Rajasthan 10 Day Itinerary - Need Help Fast!

AJSHamburg

Hi Everyone,

We (2 guys, 35/37) have decided to hire car/driver for a 10 day trip through Rajasthan. We have found a reputable agency for the car based on personal recommendation that we trust, so that part is sorted.

I emailed our tour "wish list" to the car service which included:

Agra and Fatephur Sikri (on one day??)
Jaipur/Amber
Udaipur
Mount Abu (maybe??)
Jaisalmer (maybe??)
Pushkar

The agency's response was to send us 2 itineraries:
1 ST TOUR PLAN
17 oct delhi to agra
18 oct jaipur
19 oct jaipur
20 oct udaipur
21 oct jodhpur
22 oct jaisalmer
23 oct jaisalmer
24 oct pushkar
25 oct pushkar
26 oct delhi (departure to Varanasi on Oct 27)


2 ND TOUR PLAN
17 Oct delhi to mandawa
18 Oct bikaner
19 Oct jaisalmer khuri
20 Oct jaisalmer
21 Oct jodhpur
22 Oct udaipur via ranakpur
23 Oct udaipur
24 Oct pushkar
25 Oct jaipur
26 Oct agra
27 Oct delhi (departure to Varanasi in the evening)

So, am I crazy or are both of these plans so crammed full of destinations that the only thing I'll remember is riding in the car! I feel like they're just trying to accommodate our wishes and squeeze everything into 10 days, as we requested.

I've semi-decided that I could live without Udaipur. I've read here that the lake is dry and tourists are being driven around on the lake bed via Jeep.

I'm undecided about Jaipur - many say it's so tout-ridden you can hardly enjoy it.

Jaisalmer - I've read here that it's so overrun by tourists that I should consider skipping it.

Pushkar - I'm torn here as well. I hear it's overrun by partying Israeli (and other) tourists. I also here that if you can be in Pushkar for the Camel Festival, which we can, you shouldn't miss it.

It's our first time to India and my guide-book-based impression is that basically every city has something unique and special to offer. I can't imagine that our trip would be "ruined" if we missed Udaipur. Or if we didn't make it all the way to Jaisalmer. As a first-timer, I think I'll be mesmerized by just about everything I see.

I would very much appreciate any suggestions as how to optimize this trip to spend an enjoyable amount of time in a few places. I don't need to see all of Rajasthan in 10 days. Above all, I hope to have such a great experience that I want to come back again and again.

Any suggestions for a reasonable, 10-day itinerary by car/driver that includes Agra/Fatephur Sikri and allows time to enjoy the cities would be very much appreciated!

We need to send our concrete itinerary to the agency ASAP and get our hotels booked now, hence the urgency.

Best wishes
Andy

Matthew Morris

I haven't been to Udaipur for years, but my understanding is that the lake is dry only for a couple of months just before Monsoon starts up again. I thought it was one of the lovliest places I went to in India.

I wasn't so keen on Pushkar, seemed to be full of pretentious morons who had just arrived from Goa, although maybe it was just the time I went.

You have an awful lot of driving, if it were me, I would reduce the driving down to a maximum of 4 hours per day and then plan a route from that. That way you won't be so wrecked at the end of each day you can see the place you are in without wanting to go straight to bed. Perhaps some smaller places like Bundi, Ranakpur & Chittaurgarh in between the major destinations would break it up a bit and give you a bit of a breather between the busy more touristy spots.

I quite enjoyed Jodhpur, and also Jaisalmer.

Enjoy!

bonded

Agra (Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Baby Taj, Mehtab Bagh, Dayal Bagh, Sikrandra), Fathepur Sikri, Bharatpur, Jaipur (If not interested in Jaipur check Tonk), Jodhpur, Osian (Camel Safari could be done here), Ranakpur, Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur (There is water in the lake at this time), Pushkar, Delhi

vonkla

Something like

Delhi-Mandawa
Bikaner
Jodhpur
Jaipur
Agra

Let the driver go back to Delhi (of course you have to pay for this) and take the train From Agra to Varanasi Agra Varanasi

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Barkha

The 02 travel itineraries suggested to you are definitely no good. I would suggest 02 nights Jaipur, 02 nights Jodhpur (while in Jodhpur you could visit Bishnoi & near by),02 nights Udaipur (check out Ranakpur & Chittaurgarh),01 night at Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambore National park), 01 night Bharatpur (if u r keen on bird sanctuary)..while at Bharatpur you may also visit Deeg Palace & fort, 01 night at Agra and on the 10th night Agra / Varanasi by Overnight train... The Pushkar camel fair starts on 28th Oct - 02nd Nov and trust me its so full of people that it gets on the nerves at times.

