A 7 day trip to Rajasthan and Agra

Hi All,

I am Shreyas from Bangalore. I am planning to visit Rajasthan in the 3rd week of November along with 10-12 of my friends.

Below is my travel itinerary. Please answer my questions (starting with 'Q') and provide suggestions.

We will be coming in the fourth week of november (19th onwards)… The agenda is not to cover too many places but just to relax and stay away from the daily hustle- bustle.
But we also don't want to return seeing very few places either. Just looking for the right balance. We are all in the age group of 25-26.

Day1: Bangalore to Delhi, local sightseeing and to Jaisalmer by the night train.

Day2: Jaisalmer- local sightseeing till evening. Then night camel safari. Great if we can get a safari that starts at 4pm and ends next day at 10 am or something.

Q1: From various sites I learnt that sam and khuri are 2 places to go for camel safari. From the reviews it looks like Sam is very dirty. How is Khuri? Besides,I have also read that some hotels like Shahi palace take us to some non-touristy places. How much does this hotel charge for a group of 10? How are other options like mama's guest house etc?

Q2: Is it required to book hotels and camel rides in advance?

Day3: Local sightseeing till evening and then a train to Jodhpur by the evening train.
I didn't want to spend another day in Jaisalmer. But it looks like there are only 2 trains to Jodhpur and both are in the evening.

Q3:Are there any alternative means of public transport? How do tourists generally travel?

Day4: Jodhpur. Leave by night to Udaipur.

Q4: I am not sure if leaving by night is a good option. Looks like there is no direct link between Jodhpur to Udaipur. Which route should I take ? Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh? We have girls in our group and don't want to put them in a state of discomfort.

Q5: How should I travel, bus or train ?


Day5 and Day6: Udaipur and leave to Agra.

Q6: Again I don't find a direct railway link !!. Suggestions?

Day7: Agra fort and Taj Mahal. Back to Delhi.

Day8: Delhi to Bangalore.

Thanks for going through my lengthy description. Also thought my itinerary might be helpful to others.

Regards,
Shreyas

Phew, I was there in 1993, and never even took a safari; but I think they can easily be arranged on the ground. However arriving then wanting to get going that same evening, arranging before might of course be wise; also to go over the details, food and drinks and bedding etc. I guess likewise with a large group, best to book a hotel in advance (and/or your camel safari in one go).

I think bus Jaisalmer-Jodhpur shouldn't be an issue. However frequency etc. I can again not tell you about. It's 6-7 hours by train, I'm sure there'll be buses, taking about as long.

I think bus is most convenient here, train is far too roundabout. But it won't allow for those stop-offs along the way. To go by Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur (recommended by many, I've not been there), I think you'll need to take a taxi. And travel by day, of course (I'd assume leaving early would be wise. It is said to be very possible to do this in a day by cab.)

http://erail.in?T=UDZ::AGA: Does throw up one daily (night) train Udaipur-Agra Cantonment (the 12966 UDZ GWL SUP EXP there); looks to be fairly timed, too.

Any way to extend your trip? The same train passes (but the earlier stations in the middle of the night) by Chittorgarh, Ajmer, Jaipur, and Bharatpur

Answers to a couple of your questions:

1. I think with a group of ten you should book accommodation ahead. The third week in November is quite busy but not quite as busy as Divali time - people are still on hols then so with a large group like this, good idea to at least have accommodation sorted.

2. Buses leave from Bombay Motors Jodhpur - they go every hour, sometimes half hourly to Jaisalmer throughout the day. Not a bad idea to book them the day before because of your numbers. These are private buses. The government ones are also going, but are not as good as the private ones. Private bus seats are better - however, there is one deluxe type very early morning if I remember rightly.
The bus is faster than the train.

As Mach suggests all those places Chittorgarh etc. are worth a visit too.

3. Your safari can be arranged when you arrive. You could even go to safari agents in Gopa or Gandhi Chowk while visiting in the market and sort something out at a reasonable cost for your group.

