inbrooklyn

Advice: Has anyone out there been to the West (i.e. Jaisalmer/Jodhpur) and to the North (Bikaner - Shekawati). Is it recommended to go to just one - to experience "desert" .

Have about a week in this region -- am thinking of spending two/three days in South - Udapur etc

Haven't heard the greatest things about Jaipur and am thinking of skipping that - should I?

Pushkar - any thoughts?

patrica_wyne

hi,

We were in Jaisalmer and we had very good time there. Jaisalmer is one of the best city to visit. I will suggest you to go to the Khuri Desert for the Camel ride, Because there is less traveller. We were there last year and had the good time.

you should also spend some time at Udaipur. Its' wondefull city.

In my opinion Jaipur is also very nice city to visit. I will suggest you to stay at the Samode Palace out side from the Jaipur city.

thanks
Pat

vp_singh

I agree with Patrica_Wyne.
Khuri 25 miles South-West of Jaisalmer is less frequented. However, take a packed lunch, for the small guest house restaurant there, may not be appreciated by some.
Stay at Gajner, a property of hrh & situated on banks of a lake. These are semi-arid zones.You may see the Junagarh fort & drive towards Shekhawati region.
Jaipur is a wonderful city but you may have somebody to show you around. It is certainly worth a couple of days atleast.
Udaipur is again a wonderful city & much has been written about it to warrant alluding to.
Happy travels!

cram

Jaisalmer is actually quite interesting, both as a city and as a starting point for outings into the desert. Jaipur is in my opinion a must if you go to Rajasthan. I would skip Pushkar.

Bonita

Namaste and greetings from a American who lives in India but who is presently in kathmandu Nepal!

WEll<Rajathan is one of my all time faveorite regions of India, and i have been and like all the places that you shortlist. All are certainly worthy of a visit in their own right, and it is hard to say what is best as so much depends on personal choice and interests!

But of course with a weeks time u can not visit all the places and so yes, u must pick and choose!@

Jaipur is a wonderful, colorful and vibrant city! It is the capital of Rajasthan so yes, a bit more busy but certainly fascinating and by all means worthy of a visit for a grand introdruction to the reigon.

And there are wonderful places to stay in Jaipur, well actually all thru the region but let me start with Jaipur as that is a great entry point into Rajasthan,

And of course the colorful and endless markets, meandering around the beautiful planned city, visiting the Palace of the Maharaja, the various Forts and Palaces, the amazing Birla Temple, the choices of things to do are endless..

I also love Udaipur, Jodphur and Jaisalmer, so i am not going to be a great help in narrowing your choice but i can certainly say all are good choices..It really depends on your interests and what you want to see, do and experience.

YOu will not go wrong with any of these destinations, each holds its fasciantion, local color, friendly locales, great food and endless attractions.

Happy planning and feel free to drop me a line with further questions or if you want some more suggestions. [email protected] Happy to help..Namaste.

Bonita

Namaste again!

One more thing! For outings into the desert i do prefer Jaisalmer over Bikaner!

I do not know if you can squueze in these three destinations(reaaly depends how far and wide u want to travel and which modes of transport) but for a grand overview of the region i might suggest Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur! I guess these would be my three top choices in the STate if i had to pick ..Namaste..

LAtraveler27

I just came back from all of these places, and here was my take:

1. Bikaner - loved it. The fort/palace there is one of the most impressive in all of Rajasthan (I travelled for 21 days, in all of the mentioned cities) and the town has a slightly sleepy feel which personally I liked. If you're on a budget I stayed at Hotel Harasar Haveli and loved it, notwithstanding the comparative lack of atmosphere, because the owners are extremely helpful (the other people there were also sophisticated backpacker types with extensive travel experience in India, travelling on their own but with help from hotels like this one - we ran into them in all of the best accommodations choices) but if you have money to burn, either on drinks or even a hotel check out the Lallgarh Palace ($90/nt for a double, $80/nt for a single). I'm into nice hotels and had drinks there just for fun, and it feels far more upscale than you would ever guess from the price. Expensive but excellent value for those who appreciate the finer things.

2. Jodpur - my other favorite town. Lodging, well - I would not recommend where I stayed there, and so I can't be of help, but again - the palace is absolutely beautiful. The maharaja of Jodpur has made restoration of the palace a priority, sparing no expense, and it shows from the audio-tour (highly recommended!! there is music and narration including some by the maharaja himself, and there are optional topical discussions as well if you just want to wander) to the demonstrations and furniture on display. For me Bikaner and Jodpur were the clear palace highlights.

3. Jaisalmer - a much more touristy city, and kind of depressing because of the water issues they are having. Walking up towards the fort you will be accosted by sales people from cheap gift stores lining the way, and walking up vendors still line the way and it feels a little claustrophobic, making it all a little tourist-trappy. Bikaner felt a little more off the beaten track, which appealed to me, and Jodpur has done a better job of restoring its palace and giving you a sense of how everything used to be. On the other hand, it's still fun (the whole town exists primarily on tourism these days, so the restaurants and shops are well-developed) and I agree it's the best base for camel safaris. We ate one night at Trio which had a beautiful view, and right next to it is a heritage hotel (Nachana Haveli).

4. Jaipur - I would totally skip Jaipur. We spent two nights there and I kept trying to give it a chance, but for me it was like an overrated chaotic city where one is constantly worried about being run over by a thousand buzzing vehicles. It was the only place I saw in India where 80% of all moped drivers wore helmets. Enough said. If you do go just know that it is NOT the place to buy quality goods (save that for Jaisalmer, unless you have some inside connection - all I saw in Jaipur were cheap goods I would never want in anyone's house) and that the palace is nothing in comparison to the Bikaner and the Jodpur forts. Also, refuse to ride the elephants if you nevertheless go to the Jaipur fort - a year ago a tourist was thrown off the back and trampled by an elephant, and in general I would avoid elephants wherever you go unless you know for absolute certain that the elephants have been treated consistently well and don't mind the occasional passenger.

5. Spend as much time as you can in Udaipur!!!!!!!! Even more than Bikaner and Jodpur, you will love it. We stayed at the Jagat Niwas a heritage palace right on the water, and having breakfast in the morning (cushioned pillows, overlooking the water) was like a dream. Get the chocolate pancakes, a capuccino, heaven. Splurge even if you don't want to, because this was my favorite lodging of the entire trip. Also splurge on cooking classes preceded by an ayervedic four-handed massage at the Spice Box (DO THIS!!), and painting glasses at the place just around the corner (ask at your hotel where they recommend, but these are the best places in town). Yoga is also available, and when you are ready to relax you could easily spend days and days in this town.

6. I skipped Pushkar so I can't comment, but nothing I heard made me regret this too badly...

Hope this helps!!

vp_singh

Pushkar is fine during the Pushkar fair days, which, btw, falls on 17-24 November'07.