5). Laxmi Narayan Temple is free; the Gandhi memorial at Raj Ghat is free and worth a quiet 20 minutes. A combination ticket for some ASI monuments saves a little if you're doing several.

🚌Delhi Metro day-pass ~£2.50

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Paharganj / Karol Bagh (~£15-20/night)

• →Old Delhi walking tour (Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk)
• →India Gate & Parliament House
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Qutub Minar
• →Raj Ghat

Take the early Gatimaan Express or Vande Bharat from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (~1h50m, £8-12 in chair car — book on IRCTC a week or two ahead). Drop bags at a guesthouse in Taj Ganj, then visit Agra Fort (£6) and the delicate Itmad-ud-daula 'Baby Taj' (£3). Time your Taj Mahal entry for late afternoon (£11, closed Fridays) or, better, save it for sunrise on day 4. Catch the sunset from Mehtab Bagh across the river (£3) for the classic view.

🚌Gatimaan Express / Vande Bharat chair car ~£8-12

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj with rooftop Taj view (~£15-20/night)

• →Train Delhi to Agra
• →Agra Fort
• →Itmad-ud-daula's Tomb
• →Sunset at Mehtab Bagh

Book your Taj ticket online for the 6am opening — sunrise light, far fewer people, and roughly 2-3 hours inside. Breakfast back at the guesthouse, then hire a shared or private taxi for the Fatehpur Sikri leg (£25-35 for the half-day, splittable with other travellers you meet) and stop inside the abandoned Mughal capital (£6). Continue to Sawai Madhopur by train or road: the Kota-bound trains from Agra Cantt reach Sawai Madhopur in about 3.5 hours (£4-7 in sleeper, or £8 in chair car). Check into a jungle-lodge guesthouse near the park gate.

🚌Taxi to Fatehpur Sikri ~£30 shared + train to Sawai Madhopur ~£3.50

🛏Budget jungle lodge/guesthouse near Ranthambore gate (~£18-25/night)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Fatehpur Sikri & Buland Darwaza
• →Overnight transfer to Sawai Madhopur

Book both safaris yourself on the official Rajasthan forest department portal (bookings open ~90 days out and tiger zones sell out fast — get on it early). Safari 1 at 6:30am, safari 2 at 2:30pm; each is ~3.5 hours in a shared 6-seat Gypsy or 20-seat Canter (£28-35 per person per safari including park fees and guide). Between them, climb Ranthambore Fort on foot or with a local auto-rickshaw (£3) for views over the park and a stepwell swim stop. Realistic odds of a tiger sighting — good, not guaranteed.

🚌Safari jeep included in safari fee; local auto ~£3

🛏Budget jungle lodge/guesthouse near Ranthambore gate (~£18-25/night)

• →Morning Gypsy safari
• →Afternoon safari
• →Ranthambore Fort walk

Slow morning — birdwatching around the lodge or a village walk with a local guide (£8-12). Then take the afternoon train to Jaipur (Sawai Madhopur to Jaipur Junction, ~2-2.5 hours, £3-5 in sleeper/chair car). Check into a guesthouse in the old walled city near Hawa Mahal or in the quieter Bani Park area. Evening rooftop dinner with a Pink City view (£6-8).

🚌Train Sawai Madhopur → Jaipur ~£4

🛏Haveli-style guesthouse in old Jaipur (~£18-25/night)

• →Village walk near Ranthambore
• →Train to Jaipur
• →Rooftop dinner in the walled city

Take the local bus No.5 or an Uber to Amer Fort (£6 entry, £2 for the audio guide). Skip the elephant ride — it's ethically contested and pricey; walk up or take a jeep (£3). Combine with the Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell and Jaigarh Fort (£2). In the afternoon see the City Palace (£8), Jantar Mantar (£3) and Hawa Mahal (£2, or free from the café opposite). Optional: a £6 block-printing or cooking class in the old city. Markets around Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar for textiles and gems.

