Rustic Rajasthan

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

Birdwatching at Chhatrasagar

Wildlife & Wilderness

Village Walks & Jeep Safaris

Popular Culture

Birdwatching at Chhatrasagar

Wildlife & Wilderness

The pristine, seasonal wetlands surrounded by scrub forests, grasslands and farms around Chhatrasagar are a birder’s paradise. The mixed habitats host resident and migrant populations with over 200 species recorded throughout the year. Choose your vantage point or ask us to guide you along trails that have been reclaimed by nature - for an intimate experience with our avifauna.

Village Walks & Jeep Safaris

Popular Culture

A charming way to explore rustic countrysides is by foot or by jeep - and village walks and jeep safaris can take you into the heart of agrarian Rajasthan, to experience an unhurried way of life. Watch the local tradesmen at their crafts like cloth weaving and dying or bandhani and blockprinting, from shoemaking to woodwork, and interact with the humble folk over a cup of ‘chai’ - a masala-infused, piping-hot tea the ways the locals like it.

Recommended Accommodations

RAAS Chhatrasagar

Remote Experiential

RAAS Chhatrasagar

Remote Experiential

Surrounded by lush green fields of wheat, mustard, cotton, chillies and vast pastureland, this hundred-year-old ex-hunting estate is now an ideal destination for nature lovers and those wanting to experience traditional Indian village life in its simplistic and unfettered beauty.  Jeep safaris are available for the more adventurous, or one can enjoy the peaceful serenity of nature walks and bird watching. The accommodations offer a total of 16 luxury tents open all round the year, each overlooking the lake in the East. with an attached bath and its own private sit out overlooking the lake and verdant farmlands; an ideal..

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

Drive through Bishnoi settlements

Popular Culture

Drive through Bishnoi settlements

Popular Culture

Set off on a jeep safari through the villages of the Bishnois, a sect found in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan who follow the tenets of a saint who preached that destroying nature is like harming mankind. Along the route, you will be welcomed into the houses of the Bishnoi elders, to partake in a quintessential ritual – drinking an infusion of poppy seeds grown on local farms! This is a great chance to learn about the Bishnoi tribe, a community of staunch vegetarians who has been pivotal in reviving the black buck antelope species from the brink of extinction...

Recommended Accommodations

Rohet Garh

Remote Experiential

Mihir Garh

Wellness & Spa

Rohet Garh

Remote Experiential

Generations of valiant noblemen have built this heritage home where, notwithstanding the inroads of modernity, aristocratic values are highly respected. Situated on the banks of a lake and set in the midst of rural surroundings, it is a haven of peace and tranquility. Rohet Garh is a top choice for those wishing to experience the true, unspoiled India, which is traditionally old and beautiful, in its honest simplicity. The village safari is the main highlight, where guests are taken into various communities living in the area and are invited into their homes to share and understand their world.

Mihir Garh

Wellness & Spa

Mihir Garh is built in 2009 AD, Mihir Garh literally ‘The Fort of the Sun’ is an indulgent initiative is a luxurious boutique hotel located in a desert wilderness, offering an unparalleled insight into Rajasthan’s vivid and colorful rural heritage. Its majestic location welcomes the discerning traveller, to shower him with the legendary hospitality and immerse him in the diverse flavours of the land.

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

Painting Workshop: jal sanjhi & miniature art

Arts, Crafts & Textiles

Crystal Gallery

Arts, Crafts & Textiles

Vintage Car Museum

Popular Culture

Painting Workshop: jal sanjhi & miniature art

Arts, Crafts & Textiles

Unlock the secrets of jal sanjhi, a rare, 200-year-old art form that involves painting on water, kept alive by one family in Udaipur. Usually portraying scenes from Lord Krishna's life that are skillfully lifted off the surface of water - the jal sanjhi is for the truly intrepid artist! Udaipur is best known for its painting styles namely, the Pichwai and the Phad, as also its Mughal miniatures. The Mughal miniatures depict mythology, court scenes, hunting scenes, and nature, among other motifs - and evolved into different styles across the different desert kingdoms of Rajasthan. Meet with artists to learn..

Crystal Gallery

Arts, Crafts & Textiles

Discover the Crystal Gallery, fittingly housed in a palace, one of the single largest private crystal collections in the world that includes a bewildering number of objets d'art, dinner sets, perfume bottles, decanters, glasses, washing bowls, furniture and also the only crystal bed in the world! Beyond the artefacts, the Crystal Gallery’s history is just as fascinating: in 1877, the Maharana Sajjan Singh ordered a custom-made shipment from the crystal craftsmen, FC Osler & co. His vision was to build several crystal-studded palaces across Rajasthan, with designs inspired by India, rather than of Western origin. Yet the news of the..

