[canonguy]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

I think it best you reach Bhopal instead of Betul (which has no decent hotels) or Bhimbetka (which has only MPTDC).

I'll target Bhimbetka. Since MPTDC Highway Treat has only 3 rooms, will book now! BTW, is there a by-pass for Bhopal or one has to cut through the city?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Please go on the Pander route only on confirming locally that the road is in good condition.

Won't bother with this. I'll take the route suggested by you via Deoli and Nasirabad. In fact on re-checking found it to be 20 kms shorter!

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Another suggestion would be to turn it around a bit, and work on the following route:
Bundi-Deoli-Nasirabad-Ajmer-Nagaur-Bikaner-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Sirohi-Mt Abu.

Since I like to book in advance, I've already made the bookings at all the places barring Hyderabad, Bhimbetka and Mount Abu so I am constrained to maintain the schedule as given in my previous post.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Refrain from taking the non-arterial small roads of Rajasthan.

Thanks for the advice. I'll go via Barmer, Sanchore, Disa and Palanpur as suggested by you.

Originally Posted by ampere

@Canonguy, May I ask anything specific about Bundi?

Just wanted to do some sightseeing. Couldn't find time to visit these cities when I was in Delhi for a decade so thought of checking them out now. Nice excuse for motoring!

[ranjitp1]

@ Hyderabad,these are some of the options you could consider,from these places it would be easier to get onto NH7 in the morning.

*With a 4pm departure from Blore,I dont think you would reach Hyd before 1am(factoring in the time to exit Blr and time to enter hyd)

1.Stay Inn www.stayinn.in
2.Nakshatra www.hotelnakshatra.com
3.RAJ Comfort www.hotelrajcomfortinn.com
4.Heritage Inn www.heritageinn.co.in

The 1st three are all walking distance from Paradise,which is the main reference point and the 4th one is around a km from Paradise.

I could guide you in & out of HYd,give me a buzz once you are around.

[canonguy]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

The 1st three are all walking distance from Paradise,which is the main reference point and the 4th one is around a km from Paradise.

I could guide you in & out of HYd,give me a buzz once you are around.

Thanks a lot for the info, ranjit and really appreciate your offer of help. Will get in touch with you in case I have trouble with the route.

BTW, any idea how's the traffic between Paradise and NH7 around 7 in the morning? How much time can I expect to take to hit NH7 from there?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by canonguy

Thanks a lot for the info, ranjit and really appreciate your offer of help. Will get in touch with you in case I have trouble with the route.

BTW, any idea how's the traffic between Paradise and NH7 around 7 in the morning? How much time can I expect to take to hit NH7 from there?

Well there is a much better option now that I thought about it,you could take the JN Outer Ring Road from the Shamshabad Airport flyover on NH7(it is well marked) till Gachibowli.

Where the ring road ends,you would see a flyover under construction in front of you..Take a left there,go about 100-200mts,take a u-turn to come to the other side of the road,come back to the flyover junction and take the free left and proceed towards Miyapur where the road ends.At Miyapur cross roads,take a right and you are now on NH9(left goes to Solapur),proceed on the road till you reach Kukatpally(around 4-5kms),there is a nice new hotel called Sitara Grand that has come up and they offer some exclusive discounts to TBHP members.I could check on that and let you know.From there you could continue on the NH9 till Bowenpally circle,where a right would take you to Paradise and the left is the NH7 to Nagpur.This would be an easier route as opposed to the Paradise route.

[canonguy]

Thanks a lot, Ranjit. You've been extremely helpful.

Actually I checked out the locations of the hotels (links provided by you) on Google Maps and found them to be ideally placed to hit NH7 the next morning. Will contact these three hotels and finalise.

Once again thank you so much for all the help!

[canonguy]

Wife just called to confirm she has booked the room at Sitara Grand. Thanks!

BTW, couldn't pm you since you've exceeded the limit. You need to free up some space.

[m-hawk]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Wow that was super quick HVK. I just edited my query!
Is it ok to spend a day in Pushkar(Pushkar - Ajmer)..?

That s exactly the way Kumar sir does his roadtrip s and post s regarding the same !! anyway s Phushkar will never have water as it s cursed according to mythology and nearby commercial and residential places have tubewell s that take their share of water from there !! infact for pooja s water tanker s are used to fill water at bathing ghat s so as pandit s can run their business 's !!
Udaipur lake on the other hand fill s up quickly even with little rainfall of rajasthan but this year it was in abundance everywhere !! Udaipur will be a safe bet !!
Regard s

[canonguy]

Since I'm now nearing 23 Dec, the day when I start my journey, wanted to firm up halt options on the Jaisalmer-Bangalore leg. My earlier plan to stopover at Mumbai has been shelved and I'm now looking to break the journey between Jaisalmer and Bangalore at any of these places:

1. Surat
2. Pune
3. Satara

Can any one suggest some good hotels on the NH in any of these places? I'm not looking out for anything fancy, just decent and clean rooms for a night halt in the range of Rs.1.5K.

