family trip to rajasthan Dec 2007/Jan 2008

troppo

I've enjoyed reading the forum for some months but have only just joined, and hoping you'll be able to help us out.

We are an Australian couple with 2 boys aged 6 and 8, who are going to be in Rajasthan between late December 2007 and late January 2008, flying in and out of Delhi. We're hoping to book our accommodation :) :) online as soon as we can, because I understand it will be peak season.

We are planning our own itinerary and will travel independently. This is our third trip to India but first with the children, so we want to reduce the culture shock for them as much as possible, and try to travel to places that will be a bit quieter and less chaotic. We were hoping to spend at least 3/4 nights in each place and avoid long road trips. We plan to travel by a mixture of trains and hiring a car with driver for particular sections.

We would particularly like to spend time in Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Bundi, Chandelao, Ranthambore and Keoladeo. We will probably also visit Jaipur, Jodhpur and Agra but they sound pretty overwhelming for the kids. We were interested in the Shekhawati region but thought it might be too far to go if we tried to include northern Rajasthan as well.

At this stage we are thinking of taking an overnight train directly from Delhi to Jaisalmer, and then working our way back east through southern Rajasthan back up to Delhi.

I would be very grateful if you could you make any suggestions for:

routes
places to stay
places or things children might especially like
anti-malarials at that time of year?
places to avoid
drivers
whether to spend any time in Delhi at all
Any other thoughts you might have

Many thanks.

unclelach

I think your boys might really like the "Rat Temple" at Deshnoke a town outside Bikaner. You can stay in Bikaner which has a fine palace and travel to the temple 30km distant by taxi.
The temple is a completely serious religious site but,unusually, rats are revered and a very large number are present within.

Suggest also an overnight desert trek with boys in a camel cart and parents on camels. One night out is plenty as the nights are cold in winter.

One or other of the game parks in North India should be of interest. Avoid being eaten! Although politically incorrect, snake charmers or rather their snakes usually attract children. I hope the chained "dancing bears" have gone from the Agra district.

Children famously have little interest in scenery but may enjoy ruined forts and palaces to be found in every part of Rajasthan.

Good Luck

Mickey S

There are so many options for rajasthan that it's difficult to suggest an itinerary, but one thing is certain: you should start booking accommodation now. I am doing a similar trip (again!) in late December and am already finding that my first choice of accommodation is unavailable.

Rather than head straight to Jaisalmer and work your way back, I'd suggest a more circular route, with shorter journeys. An example might be:

Delhi - Agra - Ranthambhore National Park - Bundi - Udaipur - Mt Abu - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Phalodi/Khichan - Bikaner (Deshnok) - Shekhawati - Jaipur - Delhi.

With this itinerary you could travel almost exclusively by train, although there are a couple of routes you'd need to take a bus/taxi. Plenty for the kids to do at almost every stop. As unclelach says, the rat temple at Deshnok is great, and worth the diversion. You can get there easily from Bikaner, by bus, train or taxi, and the imminent opening of the new Phalodi-Bikaner railway line means that Bikaner is now much more accessible.

Khichan should not be missed. It's the winter home to thousands of cranes that have migrated from Europe, and watching them all circling overhead and then coming down to feed early in the morning is a wonderful sight. You can stay at nearby Phalodi (the Lal Niwas haveli is a great place to stay).

In Jaislamer, try to stay at Fifu's Guest House. Wonderful place, with an awesome view of the fort, and large family rooms available. But book it now!

rajuindia

overnight train from Delhi to Jaisalmer will be too many hours for you.

troppo

Thanks very much for your replies and helpful suggestions.


Troppo

kristinm

Hi there - We're planning much the same thing for 5 weeks with our 12 year old! We should meet up somewhere - I refuse to go to the rat temple by the way, my son wants to go... I just can't get my head around it.

I've found we needed to start booking now too, and so far have booked the first 4 days in Udaipur, but not the first night in Mumbai (we arrive on 30th DEcember!! & fly in and out of Mumbai as we booked on Qantas frequent flyers and that's where they go, hence the extra week as we couldn't get return tickets in January)

Here is our itinerary (so far!) Rajasthan 5 weeks 2 adults + child itinerary (mach 1) suggstions and comments please I have a short list of hotels etc, the problem is we want to be a bit free to change as we go - yet its peak season and we need to book! It makes it really hard - I've allowed 4 days or so in each major place, and I guess if we want to move on earlier, we'll just have to find somewhere else for a night or so, or go to another place on the way. I've found some hotels push you for a deposit, I don't want to do that... and many just don't answer emails etc, so its a bit of a frustrating process.

The bit in the middle may now be Bikaner - Amritsar - Haridwar - Delhi, a day or so in Shekhawati and then to Agra, Jaipur etc.

We're planning to use buses and trains wherever possible for short trips, and car and drivers for longer trips.

Let me know what you find out about vaccinations etc with the kids, they will have already had some that we haven't I guess, and my son had hep B at school this year - they're offering it free in year 7 now, so that's one down!

What do you think about Rabies shots? I worry about the monkeys and the kids....?????

kristinm

I've emailed them and they replied so sweetly and quickly, they sound lovely & are my first choice. We're all going to be racing to book there at this rate!!!!