Just back from Rajasthan after a very enjoyable two weeks in this most charming part of India. The memories of its colorful sights, fascinating monuments and proud men and hauntingly beautiful women will remain with me for a long time!

Depending upon your budget, you can either take a top end tour offered by the Taj or Oberoi group. Both hotel groups have an enviable reputation and I would have loved to take one of their trips but I was talked into taking a family hotel tour ? and I am truly happy I did.

The best way to cover Rajasthan is to hire a car, which will receive you at the airport in Delhi, and take a tour of Jaipur, Pushkar, Deogarh, Udaipur, Rohetgarh, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. To save time we flew back from Jodhpur to Delhi. Most of the hotels we stayed in were simply outstanding ? the Fodors recommended Jasvilas at Jaipur (Lily and Mahendra, who own this delightful haven, organized the entire trip for us), Udai Kothi at Udaipur with its exceptional views from the rooftop, Inn Season at Jodhpur and Rajwada at Jaisalmer. The two fort hotels at Deogarh and Rohetgarh are the stuff dreams are made of! All this at a cost that went out of fashion many years ago.

Some of the sights you should not miss are the Forts at Jaipur and Jodhpur, the view from Monsoon Palace at Udaipur, the intricate workmanship at the Ranakpur temples and a desert safari in Jaisalmer.

You are welcome to write to me for specific details.

Hi Jerry
We arrive Delhi Mid Dec 2004 and are at this time arranging our trip to Rajasthan. Our budget is around 30 US for accom per day plus car/driver and drivers accom. What was the cost per day for the car etc? We've had quotes of between US300-US500 for a car for 9-12 days. We may fly from Udaipur back to Delhi to meet our connecting flight back to Bangkok, hence the day range. We intend to splurge for a couple of nights over Xmas. Where would you spend this time? We are thinking of Jaisalmer. Thanks for posting the hotel recommendations. I am looking forward to any input you may care to give us. All the best.

Dear Jerry,
thanks so much for your report. I'm planning to visit some friends in Delhi for four weeks in November. However because I'm leaving on another trip soon I haven't had any time to craft specific questions about our itinerary (because right now there is no itinerary!)... needless to say I don't want to post something ridiculously general like,"One month in India what should I do?" !!!

Thanks again for your post which provides a focus for routes/places/hotels to consider. My husband has been to India before but we're leaning towards Rajasthan and possibly a little time in the south.

If you had had more time where would you have spent it in Rajasthan or did you feel two weeks worked well?

Lyn,

You should be paying around thirty dollars a day for the car since you won?t need air-conditioning in December. The hotel costs varied from $35 for the family hotels to $50 or more for the fort hotels.

Spending Christmas on the sand dunes of Jaisalmer is very appealing but make sure you do not run into a situation where no rooms are available! You could ask Mahendra at [email protected] to send you the latest rates. In any case when you are in Jaipur do go and meet this couple. They lived for a two years in South Bend and are very helpful. Lily's mother is the most fascinating personality we met during our trip. Born in the feudal era, she became a Member of Parliament and has published over forty books, including an autobiography.

To the well-traveled Brit:

I am next considering a trip to see the temples of South India. Two weeks were well spent in Rajasthan though we are told we should also have gone for a tiger spotting safari at Ranthambore and a trip to a temple near Bikaner where mice are considered holy. If you need any help with the itinerary, I will be glad to offer my inputs.

HI THERE.Great to hear you ahd such a lovely trip!. As a American now living on/off in INDIA, Rajathan is definatley still one of my favorite regions,and i go there often! YES, I agree,the best way to travel through Rajasthan is to create your own custom-made private program, which would probably mix a few modes of transport like car and driver, flight, and perhaps a overnite train for good measure. I would organzie the trip via a reputable LOCAL operator, who know both the lay of the land, will be threre for assistance, and can get u the best service and rates. IN Rajasthan the distances are great, so a comprhensive tour of the region would probably include the occasional flight, and by all means, a Camel safari. Can take a safari in JAISALMER(ONE OF MY FAVE places in INDIA!). another place to organize Camel Safaris is from bikaner,an alternative not as far to get to. IN bIKANER, U also have some lovely HOTELS like the LALgargh PAlace HOTEL,jain Temples,and a bit away the famous KARNI MATA tEMPLE,famous for all the rats. IN rAjathan, so many great places to stay, HOTEL choices, from the grand PALACE hotels of the former MAHARAJAS, to other heritage proerties, to the OBEROI vILLAS, Taj owned properties, to old Havelis, simple family hotels, and new modern proeprties. Can choose hotels and such depending on budget and prefernces, and dicuss all this with the operator. IF one wants to combine a tour of Rajathan with a foray to the south, as somebody had stated, one can fly from UDAIPUR TO bOMBAY,spend a day or two in bombay, and then take a train or flight to goa or Cochi, and sojounrn South. IF YOU COMBINE THE north and south in a trip, i would suggest fly into Delhi, and fly home from bombay!! oh, another point, if you really want, u can even take a train from UDAIPUR TO begin to set down South, via Gujurat, etc, on to bombay,but will be a long JOUNREY. alright, happy travels and planning. feel free to drop me a line with questions, concerns or suggestions for reputable local operators in INDIA [email protected]