[hvkumar]

Surat - no good hotels on bypass
Pune - Hotel Ginger
Satara - Hotel Mahendra Executive on the bypass

[ranjitp1]

There is a Ginger in Surat at Piplod,easy to get there from the highway,around 12kms though.

[canonguy]

Thanks a lot Kumar Saab and ranjit.

[maverick145]

I was planning a trip to Rajasthan and my travel agent has given me the following itinerary:

Day 1: Depart from Delhi to Shekhawati region.
Travel by car from Delhi. Enjoy a stay in either a small castle or haveli in this area.

Day 2: -SHEKHAWATI AREA - BIKANER
After Breakfast drive to Bikaner to arrive there by afternoon day at leisure. Overnight in Hotel.

Day 3: - BIKANER / JAISALMER
Morning visit to Junagarh Fort and Museum. After lunch leave for Jaisalmer to arrive there by evening. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 4: - JAISALMER
Sightseeing of the medieval city of Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer's crenellated golden sandstone walls and its narrow streets lined with exquisitely carved buildings makes this city unique. Jaisalmer is famous for its carved havellis (grand mensions). We have a walk through the old city and visit the Fort and the Jain temple.In the afternoon we drive around 40 km. away from Jaisalmer to sam dunes where we enjoy the sunset before we drive back to Jaisalmer.

Day 5: - JAISALMER - JODHPUR
After breakfast drive to Jodhpur en-route visiting the temples of Osian. Early morning drive to Jodhpur. The city was once the capital of the princely state of Marwar (Land of death). Jodhpur is also known as the blue city as most of the houses of the old city are painted blue. We also visit the Jaswant Thada, a royal cenotaph built in white marble. After the sightseeing we have a walk through the Bazaars of Jodhpur.

Day 6: - JODHPUR - PUSHKAR
Morning visit to Mehrangarh fort, Jaswant Thada and Umaid Bhawan Palace. After Lunch drive to Pushkar. Evening visit to Sarovar lake, Brahma temple and ghats. Perform the ceremony of deep dan at the Sarovar lake. Over night at hotel.

Day 7: - PUSHKAR- JAIPUR
Drive to Jaipur, en-route visiting Khwaja Dargah at Ajmer. Arrive by lunchtime and depart for onward destination

Day 8: Jaipur
Morning excursion to Amber fort. Make your ascent to the palace fortress on the gaily-caparisoned elephant back (optional). Tour the chamber & hallways of the palace, which are famous for the excellence of their design & decoration.
Afternoon tour of Jaipur known as The pink city of Rajasthan visit the unique Janter Manter observatory, which was built in 1700s yet even today still looks futuristic or almost surrealistic: the city palace & its museum, the Hawa Mahal or the palace of winds. Overnight at hotel. You can also take a visit to CHOKHI DHANI for Dinner.


Day 09:- Departure to Home Destination
Depart for Delhi

Can somebody please advise on how is the itinerary? Also the agent has said I will need to visit all the places by road/car itself. How are the roads in the above connections? Any thing to keep in mind since this is a family trip? Safety issues?

And please let me know the approx distances and time between the following:

1. Delhi to Shekhavati region
2. Shekhavati to Bikaner
3. Bikaner to Jaisalmer
4. Jaisalmer to Jodhpur
5. Jodhpur to Pushkar
6. Pushkar to Jaipur

Thanks.

[subbarp]

Originally Posted by maverick145

Day 4: - JAISALMER
Sightseeing of the medieval city of Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer's crenellated golden sandstone walls and its narrow streets lined with exquisitely carved buildings makes this city unique. Jaisalmer is famous for its carved havellis (grand mensions). We have a walk through the old city and visit the Fort and the Jain temple.In the afternoon we drive around 40 km. away from Jaisalmer to sam dunes where we enjoy the sunset before we drive back to Jaisalmer.

Day 5: - JAISALMER - JODHPUR
After breakfast drive to Jodhpur en-route visiting the temples of Osian. Early morning drive to Jodhpur. The city was once the capital of the princely state of Marwar (Land of death). Jodhpur is also known as the blue city as most of the houses of the old city are painted blue. We also visit the Jaswant Thada, a royal cenotaph built in white marble. After the sightseeing we have a walk through the Bazaars of Jodhpur.

