ROYAL RAJASTHAN
Rajasthan is synonymous with royalty and their tourism tagline, ‘Padharo mharey desh’ when sung beautifully by the extremely talented folk artists, is sure to place a trip to this lovely place, on the bucket list of everyone! At least it had been on ours for quite some time now but every time, our plans were hampered by either the sweltering heat, the foggy winters, or the biggest problem, no leaves during the apt travel months. This time though, the combination worked perfectly in our favour and we were successfully able to materialize our paper plan eventually.
A road trip to Rajasthan is like a dream! With buttery smooth roads all through the state, one can easily do multiple kilometers in one day, without getting tired at all. So, our itinerary though seems quite ambitious yet is very doable without an iota of exhaustion. Let me first walk you through the plan. The places we intended to cover were: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Khichan, Sam desert, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Ranthambore and then there was a last minute addition, Bharatpur. Sounds like quite a bit, right? However, we did achieve this and as I mentioned earlier, without a trace of exhaustion. Read on to know how!
Day 1- Home (Greater Noida) to Jaipur – 337 km
We started from home for Jaipur at around 8am. Ideally, we should have reached in about 6 hours but that day, there was farmers’ protest on the way, and we were stuck in a traffic jam for 2 hours and so reached at 4pm. Since Amer was on our way, about 13km before entering Jaipur, and we decided to visit the fort first. So, instead of checking into the hotel, we drove up to the fort with our fully loaded car. A guide flagged us down, showed his ID and offered us his services for the tour of the fort which we readily accepted. Time is a key factor when you are visiting such places as its easy to go round and round for several hours and still missing on important things. The guides at these places know exactly what to show you and what to tell. The anecdotes they share are worth listening to. After a tour to the lovely fort, the guide took us to a state registered shopping area, where we did some mandatory Rajasthani shopping and then, with hunger pangs gnawing at us, we headed straight to restaurant Rooftop Handi where the term, ‘ungliyaan chaat-te reh jaogey’ fit perfectly!
Day 2- Jaipur sightseeing
This day was for visiting the City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Albert Museum and the scientific marvel, Jantar Mantar. One can shop at the local Bapu Bazar and also grab a meal at LMB. For dinner, we headed to Nahargarh Fort from where one can have a bird-eye view of the entire city of Jaipur and enjoy a meal at the perfectly ambient Padao café.
Day 3 – Jaipur to Jodhpur – 352 km
Again, we started at 8am after having breakfast at the quaint café ‘Gulaab ki Chai’. The estimated driving time was 6 hours and we reached Jodhpur without any hiccups, at 2pm. After grabbing some lunch, we headed for the Mehrangarh Fort. This fort, has an elevator running up to 12 levels. It is maintained by the royal family and houses a museum, a restaurant and a café. Again, the guide told us interesting facts and also showed us the original dents made by canon shots on the walls of the fort. Jodhpur has several rooftop dining options which give you a magnificent view of the fort and though we chose one of the best and expensive places to eat at, we were in for bitter disappointment by the horrible taste of the food.
Day 4 – Jodhpur sightseeing
There wasn’t much to explore as the Umaid Bhawan palace museum was shut due to Covid, so we hankered to the clock tower and local markets to enjoy the rawness of the place. Visited the Toorji ka Jhalra bawdi and in the evening, went to the Mandore Gardens which houses the cenotaphs of famous Rajput rulers. It is an architectural delight and one can capture some pretty frames at nightfall.
Day 5 – Jodhpur to Khichan – 144 km
An easy three hour drive brought us to Khichan, which is not really a touristy place but had been on our list of must visit places for long as it is a village, where every year, thousands of migratory demoiselles cranes come from Mongolia and flood the village. The villagers rever these birds and in their local language, call them ‘Kurja.’ The villagers and their birdman, Ratanlaal Maloo have got together to make a ‘Chugga ghar’ for these birds where foodgrains are laid our every evening for the birds to feed in the morning. The cranes are a sight to behold and the highlight is watching these birds encircle the skies in scores and then landing one by one, feeding for a few hours and then taking off to the two lakes in the vicinity, where they relax for the rest of the day. If you are a bird lover, then this place is not to be missed.
Day 6- Khichan to Sam desert – 215 km
I have to say, this was the most picturesque drive of the trip. It took us around 3 hrs 15 minutes to reach our camp site and the countryside drive to the desert is sure to enchant anyone! We reached in the afternoon and retired to the tent for a nap as the desert safari package begins around 5:30pm. This includes a camel safari to sunset point and then dune bashing in a Thar jeep. Both these were memorable experiences, especially the dune bashing which certainly provides a thrill! On returning, we freshened up, had some snacks and then the local artists presented a colourful show which we thoroughly enjoyed. After an entertaining evening and a lavish dinner, we slept, only to leave early morning for Jaisalmer as we wanted to do some morning sightseeing to avoid the heat.
