Rajasthan & Nepal 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 fifteen days, including how the Day 9 flights work.

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 → Jodhpur (~340 km / ~5.5–6 hrs)

You leave after breakfast and drive west across the Aravalli foothills. The highway is good, and the country grows drier and flatter with every hour. This is the longest road day in India on this tour, and we plan a long lunch break so the drive stays easy.

You reach Jodhpur in the afternoon and check in. Toward evening your guide walks you to a rooftop viewpoint where the old city’s blue-washed houses spread below Mehrangarh Fort.

Note on Longest road day in India: About six hours with breaks. The driver stops whenever you ask, and the plan keeps the evening light.

Experience of the Day

–  Highway drive across the Aravalli foothills

–  Rooftop view of the blue old city at dusk

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted highway restaurant

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Mirchi bada, a stuffed chilli fritter, from a trusted stall

–  Makhaniya lassi, a saffron-and-cream drink, in the old city

Activities to Do

–  Rest after the drive

–  Watch the fort light up from a rooftop

Route: Jodhpur hotel → Mehrangarh Fort → Jaswant Thada → Clock Tower market

Mehrangarh stands on a rocky hill about 125 metres above the city, and its walls rise more than 30 metres in places. Rao Jodha founded the fort in 1459. Your guide takes you through its gates, past the marks of cannon fire and up to the palace museum, with its painted rooms and its collection of howdahs and palanquins.

Jaswant Thada, a white marble memorial from 1899, is a short drive away. In the afternoon you walk the old city’s lanes toward the Clock Tower and Sardar Market, among spice stalls and textile shops.

Experience of the Day

–  Mehrangarh Fort and its museum

–  Jaswant Thada marble memorial

–  Walk through the old city to the Clock Tower

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted rooftop restaurant with a fort view

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Mawa kachori, the sweet stuffed pastry

–  Ker sangri, the desert bean and berry dish

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Spices and handmade textiles at Sardar Market, with the guide

–  Lac bangles and leather shoes at fixed-price stores

Activities to Do

–  Take the lift or the ramp up to the fort

–  Browse the Clock Tower market with your guide

–  Rest at the hotel in the afternoon

Route: Jodhpur → Ranakpur (~165 km / ~3.5 hrs) → Udaipur (~90 km / ~2 hrs)

You leave early, at about 8:30 a.m., and the last forty kilometres to Ranakpur wind through the hills. Ranakpur’s 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 to arrive at noon. Dress modestly, and leather items are not allowed inside.

After the temple and lunch, the road runs about two hours on to Udaipur, where you arrive in the late afternoon. The hotel is near the lake, and the evening is free.

Note on Ranakpur hours: Non-Jain entry is from about noon to 5 p.m. If your flight plans change, tell us and we move the timing.

Experience of the Day

–  Ranakpur Jain temple pillars

–  Hill road through the Aravallis

–  Arrival in Udaipur in the late afternoon

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant near Ranakpur

–  Dinner at a lake-view restaurant

Activities to Do

–  Count the carved pillars at Ranakpur

–  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 hotel → Udaipur airport (~25 km / ~45 min) → flight to Delhi (~1.5 hrs) → flight to Kathmandu (~2 hrs) → Kathmandu hotel

Udaipur and Kathmandu have no direct flight, so you fly to Delhi first and on to Kathmandu. We plan a late-morning flight from Udaipur and an afternoon flight from Delhi, with a buffer of three to four hours between them for the airport change and any delay. Flights are not included in the price, and we check the schedules for your dates.

You land in Kathmandu in the evening. Your Nepali driver and guide meet you at arrivals. Nepal gives a visa on arrival at the airport, and we explain the steps in your briefing. If the Delhi flight is delayed, the plan adds a night in Delhi, and we tell you before you confirm.

Note on Travel day: No sightseeing is planned. Keep your passport, e-visa papers and the Nepal arrival form in hand luggage.