Dear Jerry and Bonita,
thanks for your feedback. Currently I'm holding frequent flier tickets into Bombay (Swiss) and out of Delhi (BA).

We're thinking of combining Rajasthan with a trip to the South... Kerala, Hampi and Mysore. The suggestion to fly from Uaidapur is very helpful as I was considering traveling down through Gujarat but I don't think we'll have time for it on this trip.

However,as I don't want to do too much running around and would prefer a more relaxed trip I'm beginning to think about a month focused on Delhi and Rajasthan.

We would certainly like to make it all the way out to Jaisalmer which seems to be a highlight.

My husband has spent 2 months in India and we're both sure that we will be back so there are a number of sites that he has visited that we'll save for another trip including Agra, Varanasi, Ajanta, Bubaneshwar, Sanchi, Khajuraho.

We would certainly like to combine a variety of modes of transport...train, car even buses...are there any particular routes in Rajasthan where you would recommend a train, hiring a car with driver or taking a private bus route?

How long would you recommend for the camel safari? I remember years ago a friend who backpacked round India commented that while she enjoyed it the camel rides were not at all comfortable!

I am very interested in hiring a car with driver for at least some of the trip but I'm wary of being dragged from shop to shop! Perhaps I'm too concern about this...do you have any thought on this?

Jerry because we are going for a month and combining India with a visit to England we will probably be staying in some of the smaller, less expensive heritage or family run hotels...though I must admit I may breakdown when it comes to Udaivilas.

Did your trip include guided tours or just a driver and local guides? Which would you recommend? Generally we travel very independently and I think we would prefer to arrange any guided tours locally. However, do you have any thought on this?

Many thanks for your help...I need to read alot more before I can really focus on the itinerary but your help has motivated me to "get going"!

Thanks Jerry. It's time someone introduced the family run hotels of Rajasthan, which offer the most amazing value for money.

Seeing Rajasthan and staying with traditional families is vastly different from touring Rajasthan with the usual travel agents that book you into typical hotels! The family guesthouses of Rajasthan dramatically enhance the experience of traveling through this state.

I hope more people can take advantage of this service. Did you stay at the Killa Bhawan in Jaisalmer ? what a view!

Thank you Jerry for the info and your recommendations. We've booked a flight from Udaipur and will contact Mahendra at Jasvillas for current rates. Your post was so helpful to me. Tks again.

hello again. With a month, you have a nice peice of time, and yes, you can indeed combine this with a foray into the South flying from UDAIPUR. however, i would not reccomend trying to cover all the diverse places you mentioned, HAMPI, mysore and Kerala. HAMpi is an incredible place, but very hard to get to. The distances would be too great, and would require too much long long trains, or flights..mysore and HAMpi are in the State of KARNATAKA, whereas in KERALA, you have places to visit such as Cochi, KUMAKARON, periyar, MUNNAR, backwaters, etc. i would suggest comining about 2/3 weeks in NORTH india(RAjasthan, Delhi and AGRA, WITH a sojourn to one state/region in the South, either KARNATAKA, kerala, Tamil NADU, ETC..That can be done..About Camel Safari, can go for 3 days max,wonderful but exausting..I KNOW others who just go overnite and say it was plenty! up to you..About trains, flights, cars, etc..I SUGGEST THE overnite train from JODPHUR TO jaisalmer, for sure!..IN AND out of UDAIPUR, i would suggest either car and driver, or flight! I WOULD indeed create a program that includes all modes of transort, and the local Operator would best suggest how to get from A to b..OH, AND definately local guides, who know and love thier place of origin..If you don't like to shop, well, have a cold drink and use the restroom. alrighty, happy trip planning and feel free to drop me a line with any othr questions at [email protected]

WTB,

I can confirm I was not taken to any shop in any town!

