8 days, 7 nights ยท Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur
Eight-day Rajasthan tour package: the one that reaches the desert
Eight days is the length at which Rajasthan stops being a fort tour and becomes a landscape one. The two extra days buy Jaisalmer — the golden fort city 285 kilometres past Jodhpur, still inhabited, with the Thar desert starting at its edge — and Pushkar on the way out of Jaipur. Everything the six-day circuit covers is still here; what changes is that the state's emptiness becomes part of the trip rather than something you read about.
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The case for eight
What Jaisalmer adds, and what it costs
Jaisalmer is the reason this circuit is eight days rather than six. It sits about 285 kilometres west of Jodhpur, close to the Pakistan border, and it is the only living fort in India — people still live inside the walls, which makes it a town rather than a monument. The sandstone turns gold in the late light, the havelis in the lanes below are as fine as anything in Rajasthan, and the desert begins immediately outside.
The cost is driving. Jodhpur to Jaisalmer is a five-hour leg across genuinely empty country, and Jaisalmer to Udaipur is about 495 kilometres, which is the longest single day on any circuit we publish. Eight days absorbs both comfortably; seven does not, which is why we do not offer a seven-day version of this route pretending otherwise.
What you get for it is the part of Rajasthan that photographs least and stays with people most: two hundred kilometres at a stretch with nothing beside the road, a fort you sleep beneath, and an evening on the Sam or Khuri dunes. If the desert is not why you are coming, the six-day circuit is the better buy.
The additions
The two stops six days cannot fit
Eight days adds one town and one city, and both sit on legs the car is already making.
Pushkar — the lake and the fair
About 145 km from Jaipur and roughly 15 km off the Jodhpur road: a small pilgrimage town around a sacred lake, with one of the few Brahma temples in India and a bazaar worth an hour. In November the camel fair turns it into one of the great spectacles in the country.
Jaisalmer — the golden fort
Two nights, which is the right number: one for the fort, the havelis and the lanes, one for the dunes at Sam or Khuri and a night under the sky if you want it. The fort is inhabited, so it stays open late and feels nothing like Amber or Mehrangarh.
The empty legs
Jodhpur to Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer to Udaipur are the two longest drives on the circuit and, for a surprising number of travellers, the most memorable parts of it. Good road, almost no traffic, and scenery that changes by the hour.
The driving
Five legs across about 1,450 kilometres
This is a driving circuit, and the eight-day spacing is what keeps it a pleasure rather than an endurance test.
- Jaipur to Jodhpur via Pushkar — about 335 km plus the detour, 7 to 7.5 hours with the stop Through Ajmer, with an hour or two at Pushkar, arriving Jodhpur in the early evening.
- Jodhpur to Jaisalmer — about 285 km, 5 to 5.5 hours West on a good, empty highway through Pokhran. There is very little on this road, which is the point; the chauffeur carries water and knows where the two usable stops are.
- Jaisalmer to Udaipur — about 495 km, 8 to 9 hours The longest day we publish on any circuit. It is scheduled as a full charter day with an early start and a proper lunch stop, and on a ten-day circuit it is broken at Jodhpur or Mount Abu instead.
- Udaipur onward — about 395 km to Jaipur, 6.5 to 7 hours Only if you are closing the loop rather than flying out of Udaipur.
The desert night
What a night on the dunes actually involves
The Sam dunes are about 40 kilometres west of Jaisalmer and Khuri about 45 kilometres south-west, and between them they take almost all of the desert-camp traffic. Sam is the bigger, busier and more commercial of the two; Khuri is quieter and better for anyone who wants the silence rather than the folk performance. The chauffeur drives you to the camp and waits or returns in the morning, depending on the arrangement.
Camps run from basic tents to properties with proper bathrooms and heating, and the price gap between them is wide. This is the single clearest case on any of our circuits for taking the all-inclusive quote rather than booking blind, because the photographs online are not a reliable guide to what you will get. Send the dates through the contact page and the desk will name the camps it actually uses.
Timing matters more here than anywhere else on the circuit. November to February is the window: the days are warm and the nights are cold but bearable. March is already hot, and May and June are not worth attempting. The visitor page covers how the desk schedules a first trip around that.
Booking
How to book the eight-day circuit
The transport package books and pays on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. Because this circuit includes the longest driving day we run, the coordinator confirms the Jaisalmer-to-Udaipur schedule with you in advance rather than springing it on the morning. For hotels, the desert camp, entries and guides included, ask for the all-inclusive quote through the contact page. Cancellation follows the published schedule: free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100%.
