Golden Triangle, Chambal Safari & Varanasi — Self-Launched

Land at Indira Gandhi International and take the Airport Express metro to New Delhi station (~£1.50) or a prepaid taxi (~£4) to Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Check into a budget guesthouse, buy an Indian SIM/eSIM at the airport, and spend the evening gently: a chai walk around Connaught Place and dinner at a local thali place. Jetlag-friendly, no bookings needed.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.50, or prepaid taxi ~£4

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj (~£12/night)

• →Airport transfer by metro
• →Connaught Place orientation walk
• →SIM card setup

Do the classic Delhi circuit independently. Start early with a self-guided walk (or a £6 GetYourGuide 'Old Delhi street food & heritage walk') through Chandni Chowk and the silver street, then Jama Masjid (free entry, ~£2 camera fee, modest dress required). Continue to the Red Fort (combined ticket ~£6 online via ASI), then hop the metro to India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan for photos. Late afternoon: Qutub Minar (~£6) and Bangla Sahib Gurudwara (free, cover your head). Autos and metro between sites cost under £4 total.

🚌Delhi Metro day pass ~£1.50 plus autos ~£3

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj (~£12/night)

• →Old Delhi walking/street-food walk (£6)
• →Jama Masjid
• →Red Fort (£6)
• →India Gate & Rashtrapati Bhawan exterior
• →Qutub Minar (£6)
• →Bangla Sahib Gurudwara

Take an early Shatabdi or Double Decker express from New Delhi to Jaipur Junction (~5 hours, £8–12 second class AC, book on IRCTC or 12Go Asia). Check into a haveli-style guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal, then spend the afternoon wandering Johari and Bapu Bazaars and catching sunset over the Pink City from Nahargarh Road viewpoints or a rooftop café.

🚌Shatabdi Express Delhi–Jaipur ~£10; auto to hotel ~£2

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

• →Scenic train ride
• →Pink City bazaar walk
• →Rooftop sunset

Local bus #5 or a shared auto to Amber Fort (~50p–£1.50); the fort entry is ~£6 and you can walk up or take a shared jeep instead of the tourist elephant ride (skip the elephant — welfare concerns and it's pricey). Return to town for Hawa Mahal (free from the street, ~£2 inside), the Jantar Mantar (~£3) and City Palace (~£9). A local guide at Amber costs ~£10 for an hour if you want context — arrange at the gate or via GetYourGuide.

🚌Local bus/shared auto to Amber ~£1.50, city autos ~£3

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

• →Amber Fort (£6)
• →Hawa Mahal (£2)
• →Jantar Mantar (£3)
• →City Palace (£9)
• →Optional local guide ~£10

Base yourself in Agra tonight. The cheapest route is a Jaipur–Agra train (Gomti Express or similar, ~4 hours, £4–6), then a shared taxi/auto from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri (~£3–5 each way) — or catch the direct bus that stops at Fatehpur Sikri en route for ~£5. Spend two hours at the abandoned Mughal capital and Buland Darwaza (entry ~£6), then return to Agra for the evening and a rooftop dinner with a Taj view.

🚌Train Jaipur–Agra ~£5; shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri ~£4

🛏Budget hotel in Taj Ganj, Agra (~£15/night)

• →Fatehpur Sikri & Buland Darwaza (£6)
• →Taj Ganj rooftop evening

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online in advance (~£12 for the mausoleum, plus ~£2 for the main mausoleum interior) and be at the East Gate by 6am for sunrise — much quieter than midday. Afterwards visit Agra Fort (~£6). Midday, take a shared taxi or local bus ~70km to Bah (Chambal Safari Lodge area, ~£5–8), where a pre-booked river safari (book direct with the lodge or a GetYourGuide Chambal boat safari, ~£25–35) takes you out on the Chambal in the late afternoon for gharial, mugger crocodiles and river birds.

🚌Auto to Taj East Gate ~£1.50; shared taxi/bus Agra–Bah ~£7

🛏Chambal Safari Lodge or Bah guesthouse (~£28/night)

• →Taj Mahal sunrise (£14 incl. interior)
• →Agra Fort (£6)
• →Sunset Chambal river safari (~£30)

A full day in the ravines. Join a morning jeep safari with the lodge or a local naturalist (~£35–45 per jeep, shared between 4) to search for saras cranes, Indian skimmers and dolphins; the best months for cranes are Nov–Feb. In the afternoon, take a local auto ~£5 to the extraordinary cluster of ~100 riverside temples at Bateshwar, and see the ghats where pilgrims bathe. Casual dinner back at the lodge.

🚌Auto to Bateshwar ~£5 return

🛏Chambal Safari Lodge or Bah guesthouse (~£28/night)

• →Morning jeep safari (~£10 pp shared)
• →Bateshwar temples
• →Chambal ravines birdwatching

Return to Agra by shared taxi or bus (~£7). Use the afternoon for Itmad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj, ~£3) or Mehtab Bagh for the river view, then board an overnight train to Varanasi — the Marudhar Express or similar sleeper/AC3 service takes ~11–12 hours and costs £8–14, booking on IRCTC or 12Go Asia. Book a 3AC berth for comfort; bring earplugs, a padlock and a light blanket.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Bah–Agra ~£7; overnight train Agra–Varanasi ~£12

🛏Overnight AC3 sleeper train

• →Itmad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj) £3
• →Mehtab Bagh
• →Overnight sleeper train

Arrive early morning, drop bags at a ghat-side guesthouse in Assi or Dashashwamedh, then take an auto to Sarnath (~£2) for the Dhamekh Stupa and archaeological site (~£3). On the way back, walk the leafy Benares Hindu University campus and pop into the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum. Rinse off, then head to Dashashwamedh Ghat by 5:30pm for the Ganga Aarti — watch free from the steps or ~£8–12 from a boat for a clearer view. Wander the old-city lanes for a Banarasi thali or kachori dinner.

🚌Auto from station ~£2; autos around town ~£4

🛏Ghat-side guesthouse in Varanasi (~£15/night)

• →Dhamekh Stupa & Sarnath (£3)
• →BHU campus & Bharat Kala Bhavan
• →Evening Ganga Aarti (free or boat ~£10)

Be at the ghats by 5:30am for a shared rowboat sunrise ride (~£8 for an hour, negotiate at the ghat or pre-book via GetYourGuide ~£12) to see the bathing and cremation ghats, then walk the old-city alleyways and visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple (free entry, no phones; the nearby Birla/Vishwanath temple is easier going). Lunch, then a flight or train back to Delhi — IndiGo/SpiceJet Varanasi–Delhi runs ~£40–55 booked a few weeks out; the train is ~£15 but takes 12+ hours, so fly if you're connecting home.

🚌Sunrise boat ~£8; auto to airport ~£2.50; flight VNS–DEL ~£45

🛏Not included (fly out or onward hotel in Delhi ~£12)

• →Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges (~£8)
• →Kashi Vishwanath Temple
• →Old-city alleyways walk