Mysteries of India — Self-Launched Delhi to Delhi Adventure

Land at Indira Gandhi International, take the Airport Express Metro (about £1.50, 20 mins to New Delhi station) plus a short auto-rickshaw ride (about £1-2) to your guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh. G Adventures includes a Women With Wheels transfer — you can support the same project by messaging them via their site or using a pre-booked airport transfer app if you want the female-driver experience. Spend the evening acclimatising: find a rooftop restaurant on Main Bazaar, buy a local SIM (Airtel/Jio, about £4-6 with data), and grab water and snacks.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£1.50 + auto-rickshaw ~£1.50

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj (~£14/night, double room share)

• →Airport Express Metro transfer
• →Paharganj Main Bazaar wander
• →Buy local SIM card

Morning: book a GetYourGuide 'Old Delhi street food & heritage walk' (about £18-22) which covers Chandni Chowk's spice market, Jama Masjid and the narrow lanes. Alternatively the Delhi Walks / City Walk projects run by NGOs work with former street youth as guides — search 'Delhi street youth city walk' or ask your guesthouse to connect you, paying about £10 in cash directly. Afternoon: hop the Metro to see New Delhi's colonial boulevards (India Gate, Rajpath, Connaught Place). Book your Delhi–Nawalgarh or Delhi–Jaipur train on IRCTC or in person at New Delhi station for tomorrow.

🚌Delhi Metro day pass ~£1.50 + cycle-rickshaw ~£2

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj (~£14/night)

• →Old Delhi heritage & food walk
• →Jama Masjid
• →Chandni Chowk spice market
• →India Gate & Connaught Place

Take the morning Shatabdi or a private AC bus from Delhi to Jhunjhunu/Nawalgarh (trains about £4-6, buses similar, 5-6 hours), then a shared jeep or auto to Mandawa (about £1.50). Mandawa is the heart of the Shekhawati region — 18th-century merchant havelis covered in frescoes. Wander independently with a paper map or a £5 local guide, then find a rooftop spot for sunset over the painted houses.

🚌Delhi–Nawalgarh train/bus ~£5 + shared jeep ~£1.50

🛏Family-run haveli guesthouse in Mandawa (~£18/night)

• →Shekhawati haveli fresco walk
• →Mandawa town stroll

Bus or shared taxi from Mandawa to Bikaner (about £4-6, 4-5 hours). Settle into a heritage-style guesthouse inside the old city walls. In the afternoon explore the Kote Gate and Kote Bazaar spice and tea markets, and if time allows visit the camel breeding centre (entry about £0.50) — an easy auto-rickshaw ride out of town.

🚌Mandawa–Bikaner bus ~£5 + auto-rickshaw ~£2

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

• →Kote Bazaar market stroll
• →Camel breeding centre visit
• →Old city ramparts walk

Morning at Junagarh Fort — buy your ticket at the gate (about £6 for foreigners, plus about £3 for the audio guide, or hire a licensed guide for £6-8). The palaces and courtyards are genuinely stunning. Afternoon: shared jeep or auto-rickshaw to Deshnoke (30km, about £3 return) to see Karni Mata Temple, the 'Rat Temple'. Back in Bikaner for thali dinner at a local favourite like Chhotu Motu or Gallops.

🚌Shared jeep to Deshnoke ~£3 + local autos ~£2

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

• →Junagarh Fort self-guided tour
• →Karni Mata (Rat) Temple at Deshnoke
• →Bikaneri bhujia & sweets tasting

Train (Bikaner–Jodhpur, about £3-5, 5 hours) or AC bus from Bikaner. Jodhpur's old city is a maze of indigo-washed houses below Mehrangarh Fort. Check into a guesthouse in the old quarter with a fort view, then walk to the clock tower and Sadar Market for sunset and street snacks.

🚌Bikaner–Jodhpur train ~£4 + auto ~£2

🛏Rooftop guesthouse in Jodhpur old city (~£16/night)

• →Sadar Market & clock tower
• →Old blue city lanes walk

Morning at Mehrangarh Fort (entry about £7 including audio guide). Afternoon: hire a local driver/guide for a half-day Bishnoi village safari (about £25-30 per person if you share with 2-3 travellers found via your guesthouse or a GetYourGuide listing) — you'll see potters, weavers, opium-ceremony demonstrations and the blackbuck conservation ethos of the Bishnoi community. This is the DIY equivalent of G's 4x4 village excursion.

🚌Shared jeep safari ~£27 + autos ~£2

🛏Rooftop guesthouse in Jodhpur old city (~£16/night)

• →Mehrangarh Fort
• →Bishnoi village craft & wildlife jeep excursion
• →Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park walk

Shared jeep or taxi from Jodhpur to Chandelao (40km, about £6-8 if shared). Chandelao Garh itself accepts independent bookings — it's a restored 18th-century nobleman's home with peacocks in the garden, and rooms run around £30-40 a night. Walk into Chandelao village with your host, visit the Sunder Rang craft project that supports local women artisans, and sit with villagers over chai.

