This 10-day Rajasthan tour package loops from Jaipur through Shekhawati, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Ranakpur to Udaipur, with a day at Chittorgarh. One private car and one chauffeur stay with you for nine nights, billed per km at published rates on the greater of distance driven or 250 km a day; stays are quoted separately.
Ten days is the version for people who want to see Rajasthan without ever feeling that the road is the main event. The longest single leg is about six hours with a stop, every big fort gets a proper morning, and two nights in Jaisalmer leave space to enjoy the desert rather than just photograph it.
Why ten days is the unhurried choice
The 8-day package has one long drive of eight or nine hours from Jaisalmer to Udaipur. This plan removes it by going the other way round: north to Bikaner first, into the desert, then back east through Jodhpur and over the hills. No leg is much longer than 360 km, and several days involve very little driving at all.
That pace suits older travellers, anyone with a bad back, families with young children, and photographers who want to be at a fort at opening time rather than on the highway. It also suits people who simply like Rajasthan enough to stay a little longer. If you only have a week, the 6-day version covers Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur in the same unrushed style.
Shekhawati and Bikaner: the northern arc
Most Rajasthan tours skip the north-east of the state. That is a pity, because Shekhawati is like nowhere else in India: small towns of merchant mansions whose walls, inside and out, are painted with frescoes of Krishna, British soldiers, steam trains and early motor cars. Mandawa has the most visitor-friendly havelis; Nawalgarh has fine ones with fewer people. Our Mandawa by road guide has more.
Bikaner is a working desert city rather than a tourist set-piece. The Junagarh Fort, built on level ground, is famous for never having fallen to a siege, and its palace interiors are among the richest in the state. The old town has red sandstone havelis and shops selling the spicy bhujia that carries Bikaner's name across India. See our Bikaner road guide for distances and stops.
The Mewar finale: Ranakpur, Udaipur and Chittorgarh
The last third of the trip moves from the desert of Marwar into the green hills of Mewar. Ranakpur's marble temple is a highlight for almost everyone who sees it. Udaipur gets a full day, which means a lake boat ride and a palace visit without choosing between them.
Then comes Chittorgarh. The Chittor Fort spreads across a long plateau and is one of the hill forts of Rajasthan recognised by UNESCO. It is mostly ruins now, with temples, towers and palaces scattered across a vast site, and it tends to be much quieter than the famous forts. Most travellers spend three or four hours there; our Chittorgarh by road guide has timing tips.
How the fare adds up over ten days
The car is billed on the larger of kilometres driven or 250 km for each calendar day. Ten days makes a floor of 2,500 km; this circuit drives about 1,740 km including the airport runs and the Chittorgarh round trip, so you pay on the floor and still have roughly 760 km of unused allowance. That is enough to finish in Jaipur instead of Udaipur, to add Kumbhalgarh on the Ranakpur day, or to make a detour to Deogarh or Bundi, without a single extra kilometre charged.
The per-km rates by class, as on the fares page: Rs 72 sedan, Rs 84 Ertiga, Rs 114 Innova Crysta, Rs 170 Fortuner, Rs 330 E-Class, Rs 160 Tempo Traveller, Rs 200 Force Urbania. The chauffeur's night allowance is Rs 3,000 a night, and tolls, parking and any state permits are added at actual cost, then 5% GST. The fare table on this page does the arithmetic for each class.
Staying in heritage hotels along the way
Ten days is long enough to enjoy the variety of places to stay. Rajasthan has everything from family-run havelis with a dozen rooms to converted palaces and forts. A good mix might be a walled-city haveli in Jaipur, a restored mansion in Mandawa, a palace hotel in Bikaner, a guesthouse with a fort view in Jaisalmer (or a night in a desert camp), a boutique hotel under Mehrangarh in Jodhpur, and a lakeside room in Udaipur.
Some old-town hotels in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur stand in lanes too narrow for a car; staff meet you at the nearest point and carry the bags. We do not price hotels into the car fare. The travel desk can book them and send a single written quote covering stays, meals, entry tickets and guides.
Which vehicle for ten days on the road
After several days in a car, comfort matters more than on a short trip:
- Couples: a sedan is economical, but many upgrade to an Innova Crysta for the space, or to a Mercedes E-Class for a honeymoon or special trip.
- Families of four to six: the Innova Crysta is the obvious choice; an Ertiga works for smaller families on a tighter budget.
- Groups: a Tempo Traveller from our Jaipur tempo traveller fleet takes up to sixteen passengers; the Force Urbania is quieter and more comfortable over ten days.
All cars are within four model years, air-conditioned, and driven by a chauffeur who stays with you for the whole trip. Browse them on the fleet page.
Seasons and festivals
October to March is the touring season. Winter days are bright and warm; desert nights in December and January can be very cold. The Bikaner Camel Festival in January and the Jaisalmer Desert Festival around late January or February bring colour and crowds; if your dates coincide, book rooms well ahead. Diwali, Christmas and New Year, and the November to February wedding season also fill hotels, especially in Udaipur and Jaipur. The Rajasthan tourism website lists festival dates each year.
Summer, from April to June, is extremely hot in the desert, and Bikaner and Jaisalmer are best avoided then. The monsoon months bring green hills around Udaipur and quieter roads everywhere.
Booking and changes
You can book the car and chauffeur yourself through the online booker, paying by card or UPI, or ask the travel desk for an all-inclusive quote. Corporate and group bookings receive GST invoices. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% within 72 hours, 50% within 48 hours and 100% within 24 hours or for a no-show; full terms are on the cancellation policy page. If you are starting from Jaipur itself, our tour packages from Jaipur page shows the other circuits that begin there.
