One great loop through the old kingdoms
No stop is a single night except the desert camp, which is meant to be one magical evening. By the third week, our guests usually tell us they have stopped counting days and started counting sunsets, which is exactly the point.
Two dozen states before 1947: the land we now call Rajasthan was some two dozen princely states, each with its own ruling clan, its own dialect and its own way of dressing for a wedding.
Six old regions on one loop: a shorter journey shows you three or four of them. This one takes you through six.
- Nights
- Twenty-one
- Pace
- Two or three nights almost everywhere
- Best months
- November to February
- Good for
- Travellers who want all of Rajasthan, slowly
- Starts
- Delhi
- Ends
- Ranthambore, train to Delhi
- Dhundhar: around Jaipur.
- Shekhawati: the painted country of Shekhawati.
- Marwar: around Bikaner and Jodhpur.
- Maad: around Jaisalmer.
- Mewar and Hadoti: around Udaipur and Bundi.
- You hear it change: the language shifts, and the turbans and the food change with it.
- A loop, so nothing is wasted: the Mughal cities of Delhi and Agra first, then Rajput country at Jaipur, the frescoed merchant towns, the red fort of Bikaner and the golden fort of Jaisalmer.
- The return: back east across the Thar by way of a night in the dunes, Jodhpur's great rock fort, then the Aravallis and the lakes of Udaipur.
- The last chapter: north-east through Chittorgarh and Bundi to the forest of Ranthambore, where a train on the main line takes you back to Delhi.
- Most drives three to four hours: the long ones broken by a monument or a lunch worth stopping for, and a morning with nothing in it every few days.
- Rajasthan as its people live it: bhujia where it is made, camels coming home at dusk in Bikaner, Manganiyar singers under the desert sky, and chai with a family of painters in Udaipur.
Twenty-one nights, day by day
- Agra to Jaipur
- About four hours
- Mandawa to Bikaner
- About four hours
- Bikaner to Jaisalmer
- Five to six hours, the longest
- Jaisalmer to Manvar
- About three hours
- Jodhpur to Udaipur
- Five to six hours, via Ranakpur
- Chittorgarh to Bundi
- About three hours
Day 1: Arrive in Delhi
- Met inside the airport: and driven to a quiet hotel in Lutyens' Delhi.
- Late afternoon light: Humayun's Tomb and Sunder Nursery, then an early dinner.
Days 2 and 3: Old Delhi, Agra and the Taj at sunrise
Old Delhi: start at the Jama Masjid and explore Chandni Chowk by cycle rickshaw, eating as you go.
Late morning: the fast train to Agra, in under two hours.
- Afternoon: Itimad-ud-Daulah, then Mehtab Bagh for sunset with the Taj across the Yamuna.
- Day 3 at sunrise: the Taj Mahal with your guide.
- After breakfast: about four hours to Jaipur, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri or the Abhaneri stepwell.
- Fridays: the Taj is closed to sightseers, so we always plan around it.
Days 4 and 5: Jaipur, the pink city
Day 4, the walled city: Hawa Mahal at sunrise and the bazaars as they open.
Late afternoon: after lunch and a rest, the private apartments of the City Palace.
- Day 5, as the gates open: Amber Fort. We walk or drive guests up, and never book elephant rides.
- Evening: sunset over the city from Nahargarh.
- A free morning on day 6: your third Jaipur night allows the Jantar Mantar, or a block-printing family in Bagru, before you set off north.
Days 6 and 7: Samode and the painted towns of Shekhawati
An hour north-west to Samode: lunch and a look at its painted Durbar Hall and Sheesh Mahal.
About three hours on to Mandawa: in the late afternoon, walk out from Castle Mandawa to the most famous painted havelis.
- On the walls: gods, maharajas, trains and motor cars.
- Day 7 at sunrise: tea on the ramparts, then the quiet outer lanes before the day visitors arrive.
- After lunch: Nawalgarh for the Podar and Morarka haveli museums, or Fatehpur for the Le Prince haveli.
- In February: the mustard fields between the towns are a sea of yellow.
Days 8 and 9: Bikaner, camels and a red fort
About four hours west: to Bikaner, founded in 1488 by Rao Bika.
