Rajasthan — Royal Desert Circuit

Reiseübersicht

If the Golden Triangle is India's greatest-hits introduction, Rajasthan is where you go deeper. This 10-day circuit moves from Jaipur's Pink City through the holy lakeside town of Pushkar, into the blue-washed lanes of Jodhpur beneath the Mehrangarh Fort, out to Jaisalmer — a living sandstone fort city on the edge of the Thar Desert — and finally to Udaipur, the white-marble 'City of Lakes' that inspired a James Bond film and looks, at sunset, like nowhere else on Earth. Along the way: a camel safari into the dunes at Sam, a night under canvas in a proper desert camp with folk music around the fire, havelis carved by merchant families three centuries ago, and a boat ride on Lake Pichola as the City Palace turns gold. We travel by private air-conditioned vehicle throughout, stay in carefully chosen heritage hotels and havelis, and keep the group small. This is Rajasthan for travelers who want the romance of the postcards without the chaos that can come with seeing it alone.

Reise-Highlights

• Camel safari & desert camp at the Sam sand dunes, Jaisalmer — sunset, bonfire, and Rajasthani folk music under the stars
• Jaisalmer Fort — one of the few 'living forts' in the world, still inhabited, carved entirely from golden sandstone
• Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur — one of India's largest and best-preserved forts, towering over the Blue City
• Lake Pichola at sunset, Udaipur — the City Palace and Lake Palace Hotel glowing gold on the water
• Pushkar — a holy lake town built around 52 ghats, home to the only major Brahma temple in India
• Patwon Ki Haveli & the merchant havelis of Jaisalmer — three centuries of carved sandstone artistry
• Amber Fort & City Palace, Jaipur — the Pink City's Rajput grandeur
• Saheliyon Ki Bari & the old city lanes of Udaipur — fountains, lake views, and rooftop cafés

Tag-für-Tag-Programm

1. 1

   Delhi → Jaipur — Arrival in the Pink City

   Drive or take the morning train from Delhi to Jaipur (approx. 4.5–5 hours). Check into your heritage hotel and spend the evening exploring Johari Bazaar — Jaipur's jewellery and textile district, where block-printed cotton, blue pottery, and semi-precious stones spill across every counter.

   🏠 Heritage haveli hotel, Jaipur✨ First evening in the Pink City — bangles, block print and the smell of fresh jalebi
2. 2

   Jaipur full day — Amber Fort, City Palace & Hawa Mahal

   Morning at Amber Fort — a Rajput palace-fortress rising from a ridge above Maota Lake, its interiors a layering of mirror mosaic and carved marble. After lunch, the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) and the City Palace, still partially home to Jaipur's royal family. End the day at Jantar Mantar, Maharaja Jai Singh II's 18th-century astronomical observatory.

   🏠 Heritage haveli hotel, Jaipur✨ Amber Fort at morning light — the Rajput world at its most magnificent
3. 3

   Jaipur → Pushkar — Brahma Temple & camel ride at sunset

   Drive to Pushkar (approx. 3 hours), a holy town built around a sacred lake with 52 bathing ghats. Visit the Brahma Temple — one of the very few temples to Brahma in all of India — and walk the ghats at dusk as pilgrims light lamps on the water. In the late afternoon, a short camel ride into the dunes outside town for sunset over the Aravalli hills.

   🏠 Heritage guesthouse, Pushkar✨ Sunset camel ride over the Pushkar dunes
4. 4

   Pushkar → Jodhpur — The Blue City & Mehrangarh Fort

   Drive to Jodhpur (approx. 3.5 hours). Check in and spend the afternoon at Mehrangarh Fort, one of India's largest and best-preserved forts, with sweeping views over the indigo-blue rooftops of the old city below — the reason Jodhpur is known as the Blue City. Visit Jaswant Thada, a marble cenotaph often called the 'Taj Mahal of Marwar', before an evening walk through the Sardar Market beneath the Clock Tower.

   🏠 Heritage haveli hotel, Jodhpur✨ Mehrangarh Fort ramparts — the entire Blue City spread out in indigo below
5. 5

   Jodhpur → Jaisalmer — Into the Thar Desert

   A scenic drive deep into the Thar Desert (approx. 5–5.5 hours) as the landscape turns increasingly golden and sparse. Arrive in Jaisalmer by mid-afternoon and check into your haveli hotel inside or near the fort. Evening walk through Jaisalmer Fort's narrow lanes — one of the few 'living forts' in the world, still inhabited by around 3,000 people, its sandstone walls glowing amber as the sun drops.

   🏠 Heritage haveli hotel, Jaisalmer✨ Jaisalmer Fort at golden hour — a living sandstone city
6. 6

   Jaisalmer — Havelis, Gadisar Lake & desert camp under the stars

   Morning visit to Patwon Ki Haveli and Nathmal Ki Haveli — 19th-century merchant mansions with carved sandstone facades so intricate they look like lacework. Stroll around Gadisar Lake, an artificial reservoir ringed with small shrines and chhatris. In the afternoon, drive out to the Sam sand dunes for a proper camel safari into the desert, arriving at a private desert camp for sunset. The evening brings a bonfire, Rajasthani folk music and dance under a sky with no competing light for miles.

   🏠 Private desert camp, Sam Dunes✨ Camel safari and bonfire night under the Thar Desert stars
7. 7

   Jaisalmer → Jodhpur → Udaipur — Travel day

   Early start back from the dunes. Drive or fly via Jodhpur to Udaipur (the most comfortable option is the Jodhpur–Udaipur flight, approx. 45 minutes; overland is roughly 6–7 hours and can be split into a scenic two-day drive on request). Arrive in Udaipur by evening and check into your lakeside hotel.

   🏠 Lakeside heritage hotel, Udaipur✨ First glimpse of Lake Pichola and the City Palace from your hotel terrace
8. 8

   Udaipur full day — City Palace, Lake Pichola & Jagdish Temple

   Morning at the City Palace complex, a sprawling assembly of courtyards, balconies and towers built over four centuries on the eastern bank of Lake Pichola. Visit Jagdish Temple, a beautifully carved 17th-century Indo-Aryan temple in the heart of the old city. In the afternoon, a boat ride on Lake Pichola past the Lake Palace Hotel (the former royal summer palace, now a floating five-star hotel) and Jag Mandir island.

   🏠 Lakeside heritage hotel, Udaipur✨ Boat ride on Lake Pichola as the City Palace turns gold at sunset
9. 9

   Udaipur — Saheliyon Ki Bari, old city lanes & a final rooftop evening

   A slower day: Saheliyon Ki Bari ('Garden of the Maidens'), an 18th-century ornamental garden of fountains and lotus pools built for the royal ladies of the court. Wander the old city's narrow lanes — small art studios, miniature painting workshops, and shops selling Rajasthani textiles. End with a final rooftop dinner overlooking Lake Pichola as the City Palace is lit for the night.

   🏠 Lakeside heritage hotel, Udaipur✨ Last rooftop dinner over Lake Pichola, City Palace lit against the dark water
10. 10

    Udaipur → Delhi — Departure

    Morning flight from Udaipur back to Delhi (approx. 1.5 hours). Our team confirms your onward connection — flight, hotel, or onward train — and ensures you leave with exactly what you need. You arrive home carrying the colours of Rajasthan: pink sandstone, indigo rooftops, golden dunes, and the white marble of a city built on a lake.

    🏠 —✨ Last view of Lake Pichola from the air as you fly out