30 Day Rajasthan Tour

30 days and 29 nights – Rajasthan tour

Day 1:

Arrive in Delhi on your chosen flight, where we will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time you may have the opportunity for some sightseeing in Delhi.

Day 2:

Begin your Rajasthan tour by travelling to Mandawa in your air-conditioned coach, accompanied by your guide for the tour. Mandawa is famous for its painted Havelis – former merchants’ houses. You will have the opportunity to see the exterior paintings and some of the interiors of these fascinating buildings.

Day 3:

Continue your tour to Bikaner, described in the Lonely Planet Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra (ISBN 978-1-74104–690-8) as “a dust-swirling desert city”. Bikaner is pure Rajasthan, with few concessions to tourists, and the street scenes are fascinating. You will have time to explore the city on your own or with the group if you prefer.

Day 4:

Included in your tour is entry to Bikaner’s Junagarh Fort with its many palaces protected by almost a kilometre of wall and dry moat.

Day 5:

Deeper in the Thar Desert, almost at the border with Pakistan, lies Jaisalmer, your next destination. Set on Trikuta Hill, the Golden City appears like a mirage rising from the desert heat. It is the centre of ancient trade routes. The camel safaris for which Jaisalmer is famous have their origins in its trading past.

Day 6:

You will join a camel safari, venturing deep into the Thar Desert.

Day 7:

Jamuna Resort. Returning from your camel safari in time for dinner, you will have plenty of time to swap stories and photographs and ease any aches and pains that may have developed during your camel ride into the desert.

Day 8:

People call Jodhpur the Blue City. Originally, only Brahmin houses were painted blue, but a rumor—likely started by a blue-paint salesman—spread, claiming blue paint protected against mosquitoes. As a result, everyone began painting their houses blue.

During your stay you will have time to explore this city, dominated by Mehrangarh Fort, perched above the town on a rocky outcrop. The Sadar Market around the clock tower is the place to buy spices, sweets, silver and handicrafts – or just become part of the bustling throng and enjoy a chai or two.

Day 9:

Mehrangarh Fort. Entry to Mehrangarh Fort is included in your tour. Take the audio guide (you may need to leave your passport as deposit) to get the most out of your visit.

Day 10:

On to Ranakpur. Here you will find one of the largest Jain temples in India. The milk-white marble Chaumukha Mandir (four-faced temple) has 29 halls supported by 1444 pillars.

Day 11:

We will take you on a short trek into the hills of Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, not far from Ranakpur, where you may spot deer, birdlife, and, with some luck, leopards and wolves.

Day 12:

Mount Abu is Rajasthan’s only hill station. It is a green oasis and approached along a winding road through wooded hills – a contrast to the desert scenery you will by now be familiar with. Nakki Lake with its strange rock formations is one of the main attractions here.

Day 13:

People say Udaipur, with its forts, museums, temples, and palaces, is the most romantic city in India.

It is on the shores of Lake Pichola with the Lake Palace on Jagniwas Island being its most famous site.

Day 14:

A visit to the City Palace is included in your tour.

Day 15:

Continue sightseeing in and around Udaipur – take in the Jagdish Temple and Sunset Point.

Day 16:

Bundi is where Rudyard Kipling wrote some of his Rajasthan stories, based on his Indian experiences. You may not have time to write an entire novel, but we’re sure that your experiences here could form the basis for an article or two – at least a postcard home.

Day 17:

A visit to Bundi Palace is included in your tour. Kipling described this fairy tale palace as “a work of goblins rather than of men”. You’ll see what he meant.

Day 18:

Legend says Brahma formed Pushkar’s holy lake by dropping a lotus flower, causing this Hindu pilgrimage town to curl around its sacred waters.

Day 19:

A visit to Ajmer Lake is also included in your tour.

Day 20:

On to the Pink City, Jaipur, for three nights in the capital of Rajasthan.

Day 21:

Included in your tour are visits to the City Palace and the Amber Fort. We can arrange an elephant ride to the fort for a small extra charge if you’d like.

Day 22:

Jaipur shopping. Shop for Rajasthani handicrafts, silverware, brass, and even gold.

Day 23:

Ranthambore National Park. You travel south-east to visit one of the most famous national parks in northern India – Ranthambore, famous as a game and tiger reserve. We cannot guarantee you will see a tiger, but we know you will enjoy the jungle’s magnificence and the splendor of its flora and fauna.

Day 24:

Your tour includes an early morning and afternoon safari into the game park. Good tiger spotting!

Day 25:

Northeast of Ranthambore is another reserve: Keoladeo Ghana Park near Bharatpur. The Maharaja originally used this park as a duck shooting reserve, making it mainly devoted to water birds.

Day 26:

Rickshaw tour of the park. Your tour includes a half-day cycle rickshaw ride through the park, giving you the chance to spot and identify as many of the 364 recorded bird species as possible. Your rickshaw guide will help you with the identification.

Day 27:

You will make the short journey to Agra where you will see the most iconic monument in the whole of India – the Taj Mahal, built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his second wife Mumtaz. We include entry to the Taj Mahal in your tour.

This is just one of the three World Heritage sites in Agra.

Day 28:

Also included is entry to Agra Fort. Shah Jahan’s son imprisoned him here, leaving him to gaze down the Yamuna River at the Taj Mahal, recalling his wife and his days of glory.

The third World Heritage site is Fatephur Sikri, Akbar’s abandoned capital. We also include a visit here in your tour.

Day 29:

Delhi shopping. Return to Delhi in time for some sightseeing, or some last-minute shopping and a final meal together, perhaps at Karim’s in the heart of Old Delhi next to the Jama Masjid.

Day 30:

We will transfer you back to the airport for your arranged flight home. We are confident that you will have had a great experience and feel sure that you will already be planning your next visit to incredible India.