travel from delhi to either jaisalmer or udaipur

assie2011 · Dec 19th, 2006, 02:35

Hi all!

Help, I am flying with a friend into Delhi December 28 for a month of travel.

Great! Only problem now is that i cannot get one step further in selecting our next destination after Delhi. I had two options in mind, to go to around 30 december: either Jaisalmer or Udaipur (both nice for a New Year specialty).

Who can help me with useful tips where to stay since everything I try seems fully booked. And also, how to travel best? My favorite option (on paper) would be the overnight train from Delhi to Jaisalmer, but is fully booked evening of 29 or 30 (I got waiting list number 20 and assume thats a very small chance to get a ticket or am I too pessimistic in this?)Is it possible to go to Jaisalmer by private car or do I miss too much of the real life then? Or maybe the is another city in between Delhi and Jaisalmer that we can easily reach by bus without booking too much in advance?

Or, option 2, I do the circle the other way around and start bij Udaipur, I guess we can go by bus then?

Any tips, I really hope you can help!

Astrid

camelgirl · Dec 19th, 2006, 08:43

Just got back from 5 weeks in Delhi/Rajasthan. Our route was Delhi to Ajmer by day train (Shatabdi), one hour taxi to Pushkar. Nice small town (though we were there for the Pushkar Camel fair and it was very crowded in Nov.) Nice little place called Inn of Seventh Heaven in Pushkar. Then taxi back to Ajmer and a train to Jaipur. Stayed in a beautiful heritage home/hotel called Madhuban. Jaipur to Jodhpur, stayed in a 200 yr. old Haveli called Haveli Inn Pal. Excellent. In Jodhpur we hired a car through RDTC (don't pay corrupt guy upfront, only pay driver directly), for a week and drove to Bikiner and Jaisalmer and back to Jodhpur & Jaipur then Delhi. It was great having a car & driver for that week, never did it before and it was really nice.

Don't know if any of this helps.

steven_ber · Dec 19th, 2006, 09:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by assie2011

Any tips, I really hope you can help!

Help us to help you, give more details.

Where else do you plan to go to?

I've helped with a similar question (Jaisalmer or Udaipur), recommended Udaipur then traveling north, only for the person to say they prefer to visit Udaipur on the way south. (then why ask the bloody question).

Also, what class do you want to use on the train? (helps us look for availability)

Udaipur may be the best option, mainly because you're leaving it so late, there are many more train options to get you close to Udaipur.

The direct train from Delhi to Udaipur only has availability for Sleeper Class (not air con).

There are other options though.

Train 9020A to Chittaurgarh
Many trains to Falna or Abu Road.

mt.kailash · Dec 19th, 2006, 10:24

Why not go to Bikaner?
There are train tickets available and any amount of buses.(5-6 hrs)
Also it's between Delhi and Jaisalmer and is fascinating in it's own right. It's then a long day by bus only to Jaisalmer when you move on.
You could also wait and see if there are still any tickets available for Jaisalmer on the tourist quota when you arrive.If there are ,and you've already got a train ticket for elsewhere it's simple and cheap to cancel.

assie2011 · Dec 19th, 2006, 14:22

Hi Steven, thanks for the cooperation, you asked for more details.
In three 'Rajashstan' weeks I thought to do from Delhi: Udaipur, Jaisalmer (in either order, I do not care), (Puskar?) (Jodpur?) Jaipur and then on to Agra, Varanassi (maybe a natural park if we have the time) and then Nepal for 8 days. Key now is deciding in which order, like someone replied, Udaipur to start might be easier than Jaisalmer and Bikaner could be a good alternative.

Budget and travel: we are not on a budget-budget, I like to switch between guest houses and a better hotel once in a while. Say like 2000 Rp. or even bit more for a specialty.

Travel: 2A class looks good for longer distances (to sleep) and for a day trip I do not really mind.

Hiring a private driver: I thought would be too expensive and 'luxury' since I do like to mix and meet with the people. However, combining driving with bus and train sounds like a good combi. Maybe to go from Udaipur to Jaisalmer/Bikaner or the other way around?

One more thing, about these tourist quota in trains, how does that work? Can you just get them by going to the train station? What time in advance?

Astrid

camelgirl · Dec 19th, 2006, 22:52

About the car and driver, it was 1,500 rs a day total, through the RTDC office in Jodhpur, no hidden extras (except some small tolls, maybe a total of 100 rs for the week). That's less than $250 US for the whole week of car driver & gas. And you do not miss seeing things, you actually get to see more out of the way places. Like we stopped at Deshnok to see the (smelly disgusting but very interesting) Rat Temple. Also, the driver took us out into the desert around Jaiselmer and also to see one of the small areas where birds stop in their migration.

We have the name and phone number of the nice young man who took us, if you are interested, and if you book with him directly it should be 1,300 rs. a day.

As I said, we never did this before in our many India trips, always using trains, but we thought the car/driver turned out to be great and not at all isolating from people. In my opinion, only group tours isolate you. We saw many groups, at various sites, and they all stick close together and won't even talk to someone who is not part of the group.

The names I gave you of hotels, in Jodhpur, Havali Inn Pal http://www.haveliinnpal.com/ (Pal is the family name, it does not stand for Palace) is 1,500 rs. a night for a fantastic big room, good plumbing/shower, a/c which you won't need in winter, with a view of fort plus breakfast. They only have 10 rooms but we booked with no problem. Also, Madhuban in Jaipur we had a super deluxe room, big, beautiful for about 2,000 rs. with tax (no breakfast). They have a smaller, lovely room for 1,400 rs. This place is a real find. http://www.madhuban.net/rooms.html

Since both these places are really a good price for what you get, they may be harder to book in season.