🚌Shared jeep Jodhpur–Chandelao ~£7

🛏Chandelao Garh heritage homestay (~£35/night)

• →Chandelao Garh heritage stay
• →Sunder Rang women's craft project
• →Village walk & chai with locals

Shared taxi or bus from Chandelao to Jodhpur, then the 1AC/2AC train or an AC bus to Udaipur (about £5-8, 6-7 hours). Break the journey: hire a taxi for the Jodhpur–Ranakpur–Udaipur leg (about £30-35 shared between 2-3) so you can stop at the extraordinary marble Ranakpur Jain Temple (entry about £2, camera fee extra). Arrive Udaipur in the evening and take an orientation wander around Lake Pichola's ghats.

🚌Shared taxi via Ranakpur ~£12 per person

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

• →Ranakpur Jain Temple
• →Lake Pichola evening walk
• →Udaipur ghats orientation

Morning at the City Palace complex (entry about £5) and Jagdish Temple. Late afternoon take a boat ride on Lake Pichola (about £8-10) to see the Lake Palace from the water. Evening: book a Rajasthani home cooking class via GetYourGuide, Airbnb Experiences or Cookly (about £20-25) — you'll cook dal baati churma, gatte ki sabzi and chapatis with a local family, which is exactly what G includes on this day.

🚌Walking + auto-rickshaw ~£3

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

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

Bus or shared taxi from Udaipur to Jojawar (about 90km, £4-6, 2.5 hours). Jojawar has a friendly heritage hotel (Rawla Jojawar) with rooms from about £25-30. In the afternoon ride the narrow-gauge or local train through the Aravalli hills toward Khamblighat/Desuri — a 1-2 hour toy-train style journey for about £0.50-1 — and walk back through farmland and village lanes at golden hour.

🚌Bus Udaipur–Jojawar ~£5 + local train ~£1

🛏Rawla Jojawar heritage hotel (~£28/night)

• →Local train through the Aravalli hills
• →Jojawar village walk
• →Heritage hotel garden evening

Morning bus or shared taxi from Jojawar to Jaipur via Marwar Junction or Beawar (about 4-5 hours, £5-7). Check into a guesthouse in the old Pink City near Hawa Mahal. Spend the evening exploring Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar for textiles and bangles, and eat at a classic Rajasthani thali house like Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar or Handi Restaurant.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Jojawar–Jaipur ~£6 + auto ~£2

🛏Old city guesthouse in Jaipur (~£18/night)

• →Johari & Bapu bazaar shopping
• →Pink City evening walk
• →Rajasthani thali dinner

Take a local bus or auto to Amber Fort (about £2 round trip; entry about £6). Go early to beat the crowds, and either hire a guide at the gate (£8-10) or use the audio guide (£3). Optional: the Jaipur hot-air balloon ride at sunrise (about £180 — book on GetYourGuide) for those who want it. Afternoon: Hawa Mahal exterior (free from the street or £5 to enter), the City Palace museum (£6) and Jantar Mantar observatory (£5).

🚌Local bus/auto to Amber ~£2

🛏Old city guesthouse in Jaipur (~£18/night)

• →Amber Fort
• →Hawa Mahal
• →City Palace Jaipur
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Optional sunrise hot-air balloon

Early train from Jaipur to Bharatpur or Agra Fort station (about £4-6, 4-5 hours). Hire a taxi or shared jeep to stop at Fatehpur Sikri (about £10-15 shared; entry about £6) — the abandoned Mughal capital is spectacular. Continue to Agra, drop bags at a guesthouse and visit Agra Fort (£6) in the late afternoon. Pre-book your Taj Mahal ticket online via the ASI website (£11, includes the mausoleum) for sunrise tomorrow.

🚌Jaipur–Agra train ~£5 + shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri ~£12

🛏Agra guesthouse with Taj view (~£16/night)

• →Fatehpur Sikri
• →Agra Fort
• →Taj Mahal ticket pre-booking

Be at the Taj for opening (sunrise is the money shot, far fewer crowds). Spend 2-3 hours inside, then a final breakfast and the Gatimaan Express or a Shatabdi back to Delhi (about £8-12, 1h50m). Fly home or extend. If you have time, the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib or Humayun's Tomb in Delhi make a good final afternoon.

🚌Taj entry ~£11 + Agra–Delhi train ~£10 + Delhi Metro ~£1.50

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Gatimaan Express back to Delhi
• →Optional Humayun's Tomb or Bangla Sahib