Rajasthan & Kerala Combination

Route: Delhi airport → Delhi hotel

A named driver and guide meet you at arrivals with a name board and take you to the hotel. Sealed bottled water is in the car. Check in and rest after the flight.

In the evening your guide gives a short briefing. It covers water and food, scams to ignore, cash and cards, setting up a local SIM or eSIM, tipping and dress, and the plan for the next fourteen days, including how the Day 9 flight works.

Experience of the Day

–  Airport meeting

–  Evening briefing with your guide

Food

Recommended:

–  A quiet dinner at the hotel, with bottled water

Activities to Do

–  Rest and adjust to the time zone

–  Save the guide’s number and the 24-hour contact number in your phone

Route: Delhi hotel → Humayun’s Tomb → Qutub Minar → India Gate → Chandni Chowk

The morning starts at Humayun’s Tomb, built in the 1560s and an early model for the Taj Mahal. The Qutub Minar follows, a tower about 73 metres tall begun around 1200. Both are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. A drive past India Gate and the government buildings of New Delhi comes after lunch.

In the late afternoon you ride a cycle-rickshaw through Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi with your guide, past the spice market and the Jama Masjid. The lanes are crowded and loud, and the guide keeps the pace gentle.

Experience of the Day

–  Humayun’s Tomb

–  Qutub Minar

–  India Gate and New Delhi drive-by

–  Cycle-rickshaw through Chandni Chowk

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant in Central Delhi

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Parathas in Old Delhi, from a vetted shop

–  Jalebi, fresh and hot

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Spices and tea in Khari Baoli, with the guide

–  Textiles at the Central Cottage Industries Emporium, at fixed prices

Activities to Do

–  Ride a cycle-rickshaw down Chandni Chowk

–  Climb the steps at Humayun’s Tomb for the garden view

–  Rest at the hotel in the afternoon

Route: Delhi → Jaipur (~280 km / ~5–5.5 hrs)

You leave after breakfast and reach Jaipur in the afternoon, with a stop for lunch on the highway. After check-in and a rest, your guide takes you out at about 5 p.m. for a walk through Johari Bazaar, where jewellers, cloth sellers and spice stalls line the street.

Jaipur is called the Pink City for the colour of its old walls, painted in 1876 for a royal visit. The guide shows you the main gates and explains the day ahead.

Experience of the Day

–  Highway drive with a rest stop

–  Evening walk through Johari Bazaar

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted highway restaurant

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Fresh lassi from a trusted shop in the bazaar

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Silver jewellery and blue pottery at fixed-price stores, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Walk the old city’s main street

–  Rest early before a full sightseeing day

Route: Jaipur hotel → Amber Fort → Hawa Mahal → City Palace → Jantar Mantar

The day begins early at Amber Fort, a hilltop fort of sandstone and marble begun in 1592 and part of the UNESCO hill forts listing. A private jeep takes you up the ramp, and your guide walks you through the mirror hall and the courtyards.

After lunch you visit the City Palace, where part of the complex is still the royal family’s home, and Jantar Mantar, the stone observatory on the UNESCO list since 2010. A pause at the Hawa Mahal, the five-storey pink façade, is next. In the late afternoon you meet a family of block-printers and see cloth stamped by hand.

Experience of the Day

–  Private jeep up to Amber Fort

–  City Palace and Jantar Mantar with your guide

–  Hawa Mahal photo stop

–  Block-printing family visit

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant near the City Palace

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Dal baati churma, the Rajasthani lentil and wheat-ball plate

–  Ghewar, the honeycomb sweet, in season

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Block-printed cloth direct from the printer

–  Blue pottery and jewellery at fixed-price stores, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Ride the jeep up to Amber Fort

–  Look at the sundials of Jantar Mantar with your guide

–  Rest at the hotel before dinner

Route: Jaipur → Pushkar (~145 km / ~3 hrs)

The drive crosses the Aravalli hills and reaches Pushkar by early afternoon. Pushkar is a small town built around a lake that Hindus hold sacred, with fifty-two bathing ghats and many temples. The Brahma Temple here is one of very few dedicated to the god Brahma.

Late in the afternoon your guide walks you to the ghats and the lake. Shoes come off near the water, shoulders and knees are covered, and people bathing are not photographed. The town is a short walk from the hotel, and the evening is easy.

Note on Pushkar etiquette: Meat, eggs and alcohol are not served in the town itself, and the guide explains local customs. If a stranger offers you flowers at the lake, the guide handles it.

