Private, on your own dates · Rajasthan & North India, India
Royal Rajasthan Tour
A 12-day private journey across Rajasthan linking Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur, with Pushkar, the Thar dunes and Ranakpur on the road between them.
The journey
5 cities.
Starts Jaipur International Airport, ends Maharana Pratap Airport, Udaipur — an open-jaw trip, so book your flights accordingly. The representative waits outside the arrivals hall with a name board for the arrival transfer.
Rajasthan is where the royal India of the imagination turns out to be real, and this twelve-day route takes it one walled city at a time rather than in a blur of monuments. It opens in Jaipur, where the Amber Fort climbs a ridge above a lake and the old city keeps its pink-washed façades and grid of craft bazaars, and gives the capital two full days so that the fort, the observatory and the working workshops of Sanganer each get the time they deserve.
The road west then becomes part of the journey. A morning at the lakeside temple town of Pushkar breaks the drive to Jodhpur, where the Mehrangarh fort rises off a rock face above a sea of blue houses and the old city still runs on the rhythm of its clock tower market. From there the highway crosses into the Thar, and Jaisalmer appears as a fortress the colour of the sand around it, one of the few living forts anywhere in the world, with families and havelis still inside its walls. An afternoon on the Sam dunes and a night at a desert camp put the emptiness of the western desert in proper scale.
Turning south, the route slows again. Ranakpur's Jain temple, carved from pale marble into a forest of columns, sits in a wooded valley on the way to Udaipur, and it is the natural halfway point of the longest driving day. Udaipur itself closes the journey with lakes instead of dunes: the City Palace stacked along the water, boats crossing Pichola in the late afternoon, and a sunset from the Monsoon Palace over the Aravalli hills.
Throughout, travel is by private air-conditioned vehicle with a driver who stays with the group for the full route, and licensed local guides join in each city rather than travelling along. The pace is deliberately uneven — two nights where a city rewards it, one where it does not — and the longer drives are placed on days with something worth stopping for. It suits travellers who want the depth of a slow overland route through one region rather than a national highlights reel, and who would rather arrive somewhere in the afternoon and walk it than tick it off from a bus window.
- 01Two full days in Jaipur for Amber Fort, the city palaces and the craft workshops of Sanganer
- 02A morning at the lakeside temple town of Pushkar on the road west
- 03Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur and a guided walk through the blue old city below it
- 04A night at a desert camp on the Sam dunes outside Jaisalmer
- 05Jaisalmer Fort, one of the few forts in the world still lived in
- 06The marble Jain temple at Ranakpur on the way south to Udaipur
- 07A boat crossing on Lake Pichola and sunset from the Monsoon Palace
- 08Private air-conditioned vehicle and the same driver for the full twelve days
Day by day
Open a day for the written plan, then switch to the hour-by-hour breakdown.
Arrive at Jaipur International Airport, where a representative meets you outside the arrivals hall and transfers you to your hotel. Check-in timing depends on the property, and an early flight may land well before rooms are released, so the day is deliberately kept free.
Nothing is scheduled after the transfer. If you land with energy to spare, the hotel can point you toward the nearest stretch of the walled city, but the itinerary assumes you will want to rest before an early start tomorrow.
- Airport meet-and-greet and private transfer to the hotel
- Evening free to settle in before sightseeing begins
Rooms are usually released in the early afternoon; earlier access depends on the hotel.
What the fare covers
And what it does not. Read the right-hand column before you budget.
- Hotels11 nights' accommodation in the chosen hotel category on twin-sharing basis
- HotelsOne night in a Thar desert camp near the Sam dunes
- MealsDaily breakfast at the hotel
- MealsDinner at the desert camp on the Jaisalmer night
- TransfersPrivate air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver for the full route
- TransfersArrival and departure airport transfers in Jaipur and Udaipur
- GuidesLicensed local guides in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur
- SightseeingJeep ascent to Amber Fort and a shared camel ride on the Sam dunes
- SightseeingShared boat ride on Lake Pichola in Udaipur
- TaxesAll road tolls, parking, fuel, interstate permits and driver allowance
- MealsTwo bottles of mineral water in the vehicle each day
- FlightsInternational air travel is not part of this fare. The record lists no air component.
- EntrancesMonument and museum entrance charges throughout the itinerary
- MealsLunches and dinners other than those listed in the inclusions
- VisaIndian visa and any consular processing
- InsuranceTravel and medical insurance
- Personal ExpensesCamera and video permits levied at monuments
- TipsGratuities for guides, drivers and hotel staff
- Personal ExpensesLaundry, telephone, minibar and other items of a personal nature
Hotels are named on your confirmation — all are of the stated category.
You leave from a different place than you arrive — book an open-jaw flight, not a return.
The representative waits outside the arrivals hall with a name board for the arrival transfer.
Want this trip a little different?
Tell Tulli what you'd change — hotels, dates, an extra city — and she'll price it with our team and come back to you.
Where you go in
Not every landmark on the list is one you walk into — this separates them.
When to Go
Weather by month for the places this trip actually visits.
India
Oct–Mar is the golden season across most of India. Monsoon (Jun–Sep) transforms Kerala and the Northeast.
