The best Golden Triangle tour for New Zealand travellers is our Golden Triangle and Udaipur, slowly, a ten-day journey: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and a long weekend by Lake Pichola, from $550 per person, two travellers sharing. Long flights reward longer trips, and Rajasthan is the natural add-on.
This page is for travellers flying in from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and beyond. The distance to Delhi is large, so many New Zealanders make a single trip count by staying ten days or more. That is why this page looks past the basic week and asks how far west into Rajasthan you would like to go once the Taj Mahal and Jaipur are done.
We ranked the plans by how well the long drives are spaced, how much time each stop gets, and whether the pace stays humane over a longer trip. Flights are not included, and visa rules change, so please check the official Indian authorities before booking. Your summer holiday falls in India's winter, so season suits the longer routes.
Golden Triangle and Udaipur, slowly
- 10 days / 9 nights
- Delhi · Agra · Jaipur · Udaipur
- Own car and driver, licensed guide
Ten days run from Delhi to Udaipur through Agra and Jaipur. You start with a free arrival day and a guided day in Old and New Delhi, see the Taj Mahal at first light, and reach Jaipur after Fatehpur Sikri for Amber Fort and the City Palace. The long drive south to Udaipur takes about six to seven hours, and it is the only hard day. Two full days there cover the palace, the lake and an open day.
It suits couples and friends who want a lake city to finish on, so the trip ends at a slow pace before the flight home. You have one car and driver throughout and a licensed guide in each city, from $550 per person, two travellers sharing. The honest limit is that Udaipur's airport is small, so share departure times early, and lakes can be low before the monsoon.
Best for: New Zealanders who want a ten-day trip that ends with a quiet lake city, not another long drive.
Worth knowing: Jaipur to Udaipur is about six to seven hours by road, and flights home from Udaipur are not included.
Golden Triangle and Royal Rajasthan
- 12 days / 11 nights
- Delhi · Agra · Jaipur · Pushkar · Jodhpur · Udaipur
- Own car and driver, licensed guide
Twelve days cover Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, then turn west through Pushkar to Jodhpur and Udaipur. Pushkar brings the lake ghats and the Brahma Temple, Jodhpur gives Mehrangarh Fort and the blue lanes, and Ranakpur's Jain temple breaks the drive to Udaipur, where you have three nights. The days are set so that long drives are followed by easier ones, and each city is walked with a local guide.
It suits travellers who want a fuller picture of Rajasthan, for example on a long summer school break or a trip taken once every few years. A private car and driver stay with you throughout, from $645 per person, two travellers sharing. The honest limit is road time. Agra to Jaipur is about five hours, Jodhpur to Udaipur six to seven, and Pushkar is a holy town where meat, eggs and alcohol are not sold in the centre.
Best for: A long holiday that adds Pushkar, Jodhpur and three nights in Udaipur to the classic route.
Worth knowing: Twelve days of travel is a large block of leave, and the two longest drives are tiring even with a stop at Ranakpur.
Rajasthan and the Thar desert
- 14 days / 13 nights
- Delhi · Agra · Jaipur · Jodhpur · Jaisalmer · Udaipur
- Own car and driver, licensed guide
This is the longest of our Rajasthan routes, and the most varied in landscape. After Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, you drive to Jodhpur, then on to Jaisalmer for two nights beside the living sandstone fort. An evening on the dunes near Jaisalmer is done by jeep and, if you wish, camel. You return through Jodhpur and stop at Ranakpur's marble temple on the way to a final day by Lake Pichola in Udaipur.
It suits travellers who have waited a long time to go and want the whole picture in a single trip, from $740 per person, two travellers sharing, with your own car, driver and a licensed guide in each city. The honest limit is stamina. Jodhpur to Jaisalmer and back are each five to six hours, and winter nights in the desert are cold, so pack warm layers.
Best for: Experienced or patient travellers with two weeks who want the desert as well as the palaces and lakes.
Worth knowing: Fourteen days involve several long drives of five to seven hours, and desert nights in winter are cold.
7-Day Private Golden Triangle
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Delhi · Agra · Jaipur
- Own car and driver, licensed guide
If you only have a week, this is the plan we suggest. The first day is empty so that a late or early arrival does not matter, then a guided Delhi day, the drive to Agra, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal at first light, Fatehpur Sikri on the road to Jaipur, and a full Jaipur day at Amber Fort and the City Palace. A relaxed drive returns you to Delhi.
It suits those who want to see the core route first and return for Rajasthan another time. You have a private car and driver and a licensed guide in each city, from $410 per person, two travellers sharing. The honest limit is that a week is short for such a long flight. If you can stretch to ten days, the Udaipur journey above makes far better use of the flight.
Best for: New Zealanders with one week who want the classic route done properly and the rest left for another trip.
Worth knowing: A week is brief given the flight, and the longest drives fall mid-trip, on days three and five.
How to choose between these
- Choose the ten-day Udaipur journey if you want the best balance of the classic route and Rajasthan, ending somewhere calm before the flight home.
- Choose twelve days if you are happy to add Pushkar and Jodhpur, and accept more time on the road between cities.
- Choose the Thar desert route only if you have two weeks and enjoy long drives, because it is the most varied and the most demanding.
- Choose the seven-day journey if leave is short, and plan Rajasthan for a second trip rather than squeezing it in.
- Pack for the season: days are mild from October to March, mornings are cold, and in December and January fog can flatten a Taj Mahal sunrise. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.
People also ask
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What is the time difference between New Zealand and India?
Can I add Rajasthan to the Golden Triangle?
When is the best season for New Zealanders?
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Do New Zealanders need a visa for India?
Are the long drives comfortable?
How is payment arranged?
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