Udaipur's City Palace reflected in the still waters of Lake Pichola

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Rajasthan Grand Palaces & Desert — Premium

Route

Jaipur → Pushkar → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer → Kumbhalgarh → Udaipur

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About This Journey

Rajasthan Grand Palaces & Desert — Premium

Seven nights that take in nearly all of Rajasthan's signature landscapes: Jaipur's palaces, Pushkar's lake, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer's desert forts, and Kumbhalgarh's hills on the way to Udaipur. It is the fullest single-trip version of the state.

The route opens in Jaipur with the City Palace and Amber Fort, then moves to Pushkar, Jodhpur and deep into the Thar to Jaisalmer, before turning back east through Ranakpur to Kumbhalgarh, ending in Udaipur.

01
Five distinct regions in one trip
Jaipur's palaces, Pushkar's lake, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer's desert, and Kumbhalgarh's hills all appear on this route, which is a genuinely wide sweep of the state for seven nights.
02
The desert and the lakes, in one journey
Few routes cover both Jaisalmer's dunes and Udaipur's lakes, which is what sets this apart from the shorter desert-only or golden-cities-only itineraries.
03
A choice of five palace or heritage hotels
Rambagh Palace, RAAS Jodhpur, Suryagarh Jaisalmer, Radisson Blu Resort Kumbhalgarh and more anchor the route, with heritage alternatives like Alsisar Haveli and Fort Rajwada at the premium tier.

Chapter Two — Where You'll Stay

5 Real Stays, In Order

Handpicked along your own route — not a hotel chain repeated city to city.

First, 2 nights in Jaipur

Alsisar Haveli

Stay at Alsisar Haveli, Jaipur — an 1892 family-owned haveli with frescoed courtyards and a garden pool, on our premium Rajasthan tours.

Jaipur · Hotel · Premium★★★★

Next, one night in Pushkar

Ananta Spa & Resorts, Pushkar

Ananta Spa & Resorts sits below the Aravallis outside Pushkar. Cottages, villas, luxury tents, a spa and pool on our Rajasthan tours.

Pushkar · Resort · Premium★★★★

Next, one night in Jodhpur

Ajit Bhawan

Ajit Bhawan is a 1927 palace residence in Jodhpur, still family-run. Garden cottages, vintage suites and village safaris on our Rajasthan tours.

Jodhpur · Hotel · Premium★★★★

Next, 2 nights in Jaisalmer

Fort Rajwada

Fort Rajwada in Jaisalmer is built in classical Rajasthani style in golden sandstone. Pool, spa and desert safaris on our Rajasthan tours.

Jaisalmer · Hotel · Premium★★★★

The Aodhi's outdoor swimming pool by day, framed by its stone terraces and the wooded hills behind

Finally, one night in Kumbhalgarh

The Aodhi by HRH Group of Hotels

Heritage hotel at the base of Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan, with pool, spa, and Rajasthani dining amid forested Aravalli hills.

Kumbhalgarh · Resort · Premium★★★★

Chapter Three — Day by Day

Real Rajasthan Attractions in This Itinerary

6 of your 8days — the full itinerary follows below. Scroll to travel the route.

Hawa Mahal's pink sandstone honeycomb facade in Jaipur

Day 2 · Jaipur

Amber Fort & Jaipur's Old City Bazaars

A full day built around Amber Fort. The fort sits on a hill above Maota Lake, begun in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I. Inside, Sheesh Mahal glitters — thousands of small mirror tiles set into the walls and ceiling, still catching light after four centuries. A guide walks you through Ganesh Pol, the fort's most ornate gate, before the afternoon opens up. Back in the old city, Johari Bazaar sells jewellery the way it has for generations, and Bapu Bazaar deals in block-printed textiles. Both are better explored slowly, with someone who knows which shops to trust.

An ornate archway framing a statue by the ghats of Pushkar Lake, Rajasthan

Day 3 · Jaipur → Pushkar

Jaipur to Pushkar — Lake & Brahma Temple

A shorter transfer, around three hours, to Pushkar — a small desert town built around a lake considered sacred in Hindu tradition. Pushkar Lake is ringed by more than fifty bathing ghats. Above them stands Brahma Temple, one of only a handful anywhere in India dedicated to Brahma, and by far the most visited. Evening brings the ghats to life with lamps and prayer, best watched from a quiet spot along the water rather than the busiest steps.

Mehrangarh Fort's weathered sandstone ramparts above Jodhpur

Day 4 · Pushkar → Jodhpur

Pushkar to Jodhpur — Mehrangarh on Arrival

The road from Pushkar to Jodhpur takes about four hours, arriving in time for an afternoon at Mehrangarh Fort. Built in 1459 on a cliff 125 metres above the city, the fort's museum covers five centuries of Rajput rule through armour, palanquins, and painted manuscripts. The old city below is known as the Blue City for the indigo-washed houses spreading out beneath the ramparts — best seen from the fort walls just before sunset.

A lone tree in the golden dunes of the Thar Desert near Sam, Rajasthan

Day 5 · Jodhpur → Jaisalmer

Jodhpur to Jaisalmer — Into the Thar Desert

A five-hour drive further west, deeper into the Thar Desert. The land empties out along the way — scrub, open sky, and small villages built low against the wind. Jaisalmer announces itself from a distance: a fort of golden-yellow sandstone rising straight out of the desert floor. Check in by early evening, with the fort itself saved for tomorrow.

A camel rider silhouetted against the sunset at the Sam Sand Dunes, Jaisalmer

Day 6 · Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer Fort & Sam Sand Dunes at Sunset

Jaisalmer Fort, built in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal, is one of the few forts left in the world that's still fully lived in — around four thousand people call it home today, running shops, hotels, and temples inside its walls. Morning is spent inside the fort and at Patwon ki Haveli, a cluster of merchant mansions with carved sandstone facades. In the afternoon, drive out to the Sam Sand Dunes, about 40 kilometres and an hour from the city. Watching the sun drop behind the dunes, the desert turns gold and then a deep orange-red — a genuinely different landscape from anything earlier in the trip.

Kumbhalgarh Fort's weathered stone ramparts rising above the Aravalli hills

Day 7 · Jaisalmer → Kumbhalgarh

Jaisalmer to Kumbhalgarh via Ranakpur

The longest drive of the trip, roughly seven hours, broken up by a stop at Ranakpur's Jain temple. Built from pale marble in the 15th century, the temple holds more than 1,400 carved pillars — no two exactly alike. From there it's a shorter final stretch to Kumbhalgarh, arriving in the evening with the fort's outline visible against the hills.

Chapter Four — The Full Itinerary

8 Days, In Full

Every day, start to finish — including the transfers the day-by-day chapter above skipped.

Jaipur

Arrival in Jaipur — City Palace & Hawa Mahal

Private airport pickup, then straight into Jaipur's old city. City Palace is still a home — part of it belongs to the royal family today. Its courtyards mix Rajput and Mughal design in a way few palaces manage. From there it's a short walk to Hawa Mahal. Built in 1799, its pink sandstone front holds 953 small windows. They let royal women watch the street below without being seen themselves. Evening is free for the hotel, or a walk through the old city's lanes before dinner.

Jaipur