[rahulba]

Originally Posted by shiva_s

Hi All,

2. What are the must visit places in Jaipur (I am planning to visit Jaipur Book Fest and Rajputana Customs) and Jaisalmer.
3. Any other must visit places.
5. Things to shop.
6. Local cuisines to try restaurants to visit.
Thank you guys in advance.

- Shiva

I can help you with some of them.

Amer/Amber fort is a must visit in Jaipur and DO NOT miss the sound and light show there in the evening. English show (200 INR) timing is 6.30 - 7.30 PM and Hindi show (INR 100) timing is 7.30 - 8.30 PM. Ideal would be to reach Amer by 2.30 PM and visit the fort (do take the guide). Have snacks/meal since you would be hungry after all that walk. Go and watch the sound & light show as per your liking for Hindi/English (Hindi one has story narration from Amitabh Bachchan).
Parking is available right at the beginning once you reach there and see the fort and lake. One can take jeep from there to the fort for 350 bucks or take the elephant ride for 1100 bucks (2 people). Near to this parking is also the light and sound show booking office and my advice would be to book the tickets before you park your vehicle. This would save you from standing in the queue later in the day.
There is another parking right in front of the fort and is usually jam packed but you can try it out if taking driver along.
Amer fort is better than City Palace in case you have to choose between the two due to shortage of time.

For shopping, Bapu bazaar is your best bet for reasonable rates. All other shops near monuments will charge you 1.5 or 2.0x than regular amount.

Don't miss eating pyaaz kachoris at Rawat kachori waala and if you have time, do visit Lakshmi Mishthan Bhandar (LMB) or Bombay Misthan Bhandar for their lassi (BMB).

Have a safe trip and enjoy your holidays.

Cheers!

[mayankk]

Dont miss jaisalmer. The desolation is therapeutic. And you must see the fort, its crowded a little bit, but seeing life carryong on inside is pretty nice.
And you must try the "special" lassi. And the leather goods.
Unsurprisingly, the dunes are what you can pass.
And of course, Kuldhara.

[shiva_s]

Thanks Rahul for the information on Amer Fort.
Pyaaz Kachoris and Rawat Kachoris sound Yumm. Will surely try some.

Cheers!

Thanks Mayank, surely will skip Khuldara (Just googled and found that the place is spooky) and will try the special lassi.

Cheers!

[Eddy]

Please don't skip Jaisalmer. The desert there is a very good experience. I haven't been to the dunes in Jodhpur but they are unlikely to be as good as Jaisalmer. In fact, I would go to Jaisalmer for the drive alone.

[rahulsnh]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Please don't skip Jaisalmer.

I second that! If you get to camp in dune tents that arrange folk song and dance with campfire then nothing can beat the experience. Also head for Khuri rather than Sam dunes. Sam is more accessible so it is quite spoilt with pile of plastic bottles and such garbage :(

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by shiva_s

Thanks Mayank, surely will skip Khuldara (Just googled and found that the place is spooky) and will try the special lassi.

Cheers!

Lol, I stayed at Kuldhara for three nights. It's definitely not haunted

Though it may not interest you from a tourism perspective since there is nothing really.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by shiva_s

Thanks Rahul for the information on Amer Fort.
Pyaaz Kachoris and Rawat Kachoris sound Yumm. Will surely try some.

Cheers!

Thanks Mayank, surely will skip Khuldara (Just googled and found that the place is spooky) and will try the special lassi.

Cheers!

Sorry, I meant do not skip kuldhara.
As for the dunes, I only went upto sam, and there was a lot garbage, too many people. So you should do the other place thats being advised.

[Eddy]

The War Mueseum is also worth a visit in Jaisalmer.

Laal Maans & Garlic Chutney at a restaurant called Raslila was fantastic This is just near the fort parking. The food at The Trio was also nice, but the service was excruciatingly slow.

Please avoid a restaurant called Chanakya.

[ShaileshHinge]

I second the Khuri trip vs Sam.

I just did my visit to Khuri in december.

Contact Mr Badal Singh( enough information available on internet) at Khuri.
Very genuine person, not in greed of easy money. Always ready to help.

Do go to him directly and he can arrange for
Camel rides
Stay in Dunes
Cultural dance show etc.

Its a very small place though. if you want any 5 star facilities then please choose Jaisalmer as there will be limitations on what can be arranged in a Desert

In Jaisalmer - Trip to Tanot and Longewala is a must. This is the place where the 1971 war was fought( Exact story in movie Border).

You can also visit Indo-Pak Border from here. There is a permission that has to be taken in Jaisalmer somewhere. We missed taking this. I would say take this permission for sure and do visit the border also.

[champ27]

Hi All,

I am planning a Bangalore-Rajasthan road trip from 3rd week of Jan. I have gone through the information in this thread and also read some TLs but still need the advice from fellow BHPians to firm up my plan.

Below are the details:

1. My wife and 3 yr old kid will be travelling with me
2. My ride is 2012 verna crdi.
3. Visit / stay at Ranthambore National Park is a must. Wife is a big wildlife enthusiast. So, don't have a choice here
4. We want to witness the sand dunes at Jaisalmer (or any place that offers the best experience in this regard). Suggestions are welcome on what is the best way to witness sand dunes.
5. We are flexible with the total trip duration. Can add couple of days here and there. Roughly, we have a 2 week time window.