Since I traveled in a car, I cannot advise you on the bus services but I do remember very good recommendations for the Jaipur ? Delhi service run by, believe it or not, the State of Rajasthan!

I did hire local guides at some of the tourist sights, the Observatory in Jaipur, for example but I did not even ask if guided tours exist. The hotel owners were all local people, mostly related to some royal family if I may add, and their advice was most helpful.

I agree with your friend that camels are not a very comfortable means of transport. But the experience of going in the desert is not to be missed.

If you want to indulge yourself, Udaivilas is a great choice. Expensive, but it?s like walking in a fairyland.

Dear all,
thanks very much for your replies. You have really kick started my planning process.

Jerry I emailed Lily at Jasvilas (noting your recommendation for which she mentioned her thanks) and her sample itinerary covered two of the places that I had read about in the British press...so it was certainly a good itinerary for us!

I think you mentioned that you stayed at both Deogarh and Rohetgarh which we are very interested in and I wanted to ask a couple of questions:
We don't like to move too much do you think 3 nights in each would be good?

Did you prefer one property to another?
Were there interesting sites in and around these properties?

We are thinking of seeing Jodpur either from or on the way to Rohet Garh do you think it would be a mistake not to spend some time overnight there?

We are also thinking of leaving Pushkar out of the itinerary..any thoughts? This would allow us to have 3 nights each in Udaipur, the two fort hotels, Jaipur and Jaiselmer and two nights on a camel trip...possibly Manvar.

In Jaislemer the question seems to be in or outside the fort...I'm include towards Killa Bhawan mentioned by Rajhelp 50 above although Rajwada looks lovely...any opinions?

Having looked into the cost of Udaivilas and the quality/history available in other hotels I think I'm inclined towards a smaller local place.

I'm really beginning to get excited about the trip and I'll be booking the ff tickets this weekend. Many thanks for all the help.

Both Rohetgarh and Deogarh are lovely places. You can easily spend a couple of days in Deogarh looking at the countryside. The cave temple is a must see. All in all, Deogarh is an ideal place to relax and gaze at the stars at night!

I did take a quick safari around the Bishnoi villages from Rohetgarh but, like Deogarh, it too is a place to relax. The owners will proudly tell you William Dalrymple spent a few months there writing The City Of Djinns.

Jodhpur has the most organized fort in the state complete with recorded commentary. I suppose because the Maharajah still owns it, it is in excellent condition.

You would not be missing a lot if you leave Pushkar out altogether. Rajwada is what I would recomend but I cannot compare it to Killa Bhawan since I did not see the latter. In Jaisalmer a walk within the fort is very satisfying and you will find the excellent havelis with exquisite carvings built by merchants even more grand (the power of money?).

If you wish to drop Udaivilas, maybe you would like to look at the more reasonably priced Udai Kothi with its stunning views from the rooftop swimming pool.

Jerry,
thanks for your reply.

Killa Bhawan is a small property within the fort and has about six rooms, managed by a European lady! Rajwada is modern hotel

Some of the rooms in Killa Bhawan do not have attached bathrooms, but once you stay there, you will return raving about it.

How did you find information on Inn Season in Jodhpur? I keep trying to search on google and I can only find the itineraries of a German tour. Appreciate your help. Thanks

They have a website

http://www.innseasonjodhpur.com/

What type of room did you have at Inn Season and Udai Kothi? The rates are such that the suites are affordable, but wonder if the middle price room is pleasant enough.

hi there. Fort Rajwada is probably the most luxurious upscale hotel in Jaisalmer,(in terms of modern standards), so if you are seeking a very comfortable stay with all the top amenities, this might be the place. Many rooms have views of the Fort, and the suites, are really something special!. Depending on what type of proerty you like...Other upmarket hotels in Jaisalmer include the Gorbandh Palace(very nice/comfortable), and there is also the heritage property Narayan Niwas Palace, but i beleive that one has seen better days. in Udaipur, yes, the udaivillas is superb and a very expensive, so other less expensive options include Jagat Niwas Palace, Shiv niwas Palace, Lake pichola hotel, Udai Kothi, and the Trident. Note, at many of these hotels there are differnt types of rooms, and prices.About Pushkar, i quite like the place, and have been many times. It's a holy town and has a lovely unique atmosphere around the lake. In pushkar you can stay at the Pushkar Palace right on the lake, or even the Pushkar resorts, a bit out of town. feel free to drop me a line if you need any help or advice.

Glad you had a good time. Know what you mean about the women. I married one