Experience of the Day

–  Drive over the Aravalli hills

–  Lake and ghats at dusk

–  Brahma Temple

Food

Recommended:

–  Dinner at a vegetarian restaurant near the lake

Must-Try:

–  Malpua, the sweet fried pancake, with rabri

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Silver and beads in the main bazaar, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Walk the ghats at sunset

–  Watch the evening lamps by the lake

–  Rest early

Route: Pushkar → Udaipur (~290 km / ~5 hrs)

The morning is free for a sunrise walk up to the Savitri Temple, on a hill above the lake, if you like. It takes about 45 minutes on a stepped path, and your guide goes with you. You leave after breakfast.

The road to Udaipur takes about five hours with a halt for lunch. You reach the lake city by late afternoon, and the hotel is near the water. The evening is free.

Experience of the Day

–  Optional sunrise walk to Savitri Temple

–  Drive to Udaipur with a lunch halt

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted highway restaurant

–  Dinner at a lake-view restaurant

Activities to Do

–  Climb to the Savitri Temple at sunrise (optional)

–  Walk along the lake shore in the evening

Route: Udaipur hotel → City Palace → Jagdish Temple → Lake Pichola

The City Palace is a cluster of palaces on the lake’s east shore, begun in the 16th century and still partly home to the royal family. Your guide leads you through its courtyards and the museum rooms. The Jagdish Temple, an old Vishnu temple near the palace, is a short walk away.

In the late afternoon a boat takes you across Lake Pichola for sunset, with the palace and the lake hotels around you. Dinner is at a rooftop restaurant with a lake view.

Experience of the Day

–  City Palace with your guide

–  Jagdish Temple

–  Boat cruise on Lake Pichola at sunset

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch near the City Palace

–  Dinner at a lakeside rooftop restaurant

Must-Try:

–  Laal maas, the Mewari red meat curry, or its vegetarian cousins at your hotel

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Miniature paintings and tie-dye cloth in the lanes near the palace, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Walk the Jagdish Temple steps

–  Photograph the palace from the water

–  Browse the lanes around the palace

Route: Udaipur → Kumbhalgarh (~85 km / ~2 hrs) → Ranakpur (~50 km / ~1 hr) → Udaipur (~90 km / ~2 hrs)

You leave early for Kumbhalgarh, a fort of the 15th century whose wall is among the longest in India. Your guide walks you through the gates and up to the palace at the top, where the view runs over the Aravalli hills.

Ranakpur follows. Its Jain temple, built in the 15th century in marble, has more than a thousand carved pillars, and no two are alike. Non-Jain visitors enter from about noon to 5 p.m., so the day is timed for it. Dress modestly, and leather items are not allowed inside. You return to Udaipur by evening.

Note on Long day: About five hours of driving plus the two sites. The guide sets the pace, and you can drop the fort climb if you prefer.

Experience of the Day

–  Kumbhalgarh Fort and its wall

–  Ranakpur Jain temple pillars

–  Evening return to Udaipur

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant near Ranakpur

–  Dinner at the hotel

Activities to Do

–  Walk the fort ramparts with your guide

–  Count the carved pillars at Ranakpur

–  Rest at the hotel in the evening

Route: Udaipur hotel → Udaipur airport (~25 km / ~45 min) → domestic flight → Kochi airport → Fort Kochi (~40 km / ~1 hr)

Udaipur and Kochi have no direct flight, so the journey connects through a larger airport such as Mumbai, Bengaluru or Delhi. Allow six to nine hours door to door, and book a morning departure so you reach Kerala by evening. We check the flight options for your dates and tell you the best choice. Flights are not included in the price.

Your Kerala driver meets you at Kochi airport and takes you to Fort Kochi, about an hour away. If your flight lands very late, the hotel is booked near the airport instead. The evening is free, and you step into a green, humid and quieter India.

Note on Travel day: No sightseeing is planned. If the flight is delayed, the Kerala team adjusts the evening and tells you what changes.

Experience of the Day

–  Domestic flight south

–  Arrival in Kerala and transfer to Fort Kochi

Food

Recommended:

–  A quiet seafood or vegetarian dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Appam with vegetable stew, a classic Kerala meal

Activities to Do

–  Rest after the journey

–  Walk to the waterfront if you feel fresh

Route: Kochi → Munnar (~130 km / ~4 hrs)

You leave after breakfast, and the road climbs from the coast into the Western Ghats. A stop at Cheeyappara or Valara waterfalls breaks the drive. Tea estates begin to fill the slopes as you near Munnar, where planting began in the 1880s.

You reach the hotel by early afternoon and settle in. The afternoon is for a walk through a tea estate with your guide, who explains how the leaf is plucked and why the bushes are cut flat. The air is cooler here than on the coast.