Late afternoon: walk the old city to the carved red-stone Rampuria havelis, stopping for fresh bhujia, the crisp gram-flour snack that made the city's name.
- Day 9, at opening: Junagarh Fort, built between 1589 and 1594, with some of the richest painted and gilded palace rooms in Rajasthan.
- Deshnoke: the Karni Mata temple, where thousands of rats, called kabas, are fed and protected as the goddess's own relatives.
- Late afternoon: watch the herds come home at the camel research centre outside the city.
Days 10 and 11: Jaisalmer, the golden fort
The longest drive: about five to six hours across the Thar, leaving early with a break for lunch.
Arrival: as the fort turns gold in the evening light.
- The fort: founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal of the Bhati Rajputs, one of the few forts in the world where thousands of people still live.
- Day 11 at sunrise: row on Gadisar Lake.
- Into the fort as it wakes: the Jain temples during morning worship, then the Raj Mahal for the view.
- Afternoon: the carved façades of Patwon ki Haveli, then Bada Bagh for sunset among the royal cenotaphs.
- Evening: a courtyard with Manganiyar musicians.
Day 12: Kuldhara, and a night in the dunes at Manvar
The cool of the morning: at Kuldhara, the abandoned village of the Paliwal Brahmins.
- About three hours east to Manvar: just off the Jodhpur road in the Shergarh country, arriving for lunch and a rest.
- Late afternoon: walk or ride a camel out onto the dunes.
- Dinner by the fire: with folk music, as the stars come out in their thousands.
Days 13 and 14: Jodhpur and Mehrangarh
About two hours to Jodhpur: lunch and a rest.
Brahmpuri: walk the blue quarter below the fort, ending at the clock tower for mirchi bada and lassi as the lights come on.
- Day 14, at opening: give Mehrangarh the whole morning, then walk down to Jaswant Thada.
- Afternoon: a Bishnoi village to meet the potters and durrie weavers, or the stepwell at Toorji ka Jhalra.
- Dinner: on a palace terrace.
Day 15: Through the Aravallis by way of Ranakpur
- About three and a half hours south into the hills: to Ranakpur, whose fifteenth-century Jain temple has 1,444 carved marble pillars, by tradition no two alike.
- After lunch: about two and a half hours more to Udaipur, arriving as the City Palace lights up across the lake.
Days 16 and 17: Udaipur and its lakes
Day 16, at opening: the City Palace, then the Jagdish Temple and Gangaur Ghat.
Late afternoon: a private boat on Lake Pichola, stopping at Jag Mandir.
- Evening: the dance at Bagore ki Haveli.
- Day 17 is yours: Saheliyon ki Bari and a miniature painter's studio, or north to Eklingji and Nathdwara.
- To finish: the pool in the afternoon and the Monsoon Palace for sunset.
Days 18 and 19: Chittorgarh and Bundi
About two hours to Chittorgarh: the capital of Mewar until 1568 and the largest fort in India. Spend the late morning on its plateau with a guide.
About three hours north-east to Bundi: for a rooftop dinner facing the lit Garh Palace.
- Day 19: the palace and the murals of the Chitrashala.
- Raniji ki Baori: the carved stepwell, built in 1699, and the blue lanes below the palace.
- Sunset: at Sukh Mahal on Jait Sagar, where Kipling stayed.
Days 20 to 22: Ranthambore, and the train home
About three hours to Ranthambore: arriving for lunch and your first afternoon safari among the lakes and ruins.
- Day 21: a dawn drive and an afternoon drive with a long rest between, or the UNESCO-listed Ranthambore Fort for a break from the jeep.
- Day 22: a last morning safari, then the fast train from Sawai Madhopur to Delhi, around five hours.
- Or by road: about three and a half hours to Jaipur airport. Our guide to trains in Rajasthan explains the options.
Where you'll stay
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur
The Imperial: opened in the 1930s, a calm first night in Delhi.
- The Oberoi Amarvilas: in Agra, every room with a view towards the Taj.
- Rambagh Palace: the old royal residence of Jaipur, on its lawns.
- The Oberoi Rajvilas: a walled village of courtyards and pools.
Shekhawati and Bikaner
Castle Mandawa: a fort built in 1755 and still run by its family, the most comfortable base in Shekhawati.