Vintage Car Museum

Popular Culture

The Vintage and Classic Car Collection in Udaipur owned by the once-royal Mewar family is an assortment of grand limousines, Rolls Royces, Cadillac convertibles, rare Mercedes models, old Vauxhall and Opel models housed in the Palace Garage. To top it off, there still stands an old Burmah Shell petrol pump which is in working condition! Image credits: Rafatalam100, CC-BY-SA

Recommended Accommodations

The Oberoi Udaivilas

Luxury Boutique

Taj Lake Palace

Luxury Boutique

Raas Devigarh

Luxury Boutique

The Oberoi Udaivilas

Luxury Boutique

This hotel is a traditional Indian palace, which showcases the rich heritage of the Mewar region of Rajasthan in its sprawling courtyards, gently rippling fountains, reflecting pools and verdant gardens. Grand architecture inspired by the palaces of Rajasthan presents a majestic setting for your holiday, with pavilions and domes that lend it an ambience of royalty.

Taj Lake Palace

Luxury Boutique

This hotel is a dream of white marble and mosaic that burns bright in the day and glistens in the moonlight, offering a striking 360 degree panoramic view of the majestic Aravali Hills on one side and the lofty palaces on the other. Over the years the royal mystique of the palace has been maintained in the elaborately carved wood furniture, richly colored murals and lavish silks that decorate the interiors. It was built in 1754 in the middle of Lake Pichola spread over a 4-acre site complete with ponds for courtesans to frolic in.

Raas Devigarh

Luxury Boutique

Surrounded by the rolling Aravalis, the Fort of Devigarh towers over Delwara and catches the best of sun at all times. Everything about Devigarh is a first and unique among the existing Heritage Hotels of Rajasthan. The contrasts and colors, ambience and setting, their staff and service all add up to a unique Devigarh boutique experience.

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

Leopard Safari with Rabari herdsmen

Wildlife & Wilderness

Jawai Birding Trails

Wildlife & Wilderness

Visit to Rabari settlement

Popular Culture

Leopard Safari with Rabari herdsmen

Wildlife & Wilderness

Jawai’s landscape of towering granite formations, caves, kopjes and winding sand riverbeds has always been home to leopards and the vibrant Rabari herdsmen. Despite the complications of raising sheep in leopard territory, the tribe has a balanced view towards the leopards - and are stoic when some of ttheir livestock is lost every year. Explore the wilderness with a Rabari shepherd, and learn of the eternal link between local tribes, their land and its biodiversity.

Jawai Birding Trails

Wildlife & Wilderness

A walk across the flat grassy stretches and gentle slopes of Jawai’s wilderness can bring you to the best birdwatching vantage point - the lakeside. With over 170 species of birds annually, with huge wintering flocks, the intrepid birdwatcher can be kept occupied for hours on end. Continue on towards the farmlands, where a different set of birds can be spotted amidst tall grasses and lush crops. Along the way, one can also take in the migrant fishing community of Jawai, settled on the lake’s edge and the farming hamlets that eke a living in the wilderness. Image credits: Jawai Leopard..

Visit to Rabari settlement

Popular Culture

A landscape is made up of as many natural elements as human and Jawai’s wilderness is inextricably shaped by its Rabari shepherds. Tour through a Rabari settlement for a glimpse into the lives of these resilient desert folk. Watch them set out across the pasturelands to graze their cattle and learn about their co-existence with the leopards. Tap into the routines and rhythms of the potters, bangle-makers, weavers, ironsmiths and musicians, as they ply their craft. For a more religious experience, explore some of Jawai’s 300 temples and shrines scattered across the countryside, each with a compelling history, dedicated to..

Recommended Accommodations

Bera Safari Lodge

Remote Experiential

SUJÁN Jawai

Wildlife Lodges

Bera Safari Lodge

Remote Experiential

Between Udaipur and Jodhpur, Jawai’s rocky wilderness is an unexpected haven for leopards. Bera Safari Lodge with large, private cottages, each with their own verandas, is the perfect vantage point to explore the countryside. Beyond offering a luxurious retreat in a setting where Rabari sheep herders live in harmony with the leopards, Bera Safari Lodge also offers safaris with an expert leopard tracker, Shatrunjay Pratap - who has played a significant role in the conservation of the leopards in this habitat.

