What about a bike ride along the vast stretches of barren land of Thar Desert”? What about watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets sitting beside the lakes with mountains in the vicinity? What about visiting the magnificent and royal forts? What about spending a full moon night on a Desert Land? What about experiencing a totally different culture? And how can I forget eating the delicious Dal – Baati – Churma? Plan a trip to the beautiful state of Rajasthan and you will surely make some lifetime memories.
At Sam Sand Dunes Jaisalmer
Abhi, is Rajasthan all about Deserts? Does it ever rain in Rajasthan? Is the food in Rajasthan limited to Dal-Baati- Churma? Is it always too hot in Rajasthan to explore it? Being from Rajasthan, I have been asked these sets of question regularly. These questions do make sense as this is what we all are taught in our school days “Are Rajasthan tho Sukha state hai”!! But let me tell you, this is completely misguiding.
Jodhpur city as seen from Mehrangarh Fort
Yes, I agree Rajasthan has deserts, but that is only a part of the huge state. Rajasthan does receive a decent amount of rainfall in monsoon months from July to September and it becomes lush green everywhere. Rajasthan does have a city “Udaipur which is known as “City of Lakes” and most of the cities in the state do have lakes. Talking of the climatic conditions, in the winter months of November to January, the temperature varies from 0°C to 20°C and sometimes even falls below 0°C. Now about the cuisine, your weight gain will give a better idea 😃 Ohh!! Kinda Namaste London movie scene…Hehe!!
Bahuballi Hill Udaipur
So looking for a packaged tour to visit the state of Rajasthan and explore the must-visit places/cities? You are at the wrong tab, visit a package tour operator website and book an expensive package. If you want to plan the trip to Rajasthan all by yourself and that too a budget-friendly one, you are at the right window😃 Let me put forward an itinerary of how to explore Rajasthan on a 10-day’s backpacking trip.
Udaipur city night view
Before starting the journey
Abhi, what all bookings do I need to do before making a visit to the state of Rajasthan? Absolutely nothing!! Just book a to and fro tickets and you are good to go. I am one of the guys that don’t like to be limited to a fixed itinerary, I stay at a place till the time I feel like, I never book anything in prior.
Gadisar Lake Jaisalmer
Those who like more of a fixed plan, don’t worry I will guide you. What you can do is either start from Udaipur and end the trip at Jaipur or vice versa. So you can book your to and fro tickets accordingly. Regarding stay, there are just so many hostels in all the cities, so stay won’t be an issue at all. You can book hostels in prior or on the go.
Jodhpur city Night View
For a 10 days’ itinerary this is how you can traverse:
You can start from Jaipur and end the trip at Udaipur or vice versa.
Jaipur–>Jodhpur–>Jaisalmer–>Mount Abu–>Udaipur–>Kumbhalgarh Fort–>Chittorgarh Fort–>Udaipur
If you are short of days you can skip Mount Abu, Kumbhalgarh Fort and Chittorgarh Fort and plan accordingly. Abhi is it possible to cover all these in a span of 10 days? There is nothing enough in my dictionary but yes you can definitely visit all the major tourist attractions in the said duration.
Tip: Night transport is available everywhere in Rajasthan, so plan to travel between the cities at night to save the day time which can be used to explore more of the town.
Jaisalmer
You can kick start your journey to the state of Rajasthan from the capital city “Jaipur”. There are many hostels in Jaipur, Hoztel Jaipur, Zostel, The Moustache, Bunkstop, and Wanderers Nest being the famous ones. The price range for these hostels is in range of INR 200- INR 500. Though 2 days aren’t sufficient to explore the capital city, its good enough to see the places of tourist interest.
For more details on how to plan to explore Jaipur in 2 days, check out my post: Must see places in Jaipur on a two-day backpacking trip (INR 2700)
After exploring Jaipur, you can head to Jodhpur “The blue city”. You can either opt for a train or bus to reach the town. Train Runicha Express (23:45 to 05:00) is a great option if you want to experience sunrise from Jodhpur.
After exploring the beautiful town of Jaipur, it’s time to explore the blue city or the Sun City. Though 1 day is not good enough for Jodhpur and you would have to skip visiting a few places, but at least you can get the feel of the city. Like Jaipur, Jodhpur too has many hostels and you can get one easily. For more details on places to visit in Jodhpur and stay options, check out my post: Must see places in Jodhpur on a “two days backpacking” trip.
Umaid Bhawan Jodhpur
After exploring Jodhpur, you can take a train/ bus and head to Jaisalmer. JU JSM Express (23:40 – 06:10) is a great option as you can experience the breathtaking sunrise from Gadisar Lake.
The next city where you can head after exploring Jodhpur is the Desert city of India “Jaisalmer”. One needs at least 2 days to explore the town, a day for Desert area and other for the City area. In recent years, a hell lot of cheap hostels have opened up in Jaisalmer and getting one shouldn’t be a problem. For more details on a 2-day itinerary for Jaisalmer check out the article: Jaisalmer – A backpacking trip to the Golden City of India (2 days – INR 2800)
After Jaisalmer, you can head to the hill station “Mount Abu”. If you are short of days, you can skip Mount Abu and travel straight to the City of Lakes “Udaipur”. From Jaisalmer, there isn’t direct transport available for Mount Abu. You can travel back to Jodhpur and take another transport to reach Mount Abu.
Make a visit to the only hill station in the state of Rajasthan and you will be left stunned by its beauty. Also, the road journey which takes you to this town is breathtaking. Staying isn’t necessary at Mount Abu as you can opt to stay in Udaipur which is just a 3 hours’ drive. For more details on the Hill station, check out this post: Mount Abu – The only hill station in the state of Rajasthan.
Mount Abu
After exploring Mount Abu, you can head to the wedding destination of India “Udaipur City”. I am proud to be born and brought up here. Direct buses are available from Mount Abu to Udaipur.
5. Udaipur – 2 days – INR 1700
It doesn’t matter how many countries you visit; you’ll always have a special place in your heart for your own. To be brought up in a city filled with eternal beauty and everything magical around, it becomes a blessing in disguise. Like Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, Udaipur has also a lot of hostels where you can book your stay. For more details on how to plan a trip to Udaipur for 2 days, check out my article: My very own Heaven – Udaipur ♥
Udaipur City
From Udaipur, you can plan a 1-day trip to Kumbhalgarh Fort (500 INR) and another 1-day trip to Chittorgarh Fort (500 INR). You can return back to Udaipur to stay at night. If you are short on days, you can skip these places.
For details on Kumbhalgarh Fort, check out my article: The second longest wall in the world at Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan.
Kumbhalgarh Fort
For details on Chittorgarh Fort, you can check out my post: Chittorgarh Fort Rajasthan – One of the largest forts in India.
Total expenses: Jaipur INR 2700 + Jodhpur INR 1300 + Jaisalmer INR 2800 + Mount Abu INR 500 + Udaipur INR 1700 + Kumbhalgarh Fort INR 500 + Chittorgarh Fort INR 500 = INR 10000
Gau mukh Kund Chittorgarh Fort Rajasthan
Isn’t this post good enough for you to plan a trip to Rajasthan? If I am missing something, please let me know in the comment section below, I will be more than happy to help you with all your queries. Waiting to see you exploring the beautiful town of Rajasthan on a budget trip😃.
Gadisar Lake Jaisalmer
I used the following backpack during my trip to Rajasthan and will highly recommend it. (Quechua Forclaz 60 Backpack)
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