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Jaisalmer
Hotel Fifu - Voted the best hotel in Bargain category by Tripadvisor consecutively in 2011
& 2012.
Jodhpur
Ranbanka Palace
Udaipur
Ramada Udaipur Resort
We booked these hotels either from cleartrip or makemytrip.
Once all the bookings were in place, the only item left was - internal travel in Rajasthan.
We thought of booking a cab once we reached Jaipur and also to check if there are good AC
Volvo buses plying in between the cities we decided to visit.
I searched on the internet, but did not find any Volvo buses.
Day 1: Jaipur
Our flight from Pune departed at 7:55 AM and we reached Jaipur by 11:15 AM.
I found the Jaipur airport to be clean and well kept. We took a pre-paid taxi from the airport to
the hotel - which is around 13 kms from the airport.
We checked in the hotel, freshened up and headed straight to Jaipur sight seeing.
Taxi for local sightseeing costs about 1500 INR/ day + separate parking charges.
We used Tripadvisor and other internet sites to shortlist the tourist attractions.
The main attractions in Jaipur were:
1. Amer/Amber fort
2. Jaigad
3. Jal mahal
4. City palace
5. Jantar Mantar
6. Chokhi Dhani
7. Birla temple
8. Hawa Mahal
We headed to the Amer fort - which is one of the best forts in Rajasthan.
We reached the top of the fort by taxi, but can also be reached by riding an elephant - which costs
INR 950 per elephant.
There are different entry fees for Indian and Foreign tourists. Additional charges are levied if you
are carrying a camera and video cameras.
Entry fee Indians: 25 per person
Camera fee: 100 INR
Video camera: 200 INR
This fort is really massive and magnificent. Its built on top of the aravalli hills and has sustained
itself for around 450 years now. The art work and paintings on the entrance doors, floors and
roofs is really fabulous.
The sheesh mahal inside the fort is really a wonder.
There is an adjoining lake, which looks real fabulous from the top of the fort.
We hired a local guide at this fort and he gave us some additional info about the fort. The guide
should not cost more than INR 50.
This is one spot - that's NOT TO BE MISSED if visiting Jaipur.
Tip: Try the malai kulfi - right outside the fort entrance - real yummy !!
There are government run handicraft shops around this fort, which sell good quality items - but i
found them to be around 15 - 20 % more expensive as compared to the local market & also, these
shop keepers are extremely pushy - so be AWARE.
There is a restaurant named "Zeeman", adjoining these shops which was clean and serves food at
decent prices.We had our lunch here and headed to the Jaigad fort, which is situated on another
nearby hill.
The Amer fort was used by the Kings and Queens as a recreational palace, but Jaigad had all the
strategic importance from the military point of view. Jaigad houses the largest cannon in the
world - "Jaivan". Jaigad is also a huge fort, but there really isn't much to see inside it - as
compared to Amer.
Tip: This fort can be skipped if you are on a tight schedule.
Since, it was hot and we were really exhausted we decided to go to the hotel, have a bath and rest
for some time. We headed to Chokhi Dhani at 6.00 PM and reached by 6.45 PM - its around 18 20 kms from Holiday Inn, Jaipur.
There are 2 options at chokhi dhani:
400 per person - This includes all the activites + Food (Normal menu)
675 per person - This includes all activities + Food (A royal touch - extravagant food menu +
food served in silver cutlery in a nice hall with live music)
There are lots of activities to do here like, camel rides, mehndi, pottery, magic shows, puppet
shows, etc.
This place is worth a visit to see the folk dance and listen to some good traditional Rajasthani
music. The food served is also good and real tasty.
We reached the hotel by 11.00 PM real exhausted.
Tip: Visit chokhi dhani only if you are not going to visit other cities in Rajasthan - because
there are similar dance shows and music in all the hotels and restaurants.
Jaiwan cannon
We had to find a mode of transport for our onward journey, and after some inquiry at local stores,
we realised that travelling by bus was not a good option and hiring a car was the best bet.