Experience of the Day

–  Flights from Udaipur to Delhi and Kathmandu

–  Arrival in Nepal and transfer to the hotel

Food

Recommended:

–  Dinner at the hotel, with bottled water

Must-Try:

–  Momo, the steamed dumplings, once you settle in

Activities to Do

–  Rest after the journey

–  Set up a local SIM or eSIM if you wish

Route: Kathmandu hotel → Swayambhunath → Durbar Square → Boudhanath

Swayambhunath is a stupa on a hill above the valley, reached by a long flight of steps, with views over the city. Monkeys live on the site, so keep food and sunglasses out of sight. Tradition dates the site to about 2,500 years, but historians give a shorter span, and your guide explains both.

Kathmandu Durbar Square, the old royal square, holds palaces and temples built by the Malla and Shah kings. Parts were damaged in the 2015 earthquake and repairs continue, so some buildings are under scaffolding. Late in the afternoon you reach Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in the world, as monks and pilgrims walk around it at dusk.

Note on Earthquake repairs: Some temples are still being rebuilt after 2015. Your guide shows what is open and what is under repair on the day.

Experience of the Day

–  Swayambhunath stupa and the valley view

–  Durbar Square and its temples

–  Boudhanath at dusk with monks and pilgrims

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant near Durbar Square

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Dal bhat, rice with lentils and vegetables, the daily Nepali meal

–  Newari dishes such as bara, a lentil pancake, and chatamari, a rice-flour crepe

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Singing bowls and thangka paintings near Boudhanath, with the guide

–  Pashmina scarves at fixed-price stores; ask your guide how to check the weave

Activities to Do

–  Climb the steps at Swayambhunath

–  Walk once around the Boudhanath stupa clockwise

–  Rest at the hotel in the afternoon

Route: Kathmandu hotel → Patan → Bhaktapur → Pashupatinath

Patan, a short drive south of Kathmandu, has a Durbar Square of red brick and carved wood, with the 17th-century Krishna Mandir in stone. Bhaktapur, about an hour east, is a brick town with a pottery square, where potters set clay pots out to dry in the open, and a palace whose courtyards your guide walks you through.

In the late afternoon you visit Pashupatinath, a Hindu temple complex on the Bagmati river and on the UNESCO list since 1979. Only Hindus may enter the main temple, and other visitors watch from the east bank. Cremations take place on the ghats, so the guide explains what you see with care, and photography near the pyres is not allowed.

Note on Pashupatinath etiquette: Only Hindus enter the inner temple, and non-Hindus view from across the river. Please do not photograph the pyres or families at the ghats.

Experience of the Day

–  Patan Durbar Square and its temples

–  Bhaktapur’s pottery square and palace

–  Pashupatinath on the Bagmati river

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted courtyard restaurant in Bhaktapur

–  Dinner at the hotel

Must-Try:

–  Juju dhau, the sweet curd of Bhaktapur, in a clay pot

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Pottery in Bhaktapur’s pottery square

–  Woodcarving and metal statues in Patan, with the guide

Activities to Do

–  Watch a potter at the wheel

–  Walk the lanes of Patan

–  Rest briefly before the evening visit

Route: Kathmandu hotel → Kathmandu airport → flight to Pokhara (~30 min) → Pokhara hotel

After breakfast the driver takes you to Kathmandu airport for the half-hour flight to Pokhara, with mountain views on a clear morning. Sit on the left side if you can. Morning flights are the steadiest, since cloud and rain build in the afternoon. If a flight is cancelled for weather, the plan switches to the road, a drive of six to seven hours.

In the afternoon you take a boat on Phewa Lake, across to the Tal Barahi temple on an island in the lake. Phewa is the second largest lake in Nepal, and on a clear day the Annapurna range and the peak called Machapuchare, or Fishtail, are reflected in it.

Note on Weather and flights: Flights between Kathmandu and Pokhara are sometimes delayed or cancelled by weather. The road is the backup, and the Nepal team tells you the plan the day before.