Day 6: - JODHPUR - PUSHKAR
Morning visit to Mehrangarh fort, Jaswant Thada and Umaid Bhawan Palace. After Lunch drive to Pushkar. Evening visit to Sarovar lake, Brahma temple and ghats. Perform the ceremony of deep dan at the Sarovar lake. Over night at hotel.

Thanks.

Hi,

In Jaisalmer, doing the fort, the havelis and Sam Sand Dunes on the same day could be tiring (if you are traveling with family and want to keep it leisurely). My suggestion would be
1. visit the fort in the afternoon, visit the havelis the next morning and then head to Sam Sand dunes post 4PM (and stay there till sunset and beyond).
2. suggest you stay over at one of the resorts near Sam Sand dunes rather than a run of the mill hotel, it is worth the experience. Rajasthani folk dance/ music is good at many of these resorts, is an experience and can be enjoyed with family.

Jaisalmer to Jodhpur:
1. Do not miss Kuldhara village, the village that was abandoned. It is a few kilometers from Jaisalmer (30 minutes or so) enroute to Jodhpur.
2. Trying to do Osian on the way from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur makes you go through some horrible back-breaking roads. Suggest, you do Jaisalmer-Jodhpur, checkin into the hotel at Jodhpur and do Osian separately as a Jodhpur-Osian-Jodhpur (this may be longer overall but would be better spaced/ planned out).
3. Avoid hotels enroute, you will find some very mediocre hotels with unbeleivably high prices, these cater to tourists from other countries and their aim is to try and sell the merchanidise, avoid these and head to your hotel/ any eatery in Jodhpur.

In Jodhpur:
1. The Mehrangarh fort is excellently maintained and you may want to keep sufficient time to cover it. It also has a ziplining facility (called flyingfox) in case you are game for some adventure.
2. Are you not covering the Bisnoi village ? Its a great half day trip (on Jeep).
3. Shopping and food are added attractions at Jodhpur, 1 day is not sufficient.

Let me know if you need further details, have developed some contacts there due to a recent trip I did. Trust me its a very colorful place, shutterbugs would particularly love it. If you are into it, a 10-22mm would be particularly useful.

thanks,
Subbarp

[maverick145]

@Subbarp
Thank you for the detailed reply. So I should do it as follows:

Day 1 - Delhi to Shekhavati. Overnight at Shekhavati region.
Day 2 - Shekhavati to Bikaner. Overnight at Bikaner.
Day 3 - Visit Junagarh Fort and then Bikaner to Jaisalmer. Overnight Jaisalmer.
Day 4 - Visit the fort in the morning. Sand dunes in the evening. Overnight Jaisalmer.
Day 5 - Visit havelis. Jaisalmer to Jodhpur. Visit Kuldhara enroute. Overnight Jodhpur.
Day 6 - Visit Osian. Back to Jodhpur. Overnight Jodhpur.
Day 7 - Visit Mehrangarh fort. Jodhpur to Pushkar. Overnight Pushkar.
Day 8 - Sarovar lake in Pushkar. Overnight Pushkar.
Day 9 - Pushkar to Ajmer Dargah. Ajmer to Jaipur.
Day 10 - Depart from Jaipur.

Is the above fine? Also can you please shed some light on my query regarding the routes?

1. Delhi to Shekhavati region
2. Shekhavati to Bikaner
3. Bikaner to Jaisalmer
4. Jaisalmer to Jodhpur via Kuldhara
5. Jodhpur to Osian
6. Jodhpur to Pushkar
7. Pushkar to Jaipur via Ajmer

Thanks again.

[dZired]

The best area to stay overnight in the Shekhawati region is Jhunjhunu and its nearby towns. For example, there is a place named Mandawa around 30 kms from Jhunjhunu which has some cool haveli hotels.

There are three routes you can take from Delhi to reach Jhunjhunu.

1. Delhi -> Rohtak -> Bhiwani -> Loharu -> Chidawa -> Jhunjhunu [250 kms approx.]
This is the best route in terms of road conditions. The Bhiwani - Loharu segment has very less traffic. Rohtak city can be a bit congestive though.

2. Delhi -> Gurgaon -> Bhiwadi -> Rewari -> Narnaul -> Chirawa -> Jhunjhunu [230 kms approx]
I won't advise you to take this route because the road conditions for about 100 kms around Narnaul are pathetic.

3. Delhi -> Bahadurgarh -> Jhajjar -> Charkhi Dadri -> Loharu -> Chirawa -> Jhunjhunu [200 kms approx]
This is the route I used to take during my schooling in Pilani. It has very less traffic and pretty decent roads.