No two rooms alike: they are spread through towers and old apartments.
- Laxmi Niwas Palace: Bikaner's grandest stay, part of the Lalgarh complex.
- Narendra Bhawan: a stylish boutique hotel with a rooftop pool.
- Bhanwar Niwas: a merchant haveli in the old city.
Jaisalmer and the dunes
Suryagarh: a modern fort built in the old Jaisalmer manner on the road to Sam, with courtyards, a pool and a spa.
- The Serai: SUJAN's camp on about a hundred acres of private desert scrub.
- Manvar Desert Camp: a night among the dunes, halfway to Jodhpur.
Jodhpur and Udaipur
Umaid Bhawan Palace: completed in 1943, with some of the finest Art Deco interiors in Asia.
- RAAS Jodhpur: right below Mehrangarh.
- In Udaipur: Taj Lake Palace on its island, or The Oberoi Udaivilas on the western shore.
Bundi and Ranthambore
Bundi: the best rooms are in family-run heritage havelis below the palace, with murals and rooftop breakfasts rather than butlers.
- Ranthambore, our first choices: The Oberoi Vanyavilas, SUJAN Sher Bagh and Aman-i-Khas.
- Seasons: the camps keep a shorter season than the hotels, so we match them to your dates.
Other ways to spend three weeks
Our other three-week plan
- A different line through the state: read it alongside this one, and we'll help you choose the shape that suits you.
With Kumbhalgarh and the forts of Mewar
- One night from Udaipur: spent at Kumbhalgarh, whose wall runs about 36 kilometres around the fort.
- The rhythm: the fort lit up in the evening, a walk on the wall at sunrise, then on to Udaipur.
Rajasthan and Kutch
- Across the Thar: from Jaisalmer and Barmer into Gujarat for the Little Rann, the palaces of Bhuj and the white salt desert at Dhordo.
- For textile lovers: a natural extension.
Rajasthan, Orchha and Khajuraho
- East from Agra: the Bundela palaces of Orchha on the Betwa river and the carved temples of Khajuraho, by train and road.
Rajasthan and Varanasi
- Finish on the Ganges: the evening aarti on the ghats and a dawn boat past the temples.
- Getting there: a short flight from Rajasthan connects the two worlds.
Big cats and birds
Swap Bundi: for the leopards of Jawai.
- Add the birds: Bharatpur's Keoladeo sanctuary on the way from Agra.
- Rare anywhere in India: three weeks with this much wildlife.
Four weeks and beyond
With a fourth week, slow down: rather than add more places.
More of the best: a fourth night in Jaipur and a second night in the desert.
- Three nights in a village fort: such as Rohet Garh or Deogarh Mahal, where the days are for walking, riding and long lunches.
- Pushkar: for its holy lake and ghats.
- Jawai: for leopards on the granite hills.
- A month or more: the circle can widen beyond Rajasthan, to Kutch and Ahmedabad in the south-west, Orchha and Khajuraho in the east, and Varanasi further still.
- Around a festival: the Pushkar Camel Fair in the month of Kartik, the Desert Festival in Jaisalmer in February, or the Rajasthan International Folk Festival at Mehrangarh in October.
- Two or three at once: a long journey can catch more than one of them.
When to go
October to March: kind weather across Rajasthan, with warm days and cool nights.
November to February, for a journey this long: even the desert is comfortable at midday.
- Season
- October to March
- Ideal
- November to February
- Our favourite
- February
- Thar nights
- Sometimes close to freezing in winter
- Avoid
- April to September for this loop
- December and January: nights in the Thar are cold, sometimes close to freezing, so pack warm layers for the camp and for dawn safaris.
- February, our favourite month: mustard in flower in Shekhawati, soft light in Jaisalmer and good tiger sightings in Ranthambore.
- October and March: they work too, though the desert can be hot by day at either end of the season.
- April to June: the heat is serious, and three weeks of it is too much for most travellers.
- About July to September: the monsoon closes Ranthambore's core zones and turns the desert humid, so we plan a shorter, greener journey around Udaipur and Bundi.
- Help choosing: our best time to visit Rajasthan guide and our page on Rajasthan in January.