SUJÁN Jawai

Wildlife Lodges

At the heart of an untrammeled wilderness, where leopards roam wild and free, is SUJÁN Jawai. Designed by the owners, Anjali and Jaisal Singh, it represents a style that combines subtle opulence with abundant adventure. Staying true to the goals for conservation without compromising comfort, the camp has 10 luxurious tents including one double family suite, each with oodles of space and privacy that rest encapsulated in a landscape of towering granite formations, caves, kopjes, Anogeissus scrub and winding sand riverbeds. The vibrant Rabari herdsmen who have shared this land with wildlife for centuries endorse the organic and continuing link..

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

Chanod Village Walk

Popular Culture

Birdwatching at Chanod

Wildlife & Wilderness

Chanod Village Walk

Popular Culture

The charm of living in remote places like Chanoud Garh lies in being able to glimpse into the lives and rhythms of the villagefolk. Set off on a morning walk with a village elder through the Chanod settlement. Trail past the village school, the colourful, bustling marketplaces, tradesmen alleys, the mud-and-brick houses, and the Chanod Fort on the banks of a waterbody with its cenotaphs of royal family members. For the shutterbugs and the culturally curious, this walk promises an unhurried, intimate insight into the people of Rajasthan. Image credits: Chanoud Garh

Birdwatching at Chanod

Wildlife & Wilderness

Most people associate deserts with barren, lifeless landscapes, yet Rajasthan’s desert is a far cry from this. The desert stretches are interspersed with pinkish-white salt pans - a nutritional resource that migrating flocks rely on during their southward winter flight. Chanod village is surrounded by such salt pans - and through the year, it hosts a variety of resident birds and the winter migrants. Set off on birdwatching trails at Chanod for a glimpse of the incredible diversity of desert life.

Recommended Accommodations

Chanoud Garh

Heritage Homes/Mansions

Chanoud Garh

Heritage Homes/Mansions

Chanoud Garh is an ancestral palace converted into a heritage stay. Sections of a family-owned palace have been painstakingly restored, and every detail to comfort and aesthetics has been considered, with each suite unique in its design. Spend the day exploring the countryside on foot, or  visit the nearby villages to understand the socio-cultural tapestry of the region. At sunset, make excursions by jeep to the expansive salt pans - the life support systems of the desert biodiversity.

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

Blue City Indigenous Art Trail

Arts, Crafts & Textiles

Curator Walk: Mehrangarh After Hours

Popular Culture

Offroading expeditions

Active Travel & Adventure

Blue City Indigenous Art Trail

Arts, Crafts & Textiles

Set off on a Blue City Walk, where numerous artisans live and work at a variety of indigenous art forms, executed on  handspun textiles. Explore streets peopled with Rangrezz fabric dyers, Bandhej tie-and dyers and Chippa block printers, each community preserving a distinct art form passed down over the generations. The Blue city guards the secrets of  techniques like gota-patti embroidery - needlework of flower-and-leaf motifs, zari embroidery that uses silver and gold  filaments, and the danka ornate needlework of lavish embellishment.

Curator Walk: Mehrangarh After Hours

Popular Culture

Let our curator take your on an after-hours tour of Mehrangarh Fort – to experience the beauty of Mehrangarh that will give you deep and personal insight into the architecture and anecdotal history of this magnificent fortress that has played such an important role in Jodhpur’s history.

Offroading expeditions

Active Travel & Adventure

Offroading is a unique 4 by 4 driving wilderness experience that adds an element of thrill and adventure to your rustic ramblings. Visit tribal villages along the way, interact with the people to understand their ways of life. You could also try your hand at making the traditional hand-patted bread or churning buttermilk, and then sit down to enjoy a traditional, home-cooked meal.

Recommended Accommodations

Raas Jodhpur

Luxury Boutique

Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace

Luxury Boutique

Raas Jodhpur

Luxury Boutique

Raas is a boutique hotel and offering a seamless harmony of the authentically old-world and the contemporary comforts right in the heart of the walled city of Jodhpur with magnificent sights of Mehrangarh fort seen from most of the rooms and suites they offer and nearly every part of the hotel. Memorable dining experiences can be had at Darikhana - their specialty dining restaurant, and Baradari - an airy open pavilion for all day dining. The red sandstone unites the new with the old, even as modern designs and patterns in its dressing and carving add an exciting and fresh..

Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace

Luxury Boutique

Set amidst acres of lush gardens, the Umaid Bhawan Palace, a golden yellow sandstone monument is one of the largest residences in the world. Completed in 1943, it is the last of the great palaces of India. Still serving as the primary residence of the royal family of Jodhpur, the Palace also offers luxurious rooms and suites to other guests.