Self-Launched: The Ultimate Adventure Through Rajasthan

Fly into Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and head to your guesthouse in the Paharganj or Karol Bagh area — both well-connected and budget-friendly bases. Rest up after your flight, then in the afternoon join a self-booked heritage walk through Old Delhi's walled city via GetYourGuide or Airbnb Experiences (search 'Old Delhi walking tour', ~£10–15pp). Wind through vibrant lanes, spice markets and finish at the stunning Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib. Head to Lakhori restaurant (Ansari Road, Old Delhi) for dinner — a great introduction to regional Mughal flavours.

🚌Airport Metro Express from DEL to New Delhi station (~£2), then auto-rickshaw or metro to Paharganj

🛏Zostel Delhi or Hotel Smyle Inn, Paharganj — dorm from ~£8, private room from ~£18

• →Self-booked Old Delhi heritage walk via GetYourGuide (~£10–15pp)
• →Visit Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib (free entry)
• →Dinner at Lakhori restaurant, Old Delhi

Start the morning with a Salaam Baalak Trust street children's guided walk — book directly on their website (salaambaalaktrust.com, ~£5 donation). This deeply moving experience explores hidden Delhi through the eyes of a former street child. Afterwards, catch the Gatimaan Express or Taj Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin station to Agra Cantonment (~£6–10 in 2nd class AC). Pick up street food or snacks for the 2–3 hour journey. In the late afternoon, hire a bicycle from your guesthouse or a local shop near Taj Ganj (~£2–3) and cycle through local villages as the Taj Mahal appears in the distance. Dinner at a local restaurant in Taj Ganj — try Saniya Palace rooftop for views.

🚌Gatimaan Express / Taj Express, Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantonment (~£6–10 in 2AC/chair car)

🛏Hotel Kamal or Zostel Agra, Taj Ganj — private room from ~£12

• →Salaam Baalak Trust guided walk (~£5 donation, book via salaambaalaktrust.com)
• →Train journey: Delhi to Agra — Gatimaan Express or Taj Express
• →Afternoon bicycle ride through Agra villages to the Taj Mahal viewpoint (~£2–3 bike hire)

Set your alarm early — the Taj Mahal opens at sunrise and tickets are ~£13 for foreign visitors (book online at asi.payumoney.com to skip queues). Arrive just as the gates open to experience the iconic pink-to-ivory marble shift in the early light. Take your time exploring, then return to your guesthouse for a rest and late breakfast. In the afternoon, visit Agra Fort (~£6 entry) to explore the grand sandstone courtyards and marble pavilions of the Mughal emperors. End the day with a self-guided street food walk through Kinari Bazaar — try petha (Agra's famous sweet), bedai, and jalebi from the stalls. Alternatively, book a guided street food tour on GetYourGuide (~£12–18pp).

🚌Walking or tuk-tuk between sites (~£1–2 per ride)

🛏Hotel Kamal or Zostel Agra, Taj Ganj — private room from ~£12

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise — pre-book tickets online (~£13 entry)
• →Agra Fort (~£6 entry)
• →Street food walk through Kinari Bazaar (self-guided or GetYourGuide ~£12–18pp)

Take an early morning bus or shared taxi from Agra to Bharatpur (~£3–5, 1 hr) to visit Keoladeo National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site teeming with over 370 bird species. Hire a cycle rickshaw inside the park (~£4–6) and spend 2–3 hours spotting storks, herons and migratory eagles. After lunch near the park entrance, take a bus or shared taxi from Bharatpur to Jaipur (~£5–8, 2.5 hrs). Check into your guesthouse in the old city area. In the evening, book a home cooking experience via Airbnb Experiences or EatWith (~£15–25pp) to enjoy a family-cooked Rajasthani meal with a cooking demonstration — a brilliant immersive experience and far more personal than a restaurant.

🚌Agra to Bharatpur: shared taxi (~£3–5, 1 hr). Bharatpur to Jaipur: bus or shared taxi (~£5–8, 2.5 hrs)

🛏Zostel Jaipur or Pearl Palace Heritage — dorm from ~£7, private room from ~£18

• →Keoladeo National Park entry (~£5) + cycle rickshaw hire (~£4–6)
• →Birdwatching: spot storks, herons and migratory eagles
• →Evening cooking demonstration and home-cooked dinner with local Rajasthani family via Airbnb Experiences or EatWith (~£15–25pp)

Hire a bicycle from your guesthouse or from a city cycle hire shop (~£4–6/day) and set off early. First stop is the photogenic Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds, ~£1 entry), then ride out to the hilltop Amber Fort (~£8 entry) — arrive early to beat the crowds and explore the dazzling Sheesh Mahal hall of mirrors. Continue back towards the City Palace (~£8 entry) at the heart of the old city. After a free afternoon for lunch and rest, take a tuk-tuk or walk up to Nahargarh Fort in the Aravalli foothills (~£2 entry, ~£3 tuk-tuk). The hike up from the base is gentle and rewards you with sweeping city views. Watch the sunset from the fort battlements — several rooftop restaurants and cafés at the top serve dinner with panoramic views of Jaipur lighting up at night.

