Rajasthan Travel Guide

Rajasthan is a state in the northwest of India. It is mainly arid and its western border is adjacent to Pakistan. The main attraction for travellers is the vast Desert of Thar and one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world - Aravalis - and the Rajput heritage which is apparent in the forts, temples and palaces established by the Rajput Kings like BappaRawal, RanaKumbha, RanaSanga and RanaPratap.

Regions

• Ajmer Division — in the central part of the state, home to the Brahma temple in the holy city of Pushkar

• Bharatpur Division — in the far eastern part of the state, home to Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary

• Bikaner Division — in the northern part of the state, famous for its sweets

• Jaipur Division — in the eastern part of the state, home to the state capital, Jaipur (the Pink City)

• Jodhpur Division — in the western part of the state, home to the desert near Jaisalmer (the Golden City) as well as Jodhpur (The Blue City)

• Kota Division — in the southeastern part of the state, less arid than the other divisions

• Udaipur Division — in the southern part of the state, home to Udaipur and all its lakes and palaces

Cities

• Jaipur — the state capital

• AjmerTomb of sofi saint KhawajaMohiddinChasti famous pilgrimage for both Hindus and Muslims.

• Bharatpur

• Bikaner — famous for its sweets

• Chittorgarh

• Jaisalmer

• Jodhpur — the Blue City, site of the spectacular hilltop Mehrangarh Fort

• Kota

• Udaipur — known as City of Lakes, incluidingPichola and FatehSagar lakes

• Sri ganganagar—

• Padampur—

• Jaitsar—

• Jaitsar—

• Ahore— "Havelli Heritage-Ahore", A heritage hotel by jagirdar family of Ahore

• Jhunjhunu — also known as City of Frescoes and Havelis. It has many Havelis that have beautifully frescoed interior and exteriors

Other destinations

• Jaisamand Lake

• Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary — a globally important reserve

• Mount Abu

• Ranthambhore National Park

• Sariska Reserve and National Park

• Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary

• Bamnera

• Alwar

Travel By road

The National Highway 8 which runs through Rajasthan is excellent and connects Delhi to Mumbai. Though Mumbai may be too far away, this is the most popular way to travel to Jaipur from Delhi as the road is in excellent condition and the drive can easily be completed in under 4hrs.

All the cities have public transports in form of buses. Also available are jeeps on hire. Beware of jeep drivers who charge a bomb from tourists. Otherwise from Delhi various private travel agencies organize trips to Rajasthan but they are rather costly. But if you do not travel alone, it is better to hire a car with a driver (for example a car from Delhi International Airport to Neemrana Village costs 4000 INR for five persons). Besides these government tourism department runs luxury buses to a couple of cities in Rajasthan. The buses originate from Dr. Ambedkar Terminus in the Old Delhi region.

Railways can be the better travel mode as it is quick and the service on most trains is excellent. But in Rajasthan, road may be more enjoyable for short distances as the sights of the desert with the hills to be seen are beautiful and the roads are but bearable. A popular road drive is from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, which is because the flight takes longer overall and the road is excellent.

A very popular option is Palace on Wheels, which is a week long luxury train ride through interiors of Rajasthan.

You may contact Assorted India Tours & Travels (Regd), which is a full service tour operator, registered with the Government of (Rajasthan) India. They specialize in tailor made and customized tours to the region.

Main attractions:

Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destination to observe Indian heritage and royalty closely. A fortnight should suffice to be able to glimpse the splendor of the state. It has a lot of natural and man made tourist destinations, which include:

• Amber Fort in Jaipur

• Camel fair in Pushkar

• Chittorgarh Fort - A massive structure with numerous gateways, the fort is an outstanding example of Mauryan architecture.

• Mehrangarh Fort - Located in Jodhpur. Set on the hill top, Mehrangarh Fort is a humongous royal mansion.

• Junagarh Fort in Bikaner

• Pichola Lake in Udaipur

• Bundi Fort in Bundi

• Jaisalmer Fort - Located in Jaisalmer. This fort is constructed with sand stones and is an important landmark of Jaisalmer city.

• The Desert landscape in Jaisalmer

• JalMahal in Jaipur

• The Pink City in Jaipur

• UmaidBhawan in Jodhpur

• Khejarla Fort in Jodhpur

• Wildlife Sanctuary in Ranthambhore National Park Ranthambore wildlife sanctuary was established in 1957. In 1974 this park came under the campaign of “Tiger Reserve”. Visitors can easily see many water bodies, everywhere inside the park, which is the perfect destination to relax during the summer for the wildlife animals.

• Sariska was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 and got the status of national park in 1979. The park is famous for both its wildlife and historical monuments and temples.

• Dilwara Temples in Mount Abu

Adventure & other activities

• Many of the cities and towns in Rajasthan offer a chance to do a camel safari.

• Another great experience is to explore Rajasthan on horseback. Beginners can go on shorter rides while experienced riders can join horseback safaris running from a couple of days up to 3 weeks.

• Women travelers can get brilliant, intricate henna patterns done on their hands and/or feet.

• Visit the bird sanctuary at Bharatpur and the wildlife park at Ranthambore. Make sure you take the tiger safari at Ranthambore.

• Travel in Palace on Wheels- Palace on wheels is one of most luxurious train in the world, equipped with all sort of luxurious comfort. This train is the most memorable and pleasing way to explore the beauty of Rajasthan. This train has exact replica of almost everything as kings used to have in their palaces. This train covers the area of Jaipur, also known as Pink City, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ranthambhore National Park, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur and Agra before ending its Journey to Delhi.

• Shop at the bazaars (local markets) located in most cities in narrow alleys and lanes. You can pick up traditional puppets, tie-and-dye clothes/apparel, kota(also a place) textiles, accessories. Pick up excellent and beautifully done block print textiles from where it originates. The art has been initiated by the villagers of Pipar Village.

• Visit fairs arranged for traditional festivals, where you get to see the locals in traditional finery;watch camel races;enjoy traditional folk music.

• Go on a jeep safari, night safari or a nature hike in the Aravalli Mountains visiting some of the interesting wildlife sanctuaries there such as Sita-Mata, Kumbhalgarh or Jaisamand.

• Hot Air Ballooning: A breath taking experience of hot air ballooning over the heritage sites and seing a totally different perspective of Jaipur.Mesmerising should be the word for the entire 3 hour experience. 10000.

• Ranthambore National Park: was declared as an Indian Wildlife Sanctuary in 1957 and in 1974 it gained the protection of "Project Tiger". There are many water bodies located all over the park, which provide perfect relief during the extremely hot summer months for the forest inhabitants.

• Desert Safari: Desert safari is the best way to explore the world famous “Thar Desert”, located in Rajasthan. Tourists can explore the real beauty of Rajasthan villages, their culture, tradition and colours through this amazing ride.

Food & Local culture

Food is generally very spicy - to be enjoyed in moderation for first timers. Dairy based sweet products are very popular in this part of the country. Restaurants are mostly vegetarian. Finding restaurants serving good non-vegetarian food could be difficult, and in general, non-vegetarian stuff in road side eateries should be avoided. Bread - both leavened and unleavened is readily available.

A typical Rajasthani fare would include daal-baati-churma. Daal is lentil curry;baati is round balls made out of wheat flour and baked in charcoal fire;churma is a dessert made out of crushed wheat balls rolled in jaggery/sugar and topped with ghee.