Day by day
The eight-day itinerary, leg by leg
Two of these legs cross genuinely empty country, and the times below reflect that rather than assuming traffic-free motoring everywhere else.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Jaipur | Met at the airport and driven to the hotel. The City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal in the afternoon, then the bazaars. | Airport to hotel ~12 km, 30 min; about 30 km in the city |
| Day 2 | Jaipur | Amber and Jaigarh in the morning light, Jal Mahal on the return, and the afternoon free for a workshop or the Albert Hall museum. | About 45 km all day |
| Day 3 | Jaipur to Jodhpur via Pushkar | West through Ajmer with a stop at Pushkar for the lake, the Brahma temple and the bazaar. Into Jodhpur in the evening. | Jaipur-Jodhpur ~335 km plus detour, 7-7.5 hrs with the stop |
| Day 4 | Jodhpur | Mehrangarh Fort for the morning, then Jaswant Thada, the blue town and the clock-tower market. Umaid Bhawan in the afternoon. | Under 30 km all day |
| Day 5 | Jodhpur to Jaisalmer | West across the Thar through Pokhran on an empty highway. Into Jaisalmer by mid-afternoon for the fort in the late light. | Jodhpur-Jaisalmer ~285 km, 5-5.5 hrs |
| Day 6 | Jaisalmer | The fort and its lanes in the morning, the Patwon ki Haveli and Gadisar lake, then out to the Sam or Khuri dunes for the evening and the night if you want it. | Sam ~40 km, Khuri ~45 km from town |
| Day 7 | Jaisalmer to Udaipur | The long day: an early start, south-east across the desert and into the Aravallis, with a proper lunch stop on the road. Into Udaipur in the evening. | Jaisalmer-Udaipur ~495 km, 8-9 hrs; depart 07:00 |
| Day 8 | Udaipur | The City Palace along the water, Jagdish Temple, the old town on foot and Saheliyon ki Bari. Dropped at Udaipur airport or driven on. | About 25 km in the city |
What it costs
The 8-day Rajasthan circuit: two ways to buy it
Eight charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. The Jaisalmer legs are long but stay inside the charter day's ten hours and 300 kilometres on all but day seven, where the extra-kilometre rate on the card applies and is quoted in advance.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 8-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 8 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $15,600 - $18,720 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Premium MPV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 8-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $15,600 - $18,720 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $13,600 - $16,320 |
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $18,000 - $21,600 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $25,600 - $30,720 |
| Luxury sedan 3 passengers, 3 bags |
Mercedes-Benz S-Class & BMW 7 Series | $2,700 - $3,240 | $21,600 - $25,920 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 8-day Rajasthan circuit: frequently asked
Why is Jaisalmer worth two extra days?
Because it is 285 km past Jodhpur, and the return leg to Udaipur is 495 km. Reaching it at all costs a day each way. What you get is the only living fort in India, the havelis below it, and the Thar desert starting at the town's edge.
How long is the Jaisalmer to Udaipur drive?
About 495 km and eight to nine hours with a lunch stop, which makes it the longest single day on any circuit we publish. It is scheduled with an early start, and the ten-day version breaks it at Jodhpur or Mount Abu instead.
Should we sleep in a desert camp?
It is the reason most people come to Jaisalmer, and one night is enough. Camps vary enormously in standard, which is the strongest argument on this circuit for taking our all-inclusive quote rather than booking from photographs.
When is the best time for the desert?
November to February. The days are warm and the nights genuinely cold. March is already hot, and from April to June the desert leg is not worth attempting.
Can we add the Pushkar camel fair?
Yes, if your dates fall in November. Pushkar is on the Jaipur-to-Jodhpur leg, so the fair costs no extra driving — but the hotels for 100 km around fill months ahead, so tell the desk early.
Is eight days too much driving?
About 1,450 km across eight days, concentrated into four driving days. If that sounds like a lot, the ten-day version spreads the same route more gently, and the six-day version drops the desert entirely.
Same circuit, other lengths
The Rajasthan heritage circuit in a different number of days
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Book
Book the eight-day Rajasthan circuit direct
Eight charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Desert camps and heritage stays are quoted separately by the desk.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
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Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
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Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
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Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
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Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
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Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
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Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
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For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 6-day Rajasthan tour · 10-day Rajasthan tour · Chauffeur service in Jaipur · Tourists · Charter · Rates.
Official references used on this page:
- Rajasthan Transport Department: tax on vehicles of other states The state road tax a tourist-permit car pays on entering Rajasthan, charged at cost.
- Incredible India: Jaipur Ministry of Tourism guide to Amber, the City Palace and the bazaars.
- The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur Hotel page: Goner Road, about 15 km and 30 minutes from the airport.
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.