Experience of the Day

–  Flight to Pokhara with a mountain view

–  Phewa Lake boat ride

–  Tal Barahi temple on the island

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch and dinner at the hotel or at a lakeside restaurant

Must-Try:

–  Fresh lake fish at a lakeside restaurant, where the guide recommends it

–  Thukpa, a Tibetan-style noodle soup

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Handmade paper and Tibetan crafts in the lakeside lanes

Activities to Do

–  Row on the lake with your guide

–  Walk the lakeside promenade at sunset

Route: Pokhara hotel → Sarangkot → World Peace Pagoda → Devi’s Fall

You leave in the dark for Sarangkot, a hilltop at about 1,600 metres above the lake, to watch the sun reach the Annapurna range and Machapuchare. The view depends on the weather and the season, and it is clearest from October to December and again in February and March. When cloud hides the peaks, the plan offers the same walk on another morning.

After breakfast you visit the World Peace Pagoda, a white stupa built on a ridge above the lake by Japanese Buddhist monks, and then Devi’s Fall, a waterfall that vanishes underground. The afternoon is free.

Note on Sunrise view: Mountain views cannot be promised. Clear mornings are likelier in the dry months, and the guide checks the forecast the evening before.

Experience of the Day

–  Sarangkot sunrise over the Annapurna range

–  World Peace Pagoda

–  Devi’s Fall

Food

Recommended:

–  Breakfast after the sunrise at the hotel

–  Lunch at a lakeside restaurant

Must-Try:

–  Sel roti, a ring-shaped rice bread, at breakfast

–  Dal bhat for dinner

Activities to Do

–  Watch the peaks turn gold at sunrise

–  Walk the pagoda ridge trail

–  Rest in the afternoon

Route: Pokhara hotel and lakeside

This is a rest day. You can sleep late, walk the lakeside, take a cooking class, or visit the old bazaar and the International Mountain Museum. The guide and driver are on call, and we give you ideas the evening before.

If you want to see the mountains close up, a scenic flight over the Annapurna range or a short paragliding flight can be arranged for an extra cost, subject to weather and to the provider’s rules. The cooking class and the museum visit are optional and paid locally, so tell your guide what you prefer.

Experience of the Day

–  Free morning

–  Optional cooking class or museum visit

–  Lakeside sunset

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch and dinner of your choice, with the guide’s suggestions

Must-Try:

–  A momo-making class, if you book one

Activities to Do

–  Walk the lakeside lanes

–  Visit the Mountain Museum (optional)

–  Take a scenic flight (optional extra)

Optional Nearby Excursions

–  Scenic mountain flight over the Annapurna range, on request, extra cost

Route: Pokhara hotel → Pokhara airport → flight to Kathmandu (~30 min) → Kathmandu hotel

A morning flight returns you to Kathmandu, and the afternoon is free. You can walk to the Garden of Dreams, a restored walled garden of the 1920s near Thamel, or browse the shops of Thamel, the visitors’ quarter. The guide helps with last shopping.

In the evening you have a farewell dinner at a Nepali restaurant with a cultural show. The hotel keeps your luggage ready for the morning transfer.

Experience of the Day

–  Morning flight to Kathmandu

–  Garden of Dreams

–  Farewell dinner with a cultural show

Food

Recommended:

–  Lunch at a vetted restaurant in Thamel

–  Farewell dinner at a Nepali restaurant

Must-Try:

–  Newari feast, if the guide books one

Shopping — Where & What to Buy

–  Singing bowls, pashmina and tea in Thamel, at fixed-price shops

Activities to Do

–  Walk the Garden of Dreams

–  Pack and rest

–  Enjoy the farewell dinner

Route: Kathmandu hotel → Tribhuvan International Airport (~8 km / ~30 min)

After breakfast the driver takes you to Kathmandu airport at a time that suits your flight. Allow extra time, because traffic in the city can be slow. Many guests connect on to a long-haul flight from Delhi, Doha, Dubai or another hub, and we can plan the onward flight on request.

If you want to stay longer in Nepal, the same team can add Chitwan National Park or a short trek, or return you to India.

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

Optional Nearby Excursions

–  Everest mountain flight on the morning of Day 15 or 16, on request, extra cost