So we talked to the transport desk in the hotel and they arranged a car for us.
The transport desk was outsourced to
Pradeep Jain, Economic tours and travels.
Mr Pradeep organized a good car for us, a Maruti Suzuki swift dzire - the car was in good
condition. We fixed the price with him, before we started our journey. He was a real good person
to deal with and assured us that he will give us the best rate and provide a good vehicle and nice
driver. He kept his promise very well.
Tip: If you haven booked a vehicle, contact Mr. Pradeep.
+91-9929220088
Day 3: Bikaner
We headed to our 2nd destination: Bikaner - 330 kms from Jaipur. the driver Mr. Kalyan singh
was ready at 9.00 AM,a real nice guy.
The road to Bikaner was good and almost empty. July is just the beginning of tourist season in
Rajasthan. It took us around 5 hours to reach Bikaner. Even here the heat was extereme and we
were exhausted.
Since, we had already booked our hotel, we headed to the hotel and had some rest. In the evening
we went to Karni mata temple- around 40 kms from Bikaner. This temple has thousands of Rats
inside. Seeing a white rat is considered auspicious.
Tip: Make sure you visit this temple, this is undoubtedly a very unique experience.
We had our dinner on the roof top restaurant in the hotel and food was really delicious. The food
was accompanied by the usual Rajasthani folk dance and music.
The museum inside the fort hold the largest collection of arms and ammunition. The museum
also holds an airplane gifted to the maharaja by RAF.
This fort was really the BEST FORT i have ever seen. Everything well maintained and in super
good shape.
In the evening we visited the local market in Bikaner and bought some namkeen and sweets.
Tip: Have the pista kulfi at Sankala sweet mart in the local bikaner market. Real yummy
Kulfi.
Day 5: Jaisalmer
On Day5 we traveled from Bikaner to Jaisalmer, 300 kms away. Jaisalmer being a border town,
has a lot of armed forces and the roads are maintained by BSF. Excellent roads - miles & miles
of smooth tarmac - surrounded bushes and smooth golden sand. The view absolutely stuuning.
But the outside temperature is scorching at 40 - 45 degrees.
On the way from from Bikaner to Jaisalmer is Pokhran - where India conducted its atomic tests.
We reached Jaisalmer around 2 PM and checked in at the hotel - Hotel FIFU.
In the evening we headed to Khuri - a small desert town around 40 kms from Jaisalmer. This
town has a small rajput settlement and we visited one of the small resorts there. This included a
camel ride to the nearby sand dunes - (this road traveled across the village), traditional dance &
music, followed by traditional Rajasthani dinner. All of this costed INR 2500 - which i thought to
be a bit expensive.
The dunes in Khuri are nice and have real smooth sand, though the sand here is not as golden as
the one in Sam.
We reached our hotel at about 11 PM.
Tip: Make sure you keep your sunglasses ON, while you are in the desert. The desert sand is
very fine and if stuck in the eye - can cause some irritation and infection.
Khudi desert
Gadisar Lake
Day 7: Jodhpur
On day 7 we travelled from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur. Jodhpur is around 300 kms from Jaisalmer and
again took around 5-6 hours to reach. The road here as well equally good.
Jodhpur is the 2nd largest city in Rajasthan, after Jaipur, and it shows. The roads in Jodhpur are
wide and clean. The city feels more royal than Jaipur. We had booked the Ranbanka palace hotel,
and on reaching there were greeted really well. This palace belongs to the cousin of the Maharja
of Jodhpur and is a nice and clean property. Its internally divided into 2 separate hotels - one is
the ranbanka hotel, which is a palace hotel and the other one is
arya niwas palace - which is more of a boutique hotel.
On arrival, we were offered a refreshing welcome drink and then we headed to our room, which
had a fantastic pool view. We freshened up and after lunch headed for local sight seeing.
