Rajasthan village tour
| country: | India |
| location: | Rajasthan |
| departures: | 2008: 2 Aug |
| price: | From £1575 (16 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A herd of buffalo wander back from the fields, blue jays dart overhead, smoke rises from the cooking fires and the aromatic smell of spices flood the air. Women in brightly coloured saris carry water from the well and children play on the path. It’s that magical time when dusk settles in a thousand villages across the subcontinent and the night creeps in.
The Indians have a word for it, Godhuli ‘the homecoming’. Sadly, very few visitors get to experience the day-to-day beauty of rural India, focusing instead on well known urban centres on or around the Golden Triangle.
We believe the time has come to step off the well-worn tourist trails and head into the heart of India, allowing you the chance to witness firsthand the life that the vast majority of Indians live. In these lesser-travelled areas there is a richness of life that, in terms of memorable experiences, is guaranteed to rival the opulence of Golden Triangle.
On this tour, you will travel through both rural Rajasthan, staying in many beautiful and interesting places, witnessing and take part in the life of the region, as well as visiting some of the states better known locations. And you will be doing it at one of the most interesting times of year, when the land is green, the lakes are full and other travellers will be scarce.
The Indians have a word for it, Godhuli ‘the homecoming’. Sadly, very few visitors get to experience the day-to-day beauty of rural India, focusing instead on well known urban centres on or around the Golden Triangle.
We believe the time has come to step off the well-worn tourist trails and head into the heart of India, allowing you the chance to witness firsthand the life that the vast majority of Indians live. In these lesser-travelled areas there is a richness of life that, in terms of memorable experiences, is guaranteed to rival the opulence of Golden Triangle.
On this tour, you will travel through both rural Rajasthan, staying in many beautiful and interesting places, witnessing and take part in the life of the region, as well as visiting some of the states better known locations. And you will be doing it at one of the most interesting times of year, when the land is green, the lakes are full and other travellers will be scarce.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | London – Delhi. Depart UK on day flight to Delhi. |
| Day 2: | Delhi. After checking into our hotel we will have lunch and visit the Old Town and take a wander from the Red Fort, down Chandi Chowk, through the alleyways of Shahjehanabad, to the beautiful Jama Masjid Mosque, from where we will go on to Connaught Place to see the New Town before dinner. |
| Day 3: | Delhi – Agra. After breakfast drive in a/c coaster to Agra, stopping for lunch on the way. Check in to the Hilton Trident hotel and head to the Red Fort/Taj Mahal for sunset. Supper at the hotel. The journey from Delhi to Agra is 5-6 hours. O/N Agra |
| Day 4: | Agra – Jaipur. After an early breakfast, we’ll drive out to Jaipur, on the way visiting Fatehpur Sikri built by the great Mughal Akbar. In the late afternoon we will visit the Palace of Winds and Observatory with the local Bazaar. Dinner at local restaurant. O/N Jaipur |
| Day 5: | Jaipur. Morning visit to the great palace at Amber and in the afternoon we’ll return to visit the City Palace Museum. Then there will be time for a wander round town or just relax by the pool at the hotel before supper. O/N Jaipur. |
| Day 6: | Jaipur – Bundi. After Breakfast depart for Bundi. Check in to our hotel and after lunch visit the Palace and other monuments. Dinner at the terrace of the Palace restaurant. O/N at Bundi. |
| Day 7: | Bundi. After Breakfast we will visit the Rameshwaram Mahadev Temple, a Shiva temple with a waterfall and here we will take a traditional lunch. In the early afternoon we will leave for Kaishoraipatan Keshoraipatan which is famous as a pilgrimage town for the local people, enjoying a beautiful location on the banks of River Chambal. O/N Bundi. |
| Day 8: | Bundi – Jhalawar. From here we will leave for Jhalrapatan. Lunch on the way. The town has some beautiful temples and an Indian market in it. Right outside the city walls are the famous temples of Chandrabhaga. After enjoying this town we will move to Jhalawar which is about five km from here. Overnight at Hotel Prithvi Vilas, the residence of the His Highness of Jhalawar. |
| Day 9: | Jhalawar – Bijaipur. After Breakfast we will leave for Bijaipur, stopping for lunch at Gandhisagar. We will go by steamer to an island in the Gandhisagar Dam. Here we will have different preparations of freshwater fish. Crossing the Chambal ravines and then the Vindhyanchal Hills we reach Bijaipur. We stay at castle Bijaipur, a 16th century castle which is now a heritage hotel run by the ruling family, Narendra Singh and his clan. O/N Castle Bijaipur. |
| Day 10: | Bijaipur. After Breakfast we will take a half-day tour to the surrounding villages with Narendra, where we will meet many of the local people. We will have lunch at Mahadev, a Shiva temple and pilgrimage place. We will have the afternoon and evening free to enjoy the activities at Castle Bijaipur like horse riding, cycling, massage, swimming, table tennis, volleyball etc. O/N Castle Bijaipur. |
| Day 11: | Bijaipur. After Breakfast we will visit the hand block printing village of Tarapur. On the way back we will stop at Athana Fort for lunch and to visit the local carpet weavers. On our way to Bijaipur we will stop at Pangarh for evening tea and a swim. O/N at Castle Bijaipur. |
| Day 12: | Bijaipur – Kumblegarh. Early in the morning Narendra will take us to the village of the milkman tribe and we spend the morning learning about the culture and activities of the tribe. We will watch them milking and help in turning the milk into lassi. After a late breakfast we will drive on to Kumblegarh, home to arguably the most impressive fort in all of Rajasthan. Arriving in the afternoon we will have a chance to good look around the fort. |
| Day 13: | Kumblegarh – Mount Abu. Mount Abu is one of the major pilgrimage sites of India for both Hindu and Jain religions. Besides the temples and sites of historical importance, Mt. Abu is also rich in natural scenic beauties. For those who like walking, Mount Abu has many delights and will have time to get out and enjoy the surrounds. O/N Mount Abu. |
| Day 14: | Mount Abu – Udaipur. After breakfast we’ll drive to Ranakpur. Have lunch and then visit the exquisite marble temples at Ranakpur before we will leave for Udaipur. Check into hotel and have dinner overlooking the lake. O/N Udaipur. |
| Day 15: | Udaipur. Udaipur is a place best explored at ones own pace. Guides and itineraries will be available but the old town is small, made up of a labyrinth of alleyways and passages and getting lost is part of the fun. Dinner at the hotel or at a local restaurant. O/N Udaipur. |
| Day 16: | Udaipur – UK. This morning we will catch an early flight from Udaipur to Delhi and connect with our Jet Airways international flight to LHR. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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In our opinion the whole concept of Village India – where we steer our clients off the main tourist circuits and into the rural regions of the subcontinent, to interact directly with local people – is responsible travel at its most immediate and effective. On all of these tours we stay with local families, visit local industries (learning how to milk a buffalo, make a sari, cook a meal) and call on local organisation to learn more about the problems of the region and how we might help. Not only does this allow local people and visitors to interact and learn about each others culture, it ensures that the revenue generated by tourism goes directly to local communities.
On this tour which runs through Rajasthan we involve our clients in tree planting schemes as well as help directly with the financing of rural village schools; added to this our clients will have the chance to accompany members of the tribal caste of farmers living in the desert regions, and learn about there way of life which will be putting money directly into the local community. Added to this on all our tours we employ local guides and drivers, stay in locally owned hotels and private homes, which again diverts important funds directly into the area. These are regions that have seen precious little from the boom in tourism, it is our aim to change this. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |