[pravs3012]

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

Jury will remain out whether or not I live up to this quote in this post but in my mind I definitely have lot to share and remember as I think how did we “dare to achieve” a dream trip. I had read so many posts, admired each and learned a lot theoretically only to conclude –“nah not for me” 😊.

I know some of you may laugh if I say I tried to keep this post short and focused more on pics but believe me I had a tough time deciding what to skip.

I love travelling and my better half has motivated me every time to cover multiple 3 days trips in last 8 years, but she was also nervous whenever I mentioned Rajasthan and years continued to pass. Finally, 2022 October as we were planning December break, both of unanimously decided – let’s do it and our 10 years old kid said yes even before we explained him what would lie ahead.

Before I start with my experience thanks a ton to all fellow team-bhp travelers who had posted their experience and suggestions for a Rajasthan trip. I had read multiple of them and owe a lot to them. In addition thanks to the generic suggestion related threads on highway travel, things to keep in car and mind, driving tips among others. Outside this forum thanks also to Saurabh Vyas who had shared his experience on Medium.

A quick note - we were born and brought up in Rajasthan and hence the choice of places remained the one we had never been to.

Statistics for anyone looking for a short summary:

1. Total Distance: 5003 kms
2. Days: 16
3. Fuel: 295 liters
4. Toll: Rs 4600
5. Travel Map: Bangalore -> Pune -> Ankleshwar -> Ahmedabad -> Jaisalmer -> Tanot/Longewala -> Sam Dunes -> Jodhpur -> Chittorgarh -> Udaipur/Kumbhalgarh-> Ankleshwar -> Pune->Hubbali->Bangalore.

Preparation:
1. Hotels booked a month in advance for all travel destinations and stops
2. Bought air-inflator
3. Though the vehicle is only 4 months old – went for a quick check up at PPS Skoda Hennur – thanks to the executive for suggestions on RSA, engine oil, etc. The process took 45 minutes.
4. My wife expertly packed the bags in such a way we don’t waste time carrying/searching any extra stuff before we reach the Jaisalmer. I don’t know how she remembered everything throughout the 16 days.
5. Fast tag recharged 3000 Rs though it had to be recharged again. Why do I feel I paid majority of the toll in Karnataka?
6. Practiced how to change tire in case of a puncture though thankfully did not need.
7. Read multiple Team-bhp posts on various aspects of travel including the route and destination
8. Prayers

The journey started at 4:30 AM on 17th December for Pune and we returned on 1st January '23. Following are some notes about the places - before and during - we stopped for more than just a night’s sleep.

Ahmedabad:
The only place we had decided to visit before Rajasthan is Sabarmati Ashram. It is very nicely maintained with ton of history to read. We spent close to 3 hours. The location is in city limits. Parking is limited. We were happy to know a bit more about “Bapu” and the facts about the manner he setup this Ashram against various setbacks were just amazing.

Jaisalmer.
1. Ahmedabad to Jaisalmer via Barmer. Once we cross Ahmedabad and drive around 100 kms, a particular stretch towards Barmer is average but not bad. Maintain speed to avoid sudden pothole. Post Barmer the next ~250 kms are as empty as we imagine with hardly any shop. The driving becomes monotonous with same view until we come across the windmills.
2. Stopped for our “FIRST” Rajasthani thali at an aptly named place “Padharo sa”. Delicious thali in traditional style acted as perfect break from the empty roads I mentioned.
3. Reached Jaisalmer to stay in “Casa-de-Kaku” a place also known as “café-de-kaku” known for its unique dining area open for all from where you can view the city under lights. The owner suggested a guide and tips to explore.
4. Jaisalmer is a city of lanes- walk as much as possible and enjoy the simple city dependent on tourism for livelihood. The fort is living fort – many families reside inside. A guide is definitely recommended to understand some details. We paid Rs 500 for the services of highly entertaining Mr. Lokesh. This and any other fort we visited-had the concept of design to resist attacks in the form of (a) stopping elephants (b) hot water and oil thrown at enemies (c) zig-zag shape meaning no one gate visible from other (d) steep inclines walk.
5. In general be careful where you shop – some of them charge a lot in the name of handicrafts and locally designed dresses.
6. Parking of Rs 60 is valid for entire day no matter where you park and hence keep the ticket intact.
7. Observed multiple “wedding invitations” - “painted” outside houses invites everyone who “sees” it and hence no need to send digital or printed media. The card remains on the walls till there is time for another wedding and hence we noticed cards from the last 10 years.




