Grand Rajasthan: Jaipur to Udaipur by way of the Thar Desert

1. Day1

   Arrive in Jaipur

   Your driver meets you at Jaipur airport, the station or your hotel. In the evening, walk the bazaars of the old city, painted pink for a royal visit in 1876.

   Overnight: Jaipur

2. Day2

   Amer Fort and the City Palace

   Go early to Amer Fort, about 11 km north of the city, for its courtyards and the mirrored Sheesh Mahal. In the afternoon, see the City Palace, the stone instruments of Jantar Mantar and the five-storey facade of Hawa Mahal, and end with sunset from Nahargarh Fort on the ridge.

   Overnight: Jaipur

3. Day3

   Jaipur to Mandawa, in Shekhawati

   Jaipur → Mandawa · about 180 km, 4 hours

   Drive north into Shekhawati, where merchant families built havelis and covered them inside and out with murals, mostly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the afternoon, walk through Mandawa, ideally with a local guide, to find gods, legends and even trains and motor cars painted on the walls.

   Overnight: Mandawa

4. Day4

   Mandawa to Bikaner

   Mandawa → Bikaner · about 190 km, 4 hours

   Drive west to Bikaner, known for camels and Bikaneri bhujia, a crisp spiced snack. Junagarh Fort, built in the late 16th century on flat ground rather than a hilltop, has richly painted and mirrored rooms. Later, you can visit the Karni Mata temple at Deshnoke, about 30 km south, where rats are treated as sacred.

   Overnight: Bikaner

5. Day5

   Bikaner to Jaisalmer

   Bikaner → Jaisalmer · about 330 km, 5–6 hours

   The longest drive of the trip crosses open desert and scrub, so leave after an early breakfast. You reach Jaisalmer by mid-afternoon, in time for sunset at Gadisar Lake, the town's old reservoir, lined with small temples and shrines.

   Overnight: Jaisalmer

6. Day6

   Jaisalmer Fort and the dunes

   Spend the morning in Jaisalmer Fort, built in 1156 of yellow sandstone and still lived in, and see the carved fronts of Patwon ki Haveli and Salim Singh ki Haveli below it. In the afternoon, drive to the dunes at Sam, about 40 km away, for a sunset camel ride, folk music and dinner, then sleep at a desert camp or back in town.

   Overnight: Jaisalmer, or a desert camp near Sam

7. Day7

   Jaisalmer to Jodhpur

   Jaisalmer → Jodhpur · about 285 km, 5 hours

   If you slept at the camp, watch the sunrise before breakfast and allow an extra hour for the drive. In the late afternoon, walk around Jodhpur's Clock Tower and Sardar Market below the floodlit fort.

   Overnight: Jodhpur

8. Day8

   Mehrangarh and the Blue City

   Spend the morning at Mehrangarh Fort, founded by Rao Jodha in 1459, with a museum of palanquins, paintings and arms. Visit Jaswant Thada, a white marble memorial nearby, walk the blue-painted lanes below the fort, and see the museum wing of Umaid Bhawan Palace in the afternoon.

   Overnight: Jodhpur

9. Day9

   Jodhpur to Udaipur via Ranakpur

   Jodhpur → Ranakpur → Udaipur · about 260 km, 5–6 hours plus the temple stop

   Head south into the Aravalli hills to Ranakpur, where the 15th-century Jain temple is built of light-coloured marble with more than 1,400 carved pillars; it usually opens to visitors from about noon. Continue through the hills to Udaipur, arriving in the evening.

   Overnight: Udaipur

10. Day10

    Udaipur, palaces and Lake Pichola

    See the City Palace on Lake Pichola, the 17th-century Jagdish temple near its gate and Saheliyon ki Bari, an 18th-century garden of fountains and lotus pools. Take a sunset boat ride on the lake, then watch the evening folk dance show at Bagore ki Haveli; check the current show time.

    Overnight: Udaipur

11. Day11

    A day out to Kumbhalgarh or Chittorgarh

    Udaipur → Kumbhalgarh or Chittorgarh → Udaipur · about 170–230 km round trip

    Choose one of two UNESCO-listed hill forts. Kumbhalgarh, about 85 km north (2–2.5 hours each way), is a 15th-century fort whose walls are said to run for about 36 km. Chittorgarh, about 115 km north-east (2–2.5 hours each way), is one of India's largest forts, with palaces, temples and the nine-storey Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory).

    Overnight: Udaipur

12. Day12

    Departure from Udaipur

    Spend a slow last morning by the lake. Your driver then takes you to Udaipur airport, about 22 km from the city, the station or onward by road.

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