Dec 19th, 2006, 02:35	#1
assie2011 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: amsterdam Posts: 4	travel from delhi to either jaisalmer or udaipur Hi all! Help, I am flying with a friend into Delhi December 28 for a month of travel. Great! Only problem now is that i cannot get one step further in selecting our next destination after Delhi. I had two options in mind, to go to around 30 december: either Jaisalmer or Udaipur (both nice for a New Year specialty). Who can help me with useful tips where to stay since everything I try seems fully booked. And also, how to travel best? My favorite option (on paper) would be the overnight train from Delhi to Jaisalmer, but is fully booked evening of 29 or 30 (I got waiting list number 20 and assume thats a very small chance to get a ticket or am I too pessimistic in this?)Is it possible to go to Jaisalmer by private car or do I miss too much of the real life then? Or maybe the is another city in between Delhi and Jaisalmer that we can easily reach by bus without booking too much in advance? Or, option 2, I do the circle the other way around and start bij Udaipur, I guess we can go by bus then? Any tips, I really hope you can help! Astrid Last edited by machadinha : Dec 21st, 2006 at 11:16. Reason: moved to rajasthan forum

Dec 19th, 2006, 14:22	#5
assie2011 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: amsterdam Posts: 4	More details Hi Steven, thanks for the cooperation, you asked for more details. In three 'Rajashstan' weeks I thought to do from Delhi: Udaipur, Jaisalmer (in either order, I do not care), (Puskar?) (Jodpur?) Jaipur and then on to Agra, Varanassi (maybe a natural park if we have the time) and then Nepal for 8 days. Key now is deciding in which order, like someone replied, Udaipur to start might be easier than Jaisalmer and Bikaner could be a good alternative. Budget and travel: we are not on a budget-budget, I like to switch between guest houses and a better hotel once in a while. Say like 2000 Rp. or even bit more for a specialty. Travel: 2A class looks good for longer distances (to sleep) and for a day trip I do not really mind. Hiring a private driver: I thought would be too expensive and 'luxury' since I do like to mix and meet with the people. However, combining driving with bus and train sounds like a good combi. Maybe to go from Udaipur to Jaisalmer/Bikaner or the other way around? One more thing, about these tourist quota in trains, how does that work? Can you just get them by going to the train station? What time in advance? Astrid

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Dec 19th, 2006, 08:43	#2
camelgirl 10 year Visa okee dokee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Swannanoa NC usa Posts: 1,082	Just got back from 5 weeks in Delhi/Rajasthan. Our route was Delhi to Ajmer by day train (Shatabdi), one hour taxi to Pushkar. Nice small town (though we were there for the Pushkar Camel fair and it was very crowded in Nov.) Nice little place called Inn of Seventh Heaven in Pushkar. Then taxi back to Ajmer and a train to Jaipur. Stayed in a beautiful heritage home/hotel called Madhuban. Jaipur to Jodhpur, stayed in a 200 yr. old Haveli called Haveli Inn Pal. Excellent. In Jodhpur we hired a car through RDTC (don't pay corrupt guy upfront, only pay driver directly), for a week and drove to Bikiner and Jaisalmer and back to Jodhpur & Jaipur then Delhi. It was great having a car & driver for that week, never did it before and it was really nice. Don't know if any of this helps.

Dec 19th, 2006, 10:24	#4
mt.kailash Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: hurn Posts: 99	Why not go to Bikaner? There are train tickets available and any amount of buses.(5-6 hrs) Also it's between Delhi and Jaisalmer and is fascinating in it's own right. It's then a long day by bus only to Jaisalmer when you move on. You could also wait and see if there are still any tickets available for Jaisalmer on the tourist quota when you arrive.If there are ,and you've already got a train ticket for elsewhere it's simple and cheap to cancel.

Dec 19th, 2006, 22:52	#6
camelgirl 10 year Visa okee dokee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Swannanoa NC usa Posts: 1,082	About the car and driver, it was 1,500 rs a day total, through the RTDC office in Jodhpur, no hidden extras (except some small tolls, maybe a total of 100 rs for the week). That's less than $250 US for the whole week of car driver & gas. And you do not miss seeing things, you actually get to see more out of the way places. Like we stopped at Deshnok to see the (smelly disgusting but very interesting) Rat Temple. Also, the driver took us out into the desert around Jaiselmer and also to see one of the small areas where birds stop in their migration. We have the name and phone number of the nice young man who took us, if you are interested, and if you book with him directly it should be 1,300 rs. a day. As I said, we never did this before in our many India trips, always using trains, but we thought the car/driver turned out to be great and not at all isolating from people. In my opinion, only group tours isolate you. We saw many groups, at various sites, and they all stick close together and won't even talk to someone who is not part of the group. The names I gave you of hotels, in Jodhpur, Havali Inn Pal http://www.haveliinnpal.com/ (Pal is the family name, it does not stand for Palace) is 1,500 rs. a night for a fantastic big room, good plumbing/shower, a/c which you won't need in winter, with a view of fort plus breakfast. They only have 10 rooms but we booked with no problem. Also, Madhuban in Jaipur we had a super deluxe room, big, beautiful for about 2,000 rs. with tax (no breakfast). They have a smaller, lovely room for 1,400 rs. This place is a real find. http://www.madhuban.net/rooms.html Since both these places are really a good price for what you get, they may be harder to book in season.

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