Experience of the Day

–  Climb into the Western Ghats

–  Waterfall stop on the way

–  Tea estate walk with your guide

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant on the way

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  A fresh cup of estate tea

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Tea, spices and cardamom in the Munnar market, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Walk the tea rows at the hotel

–  Rest and watch the mist come in

Route: Munnar hotel → Eravikulam National Park → Tea Museum → Mattupetty

The morning starts at Eravikulam National Park, Kerala’s first national park, home to the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in the southern hills. Private vehicles are not allowed inside, so forest department buses carry visitors up from the gate, and then you walk. The park is closed for about six to eight weeks from February for the tahr calving season.

In the afternoon you visit the Tata Tea Museum at Nallathanni Estate, which shows the machinery and the history of the plantations. A stop at Mattupetty Dam follows. The evening is free.

Note on February–March: Eravikulam is closed in this period. In those weeks the plan swaps in Top Station and Mattupetty, and the guide explains the change.

Experience of the Day

–  Eravikulam National Park and the Nilgiri tahr

–  Tata Tea Museum

–  Mattupetty Dam

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Kerala parotta with beef or vegetable curry, in the town

Activities to Do

–  Walk the park trail with your guide

–  Taste fresh tea at the museum

–  Rest at the hotel in the evening

Optional Nearby Excursions

–  Pre-dawn jeep to Kolukkumalai tea estate for sunrise, on request

Route: Munnar → Alleppey (~200 km / ~5 hrs) → houseboat

You leave early after breakfast. The road drops from the hills through rubber and rice country to the coast, and takes about five hours with a lunch stop. You reach Alleppey around noon and board the houseboat, a kettuvallam made with wood and coir rope, with no nails.

The crew cooks lunch and dinner on board. The boat cruises through the canals and across Vembanad Lake, and moors by dusk, since night cruising is not allowed. You sleep on board, and the cruise resumes the next morning.

Note on Houseboat rules: Check-in is around noon and check-out around 9 a.m. The boat must moor by dusk, about 6 p.m. Rooms are air-conditioned in the evening hours only, and the Premium class may use fans in the day.

Experience of the Day

–  Houseboat boarding

–  Backwater cruise through the canals and Vembanad Lake

–  Dinner cooked on board

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch and dinner on the houseboat, included

Must-Try:

–  Karimeen pollichathu, pearl spot fish in banana leaf, where the crew offers it

Activities to Do

–  Watch village life from the deck

–  Sit out at dusk when the boat moors

–  Sleep to the sound of the water

Route: Houseboat → Alleppey lakeside resort

After breakfast on board you disembark at about 9 a.m. and move to a lakeside resort. Before that, a small canoe takes you into the narrow canals that the houseboat cannot enter, at dawn if you like, past homes, coconut palms and small shops. A local guide poles the boat.

The afternoon is free. You can rest by the water, take a spa treatment at the resort, or visit Alappuzha beach at sunset. Dinner is at the resort.

Experience of the Day

–  Village canoe through the narrow canals

–  Free afternoon

–  Sunset at Alappuzha beach

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch and dinner at the resort

Must-Try:

–  Toddy shop lunch with fish curry and tapioca, where the guide recommends it

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Coir mats and spices in the town, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Join the dawn canoe ride

–  Walk the beach at sunset

–  Rest by the water

Route: Alleppey → Fort Kochi (~85 km / ~2 hrs)

After breakfast you drive to Fort Kochi, about two hours north. The old quarter holds the Chinese fishing nets, about 10 metres high, whose origin is debated: some say Chinese traders arrived in the early 1400s, others credit later Portuguese-linked traders. Your guide presents both and walks you to the shore.

The Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1568, and Mattancherry Palace are in Jew Town nearby. The synagogue is closed on Fridays and Saturdays, and the palace on Fridays, and no photos are allowed inside either. In the evening a Kathakali performance begins with make-up at 5 p.m. and the show at 6 p.m.

Note on Fridays and Saturdays: If Day 14 falls on a Friday or Saturday, the plan swaps the sites around, and your guide confirms this on Day 10.

Experience of the Day

–  Chinese fishing nets

–  Paradesi Synagogue and Mattancherry Palace

–  Kathakali make-up and show

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted seafood restaurant

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Fresh grilled fish at a Fort Kochi waterside spot

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Spices and antiques in Jew Town, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Watch the nets at sunset

–  See the Kathakali make-up being applied

–  Pack and rest

Route: Kochi hotel → Kochi airport (~40 km / ~1 hr)

After breakfast the driver takes you to Kochi airport at a time that suits your flight. Allow about an hour for the road, and more at peak hours. International flights from Kochi are fewer than from Delhi or Mumbai, so international guests connect on, and we can plan your onward flight on request.

If you stay longer in India, the same team can add Thekkady, Kumarakom or Kovalam, or return you to Delhi.

Experience of the Day

–  Airport transfer

Food

Recommended:

–  Breakfast at the hotel

Activities to Do

–  Check the passport, visa and flight details

–  Say goodbye to your driver and guide