🚌Local bus/Uber to Amer ~£2, city autos ~£3

🛏Haveli-style guesthouse in old Jaipur (~£18-25/night)

• →Amer Fort
• →Panna Meena ka Kund
• →City Palace & Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Bazaar shopping

Take the morning train from Jaipur to Jodhpur (~5.5 hours, £4-6 sleeper, £9 chair car) or the faster Vande Bharat (~3.5h). Book an overnight-ish 6am departure if you want an afternoon free. Check into a guesthouse in the blue old city below Mehrangarh — the rooftop views are the whole point. Afternoon: drink a lassi at Shri Mishrilal, wander the Sardar Market clock tower bazaars for mojari shoes, bandhani fabric and spices, and eat a Rajasthani thali (£5).

🚌Train Jaipur → Jodhpur ~£5

🛏Blue-city guesthouse below Mehrangarh (~£15-22/night)

• →Train to Jodhpur
• →Sardar Market & clock tower
• →Rajasthani thali dinner

Walk or take an auto up to Mehrangarh Fort (£7 with audio guide — one of India's best). Visit the marble cenotaphs at Jaswant Thada (£2) for lake views, then explore the Toorji ka Jhalra stepwell area and the blue lanes on foot. The operator includes lunch at a palace hotel — you can replicate it with a rooftop lunch at a heritage haveli for £8-12, or just eat well at a local thali house for £4. Optional afternoon: Bishnoi village jeep safari (£18) or a zip-line over the fort's lake (£10).

🚌Local autos ~£4

🛏Blue-city guesthouse below Mehrangarh (~£15-22/night)

• →Mehrangarh Fort
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Toorji ka Jhalra stepwell
• →Heritage haveli lunch

This is the trickiest leg without a car. Book a shared taxi or a Klook/GetYourGuide private day-transfer with a stop at Ranakpur (~£55-70 for the car, splittable 2-4 ways; solo, budget ~£60 or negotiate a seat in a shared jeep from the Jodhpur bus stand for ~£15-20). Alternatively take a bus to Falna and a local bus/taxi from there. Ranakpur's 1,444-carved-marble-pillar Jain temple is a genuine highlight (£3 entry, no leather, shoulders covered). Arrive Udaipur by evening and check into a guesthouse near Lake Pichola or in the cheaper Ambrai-side lanes.

🚌Shared/private taxi with Ranakpur stop ~£25 (solo) to £17pp (split 4 ways)

🛏Lake-view guesthouse in Udaipur (~£18-25/night)

• →Private/shared transfer Jodhpur → Udaipur
• →Ranakpur Jain temples

Morning at the City Palace complex (£8, includes Crystal Gallery), then walk down to Jagdish Temple (free) and the ghats. After lunch, take a shared boat on Lake Pichola from Rameshwar Ghat (~£6-8) past the Lake Palace; cycle or auto to Fateh Sagar Lake and Saheliyon-ki-Bari (£2). Evening: see a Rajasthani folk dance and puppet show at Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir (£3-4) — the exact show the tour includes, but ticketed to the public. Sunset from Ambrai Ghat is free and better than most paid viewpoints.

🚌Autos and walking ~£4

🛏Lake-view guesthouse in Udaipur (~£18-25/night)

• →City Palace & Crystal Gallery
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Lake Pichola boat ride
• →Fateh Sagar Lake & Saheliyon-ki-Bari
• →Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir folk show

If your flight home is from Delhi, book an early IndiGo/SpiceJet Udaipur–Delhi flight (~£40-60 booked ahead) or the overnight Chetak Express in AC2 (£15) if you have the time. If you can, fly out of Udaipur directly — most Gulf and domestic connections allow it and it saves a full day. Leave buffer time: domestic delays are common. Last-minute souvenir shopping in Udaipur's Hathi Pol or a final lakeside breakfast before you go.

🚌Udaipur → Delhi flight ~£50 (or overnight AC2 train ~£15)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Domestic flight or overnight train to Delhi
• →Last-minute shopping