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Rajasthan Tour Itinerary
Travel Scope India

Rustic Rajasthan

Discover Rajasthan's rustic roots

Most people visit the desert state of Rajasthan for its imperial heritage; beautiful palaces, historic forts, regal havelis or mansions, and it is indeed, a resplendent route to journey on. Yet who built these grandiose structures, who immortalized battle stories in song and dance, who told stories of the ancient feudal lords, and who sustained these fiefdoms of old? With Travel Scope’s Rustic Rajasthan itinerary, you can retrace the dustier routes that the riches of ancient feudal kingdoms travelled by, to hear the history from the folk who’ve borne it to present-day.

Highlights

  • Drive past Rajasthan’s countryside and past tribal villages with their colourful folk

  • Meet master artists and learn about the traditional arts of Jal Sanjhi and pichwai paintings

  • Set off on birdwatching trails in Chhatrasagar, Jawai & Chanod

  • Set off on a safari with the Rabari shepherds to spot the protected leopards of Bera and Jawai

  • Drive out to the salt pans at Chanoud Garh to witness a spectacular sunset and watch migratory birds

  • Gain an insight into the indigenous crafts of Jodhpur such as tye and dye, embroidery or restoring old textiles

  • Discover the ethnological history of Rajasthan’s desert folk at the Arna Jharna Museum

Destinations Covered

Best Time to Visit

  • Great time to visit

    jan

  • Great time to visit

    feb

  • Great time to visit

    mar

  • Great time to visit

    apr

  • Not advisable

    may

  • Not advisable

    jun

  • Good time to visit

    july

  • Good time to visit

    aug

  • Great time to visit

    sep

  • Great time to visit

    oct

  • Great time to visit

    nov

  • Great time to visit

    dec

Travel Scope India

Chhatra Sagar

Day: 1-2

Set off from Jaipur and head towards Chhatrasagar village. Over the next two days, you can experience the wilderness with a stay at the Chhatrasagar luxury tented camp. Surrounded by lush green fields of wheat, mustard, cotton, chilies and vast pastureland, the hundred-year-old ex-hunting estate, Chhatrasagar Camp is now an ideal destination for nature lovers and those wanting to experience traditional Indian village life in its simplistic and unfettered beauty. In the late 19th Century, Thakur Chhatra Singh of Nimaj, a powerful noble at the time decided to create a reservoir irrigated by the monsoon showers, in the dry scrub wasteland of the desert kingdom of Marwar (present-day Jodhpur). After its completion in 1890, nearby farmers were welcomed to cultivate the land and it soon became an agricultural oasis. A luxury tented camp was set up for visiting dignitaries with legendary sporting parties and exotic dinners, offering them expansive views of the green fields and open skies, and of the reservoir that was named ‘Chhatra Sagar’ in honour of the noble. Today, the famed ‘Camp Chhatra Sagar’ of yore has been recreated by the great grand children of Thakur Chhatra Singh, and beautifully captures the romance of luxury camps that have evolved into mobile palaces. The accommodations exist of a row of eleven spacious tents, each with an attached bath and its own private sit out overlooking the lake and verdant farmlands; an ideal spot to enjoy the breathtaking views of the sunrise and sunset with the Aravalli Hills in the distance.

Spend your time in the outdooors with some of our recommended experiences:

Recommended Activities

Recommended Accommodations

Rohet

Day: 3

A southwest route from Chhatrasagar will bring you to the village of Rohet. With a fascinating landscape – scrubby arid semi-desert, dunes and sweeping acres of desert vegetation – one can find loosely compiled villages and tribal settlements like that of the Beeshnois – a tribe of traditional environmentalists, acknowledged being the saviors of the beautiful black buck. Discover the countryside of Rohet by jeep or on horseback:

Recommended Activities

Recommended Accommodations

Udaipur

Day: 4-5

Start your day off from Rohet and head towards Ranakpur – a 15th Century multi-spired temple set in a secluded, wooded valley of the Aravalli Hills. With over 1444 elaborately carved pillars to support the majestic cupolas, the sheer scale, architectural complexity and sculptural ornamentation rank Ranakpur’s temples among the finest examples of temple architecture in India. The temple has intriguing mystical symbolism that would bewilder even the most learned scholar, yet its beauty is unparalleled and can be appreciated by all. The main temple with four sides represents the conquest of the four cardinal directions or the cosmos by a Jain spiritual leader, the Thirthankara. The temple is dedicated to the founder of the Jainism and Ranakpur is one among five holy places for the Jain followers. Continue on to Udaipur.

Udaipur is an oasis nestled in the lap of the Aravalli Mountain range and has a tranquil serenity that belies its tumultuous past. Udaipur, originally a thriving caravanserai later became a capital of local, royal clans. Udaipur’s serene lakes, beautiful gardens and magnificent palaces lend it a nostalgia that has often earned it the acclaim of being one of the most romantic places in the world. Apart from a place in history, Udaipur has been immortalized in contemporary culture in iconic films like Jewel in the Crown, James Bond’s Octopussy, Gandhi and the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Spend your days exploring Udaipur's heritage with our signature activities:

Recommended Activities

Recommended Accommodations

Jawai

Day: 6-7

Drive from Udaipur's city bustle to Jawai's unusual wilderness. Jawai, where the earth is etched with deep gorges, where nomadic Rabari herdsmen are as much a part of the earth's tales as the mysterious felines that grace these hills and vanish at will into their folds, where pastoral fields meet and merge with wild grasslands and the swells of the Jawai Bandh's waters lap at the toes of mighty granite formations. Jawai’s location, the unique flavor of this land and its offerings provide an entirely different experience of Rajasthan.

Spend your time in Jawai learning about the region's history and culture with our wilderness experiences:

Recommended Activities

Recommended Accommodations

Chanod

Day: 8-9

The small village of Chanod tucked away between Udaipur and Jodhpur would have never been on travellers’s itineraries were it not for the ancestral palace of Chanoud Garh - a 300-year-old property built by a Thakur. Inhabited by the Rabari herdsmen, Chanod is an offbeat destination that promises an intimate encounter with Rajasthan’s rustic folk. Chanod is perched on a lake surrounded by salt pans - where each year, huge flocks of wintering migrants come to roost.

There are many ways to explore Chanod's countryside:

Recommended Activities

Recommended Accommodations

Jodhpur

Day: 10-11

Make your way from Chanod's rustic heart to Jodhpur's urban hub. Epitomizing the romance and feudal splendor of Rajasthan with the majestic Mehrangarh Fort towering over it, the city of Jodhpur was once a flourishing trade centre for opium, silk and copper. Painted a brilliant shade of blue, Jodhpur is the last bastion of fort ramparts, colourful bazaars, animated people with their storytelling traditions before the desert sands and dunes stretch away towards the horizon.

Take in Jodhpur's sights and sounds with some of our suggested experiences:

Recommended Activities

Recommended Accommodations

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