This 8-day Rajasthan tour package runs Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur with one private car and one chauffeur for all seven nights. The car is charged per kilometre at published class rates on the larger of kilometres driven or 250 km a day; hotels, desert camps, meals and entries are quoted separately.
Eight days is the length most people mean when they say they want to do Rajasthan properly. It keeps two nights in Jaipur and two in Jodhpur, adds Pushkar as a lunchtime stop, and then does what shorter plans cannot: it takes you right out into the Thar, where Jaisalmer rises from the sand like something from a story.
What the desert leg gives you
The step from six days to eight is all about Jaisalmer. Its fort is one of the six hill forts of Rajasthan on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and unlike the others it is lived in; the Jaisalmer Fort houses families, guesthouses and temples inside its walls. Below it, the sandstone havelis of the merchant families are carved as finely as lace.
Then there are the dunes. Sam, about 40 km west, is the better-known field, with camps and camel rides lined up along the road; Khuri, about 45 km south-west, is smaller and usually quieter. Both sit near the Desert National Park. A night in a desert camp is optional: the chauffeur can drive you back to town after sunset, or leave you at the camp and collect you in the morning. Our Jaisalmer by road guide covers the town in more depth.
The Jaisalmer to Udaipur drive, and how to make it easier
We would rather tell you now than surprise you on day seven. Jaisalmer to Udaipur is about 495 km and eight to nine hours with a lunch stop. It is the price of seeing the desert and the lakes in eight days without doubling back through Jodhpur.
A few things make it far more bearable:
- Leave early. A 7 am start means most of the driving is done before the afternoon heat and you arrive in daylight.
- Pick the right car. In an Innova Crysta the middle-row passengers can stretch out and nap; for two people a Fortuner rides the rough patches better than a small sedan.
- Snacks and water. Fuel stations and dhabas are further apart in the western districts than you may be used to. The chauffeur fills the tank in Jaisalmer and knows where to eat.
- Or add a night. Breaking the drive, for example with an overnight near Ranakpur, turns this into a nine-day trip and adds 250 km to the minimum, which covers the detour. The 10-day package goes further and removes every long leg.
How the car fare works on eight days
Billable kilometres are the greater of distance driven or 250 km per calendar day. Eight days sets a floor of 2,000 km, and this plan drives about 1,390 km, so the floor is what you are billed on. That leaves around 600 km of paid-for road you can still use. It is enough, for instance, to drive from Udaipur back to Jaipur (about 395 km) as part of a ninth day, or to fit in a morning at Kumbhalgarh without touching the fare.
The rates per kilometre, as on our fares page: Rs 72 for a sedan, Rs 84 for an Ertiga, Rs 114 for an Innova Crysta, Rs 170 for a Fortuner, Rs 330 for an E-Class, Rs 160 for a Tempo Traveller and Rs 200 for an Urbania. The chauffeur's night allowance of Rs 3,000 per night, tolls, parking and any state permit are added at actual cost, followed by 5% GST. The table further down this page shows each class worked out.
Pushkar, Jodhpur and the order of the cities
The route runs west first and south last for a reason. Going out through Pushkar and Jodhpur keeps the early legs short while you adjust to the time zone, and ending in Udaipur means your final evening is by a lake rather than on a dusty highway. If you would prefer to start in Udaipur, the chauffeur can run it in reverse; the long day simply becomes day two instead of day seven, which some travellers prefer while they are fresh.
Pushkar is a holy town, and it keeps its customs: no meat or alcohol is served within it, and shoes come off near the ghats. Visiting during the camel fair in October or November is memorable, but the roads jam and prices for rooms soar, so book months ahead. Jodhpur is covered in more depth on our Jodhpur taxi service page if you want to linger.
Winter in the Thar, month by month
- October: still warm in the desert by day; good light and fewer crowds before the holidays.
- November to February: the best dune weather, bright days and cold nights. Camps run full; in December and January desert nights can drop close to freezing, so bring warm layers for the evening at Sam.
- Late January or February: the Jaisalmer Desert Festival, with camel races and folk music around the fort, fills every room in town.
- March: warming fast; Holi is celebrated everywhere.
- April to June: very hot in Jaisalmer; many desert camps close.
- July to September: monsoon in Udaipur and the Aravallis, far less rain in the desert, the lowest hotel rates of the year.
The wedding season from November to February also packs Udaipur's lake hotels, so the earlier you secure rooms, the better.
Who should choose six, eight or ten days
Pick eight days if the desert is the point and you can live with one long drive. Pick the 6-day package if you have a single week and would sooner see three cities slowly than four quickly. Pick ten days for Bikaner and Shekhawati on the way out and Chittorgarh at the end, with no day much over six hours in the car.
Coming from Agra or Delhi? The 5-day Golden Triangle package ends in Jaipur, so the two plans chain together neatly with the same car.
Seats, luggage and group travel
Two people travel well in a sedan, three to four in an Ertiga, and five or six in an Innova Crysta with luggage behind. Families wanting extra comfort for the desert day often choose a Fortuner. Groups of nine to sixteen should look at a Tempo Traveller; our Udaipur tempo traveller and Jaipur fleets serve this circuit, and the Force Urbania is quieter and roomier for longer legs. All vehicles are within four model years; see the fleet for photographs and seat plans.
Booking the car, or the whole holiday
Reserve the car and chauffeur on the online booker and pay by card or UPI; corporate travellers receive a GST invoice. If you want hotels, the desert camp, meals and a guide in Jodhpur arranged too, the travel desk sends an itemised written quote. Cancelling is free more than 72 hours before pickup; after that 10% is charged within 72 hours, 50% within 48 hours and the full fare within 24 hours or on a no-show, as set out in our cancellation policy.