@Machadinha & Aishah:
Thanks for the suggestions . We have finally decided on the itinerary and booked our flight tickets.

We land in Jaipur instead of Delhi. We are then planning to hire a winger or some big car that can accommodate 8 and travel throughout Rajasthan.

Day1: Visit places in the Jaipur till late evening and travel to Jaisalmer by car @ night.

Day2: Jaisalmer local sightseeing and then camel safari in the evening.

Day3: Leave Jaisalmer in the afternoon and head towards Jodhpur.

Day4: Sightseeing in Jodhpur until evening and then depart to Udaipur

Day5: Sightseeing until evening @ Udaipur and back to Jaipur that night.

One thing I am still confused is on whether we should go to sam or Khuri for camel safari... Or whether there is a 3rd place?

Also is Mt.Abu a must see? Should we drop some place to accommodate this in our itinerary?

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Shreyas

Think it looks fine as it is. Go for it.*

Where to do the safari I can't say; I'd just discuss it with handlers on the ground, they'll tell you what are currently the more off-beat options etc.

* Well, except for I can't immediately comment on the logistics. I guess e.g. Jaipur-Jaisalmer, Udaipur-Jaipur, will be quite a ride. Try http://www.mapmyindia.com/ or so (hit its "directions" tab) to get an idea.

Now some will advise against night driving, though I can't say it would bother me greatly, and being Indian you'll probably know what you're looking at. Well, I have seen (and been in) some crazy car driving by day in e.g. the Jaisalmer area, it's true. Usual overtaking on a narrow road going uphill against a blind bend, and such. A bus I was on in the Jaipur area ramming into the next truck when trying to overtake it, indeed. (Well, since there's never much speed, there were no drastic consequences. Other than driving on with the windshield shards flying around one's head.) But I guess such little scenes can be found all over India, and one mostly just takes one's chances

An exhausting itinerary from my point of view but you are all young I guess and can do this sort of thing. You will need a minibus not a car - you say there are 10 of you. Mount Abu with Dilwara temples and its lake is worth a visit, but you may well be templed out at this point - Jain temples in the Fort at Jaisalmer are also good.

Maybe call into Ranakpur en route to Udaipur if instead of travelling overnight yet again, these are fantastic Jain temples unlike many others, and skip Mount Abu.

Hi All,

Had a wonderful time @ Rajasthan. One of the best places I've visited in my life. I've travelled all over western and central europe but never felt like this after a trip.. Maybe my feelings are biased as i'm an Indian ...

This was our itinerary.
Day1: We landed @ Jaipur, visited Amber fort, hired a taxi for 6 days from taxiwala and left to Jaisalmer.

Day2: Jaisalmer.
Bada bagh, Havelis and overnight camel safari (the best part of our trip)

Day3:Jodhpur
Meherngarh fort and shopping

Day4: Ranakpur and Udaipur
The Jain temple @ Ranakpur really had a very spiritual atmosphere and didn't appear like a tourist spot despite several foreigners.

Day5: Udaipur
City palace, picchola and fatesagar lake... And this city is so much like Bangalore

Day6: Back to Jaipur
Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Birla Mandir and shopping..


Not to forget the roadside poha and chai and Natraja Thali restaurant...

Thanks a ton for helping me plan this trip.

Cheers,
Shreyas

shreyas,,please mention the taxi charge you had paid,,,

I am planning to visit Rajsathan in November...
We are planning to stay in RTDC at Udaipur,jodpur,jaisalmer and Jaipur
Is this a good option.. ? any thougts on this?
are there any nice havelis turned to hotels now or hotels which give a nice Haveli stay feeling...
I would really like to stay at such a place for atleast one day during the tour..

How many days will your trip be for? What is your budget for nice havelis turned to hotels now or hotels which give a nice Haveli stay feeling?

In Udaipur you can try Mewar Haveli.

Thanks aarosh... Mewar Haveli we have decided to book..