4 days in Jodhpur

Sathip

Hello,

I'm going to spend 4 days in Jodhpur next December.

What do you recommend doing in 4 days ?

Thank you for your advices

Steve

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tasuray

4days are not required in Jodhpur.Mandore Garden, Yashbant Thada, Mehrangarh Fort and palace are main tourist attractions in Jodhpur.

jyotirmoy

You can go to Jaisalmer, take a short camel safari, visit the sand dunes.

kristinm

We're spending 4 days in Jodhpur - I was planning a ramble or two out to the countryside and some sitting and people-watching and some shopping as well as the sights above.

Aishah

Bishnoi village safaris can be arranged by some of the guesthouse people there - that could take you one day. You have lunch in the village and it is traditional food cooked by the village people. This is an interesting experience - you also get to see how they make the heavy cotton carpets called dhurries.

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kristinm

Do you have to go on a safari or can you just rock up? Obviously not expecting them to cook you a meal and so on - but can you hire a driver or even bikes and just potter around the outskirts of Jodhpur for a day?

Aishah

I guess you could - but sometimes village people are not too happy about foreigners walking around their villages; with these safaris you know you are welcome there. Here there are only certain villages you could freely walk about in and they are on the 'tourist trail' well defined by the police; this is also because we are close to the Border and foreigners are only allowed inside a 45km radius unless you get special permission from the Collector.
My answer would be - give it a go, but if it looks like they are not welcoming you, try another place! You may find absolutely no problems and most will be fine, but you just never know... If you hire a driver for the day he may know areas which are interesting and you will be welcomed. A huge amount of biking required to get to those however, so better you go by car I think. Jodhpur is enormous - to get to the city outskirts is a long way, then to get to more primitive villages even further.

kristinm

OK - funny how we have a sort of preconceived 'set' against 'tours' - well I do anyway, when quite often they are the best way of doing things. All quiet around there now? less than 3 months to go now & we still haven't put the passport renewal forms in, let alone applied for our Indian visas! mine was rejected twice (blue ink not black, signed outside the box!) and Oscar's once (signed outside the box) and JP's once as we put the wrong number in from his citizenship certificate. If I can't cope with Australian beaurocracy how on earth am I going to cope with the Indian kind! Are you up very early or very late by the way?

desertrose

Namaste,
Day-1 Mehrangarh Fort,Jaswant Thada,Umaid Bhawan Palace,Mandore Gardens.
Day-2 Bishnoi Village half a day cultural tour,Old city(Clock Tower,Sardar Market etc)
Day-3 Osiyan Village for the desert excursion ,Camel ride if necessery,sunset on sand dunes,and to see one of the oldest Jain temples of the(Marwar)Jodhpur area.
Day-4 Old city and Markets of Jodhpur are very oriental and Walk to Jwala Mata Temple through the city police area for the amazing sunset.
Do not hesitate to contact me for more information.
Happy travels.

Aishah

Australia is sounding pretty similar to India these days, Krisin!
Don't leave anything too late is what I say with regard to your passports! If you are anti-tours try to find a reliable car driver who can do what you want and knows where to go - really too far on bikes, you would be exhausted trying to reach a 'genuine' rural situation outside Jodhpur. Maybe your guest house, hotel can help..

kristinm

Perhaps India might be a good place to get over my tour 'thing' .. I'll definitely do a Bishnoi one from Jodhpur. Its a good way to meet other travellers too... I think everywhere is getting more beaurocratic - its all this ridiculous security obsession. Talk about Big Brother!

desertrose

Bishnoi village tour is touristic, it is like camel tours in Jaislmer.
It is more of a tour nowdays where the tour operators take you to some art and craft "co-operative" work and not to the real bishnoi village, some farmer(patel) person dress as a bishnoi and does some tantrums of bishnoi people . The good thing of the local artisans is that they are no pushy and doesnt force buying.
I would suggest you to go to Khejerli village on the bishnoi village trip which usualy the operators find off track, this is the memorial place where bishnoi community people sacrficed themselves to save the trees.
let me know if you need more information.
Regards

kristinm

Thanks DesertRose - I'll pm you closer to the time.