🚌Bicycle hire (~£4–6/day), tuk-tuks between sites (~£2–3 each)

🛏Zostel Jaipur or Pearl Palace Heritage — dorm from ~£7, private room from ~£18

• →Cycle ride to Hawa Mahal (~£1 entry), Amber Fort (~£8) and City Palace (~£8)
• →Afternoon hike up to Nahargarh Fort (~£2 entry)
• →Sunset views over Jaipur from Nahargarh Fort
• →Dinner at rooftop restaurant at Nahargarh Fort

Catch an early morning train from Jaipur to Jodhpur — several services run daily, including the Mandore Express and Ala Hazrat Express (~£5–10 in sleeper/2AC, ~5 hrs). On arrival, drop bags at your guesthouse in the old city near the clock tower and head straight to Mehrangarh Fort (~£8 entry) — one of India's most impressive forts, with sweeping views over the Blue City's cobalt-painted houses below. Wander down through the Blue City lanes and grab lunch at a local dhaba or rooftop café near the clock tower market. In the late afternoon, take a shared jeep or taxi (~£5–8pp) out to Chandelao village, where you can stay at Chandelao Garh — a beautifully restored 17th-century fort guesthouse offering authentic Rajasthani hospitality at reasonable rates (~£25–40/night for a private room including dinner).

🚌Train: Jaipur to Jodhpur Mandore/Ala Hazrat Express (~£5–10, sleeper or 2AC). Shared jeep/taxi to Chandelao (~£5–8pp)

🛏Chandelao Garh heritage guesthouse, Chandelao village — private room including dinner ~£25–40/night (book direct at chandelao.com)

• →Train: Jaipur to Jodhpur (~£5–10, ~5 hrs)
• →Mehrangarh Fort (~£8 entry)
• →Walk through the Blue City lanes and clock tower bazaar
• →Transfer to Chandelao Garh heritage stay

Book a half-day Bishnoi village jeep safari directly through your guesthouse at Chandelao Garh or via GetYourGuide/local operators in Jodhpur (~£15–25pp). Travel through rural Rajasthani countryside, meeting camel-hair rug weavers and potters — you can try your hand at the pottery wheel. Drive through Bishnoi villages, where the community's deep commitment to wildlife conservation means excellent sightings of nilgai, blackbuck, chinkara gazelles and birds including the Egyptian vulture. Stop at a Bishnoi family home for tea and a glimpse of daily life. In the late afternoon, arrange through your guesthouse a sunset drive to a rocky desert outcrop above the Thar Desert for a traditional barbecue dinner cooked over a wood fire under the stars — an unforgettable experience that many heritage guesthouses in the region offer directly (~£10–15pp extra).

🚌Jeep hire included in safari package

🛏Chandelao Garh heritage guesthouse — private room ~£25–40/night

• →Bishnoi village jeep safari — spot blackbuck, nilgai and chinkara gazelles (~£15–25pp, book via guesthouse or GetYourGuide)
• →Visit Bishnoi family home for tea
• →Meet local artisans: camel-hair rug weavers and potters, try pottery yourself
• →Sunset desert barbecue dinner under the stars (~£10–15pp, arrange via guesthouse)

After breakfast, arrange a shared taxi or private jeep transfer from Chandelao to Narlai (~£8–15pp, ~3.5 hrs) — a tiny, atmospheric village set among dramatic granite boulders, ancient temples and stepwells in the Aravalli range. Check in at a guesthouse such as Rawla Narlai (the original leopard safari operator) or a more budget-friendly local option in the village. In the late afternoon, join a leopard safari with local trackers and naturalists — book directly through Rawla Narlai or a local guide (~£20–35pp). Unlike forest safaris, this takes place across open granite hills and scrubland, where leopards live in surprisingly close proximity to the community. Also look out for jackals, hyenas, wild boar, antelopes and occasionally caracals.

