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8 days & 3550 kms: From Pune to Rajasthan & back in my VW Jetta TDI

31st March 2025, 13:28 by Deepankar Sadekar

Originally, we had planned a two-night stay in Jaisalmer but decided to cover it in one day and start our return the next day.

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This trip had been in the planning stages for a long time. After our Kerala trip three years ago, my wife (Varsha) and I wanted to explore a northern state. Rajasthan was the obvious choice, packed with places to visit and promising a longer adventure. However, for one reason or another, the plan kept getting postponed. Finally, in March 2025, the time had come.

The Travelers:

Sandip - 34 years
Varsha - 33 years
Viaan -6 years

The Ride:

VW Jetta 2.0 TDI - 2016

Pre-Trip Checklist:

Car maintenance check
Window tint - Stek Action 80
Sufficient FASTag balance
Stock up on snacks and water

The Journey:

Our journey began on March 21, 2025, heading towards Ujjain. Heavy truck traffic persisted until we crossed Dhule, with roads in average condition. The stretch through Madhya Pradesh was decent until Indore; beyond that, it was smooth sailing with minimal traffic.

It took us 12 hours, including breaks, starting at 4:15 AM and reaching Ujjain by 4:30 PM.

A quick stop at the Godavari River en route:

Day 2: Ujjain to Udaipur

On March 22, we set off at 7:00 AM, reaching Udaipur by 1:30 PM via Neemuch. The roads were mostly good with light traffic, except for a 20-30 km stretch through small villages that was single-lane.

The city of lakes:

Day 3: Udaipur - Ajmer - Jaipur

We departed at 8:00 AM on March 23, reaching Ajmer by 2:00 PM. The highway was a dream to drive on, so smooth that it's easy to rack up overspeeding fines. Speed limit signs were small and scattered. After a visit to Ajmer Dargah, we resumed our journey at 4:30 PM, arriving in Jaipur by 8:00 PM.

Welcome to Ajmer

Day 4: Jaipur

March 24 was all about exploring Jaipur and taking a break from daily driving.

Day 5: Jaipur to Bikaner

On March 25, we started early at 7:00 AM with a stop at Shree Khatu Shyam Temple. It was unexpectedly overcrowded, so we had a quick mukhdarshan and left by 11:30 AM, reaching Bikaner at 4:30 PM. The roads were fantastic. Unfortunately, we didn’t anticipate the early closing time of the Bikaner Fort, which was a disappointment.

Bikaner Fort:

Day 6: Bikaner to Jaisalmer

Originally, we had planned a two-night stay in Jaisalmer but decided to cover it in one day and start our return the next day. We left Bikaner at 6:00 AM, took a scenic route avoiding major cities, and reached Tanot by 1:00 PM.
Most of this route is built by BRO and was in excellent condition, with just a few rough patches.

From Tanot, we visited Longewala, just 30 km away, which took only 20 minutes thanks to the great roads. From there, it was another 1 hour 15 minutes to Jaisalmer.

Tanot:

Longewala:

Driving through a small sandstorm:

Day 7: Jaisalmer to Surat

March 26 marked the start of our return journey, with no sightseeing planned. We left at 5:00 AM, and as soon as we exited Rajasthan, we started missing its well-maintained highways. Gujarat had bypass roads, but they weren’t sufficient, traffic was heavy, and some expressways led straight into city congestion, making the drive exhausting.

Day 8: Surat to Pune (via Mumbai)

On March 27, we decided to take the Mumbai route to explore this stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral, which turned out to be a mistake. The traffic was relentless from Surat to Mumbai, and it took us 9 hours to cover 400 km, with 3 hours spent crawling through just 50 km near Mumbai. This made me realize that Mumbai needs a ring road pretty badly.

Golden Quadrilateral goes through Mumbai:

Expenses summary:

Total distance: 3550 kms
Fuel (Diesel): 22,000 rupees
Toll:4225 rupees

Q&A:

Was travelling to Rajasthan in March a bad idea?

No, in fact, Rajasthan was cooler than Maharashtra and Gujarat. We had to turn off the AC in hotels at night and use hot water showers. The car's AC was kept at 22-24 degrees throughout the trip, but on the return journey, we had to lower it to 20 degrees while driving through Gujarat.