Udaipur, off the water
Lake Pichola gets the postcards; we take you into the city behind it — miniature studios, a private aarti at a family temple, and a sundowner from a rooftop with no menu.
Rajasthan.
Palaces, painted towns and desert silence — the India everyone pictures, planned so you actually feel it.
Ideal length
10–14 nights
Gateway
Delhi gateway · 1h to Udaipur
Best months
Oct · Nov · Dec · Jan
From, per person
₹7.1L
Why Rajasthan
What it feels like
when it's planned well.
Best for
Who it suits
FamilyCoupleMulti-generationalGroupFriendsBalanced pace
Rajasthan is the most photographed state in India and the most misunderstood. Done badly it is a coach queue at a fort gate. Done our way it is a private courtyard dinner in a family haveli, a dawn drive through Kumbhalgarh's back gates before the ticket office opens, and an afternoon with a block-printer whose family has stamped the same indigo for six generations.
We have been sending travellers here since 1987. That means the palace general managers pick up the phone, the guides are people Bharat Dev has known for thirty years, and the driving days are paced by someone who has done them a hundred times.
Highlights
Three things you'd remember.
The Shekhawati havelis
A day among frescoed merchant houses that most itineraries skip entirely, with a conservation architect walking you through what the paint is telling you.
Desert nights near Jaisalmer
A private camp set for your group only, dinner cooked over embers, and a Manganiar musician who plays until you ask him to stop.
A shape to start from
The itinerary, before we change it for you.
Every trip we send is rewritten at least once. Treat this as a rhythm rather than a route — then tell your specialist what to cut, slow down or add.
- Days 1–2
Delhi, gently
Arrive, sleep, and start slowly: Old Delhi on foot at 7am before the traffic, a Sufi evening at Nizamuddin, dinner with a food writer who orders for you.
- Days 3–5
Udaipur
Lake palace or heritage haveli, your choice. Boat at first light, a private miniature-painting lesson, and a day trip to Kumbhalgarh's back ramparts.
- Days 6–7
Jawai
Leopard country. Two days of tracking with a guide who grew up in these hills, plus tea with the Rabari shepherds who share the granite with them.
- Days 8–9
Jodhpur
The blue city from a rooftop, Mehrangarh before opening hours, and an afternoon in the antiques quarter with a dealer we trust.
- Days 10–12
Jaisalmer & the dunes
A living fort, a private camp, and one long evening of desert music. Optional camel walk at golden hour for the ones who want the picture.
- Days 13–14
Jaipur, then home
Amber Fort by elephant-free jeep, a block-printing workshop, jewellers' appointments if you want them, and an evening flight from Delhi.
Where you'd stay
Houses we hold, not listings.
Heritage HomeUdaipur
Haveli Amrit
Restored 1840s courtyard house, lantern-lit plunge pool, resident cook.
From₹83,000 / night
Tented SuiteJawai
Jawai Ridge Camp
Five tents on a granite shoulder, private tracker and vehicle.
From₹96,000 / night
Private VillaJaisalmer
The Fort Residence
Whole-house booking inside the living fort, roof terrace over the dunes.
From₹74,000 / night
Access & experiences
What we can open for you.
Private access before opening
Mehrangarh and Amber, an hour before the gates open, with the fort's own historian.
Dining in homes
Two dinners in family houses — a Rajput home in Jodhpur and a Marwari kitchen in Jaipur.
Craft, not shopping
Block-printing in Bagru, blue pottery in Jaipur, and appointments with makers rather than showrooms.
Festival timing
If you can move your dates, we'll build around Diwali, Holi or the Pushkar fair — and pre-book the good vantage points.
When to go
The months that work.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Prime Shoulder — quieter, better value
Good to know
- Visa
- e-Visa for most passports, arranged by our desk
- Getting around
- Private car and driver throughout; one internal flight
- Pace
- Two to three nights per stop; no day is more than four hours' driving
- Health
- No mandatory vaccinations; bottled and filtered water provided
- Currency
- Indian Rupee (INR)
“We had been to India twice before. This was the first time it felt like someone had planned it for us specifically.”
The Menon family, Singapore
Rajasthan, in frames
Rajasthan questions
Asked often.
Very. Forts, camels, kites and puppet theatre do most of the work. We shorten drives, add pool afternoons, and brief every guide on the ages travelling.
April to June is punishing — 42°C and up. October to March is close to perfect, with cold desert nights in December and January.
Kerala for backwaters and beaches, Ranthambore for tigers, or the Himalayas for altitude. Two weeks covers Rajasthan plus one.
You might also consider
Bali & Indonesia
Bali’s temple towns and coastal villas pair well with Komodo’s dry hills, coral reefs and carefully timed days at sea.
Bhutan
Monastery mornings, empty trails and a country that limits its own visitors. Go now, go slowly.
Botswana
Follow Botswana’s waterways from the Okavango Delta to the Chobe River, with time to watch rather than chase wildlife.
Ready when you are
Let's plan
something real.
Once-in-a-lifetime, or a long quiet weekend. Tell us what you're picturing — the first conversation is on us.