🚌Shared taxi or arranged jeep transfer, Chandelao to Narlai (~£8–15pp, ~3.5 hrs)

🛏Rawla Narlai guesthouse or local village homestay — from ~£20–35/night

• →Transfer from Chandelao to Narlai by shared jeep/taxi (~£8–15pp)
• →Explore Narlai village, ancient temples and stepwells
• →Afternoon leopard safari with local trackers and naturalists (~£20–35pp, book directly through Rawla Narlai or local guides)

Rise before dawn for a second jeep-based leopard tracking safari (~£20–35pp) — early morning is when leopards are most active and the soft golden light makes for spectacular wildlife photography. Return to your guesthouse for a late breakfast and a relaxed morning. After lunch, head out with a local guide on a hike through the Aravalli hills and scrub forest (~£8–12pp for a local guide, or self-guided with a basic map from your guesthouse). The trails pass through tribal hamlets and pastoral settlements — keep an eye out for Rabari herders in their distinctive traditional dress tending their livestock across the hillsides.

🚌Jeep safari vehicle included in activity cost. Walking/hiking on foot

🛏Rawla Narlai guesthouse or local village homestay — from ~£20–35/night

• →Dawn leopard jeep safari (~£20–35pp)
• →Afternoon guided hike through Aravalli hills and tribal hamlets (~8–12pp for local guide)
• →Encounter Rabari herders and pastoral communities

After breakfast, arrange a shared taxi or bus from Narlai towards Udaipur (~£8–12pp, ~3.5 hrs) — the City of Lakes is one of Rajasthan's most beautiful cities, ringed by the Aravalli Hills and built around a series of shimmering lakes. Check into your guesthouse in the old city, ideally with a lake view. After freshening up, explore the City Palace complex (~£8 entry) at a leisurely pace — its layered courtyards, mosaic balconies and Rajput stonework are extraordinary. As the sun drops, head to the Lake Pichola ghats and take a public boat cruise (~£4–6pp) for views of the floating Lake Palace and the island garden of Jag Mandir. Settle in for dinner at a lakeside rooftop restaurant — Jagat Niwas or Ambrai are reliable and atmospheric choices.

🚌Shared taxi or bus from Narlai to Udaipur (~£8–12pp, ~3.5 hrs)

🛏Zostel Udaipur or Nukkad Guesthouse — dorm from ~£8, private lake-view room from ~£20

• →Transfer from Narlai to Udaipur (~£8–12pp)
• →City Palace, Udaipur (~£8 entry)
• →Boat cruise on Lake Pichola (~£4–6pp)
• →Dinner at a lakeside rooftop restaurant

After breakfast, take a local bus or auto (~£2–3) to a nearby village on the outskirts of Udaipur to begin a final hike through the Aravalli hills — a guide can be arranged through your guesthouse for ~£8–12. The trail passes through sweeping rural landscapes before descending into a traditional Bhil village, where you can arrange a home lunch with a local family via your guesthouse or a community tourism contact (~£5–8pp). Spend a free afternoon exploring Udaipur's bazaars, browsing miniature paintings, textiles and silver jewellery, or simply wandering along the lakeside promenade. In the evening, gather for a well-earned farewell dinner at one of Udaipur's excellent rooftop restaurants — toast to an extraordinary journey through Rajasthan.

🚌Local auto-rickshaw or bus to trailhead (~£2–3)

🛏Zostel Udaipur or Nukkad Guesthouse — dorm from ~£8, private lake-view room from ~£20

• →Morning hike in the Aravalli hills from a nearby village (guide ~£8–12pp)
• →Lunch with a Bhil tribal family (~£5–8pp, arrange via guesthouse)
• →Free afternoon: explore Udaipur's bazaars and lakeside promenade
• →Farewell dinner at a rooftop restaurant in Udaipur old city

Enjoy a final breakfast at your guesthouse before checking out. A pre-booked taxi or auto to Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR) takes around 25–30 minutes (~£5–8). Multiple daily IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet flights connect Udaipur to Delhi, Mumbai and other Indian hubs. Alternatively, if you have time before your flight, take one last stroll along Lake Pichola or browse the old city lanes for any final souvenirs. Safe travels — Rajasthan will stay with you.

🚌Taxi to Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR) (~£5–8, ~25–30 mins). Domestic flight UDR to DEL via IndiGo/Air India/SpiceJet (~£30–60)

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Final breakfast and check-out
• →Optional last stroll along Lake Pichola
• →Transfer to Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR) for onward flight (~£5–8 by taxi)