Before you go
The essentials first — they are also the ones that can stop a booking.
Passport and Indian visa
- A valid passport and an Indian visa or e-visa obtained before travel are the traveller's own responsibility.
- Entry requirements change without notice; confirm the current rules for your nationality before booking flights.
- Carry a printed copy of the visa approval — hotels in Rajasthan ask for it at check-in.
Travel insurance is mandatory
- Comprehensive travel insurance covering medical treatment, evacuation and baggage is required before departure.
- Cover should extend to camel riding and desert camping, which some policies treat as excluded activities.
Temples and places of worship
- Shoes are removed at Pushkar's ghats, at Ranakpur, Eklingji and Jagdish Temple.
- Leather belts, bags and straps are not permitted inside Jain temples including Ranakpur.
- Shoulders and knees should be covered at all religious sites on this route.
- Photography is restricted at Eklingji and limited inside Ranakpur.
Long road stages between cities
- Rajasthan is covered by road; the route crosses roughly 1,300 kilometres in total.
- Journey times vary with traffic, roadworks and livestock on rural highways, so departure times are set the evening before.
- The same driver stays with you throughout, and the vehicle carries drinking water.
Desert heat and cold nights
- October to March is pleasant by day and genuinely cold at night in Jaisalmer and Sam — pack a warm layer.
- From April the desert regularly passes 40°C; sun protection, a hat and more water than you expect are necessary.
- Shoes with grip are worth having for the fort ramps and stepwell stairs.
Hotels and the desert camp
- Hotels are confirmed in the category you select, on a twin-sharing basis with daily breakfast.
- The Sam night is at a tented desert camp, which is a different standard from the city hotels by design.
- Check-in and check-out times follow each property's policy and are not guaranteed to be flexible.
Food, water and altitude of effort
- Drink sealed bottled or filtered water only; the vehicle carries a daily supply.
- Carry any regular medication in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription.
- Several sites involve sustained climbing in the sun, so pace the mornings if you are not used to it.
Cash in the smaller towns
- Cards are accepted at hotels and larger shops but rarely at market stalls, temples or roadside stops.
- ATMs are reliable in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur and less so between them, so draw before the desert stages.
How much of this tour is spent driving?
Four of the twelve days are travelling days. The longest is Jaipur to Jodhpur via Pushkar at roughly 330 kilometres, and the drive from Sam back to Jodhpur is about six hours. Every other day is based in one city with short local journeys only.
Is the overnight desert camp a tent or a hotel room?
It is a fixed tented camp near the Sam dunes with a proper bed and an attached bathroom, not a hotel building. Dinner and breakfast are served at the camp, and folk musicians usually perform after dark around a fire.
Are monument entrance charges included?
No. Entrance at monuments, forts, museums and temples throughout the route is excluded and settled locally on the day, and the guide will advise what applies at each site as you go.
Do I fly into and out of the same airport?
No. The tour starts with an arrival transfer at Jaipur International Airport and finishes with a departure transfer at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur, so book an open-jaw itinerary or an internal connection accordingly.
When is the best time of year to travel this route?
October to March is the comfortable window, with clear days and cold desert nights around Jaisalmer. April to June is very hot in the Thar, and July to September brings intermittent rain that can affect the lake and dune sections.
Is this a private tour or a group departure?
It runs as a private tour. The vehicle, the driver and the guiding are for your party alone, and only the Lake Pichola boat and the camel ride at Sam are shared with other visitors.
How demanding is the walking on this itinerary?
Moderate. Amber, Mehrangarh, Jaisalmer Fort and the Udaipur City Palace all involve long stretches of stairs and uneven stone, and the old city walks in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer are on narrow, sloping lanes shared with traffic.
Can the itinerary be adjusted once we have started?
Minor changes are usually workable — swapping an afternoon, adding a site, or moving a boat ride because of weather. Anything that changes a hotel night or a driving day needs to be agreed before departure so that bookings can be moved.
Policies & booking terms
Free cancellation up to 30 days before departure.
50% refund between 30-15 days before departure.
No refund within 15 days of departure.
TripClub standing booking terms
- Full payment must be completed 30 days prior to departure, unless otherwise specified.
- All bookings are subject to availability at the time of confirmation.
- Travel insurance is mandatory and must be purchased prior to departure.
- Prices are subject to change due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, taxes, or supplier costs.
- Guests are responsible for obtaining valid passports, visas, and any required vaccinations.
- Cancellations or amendments are subject to the applicable cancellation policy outlined in the package.
- The company is not liable for delays, cancellations, or changes due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather, strikes, or other force majeure events.
- All travelers must adhere to the local laws and customs of the destinations visited.
- No refunds will be issued for unused services, including but not limited to meals, accommodations, or activities.
- The company reserves the right to modify the itinerary or substitute hotels of similar standards if necessary.
- All special requests (e.g., room preferences, dietary requirements) are subject to availability and not guaranteed.
- Guests are responsible for any additional costs incurred due to personal expenses, such as phone calls, laundry, or minibar charges.
- Check-in and check-out times are subject to hotel policies and may vary by property.
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