Tanot/Longewala:
1. This route from Jaisalmer city would be one of the most empty but brilliantly maintained roads. Ensure you have sufficient fuel though. Also note that the fuel is more expensive in Jaisalmer than other cities in Rajasthan – one IOC person told me that 3 Rs is added for inter-city transportation from Jodhpur.
2. A trip I felt more proud than happy for obvious reasons.
3. At Tanot visited the legendary temple maintained by BSF. Submitted an ID proof and took a pass to drive to the border- twice checked on the way. It’s a 20 kms drive and you reach the Watch Tower where you can see the double fencing from India and also couple of Pakistani posts.
4. Returned to Tanot and got the ID back. The crowd had become too much by then . We had lunch at Tanot, purchased a lime stone vessel as a souvenir ( much cheaper than the one available in city) and left for Longewala.
5. At Longewala you witness the war memorial and the site of 1971 war with Pakistan. There are 2 tanks captured and lot of war artifacts / weapons used in that war. The officers at site happily explain any query. The quotes at the site are enough to make you feel in debt to our security forces and you leave with nothing but respect and pride.


Sam sand dunes desert camp:

1. The majority of drive was same BRO maintained roads followed by deviation towards Jaisalmer city leading to Sam Sand dunes.
2. A standard package of welcome followed by snacks and cultural program in Sam Sand dunes.
3. The most exciting part was waking up at 6 AM – we had specifically asked for the earliest jeep drive- and heading 15-20 kms towards the desert. We were covered in thick blanket and still shivering. Reached much before sunrise and had a cup of tea with fire at side to keep us warm.
4. As if the jeep did not have enough chilling effect, we decided to opt for dirt biking as well. That’s where the hands become fully numb but what an experience.
5. A mesmerizing sunrise followed by a very short camel ride and we started back to the camp.
6. Quick breakfast and started journey to Jodhpur.
7. My stomach did not appreciate the dinner and I had to skip any special meals next 2 days – only regretful memory.


Jodhpur:

1. Immediately after city limits of Jaisalmer, we stopped at Akal wood fossil park. My son loves to read and explore about fossils and he was very happy to visit that place. The entry ticket is Rs 20 for a vast open area having petrified wood and some fossils dated 180 million years and yes we were the only tourists.
2. Lunch at a quiet but beautiful place named “Megh malhar”.
3. Check-in at “Lake side Inn Ratanada”. Simple place, tasty food -if you eat there but no parking. Saving grace is the location which means decent parking places on adjacent roads.
4. Visited Mehrangarh Fort and Rao Jodha park.
5. Missed Ummed Bhavan as it is open half day on 24th and closed on 25th Dec due to the birthday celebration of the current ruler. We could have planned to visit it first had we knew about this . Please make a note.
6. Visited clock tower in the evening. The person responsible for running the “keys” of the mechanical clock from 15 + years explained the mechanism of that amazing engineering marvel.
7. Left next day for Chittorgarh.

Chittorgarh:
1. Road to Chittor is little patchy as we enter some villages and not so wide. Drive carefully as the traffic from opposite side does not expect you (or so it seems). Post those villages, it’s back to normal.
2. Stayed in Hotel Grand Chittor- excellent staff, food and location.
3. Next day morning reached the fort - perhaps the most memorable experience given the number of marvels we were explained by a very simple but proud guide. By proud I mean of the history and legacy. His is 3rd generation residing in the fort area.
4. He explained in detail about “Johar” and explained why the movie Padmawat is far from truth. You feel a shiver in spine looking at the sites where first 16k and then 13k ladies gave their life to protect the pride.
5. Vijay Stambh , Rani palace and Keerthi Stambh followed while we also saw the ground where khilji’s army rested and surrounded the fort. He shared the fact that hardly any idol was left as a proof of Khilji’s frustration when he entered the fort and found nothing but ash.
6. A bit of shopping followed the lunch and we started journey to Udaipur.
7. The guide left with his Rs 300 fees and felt hesitant to accept any tip


Udaipur/Kumbhalgarh.
1. The distance is around 2 hours but we also stopped to visit “Sanwaria Seth” – Lord Krishna temple on the way.
2. Since we had already visited Udaipur earlier as my in-laws stay , this stay in Udaipur was only to visit Kumbhalgah fort – great wall of India spread across 36 kms.
3. Kumbhalgarh fort is around 90 kms from Udaipur. Half of the route is a one way narrow road and we reached the fort at 9:30 AM
4. Parking was very tough next to the fort but on relative note proved easier as by the time we finished visiting, the nearest parking slot was 1.5 kms away from the fort.
5. It’s a steep walk as we start moving inside the fort which is known for how it was designed to protect from enemies and no one could enter it due to the design.
6. The fort walls are visible from distance but the design means it starts disappearing as you move closure and the enemy cannot see the soldiers seeing you from the wall.
7. There are 2-3 temples but mostly it’s the fort and the never ending wall standing strong today. Rana Kumbha built it and Maharana Pratap was born inside this palace.


