Rajasthan with the Leopards of Jawai: 11 days with the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur and Udaipur

Overview

Classic Rajasthan with an experience few travellers know: two nights in Jawai, between Jodhpur and Udaipur, a landscape of granite hills where leopards live freely alongside Rabari herders, their temples and a reservoir full of birds.

Before it, Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Pushkar and Jodhpur; after it, the Ranakpur temples and Udaipur. A private road trip with your own car and driver, jeep safaris with a naturalist and an approved local guide in every city.

Day-by-day plan by road. Driving times are approximate and the order can be adapted to your dates.

1. Day 1 Arrive in Delhi and city tour Overnight: Delhi Included

   

   Arrive at Delhi International Airport, where your driver waits with a name board, and transfer to your hotel.

   Depending on your arrival time, tour Delhi with your approved guide: Old Delhi, with Jama Masjid — India's largest mosque — and a rickshaw ride through the Chandni Chowk bazaar; then British-built New Delhi, with India Gate, the President's House and Parliament (outside). We finish at Humayun's Tomb, the Mughal garden tomb that inspired the Taj Mahal.

   If your flight lands at night or early morning, the Delhi tour is done the next day before driving to Agra.

2. 2
   Day 2 Drive to Agra: Agra Fort and Baby Taj Overnight: Agra Included

   

   After breakfast, drive from Delhi to Agra (about 3.5–4 hours).

   In the afternoon, visit Agra Fort with your guide — the great red-sandstone Mughal fortress from which Shah Jahan gazed at the Taj Mahal in his last years — and Itimad-ud-Daulah, the "Baby Taj", the delicate marble tomb often called the draft of the Taj Mahal.

   Time permitting, watch the sunset over the Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh, across the Yamuna river.

3. 3
   Day 3 Taj Mahal at sunrise, Fatehpur Sikri and Jaipur Overnight: Jaipur Included

   

   Early in the morning, visit the Taj Mahal in the soft sunrise light, when there are fewer visitors. The white-marble mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Back to the hotel for breakfast.

   Drive to Jaipur (about 5–6 hours with the visits). On the way, see Fatehpur Sikri, the red-sandstone imperial city Emperor Akbar built and abandoned a few years later, and, time permitting, the Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri.

   Arrive in Jaipur, the Pink City, and check in.

4. 4
   Day 4 Jaipur, the Pink City Overnight: Jaipur Included

   

   In the morning, Amber Fort, the hilltop fort-palace of the maharajas in the Aravalli hills; you go up by jeep. Photo stop at Jal Mahal, the palace in the middle of Man Sagar Lake.

   In the afternoon, the City Palace, still home to the royal family; the Jantar Mantar observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and the façade of Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds.

   End the day in the old-city bazaars, famous for textiles, jewellery and crafts.

5. 5
   Day 5 Drive to Pushkar, the holy town Overnight: Pushkar Included

   

   After breakfast, drive to Pushkar (about 3 hours), a small pilgrimage town around a sacred lake lined with 52 ghats.

   In the afternoon, walk the ghats and the bazaar and visit the Brahma Temple, one of the very few temples in India dedicated to this god. At sunset, join the evening prayers by the lake.

   The famous Pushkar Camel Fair takes place in October or November (by the lunar calendar) — ask us if it matches your dates.

6. 6
   Day 6 Drive to Jodhpur, the Blue City Overnight: Jodhpur Included

   

   After breakfast, drive to Jodhpur (about 4 hours).

   In the afternoon, visit Mehrangarh Fort, one of the most impressive forts in India, with its palaces and museum, and Jaswant Thada, the white-marble cenotaph of the maharajas.

   In the evening, stroll through Sardar Market by the Clock Tower, among the blue houses of the old city.

7. 7
   Day 7 Drive to Jawai, leopard country Overnight: Jawai Included

   

   After breakfast, drive to Jawai (about 3 hours) in Pali district — a landscape of granite hills, villages of Rabari herders and the Jawai reservoir, where leopards live freely among temples and fields.

