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Himgiri Holidays

Rajasthan Royal Circuit

4.7 (3)8 days · 7 nightsEasyUdaipur, Rajasthan

Udaipur → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer → Jaipur

Rajasthan Royal Circuit — Udaipur, Rajasthan
Rajasthan Royal Circuit — Udaipur, Rajasthan
Rajasthan Royal Circuit — Udaipur, Rajasthan
Rajasthan Royal Circuit — Udaipur, Rajasthan
Rajasthan Royal Circuit — Udaipur, Rajasthan

Overview

The western half of Rajasthan, taken in the order that makes geographic sense rather than the order the coaches run it. Udaipur first because it is the softest landing — water, gardens, a palace complex added to over four hundred years — then Jodhpur, then the desert, then back east.

Mehrangarh in Jodhpur is the best-kept fort in the state and its museum is genuinely worth the audio guide. Jaisalmer is one of the very few forts anywhere still inhabited, with roughly three thousand people living inside the walls, which is both its charm and its conservation problem. The Sam dunes night is in a fixed camp forty kilometres out, with a folk performance that is unabashedly for visitors and a sky that is not.

The honest warning is distance. Jodhpur to Jaisalmer is about 285 km and Jaisalmer to Bikaner about 330 km on good but monotonous highway, so two days of this trip are mostly spent in a vehicle. We break both with stops — Ranakpur's Jain temple and its 1,444 carved pillars on the first, Karni Mata at Deshnok on the second — and start early rather than pretending the drives are short.

Runs in: October, November, December, January, February, March. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly.

Day by day

8 days, in the order you will walk or drive them.

  1. 1Arrive Udaipur — City Palace and Lake PicholaDay 1
    Arrive and check in near the lake. Late afternoon at the City Palace, eleven structures joined into one façade, and Jagdish Temple in the bazaar below it. A boat on Pichola at sunset, passing Jag Mandir. Dinner on a rooftop above the ghats.
  2. 2Udaipur — Sajjangarh, Saheliyon ki Bari and the craftsDay 2
    Up to Sajjangarh, the hilltop Monsoon Palace, for the morning view over the lake system and the Aravalli. Saheliyon ki Bari and its fountains afterwards. Afternoon with a miniature painter in the old city and time at Shilpgram. Evening free.
  3. 3Udaipur to Jodhpur via RanakpurDay 3
    North through the Aravalli to Ranakpur, where the fifteenth-century Adinatha temple carries 1,444 marble pillars, no two carved alike. Two hours there including the light through the mandapa, then on to Jodhpur, arriving late afternoon. Around six hours of driving in total.
  4. 4Jodhpur — Mehrangarh and the blue cityDay 4
    Mehrangarh at opening, on its 120 m escarpment, with the museum, the palanquin gallery and the ramparts. Jaswant Thada below it. Afternoon walking the indigo-washed lanes of Navchokiya with a local guide, ending at the Toorji ka Jhalra stepwell. Evening at the clock tower market.
  5. 5Jodhpur to Jaisalmer — the Sam dunesDay 5
    A 285 km highway run west across increasingly empty country, roughly five and a half hours with a stop at Pokhran. Straight out to the fixed camp at Sam in the afternoon for the dunes at sunset, a camel or jeep ride, and a Manganiar folk evening. Night under canvas.
  6. 6Jaisalmer — the living fortDay 6
    Into Sonar Quila after breakfast — one of the last inhabited forts in India, with families, shops and temples still inside the walls. The Jain temple group, then Patwon ki Haveli and Salim Singh ki Haveli below. Afternoon at Gadisar Lake and the sunset from Bada Bagh's cenotaphs.
  7. 7Jaisalmer to BikanerDay 7
    The longest drive of the trip, about 330 km and six hours north-east, broken at Karni Mata in Deshnok — the rat temple, which is not for everyone and is entirely skippable. Junagarh Fort in Bikaner in the late afternoon, unusual for never having been taken. Night in Bikaner.
  8. 8Bikaner to Jaipur, departDay 8
    Morning at the camel breeding farm outside town, then 330 km south-east to Jaipur, arriving early evening. Trip ends at Jaipur airport or the station; onward Delhi trains run late into the night.