Barkha

You could also split ur stay at Jaipur (01 night at Jaipur other at Samode)

AJSHamburg

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your advice and tips! I've sorted out a plan now that I'm happy with. Delhi -> Agra -> Jaipur -> Jodhpur -> Jaisalmer -> Delhi.

All that will happen in 10 days. Hectic, probably a bit. But it covers what I want to see.

Again, many thanks for all your help!

Best
Andy

vonkla

Do you still intend to di it by car?
If so, look at http://mapmyindia.com/
Jaisalmer Delhi is nearly 900 km.

AJSHamburg

Yes, by car. We'll probably stop in Bikaner or Mandawa to break it up a bit.

I wasn't keen on car travel at first. But I've been told by many that you see things you otherwise wouldn't.

SitaParityaga

I've done some of your trip by car, at a slower pace. Just curious, how are you going to Mumbai by car from Jaiselmer?

Pyro

Go to the fort at Jodhpur,The audio tour is excellent. In Jaipur there is a western hotel called green fields or something like that, I stayed there about 5 years ago and found it to be good. You will meat lots of tourists there who you can get information from. Agra is a bit of a hole but the targe is well worth it. Jaiselmere is impressive and the views of the fort are amazing, its like going back in time. The roads were pretty good when I was there, I travelled by enfield, however jaiselmere to delhi will be a huge haul. Hope this is a bit helpful and I wish you all the best, be safe and dont go anywhere near the gem scams.

samrat.jai.singh

Well Andy,
Rajasthan is a place you are gonna fall in luv wid,however I would recommend you few must see places in Rajasthan coz of their diversity:

1>Agra-Taj Mahal
2>Jaisalmer-Desert stay(highly recommended)
3>Jodhpur (Mehrangarh Fort & Umaid Bhawan Palce)
Mehrangarh is the largest & finest of Forts,so u may skip Jaipur,coz it mite appear a bit monotonous)
4>Udaipur-city of lakes(city palce,lakes,horse riding activities & above all a diversified look of Rajasthan,a lil different from previous ones)

My point is u can opt 1 among Jodhpur or Jaipur coz they have more or less same things to offer,but u must go for Udaipur,coz of its distinct geographical location,surrounded by a chain of mountains with beautiful lakes,rooftop restaurants etc.)

If u r very keen on Jaipur you can straight away go to Jaipur after Taj & do some evening shopping,have dinner at copperchimney restro & stay at Hotel Diggi Palace & start early next day for Jaisalmer.

Must eat:Pyaz ki kachori,Mawa Kachori,Laal Maas(mutton cooked in red chillies),Lassi in jodhpur

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Amalfi

For the umpteenth time to the umpteenth ignorant poster on this forum , Lake Pichola is NOT DRY and the water level is now normal. And for the umpteenth time the link to the current water levels in the lake :

http://www.earthtv.com/en/camera-loc...chola-india-en

Udaipur is an absolute must for anyone visiting Rajasthan and has been voted the No.1 travel cityfor 2009 in the world by Travel+Leisure magazine . Skip it at your own loss.

Aishah

And I second your post Amalfi - Udaipur is a must in my book. And yes, my friend in Udaipur tells me there is a respectable amount of water in the lake now.

Looking at your 2nd choice itinerary, I would say it is perfectly doable. Early morning rises are the key to it, so if you are a late morning sleeper, then forget it. This is all possible in a 10 day tour. And really not rush, rush, rush as it might look at a glance. You have two nights in Jaisalmer and Udaipur, distances between other places are less, and one night is fine. I like the Agra to Varanasi link by train as suggested by Vonkla.

Make sure your car has air conditioning.

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AJSHamburg

@Amalfi

While I do try to maintain up to minute knowledge on the water levels of every lake in every single city that I would potentially like to visit in vast India, I apparently stumbled across some outdated information here in the forum.

This probably happens to quite a few first-time visitors planning their trip.

My apologies.