The return journey was plain and simple with stay in Ankleshwar, Pune and Hubbali. This was planned as we knew the excitement would slow down and tiredness may take over on the way home. Watched “Avatar” in Pune and enjoyed Maharashtrian thali.


Finally, few words for our beloved Kushaq -I feel I was bit more critical during my initial ownership review, but my love grew much more during this trip.

I drove up to a maximum of 14 hours without a sweat. The acceleration is very smooth, and I am sure speed enthusiasts would love that on these highways. The boot space/design proved to be perfectly adequate given we had stuffed it to the core. The rear seating once again showed it’s a luxury. The fuel efficiency – I got anything between 15.5 and 19.5 depending on road and speed. Few sudden potholes were felt in the cabin but otherwise the drive felt very safe, comfortable and assured.

There is no way I can summarize my experience or even remotely capture what our eyes witnessed, or ears listened.
There are aspects of human interaction that remain close to your heart and stay with you but can never be written down.

I feel privileged and grateful that we could make this trip happen, observe and learn from various people and fellow travelers we met. Talking to all the tour guides, we felt grateful so many times about our profession which remained largely unaffected by COVID. We noticed carefully how there are places that still run more on face value than social media impressions. We always were overwhelmed by the heritage and legacy the previous generations have left for us to marvel. The “no google” engineering excellence and community driven social fabric is interwoven on those walls.

As we stood in front of those large fort walls, this quote summarizes it perfectly
‘ Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustav Flaubert

[EDIT]: Thanks to the suggestions from GTO, I realized captions would help. Appreciate the assistance in moving the thread to assembly for editing.


Thanks.




1. Knew about Dharwad Pedha but saw many shops near Satara to try - worth the stop.



2. Sabartmati Ashram- Bapu's Charkha and the newspaper headlines





3. Multiple tunnels as we approach Pune and also on Pune-Mumbai expressway the next day


4. bon appetit: Around 100kms before Jaisalmer : "Padharo sa" : Great food, staff and ambience.



5. endless and completely empty roads: Ahmedabad to Jaisalmer via Barmer.



6. Early morning Jaisalmer fort from the terrace of "Casa -de-Kaku".



7. Golden city Jaisalmer Haveli glimpse: Limestone all the way.



8. and more...



9. As we way "writing is on the wall" - invitation card.



10. Life is in "this" lane - as our guide seems to be saying while walking ahead.



11. Kushaq parked at Gadisar lake: sunset and the evening Arti time.



12. Tanot



13. Longewala War memorial



14. Moment we waited for: Point till civilian vehicle allowed.



15. It was cold but my son definitely enjoyed the sunrise after jeep safari and dirt biking. No obstruction indeed.



16. Time to "camp"



17. The evening cultural event at the desert camp - view from the terrace.



18. Mehrangarh Fort Jodhpur



19. Closure look



20. Mehrangarh fort as seen from Rao Jodha park



21. Closure look.



22. Clock tower - suggest reading the mechanics of this clock - working without battery from 100+ years.



23. Jodhpur to Chittorgarh: Mostly wide but few such hilly areas.


24. Vijay Stambha Chittorgarh



25. Kubhalgarh Fort wall from Kumbha palace topmost point



26. Chittor : Khilji's army used this area to stay and then surround/attack the fort



27. Kushaq right next to "Great Wall of India - Kumbhalgarh".



28. With wall in the background, steps where soldiers would hide and attack the enemy.



29. Temple inside Kumbhalgarh fort

[GeeTee TSI]

Epic Drive! It is always a special feeling to drive into States (well) beyond the neighbouring one

Couple of things especially stood out as a takeaway - smart packing of luggage and preparedness for a puncture in terms of practicing the spare wheel change beforehand.

On the latter, it helps to have a pair of working gloves besides a sheet/tarpaulin to keep stuff temporarily on the ground whilst the spare wheel is yanked out of the boot floor

[sanjayrozario]

Beautiful! Thanks for this amazing post; this virtual tour is a treat for the eyes. I wanted to know what kind of check-up did PPS Skoda do for a 4-month vehicle.

[Revvatron]

@pravs3012 Beautifully written travelogue and thanks for sharing. Especially that red Kushaq under the sun light looks mesmerizing . Just one question, where you stopped at any point by the cops while you were in one of the other states?

[pravs3012]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Epic Drive! It is always a special feeling to drive into States (well) beyond the neighbouring one

Couple of things especially stood out as a takeaway - smart packing of luggage and preparedness for a puncture in terms of practicing the spare wheel change beforehand.

On the latter, it helps to have a pair of working gloves besides a sheet/tarpaulin to keep stuff temporarily on the ground whilst the spare wheel is yanked out of the boot floor

Thanks for the suggestions, will definitely keep in mind!

[pravs3012]

Originally Posted by Revvatron

@pravs3012 Beautifully written travelogue and thanks for sharing. Especially that red Kushaq under the sun light looks mesmerizing . Just one question, where you stopped at any point by the cops while you were in one of the other states?