Dates and prices

Seat counts are live. A date leaves sale the moment it fills — we do not overbook and sort it out later.

  • 31 Oct – 7 Nov 2026

    Sat start · 8 days

    6 seats left· filling up
    ₹34,500
    Book now

Talk it through first

A planner calls you back, no obligation.

What is included

What the price covers

  • Seven nights — heritage hotels in Udaipur (two), Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and a fixed desert camp at Sam
  • Daily breakfast, plus dinner at the desert camp
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for the whole circuit
  • Local licensed guides in Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer
  • Monument entry: City Palace, Sajjangarh, Ranakpur, Mehrangarh, Jaswant Thada, Jaisalmer Fort and havelis, Junagarh
  • Boat on Lake Pichola and the camel ride at Sam
  • Airport and station transfers at both ends

What it does not

  • Flights and long-distance train fare to the start point
  • Personal expenses, tips and anything of a personal nature
  • Travel insurance (strongly recommended, we can arrange it)
  • Meals not listed in the inclusions
  • Costs arising from weather, roadblocks or events beyond our control
  • Camera fees at Mehrangarh and Ranakpur
  • Karni Mata temple entry, if you choose to go in
  • Jeep safari upgrade at Sam

Questions about this trip

Answered from this departure's own numbers. Anything not here, the desk will tell you straight.

How hard is this trip, and who is it for?
We grade it Easy, on a four-step scale of Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Strenuous. That single word is a summary, not the answer — the answer is the 8-day plan above, which says what each day actually asks of you. Read it before you book, and if you are unsure whether it suits you, call the desk and describe your last comparable trip rather than guessing.
How many people will be on it?
Between 2 and 14. 2 is the minimum for a departure to run and 14 is the hard cap — we do not add seats to a date that is selling well. The seat counts on the dates table are live and come straight from the booking system.
When does it run, and why not the rest of the year?
October, November, December, January, February and March, and the next date open for booking is 31 Oct 2026. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly — passes under snow, a monsoon crossing or a shut ferry are reasons to move your dates, not to take your money.
Can I hold seats before I pay?
Yes. Pick a date, enter who is travelling, and the seats come off the live count for 15 minutes while you decide. Nothing is charged during the hold, and if you walk away it releases itself and the seats go back on sale.
How do I pay, and what happens after?
Online at the end of the booking flow, or over the phone with the trips desk during working hours if you would rather not pay on the web. Either way you get a booking reference, and the joining pack for your departure follows from the desk.
What if I have to cancel?
There is no blanket policy printed here, because permits, mountain lodges and internal flights are paid forward at different points on different departures — and quoting a single number would be a promise we could not keep on every date. The terms that apply to your departure are in your joining pack, and the desk will put them in writing before you pay if you ask.

3 reviews

Each one is linked to a booking on one of the departures above.

  • Jaisalmer to Bikaner is six hours of flat highway and Bikaner to Jaipur is another six the next day. The listing says so plainly, to their credit, and the Deshnok and camel farm stops help. But eight days with two of them essentially in transit is the trade-off you are making for covering the west properly.
    MOManish OberoiVerified booking
  • Walking into a fort where three thousand people still live is a strange and wonderful thing, and our guide was honest about the water and drainage problems that come with it rather than giving us the tourist version. Sam dunes at sunset is touristy and I enjoyed it anyway.
    AKAravind KrishnanVerified booking
  • Starting soft with the lakes and building up to the desert made the whole week flow. Mehrangarh is the best-presented fort I have been to in India and we had nearly two hours there before it filled. Ranakpur on the drive up is not a filler stop — give it the time.
    SCSunita ChauhanVerified booking

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