India tours
Rajasthan tours and itineraries
Rajasthan is bigger than most people plan for. The cities are genuinely different from one another, the drives between them are longer than the map suggests, and the most common mistake is trying to fit five of them into a week.
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How long each city is actually worth
| City | Give it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Jaipur | 2 full days | Amber Fort, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, and the best shopping in the state |
| Udaipur | 2 to 3 days | Lakes, the City Palace, and the slowest pace in Rajasthan. Where people extend |
| Jodhpur | 2 days | Mehrangarh, the most impressive fort in the state, and the blue old town beneath it |
| Jaisalmer | 2 days plus a long drive | The Thar desert. The town is secondary to the dunes and the fort |
| Pushkar | Half a day to 1 day | Small and easily taken as a stop between Jaipur and Jodhpur |
Realistic itineraries
Seven days
Two cities, properly. Jaipur and Udaipur is the usual pairing, with the drive between them broken at Pushkar. You will not see the desert, and that is the correct trade for a week.
Ten days
Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur and Jodhpur. This is the sweet spot: enough time in each place to stop rushing, and the driving days are manageable. If you only have ten days, this is the route we recommend most often.
Twelve to fourteen days
Adds Jaisalmer and the Thar. The drive west from Jodhpur is long and there is no way around that, which is why we do not suggest squeezing it into less. With two weeks it is worth it, and the desert nights are the part people remember.
When to go
October to March is the season. Days are comfortable, the desert is bearable, and everything is open. December and January are busiest and the nights get genuinely cold, particularly in Jaisalmer, where visitors regularly underestimate it.
April to June is very hot, often above 40 °C in the west. Prices fall and crowds thin. It is doable if you plan around the middle of the day and pick accommodation with a pool, but it is not the easy option.
July to September is the monsoon, which is far lighter here than elsewhere in India. The landscape greens up and Udaipur looks its best. Some disruption, considerably fewer people.
Practical things worth knowing
- Book a car and driver rather than self-driving. Indian road conditions are not the place to learn, and a driver costs less than you would expect.
- Guides are city-specific. A good local guide in Jodhpur is not the same person who was excellent in Jaipur, and the difference between a licensed guide and a hanger-on at the gate is stark.
- Heritage hotels vary enormously. Some are genuinely extraordinary and some are trading on a photograph from a decade ago. This is the single area where local knowledge saves you the most.
- The Pushkar camel fair transforms the town for its duration and needs booking a long way ahead. Dates move with the lunar calendar, so check for your year.
- Dress and temples. Shoulders and knees covered at religious sites, shoes off, and some temples restrict photography.
Getting there
Most visitors fly into Delhi and continue by road or a short internal flight. Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur all have airports with domestic connections. If you would like the international flights arranged alongside the tour, we can do that — see flight booking.
Common questions about Rajasthan
How many days do I need for Rajasthan?
Ten days is the sweet spot for Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur and Jodhpur. Seven days means two cities done properly. Adding Jaisalmer realistically needs twelve or more because of the drive west.
Is it better to drive or fly between cities?
Drive, for most of Rajasthan. The distances are manageable, the road scenery is part of the experience, and your own car means stopping where you want. Flying only makes sense for the longest hops such as Delhi to Udaipur.
What is the best month to visit?
November and February are excellent: comfortable days, not the peak-season crush of late December. October and March also work well.
Is Rajasthan a good first trip to India?
One of the best. The tourism infrastructure is well established, distances are manageable and the highlights sit relatively close together.
Do I need a guide in every city?
For the forts and palaces, yes. Mehrangarh and Amber in particular are much richer with someone who knows them. Walking the old towns is better done at your own pace.
Plan a Rajasthan trip
Tell us roughly when and for how long, and we will send a realistic route.