I have the following route in mind:

Drive from Bangalore -Ranthambore (Stay) - Jaipur (Stay)- Jaisalmer (Stay)- Tanot-Longewala (day trip) - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur (Stay)- Kumbhalgarh fort - Udaipur (Stay) - head to Bangalore

I am currently confused about few things:

1. Will Jan 3rd-4th week be good time to be driving around in Rajasthan given the general cold weather conditions prevailing there.
2. I am confused whether to start the circuit from Ranthambore and exit from Udaipur or the other way round. Which option will be more logical since we will be driving from Bangalore
3. Need help in finalizing the route from Bangalore to Ranthambore or Bangalore - Udaipur depending on the order we cover the above mentioned places.

Please suggest if any other places can be thrown into the mix.

Thanks in advance.

PS: Most of my long trips are planned at a very short notice. This one seems to be no different.

[ShaileshHinge]

Originally Posted by champ27

Hi All,
I have the following route in mind:

Drive from Bangalore -Ranthambore (Stay) - Jaipur (Stay)- Jaisalmer (Stay)- Tanot-Longewala (day trip) - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur (Stay)- Kumbhalgarh fort - Udaipur (Stay) - head to Bangalore

Udaipur i will STRONGLY recommend staying at http://www.raagahome.com/

This is a homestay we were put up. its about 6Kms from the site seeing area but is a excellent place to stay. this was the best stay of our whole trip.

Do look at the reviews on Tripadvisor and dont just take my advise.

Jodhpur - Mehrangarh is a good fort - dont miss it please.
Roads accross Rajasthan are good. Enjoy ur drive.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by champ27

Drive from Bangalore -Ranthambore (Stay) - Jaipur (Stay)- Jaisalmer (Stay)- Tanot-Longewala (day trip) - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur (Stay)- Kumbhalgarh fort - Udaipur (Stay) - head to Bangalore.

I would like to tweak this route a bit as follows:
Bangalore - Udaipur(stay) - Jaipur (Stay) - Ranthambore (Stay) - Jaisalmer (Stay) - Jodhpur (Stay) - Mount Abu (Stay)

So that you complete a circle of the state. At Udaipur you can also plan for Ranakpur which has a fascinating temple. If you plan two nights at each place, then you should be able to do in a fortnight. On an average distance between two places would be roughly 350 kms or 4 hrs drive. First half of the day (if started a bit early) can be used for travelling and reaching the tourist destination. Next three sessions can be used for sight seeing.

Sand dunes at Jaisalmer are more than enough to get that experience. Take care that you don't get fleeced by the camel drivers who promise you to even take to the spot where Bajrangi bhaijaan crossed the border.

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by champ27

Hi All,

I am planning a Bangalore-Rajasthan road trip from 3rd week of Jan. I have gone through the information in this thread and also read some TLs but still need the advice from fellow BHPians to firm up my plan.

Below are the details:

1. My wife and 3 yr old kid will be travelling with me
2. My ride is 2012 verna crdi.
3. Visit / stay at Ranthambore National Park is a must. Wife is a big wildlife enthusiast. So, don't have a choice here
4. We want to witness the sand dunes at Jaisalmer (or any place that offers the best experience in this regard). Suggestions are welcome on what is the best way to witness sand dunes.
5. We are flexible with the total trip duration. Can add couple of days here and there. Roughly, we have a 2 week time window.

I have the following route in mind:

Drive from Bangalore -Ranthambore (Stay) - Jaipur (Stay)- Jaisalmer (Stay)- Tanot-Longewala (day trip) - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur (Stay)- Kumbhalgarh fort - Udaipur (Stay) - head to Bangalore

I am currently confused about few things:

1. Will Jan 3rd-4th week be good time to be driving around in Rajasthan given the general cold weather conditions prevailing there.
2. I am confused whether to start the circuit from Ranthambore and exit from Udaipur or the other way round. Which option will be more logical since we will be driving from Bangalore
3. Need help in finalizing the route from Bangalore to Ranthambore or Bangalore - Udaipur depending on the order we cover the above mentioned places.

Please suggest if any other places can be thrown into the mix.

Thanks in advance.

PS: Most of my long trips are planned at a very short notice. This one seems to be no different.

I had done a road trip with my wife and daughter in October. Please find the details here. I covered most places except Rathambore. Feel free to PM me in case you need any help in trip planning.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...road-trip.html

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by champ27

I am currently confused about few things:

1. Will Jan 3rd-4th week be good time to be driving around in Rajasthan given the general cold weather conditions prevailing there..

Dont worry about the temperatures there these days. Its HOT during the day and little better at night with lit bit of wind. Good enough for a light jacket and nothing more. This year has not seen Rajasthani winters till yet (i am talking about last sunday 3rd Jan2016). Its way too warm down there.

[Eddy]

I agree. I was in Rajasthan from 29th Dec to 3rd Jan. Wife had packed as if we were going to Siberia and all of the stuff came back as is

But the locals were pretty sure that the winters may be delayed, but will be there definitely so pack accordingly especially for the kid.