Day 7- Sam desert to Jaisalmer – 45 km
A forty-five minute drive brought us to Jaisalmer, where we headed for the Sonaar Fort. What was the most enticing fact about this fort was that unlike other forts, the entire fort is inhabited by people and is buzzing with activity throughout the day and night giving one an actual feel of the yesteryears’ fort life. The Patwa Haweli had some interesting artefacts at display and we concluded the day by a pleasant rowboat ride in the serene Gadisar lake taking in the beauty of a stunning sunset. We also watched a show of the dying Kathputli art which evoked emotions of sadness at seeing the pathetic condition of the artists who once thrived!
Day 8- Jaisalmer to Udaipur – 488 km
This was supposed to be the longest stretch of drive with a driving time of almost 9 hours if you drove nonstop. Since we started early, we reached Udaipur at around 4pm and walked up to Gangaur ghat to witness the sunset from the lakeside of Pichola. It was a calming experience. We then headed to our hotel which offered a stunning night view of the entire city of Udaipur from the other side of the lake. We dined at their terrace restaurant and soaked in the grandeur of Udaipur.
Day 9- Udaipur sightseeing
Bustling with loads of people, Udaipur seemed to be the hottest tourist destination among all the places we visited in Rajasthan and hence, was the most expensive too! From accommodation to tickets to the City palace, everything was costlier than at other places. This town was famous for movie shoots in earlier times and now is a favourite destination for weddings of the rich and pre-wedding shoots of the middle class. As we traipsed down the town, taking in the sights, we realized that it was popular because it had two lakes, Fateh Sagar and Pichola and was quite green too! If you wish to take a lesson in history, then the Maharana Smarak with its robotic show, is worth visiting. The trek up to Bahubali hills was worth the effort as we witnessed a captivating sunset and were relieved as had we been even a few minutes late, we would have missed it. If one wants to avoid trekking then alternatively can visit Bagore ki Haveli museum and enjoy the folk performances in the evening at 7pm there.
Day 10- Udaipur to Chittorgarh – 118 kms and then Chittorgarh to Ranthambore – 300 km
After a hearty breakfast, we drove to Chittogarh fort which was at a driving distance of 2 hrs 15 minutes. The fort’s history started in the 7th century and witnessed many rulers in its heydays. It was plundered and demolished in frustration when Alauddin Khilji could not get hold of Rani Padmini and the Jauhar Kund where three mass Jauhars were conducted in three different eras sends shivers down your spine and leaves little to the imagination. One can feel the valour of those women who willingly chose to jump in fire lest they fall into the hands of the enemy. The various parts of the fort can be driven to and so it is not tiring at all.
Since our final destination for the day was Ranthambore, we drove on, after spending about two hours at the Chittorgarh fort.
The drive to Ranthambore took us about 6 hours with an hour of lunch break midway. We reached the hotel and relaxed through the evening to get ready for a Jungle safari morning.
Day 11- Ranthambore National Park
We had done our homework before going and so had booked our safari tickets for the best zone – Zone 3 about 20 days in advance. The tickets for this zone sell out fast and we were lucky to have got them. Fingers crossed for spotting a tiger, we headed to the National Park. People around us were talking about how it was their third or fourth trip to Ranthambore and not once had they seen a tiger. With wishful thinking, we went there and were in for a jaw-dropping, hair raising experience when Siddhi, the tigress not only ensured that we spotted her but also posed for the shutterbugs in a very close encounter. We could only thank our stars for the lovely outcome of the safari we had. After the safari we relaxed at the hotel. One can visit the fort or even do the Chambal Safari if you like to do a boat ride in a lake filled with crocodiles!
Day 12 – Ranthambore to Bharatpur – 204 km and then Bharatpur to Home (Greater Noida) 172 km
We left Ranthambore with our dose of the wild but as we inched closer to Bharatpur, the birder in us, started yearning for more and we decided to pull over for a last-minute visit to the Keoladeo National park. Bharatpur is a birders’ paradise and we never seem to have enough of that place. Even though the migratory season was almost over yet the place had enough to offer in terms of bird sighting for avian lovers. With just two or three tourists besides us, the park was almost empty and so we had the place almost to ourselves and the enjoyed the birds in close proximity. We checked into the park at 1:30pm and reluctantly left at 6:30pm as the time never seems to be enough at such places. Then we drove back home and reached around 2200 hrs.
The road trip to Rajasthan was a soul-stirring experience. We would have liked to add a few more places to this trip but then the heart can never be satisfied! The visit to Rajasthan enriches one’s cultural diet and gives an insight into our very own rich heritage. It gives history lessons in a lucid style and one can then read more about it and satiate the hunger that arises after visiting the forts and palaces of Rajasthan. I strongly recommend this road-trip to every person who loves driving and has 10-15 days at their disposal. A beautiful state, with hospitable people and an awesome network of roads. Padharo inke desh!
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