We visited the local market surrounding the famous clock tower. There are lot of shops selling
authentic spices here. This place is called "nayi sadak". The market seemed to be cheap as we
bought some mojdi's here for as less as 100 Rs.
There are also lot of options here for having food. Some good restaurants and also the sweet
marts called "mishthan bhandars". This is something unique in Rajasthan - where the sweet marts
also sell fast food alongwith the traditional sweets. We had some junk food at one of these
mishthaan bhandaars and headed to the hotel.
Jaswant Thada
Mehrangarh
Lake Pichola
Day 9: Udaipur
On Day 9 we headed from Jodhpur to Udaipur - our last detination on the road trip. The distance
was also in the range of around 300 kms and took 5-6 hours.
This was the only stretch of road which was not upto as good as the others we had travelled in
Rajasthan. Also this was the only section where we encountered a ghat, else all others were plain
roads.
On the way to Udaipur, we stopped a beautiful jain temple at Ranakpur.
Tip: Jain Temple at Ranakpur is a must. Beautifully crafted temple.
After reaching Udaipur, we checked in at the hotel Ramada resort. This hotel is situated on a
small hill and has a very nice ambience.
Its a bit away, around 10 kms from the major attractions in the city.
In the evening we visited the local market around the city palace and the lake pichola. There is
another lake named "fatehsagar" in Udaipur.
A lot of fast food joints have been setup along the shores of this lake - a place for local teens to
hangout. Good food and nice place.
2. Udaipur
Sam Segar
Udaipur is an enchanting place full of old mansions, beautiful
gardens, intricate temples, and grand palaces overlooking
expansive shimmering lakes. The City Palace, which stretches
along the eastern shore of Lake Pichola, is a highlight. The way it
has been constructed is exquisite, with Rajput military
architecture and Mughal style decorative techniques both
combined together. Its museum displays many royal heirlooms,
family photos, and other memorabilia.
8 Unforgettable Udaipur Attractions
Sharell Cook
If you're an art lover, or even someone who's into architecture
and history, the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan is well worth
including on your itinerary. Located in the triangle of Delhi, Jaipur
and Bikaner, many people overlook it in favor of more popular
destinations in Rajasthan. However, this unique region is often
referred to as the world's largest open air art gallery, with old
havelis (mansions) having walls adorned with intricate painted
frescoes.
Shekhawati Rajasthan Essential Travel Guide
Months
Summers
Monsoon
Post-Monsoon
Winter
" Rajasthan is a
April to June
July to September
October to December
January to March
Temprature
24 degree C - 45 degree C
21 degree C - 35 degree C
13 degree C - 30 degree C
10 degree C - 27 degree C
popular destination across the globe and is visited by tourists throughtout the year.
However, locals and travel experts recomended the period between the months of October to March as the
best time to visit Rajasthan. "
The summers in Rajasthan are hot and humid with the average
temperatures rising up to as high as 45 degrees Celsius at
times. This phenomenal rise of the mercury, which takes place
between the months of April to June sees the golden sands of the
Thar Desert glistening under the scorching rays of the mid day sun.
A time, which is best avoided if you are planning a trip to Rajasthan,
the only exception to the mercurial madness that grips almost all
the parts of the province is the tiny hamlet of Mount Abu, the only
hill station in Rajasthan, which remains a pleasant exclusion from
the heat which envelops the entirety of Rajasthan during the
summers.
when the monsoons moisturize the dry and sandy landscape and
make Rajasthan one of the prettiest lands in the world. Peacocks
dance to the music of the rain as the entirety of this desert paradise
is touched by what appears like a magic wand in the hands of an
invisible, omnipotent magician.
Winters, too, offer an excellent view of Rajasthan, though the
temperatures during this period are known to touch minimum lows
of around 0 degrees Celsius. The period, which can be said to
stretch between the months of January to March , is often
considered to be one of the Best Time to Visit Rajasthan.