Royal Rajasthan

Overview

Rajasthan, or The Land of the Kings, has a long, colourful and storied history with a warm and vibrant, yet fiercely independent, people. Rajasthan is the centre of Hindu culture in northern India. This state is the largest in India, holding ten percent of its land mass. Rajasthan boasts a wide desert, world-renowned cities, historic temples, wild tiger reserves and a handful of World Heritage Sites. And the Tropic of Cancer cuts through its southernmost tip.

Stone-age tools date the region back 200,000 years. The legendary Vedic and Indus Valley civilizations included Rajasthan as part of their territories.

Considered to be a Northern Desert Thorn Forest, this area also includes rich and varied flora and fauna. July and August can be hot. The other months of the year are temperate and ideal for touring.

As in the rest of India, Rajasthan is a beautiful tapestried mix of people, languages, religions and cultures. And these colorful differences are expressed in the local architecture, art work, crafts, textiles, festivals and cuisine.

With a wealth of culture and exotic destinations to offer, Rajasthan is truly one of the gems of India.

Gallery

Itinerary

Our Rajasthan tour is an immersive three-week adventure.  Know Your True North’s tour explores attractions both off the beaten track as well as the must-see destinations. Our itinerary includes ancient hill forts, captivating nature reserves, pilgrimage centres, medieval towns, royal palaces and bustling walled cities. And we allow our travellers enough time to absorb the atmosphere of Rajasthan, spending at least two nights in most destinations. 

Day 1, Welcome to India 

Proceed through customs and immigration to the pickup area just outside gate 6 where we will greet you and take you by bus to Bharatpur, a journey of around 6 hours. We will arrange currency exchange facilities at a good rate in Delhi prior to our departure. 

Day 2, Bharatpur, The Taj and Bharatpur 

Bharatpur is famous for its nearby Bird Sanctuary, which is home to many species of waterfowl and well worth a visit. The best time to visit the reserve is in the early morning. Motor vehicles are not allowed into the park and the options for getting around inside are either on foot, by hired bicycle, or hiring a cycle rickshaw and driver. On Monday morning we will take an early morning trip into the bird park, which is adjacent to our hotel. After a 0930 breakfast we will undertake a full briefing on road conditions and the bikes. After lunch we take a short ride to Deeg [35km] and visit the peaceful and rarely visited palace there. On Tuesday we take a day trip to Agra [56km] and spend the afternoon exploring the famous Taj Mahal. We return to Bharatpur late afternoon. 

Day 3, Day 4, Sawai Madhopur and Ranthambore 

After breakfast we leave on our ride to Sawai Madhopur and the Ranthanbore Tiger Reserve. The ride is around 210kms on small and sometimes fairly rough back roads and will take us most of the day with lots of stops along the way. 

Ranthanbore Park is part of Project Tigers efforts to preserve the Bengal Tiger in the wild. Access to the park is strictly controlled and safaris are undertaken in open buses or jeeps in the company of a guide and driver. These safaris at dawn take around 3 hours and the chances of sighting a tiger are considered good at this time of year. Although much emphasis is put on tiger sightings during safaris to the park, there is a host of other wildlife to be viewed and the scenery throughout the park is beautiful. We will book one dawn safari on your behalf and we ask that you let us know at the time of booking your tour if you are not interested in taking this safari. After the morning safari, we have free time to explore the bustling small rural town of Sowai Madhopur. In the late afternoon we take a short ride, then a walk up to the towering Ranthanbore fort situated near the park gate with its panoramic views over the park. 

Day 5, Bundi 

We depart for Bundi this morning. Our journey is only 130 kms but fairly slow going on a narrow back road, stopping at the abandoned Indergarh fort and winding through numerous picturesque rural villages. We should arrive in Bundi in the early afternoon. Bundi boasts one of the most spectacular palaces on our tour and also has a thriving art community specialising in Mughal style miniature paintings. 

Day 7, Pangarh Fort 

The road from Bundi to our next stop at the Pangarh Fort is around 170kms. This part of the journey is through barren desert and we stop off en- route to look at the ancient 1000 year old temples at Bijolia. We will also stop at a ruined fort at Ratangarh for a picnic lunch after which we ride on small village roads to the lakeside campsite at Pangarh Fort. We will spend the night here under canvas, enjoying a traditional and unique al fresco meal. 

Day 8, Heritage Castle Bijaipur 

he road from Bundi to our next stop at the Pangarh Fort is around 170kms. This part of the journey is through barren desert and we stop off en- route to look at the ancient 1000 year old temples at Bijolia. We will also stop at a ruined fort at Ratangarh for a picnic lunch after which we ride on small village roads to the lakeside campsite at Pangarh Fort. We will spend the night here under canvas, enjoying a traditional and unique al fresco meal. 

Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Chittorgarh, Udaipur 

The road to Udaipur is for the most part good and will be an easy short ride of 160 kms. En route, we make a stop in Chittorgarh and ride up into the extensive fort and explore the magnificent fortifications. After check in at our hotel in Udaipur we spend a relaxed afternoon exploring the town. Udaipur is also the first place on our journey where reliable e-mail and banking are available and we spend 2 days and 3 nights here, soaking up the atmosphere and shopping in this tourist friendly town. 

Day 12, Rankapur via Kumbalgarh 

Today we ride north on the beautiful back road to the Jain temples of Ranakpur via one of Rajasthan’s most striking and secluded forts, Kumbalgarh. We ride through spectacular farming areas arriving in time for a late lunch. We visit the Jain temples in the late afternoon. 

DAY 13, Pushkar via Beawar and Ajmer 

Day 13 We ride to Pushkar via Beawar and Ajmer, a distance of 220kms, mostly on an excellent road. Pushkar is one of the major young travellers centres of Rajasthan and the opportunities for people watching, shopping and dining are excellent 

Day 14, Pushkar, land of ghats, temples and bazaars with camel ride as an option 

We spend the day relaxing, exploring the ghats, temples and bazaars of Pushkar. You may also wish to take a camel ride into the desert in the afternoon. 

Day 15, Day 16 Jaipur 

We depart from Pushkar for a short [140kms] ride to Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. 
We spend the day touring the attractions of Jaipur, visiting the unique observatory and city palace and exploring the bazaars of this bustling city. 

Day 17, Back to Delhi 

Includes / Excludes

  1. Accommodation
  2. Travels
  3. Dinners
  1. Lunch
  2. Shopping
  3. Extra Activities

F. A. Q.

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