Thanks. There was no "stopping" actually but more of check points with barricades. I slowed down and the police would glance at the seat belt usage for the front seats and let us go without any other question. This happened once each in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

[pravs3012]

Originally Posted by sanjayrozario

Beautiful! Thanks for this amazing post; this virtual tour is a treat for the eyes. I wanted to know what kind of check-up did PPS Skoda do for a 4-month vehicle.

Thanks. The check-up was quite quick:
1. Engine oil level
2. Topped up windshield cleaner solution.
3. Lifted the car on ramp to see any visible/obvious issue on the underside and Tyres.
4. Shared general information about RSA.

While the car was lifted, I used the opportunity to ask about TPMS: why don't I get a pressure change sensor from say 34->30. He said it's more of "vehicle level-based sensor" and showed me near the rim. As per him the sensor would notice a difference at much lower levels say 18/20 as that's where the level of 2 tyres would differ to be noted.
I am yet to read more about this.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[hyper-VTEC]

Great Travelogue. Rajasthan road trip is something i have in my bucket list from a long time now. Hopefully will be able to plan something in 2023 winters.

Your descriptive post definitely stirred up the urge even more. Happy you had a memorable trip.

[Subroto Bhowmik]

Congratulations on your first long road trip.
I am also like you prefer reading others travelogues as just cant gather courage to embark on such longish road trips.
Maybe some more time before I too decide to plunge in!! Yeah even I will need to practice changing tires before embarking!!

[MyLife_MyCar]

Sounds an amazing trip! Brings back the memories of my Rajasthan trip in 2016.
I visited Udaipur - Kumbhalgarh - Jaisalmer. Had planned for Jodhpur also, but couldn't visit there.
Udaipur feels a good place to chill out and Jaisalmer takes you back in history.

Originally Posted by pravs3012

Post Barmer the next ~250 kms are as empty as we imagine with hardly any shop.

Barmer to Jaisalmer is only about 150Km. Are you sure this stretch is after Barmer? Or was it ~150kms?
Just thinking about travelling 250 km with same view of vast desert on both sides makes me anxious

Originally Posted by pravs3012

This route from Jaisalmer city would be one of the most empty but brilliantly maintained roads.

I remember long stretch of black tar road (maybe newly built back then) surrounded by sands. What a view to soak in!

Originally Posted by pravs3012

The most exciting part was waking up at 6 AM – we had specifically asked for the earliest jeep drive- and heading 15-20 kms towards the desert.

This indeed is best part. I felt dune bashing in Bolero to be much better than the ones in Land Cruiser in Dubai

Originally Posted by pravs3012

25. Kubhalgarh Fort wall from Kumbha palace topmost point

The walls go as far as one can see. No need to visit China to experience the Great Wall! There is a small dhaba there which serves hot aaloo parantha with so much stuffing that I could not finish even one. It was very tasty.
Finally, the bill for 6 paranthas was 120/-. We all were surprised to have a parantha of that size for just 20/-. Later we realized that it was 720/-. The "7" was written in a way that it looked like "1". LOL moment!

[pravs3012]

Originally Posted by MyLife_MyCar

Sounds an amazing trip! Brings back the memories of my Rajasthan trip in 2016.
I visited Udaipur - Kumbhalgarh - Jaisalmer. Had planned for Jodhpur also, but couldn't visit there.
Udaipur feels a good place to chill out and Jaisalmer takes you back in history.

Barmer to Jaisalmer is only about 150Km. Are you sure this stretch is after Barmer? Or was it ~150kms?
Just thinking about travelling 250 km with same view of vast desert on both sides makes me anxious


I remember long stretch of black tar road (maybe newly built back then) surrounded by sands. What a view to soak in!


This indeed is best part. I felt dune bashing in Bolero to be much better than the ones in Land Cruiser in Dubai


The walls go as far as one can see. No need to visit China to experience the Great Wall! There is a small dhaba there which serves hot aaloo parantha with so much stuffing that I could not finish even one. It was very tasty.
Finally, the bill for 6 paranthas was 120/-. We all were surprised to have a parantha of that size for just 20/-. Later we realized that it was 720/-. The "7" was written in a way that it looked like "1". LOL moment!

Yes, should not have said "post", the distance of 250 kms was not from Barmer but much earlier than that.

The route from Jaisalmer -> Tanot -> Longewala is indeed a driving pleasure with sand dunes greeting you from both sides. While the roads were empty earlier also, the beauty goes a notch higher on this route. Kudos to BRO

I still cannot forget how 3 of us were covered in a thick blanket at 6 AM and still shivering (and laughing) in the open jeep.

Thanks!

[Garth]

Great writing, and equally good pictures. Looks like you had a really good time