Bikaner Camel Festival, January
- Every January: Bikaner celebrates its camels with parades, camel dances and races, and a competition for the finest moustache.
- Great with children: joyful and great fun.
The Desert Festival, February
- Three days around the full moon of Magh: turban-tying contests, camel races and folk musicians from across the Thar.
The Shekhawati Festival, late winter
- Low-key and local: folk music, village sports and haveli tours in the painted towns, all the better for being small.
Diwali and Makar Sankranti
Diwali: lights every bazaar on the route, in October or November.
- Makar Sankranti: on 14 January Jaipur flies kites from every roof.
- Either: is worth building a journey around.
Make it yours
For families
- What children love: the camels of Bikaner, the dunes at Manvar, the cannon at Jaigarh and the tigers.
- How we pace it: drives under four hours where we can, hotels with pools and afternoons off. Our family journeys explain more.
For couples
Romantic additions: a night at the Lake Palace, a private dinner on the dunes and a hot-air balloon over Amer at dawn.
- A fort on the way north: a night at Alila Fort Bishangarh on the way to Shekhawati.
- More ideas: our honeymoon journeys.
For repeat visitors
- Skip Delhi and Agra: and give the time to Kumbhalgarh, Jawai, Dungarpur and the villages.
- The Rajasthan most visitors never reach: our offbeat Rajasthan and village Rajasthan journeys.
For a slower pace
- Drop Bikaner or Bundi: and give the nights to the places you love most.
- Eight stops, not eleven: still a grand tour, and a calmer one.
Keeping three weeks fresh
The stays change character: a grand hotel in Delhi, a palace in Jaipur, a family castle in Mandawa, a merchant's haveli in Bikaner, a fort in the desert, a tent in the dunes, a lake palace and a forest lodge.
The days change too: a morning of monuments is followed by one in a village, and a day of driving by a day of doing nothing.
- Stays
- Eight different kinds
- Rest days
- Two or three, usually Jaipur, Udaipur, the desert
- Booked on rest days
- Only breakfast
- Laundry
- At every long stop
- And the weeks: a week of cities, then a week of hills, lakes and jungle.
- Two or three true rest days: usually in Jaipur, Udaipur and the desert, with nothing booked except breakfast.
- How guests use them: some for a cooking class or a spa, others for a book and a long lunch. By the last week, these are often the days they talk about most.
- Pack for a week, not three: every long stop on this route is a chance for laundry.
- A light shawl or jacket in every bag: desert nights and dawn safaris are cold in winter, even when the days are warm.
- Tell your planner when you are tired: we would always rather move a sight than have you see it without joy.
How we look after you
One planner: from the first conversation to the train home, on WhatsApp throughout, who knows every hotel, guide and driver on your route personally.
Watching the details: a temple's changed hours, a closed safari zone, a road blocked by a wedding.
- Planner
- One, on WhatsApp throughout
- Driver
- Private chauffeur, Agra to Ranthambore
- Guides
- Licensed local guide in each city
- Trains
- Delhi to Agra, Sawai Madhopur to Delhi
- Prices
- Quoted after one conversation
- Met inside the airport: in Delhi.
- Your private chauffeur: from Agra to Ranthambore in a comfortable car. Many guests say goodbye to him at the end like a member of the family.
- Local people everywhere: a licensed guide in each city, a naturalist on every Ranthambore drive, and camp hosts in the desert who know every dune.
- Trains and flights: we book them where they save time, with luggage sent ahead by road.
- No published prices: three weeks can range from heritage havelis to the finest suites in India, so we quote after one conversation.
- Read more: our private chauffeur journeys, or plan my journey with us.
Who will love it, and who should choose a different journey
Rajasthan as a whole: deserts, lakes, painted towns and forests, with the time to see them calmly.
The trip of a lifetime: for the retired, those on sabbatical, and anyone who would rather go deep than fast.
- Lovers of variety in hotels: from a castle to a camp to a palace on a lake.
- Two weeks or less: choose Two weeks in Rajasthan, which keeps the Taj, the tigers and the lakes.
- If long journeys tire you: a three-week trip has many drives, even if each is short. The Royal Rajputana covers the highlights in fifteen nights with fewer stops.
- April to September only: choose a different season.