   At sunset, your first jeep safari with a local naturalist through the hills, the best time to see leopards coming out of their caves.

8. 8
   Day 8 Leopard safaris in Jawai Overnight: Jawai Included

   

   A sunrise jeep safari looking for leopards, hyenas, jackals and the birds of the Jawai reservoir, which also has crocodiles and, in winter, flamingos and cranes.

   At midday, visit a Rabari village, the red-turbaned herders who have lived alongside the leopards for centuries. In the afternoon, a second safari and sunset over the granite hills.

   Leopards are wild animals: the chances of seeing them in Jawai are very good, but never guaranteed.

9. 9
   Day 9 Ranakpur and drive to Udaipur Overnight: Udaipur Included

   

   An optional last safari at sunrise. After breakfast, drive to Udaipur (about 4–5 hours with the visit) via the 15th-century Jain temples of Ranakpur, with 1,444 carved marble pillars, no two alike. Non-Jain visitors are usually allowed in from midday.

   Arrive in Udaipur, the City of Lakes, and check in.

10. 10
    Day 10 Udaipur, the City of Lakes Overnight: Udaipur Included

    

    In the morning, visit Udaipur's royal palace complex, the largest palace in Rajasthan, on Lake Pichola; Jagdish Temple; and Saheliyon ki Bari, the "Garden of the Maidens".

    In the afternoon, a boat ride on Lake Pichola with views of the palaces and islands.

    In the evening you can watch the traditional dance show at Bagore ki Haveli (optional).

11. Day 11 Departure from Udaipur Included

    

    After breakfast, free time until your transfer. Your driver takes you to Udaipur airport or railway station for your onward journey.

    The flight or train back to Delhi is not included — we can book it for you. You can also drive back to Delhi in our vehicle (about 10–11 hours); ask us.

What's included

Choose your package

All packages include a private AC vehicle with a professional driver for the whole route, bottled water, tolls and taxes. Flights are not included.

Included & not included

Pick-up & drop-off

Route: Delhi → Agra → Jaipur → Pushkar → Jodhpur → Jawai → Ranakpur → Udaipur

Your private car & guide

Choose the car that fits your group. Every vehicle is private, fully air-conditioned and driven by a professional, English-speaking driver.

Sedan 4 photos

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Toyota Etios

AC sedan · Couples & solo travellers

• Up to 3 guests
• 2 large bags
• Full AC

Premium SUV 4 photos

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Toyota Innova Crysta

Spacious 3-row SUV · Families & small groups

• Up to 6 guests
• 4 large bags
• Full AC

Luxury van 4 photos

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Force Urbania

Spacious group van · Groups & large families

• Up to 13 guests
• 9, 12 or 13-seater versions
• Large luggage space
• Full AC

These photos show the car models we use. Every car is cleaned before your trip, well maintained and driven by a professional, uniformed driver. You get the model you book (for example, an Innova Crysta), though the exact vehicle — colour or number plate — may differ. See all our vehicles

Travel with confidence

• Fully air-conditionedEvery car, every trip
• Clean, new-condition carsWell-maintained, spotless cabs
• Uniformed, professional driverSmartly dressed & courteous
• English-speaking driverEasy communication all day
• Free bottled waterAlways available in the car
• Private tourOnly you and your group

Good to know & policies

• Carry your passport

  Keep a valid ID or passport with you — it may be checked at the monuments.

• Not allowed at the Taj

  Food, tobacco, tripods, drones and large bags are not allowed inside. Your bags can stay in the car.

• What to wear

  Comfortable shoes and modest clothing (shoulders and knees covered) are best for monuments and temples.

• Best time

  October to March is ideal. Desert nights (Jaisalmer, Bikaner) are cold in December and January; April to June is very hot.

• Accessibility

  Wheelchair accessible on request — please tell us when you enquire.

• Travelling with kids

  Children are welcome — tell us their ages when you enquire.

Frequently asked questions