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Riding Regal Rajasthan
Duration
13 days
Site savings
$114
From
$3,686 USD
The sightseeing is almost as compelling as the rides on this tour of the largest province in India. The comfortable accommodations include some far more exotic than the usual tour hotel: a night in a palace in Ras and a restored Rawla, the home of a long-ago chieftain. Stunning views, visits to temples and palaces, and pleasant daily rides add up to an entirely enjoyable and enlighhtening visit to Rajasthan.
- CategoryCultural & Historical
- TypeFully Guided
- Duration13 days
- Culture LevelOut There
- Skill Level2 - Novice
- Activity Level2 - Moderate
- Elevation2 - Moderate
- TerrainMixed
- Distance393.9 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance36 miles
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Quick Stats
- Duration13 days
- Main DestinationIndia
- Distance393.9 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance36 miles
- Elevation2 - Moderate
- TerrainMixed
Route Map (click to view larger image)
Itinerary Details
- Day 1Arrive Jodhpur
You will be picked up from Jodhpur airport and brought to your central hotel in the blue city where you will meet with the rest of the group for dinner and a trip briefing. The hotel is within the ancient walls and has an outstanding view of Meherangarh Fort from the rooftop.
- Pal Haveli
- Dinner
- Day 2Jodhpur - Chandelao
Get up early for an immersive visit to Jodphur. To day you will visit the mighty Meherangarh Fort that hovers over the city, standing out enormously on the hill 410 feet (125 meters) above the city and acknowledged as one of the best-preserved forts in India.
After the tour, you'll be free to explore the town and have lunch on your own before a drive to peaceful Chandelao. Chandelao Garh was once the seat of the Thakur, who administered the affairs of five villages from this fortified home for the Kingdom of Jodphur. It is now an eco-hotel as well as supporting a women's handicraft centre and computer centre for the village.
In the late afternoon you'll have an orientation ride around the villages of Chandelao Garh. This will also give you an opportunity to test out the bikes and make any adjustments needed.
- 22.4 miles
249.3 ft
249.3 ft- Chandelao Garh
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Day 3Chandelao - Luni
Join the parade of locals heading out of the village today as they go to work in their fields of jowar, mustard, and lentils. You'll pass through small towns and farms with the the terrain getting drier and more arid. En route you can visit a durrie weaver. Though durrie rugs originate in the desert of Sind (in present Pakistan), these men are potters by caste and have adopted weaving to revive the ancient tradition.
The night will be spent at a heritage fort hotel in Luni that has been lovingly restored. It is carved out of red sandstone and has ornately carved latticework friezes and intricate jharokhas. The village nestles at the base of the fort walls and is a hub of activity with its many artisans working with metal, clay, or wood, using skills passed down over the centuries by their ancestors.
- 43.5 miles
- -173.6 ft
337.9 ft
511.5 ft - Fort Chanwa
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 4Luni - Fort Rakhi
You'll start from the hotel after breakfast and follow a road parallel to the Luni River. The terrain gets even more arid, and acacia and prosopis trees dominate the landscape. The rare Black Buck antelope is plentiful in this area, and so are Chinkara gazelles, Nilgai antelope, desert fox, and a whole plethora of desert wildlife. You'll break for lunch near a temple.
Set deep into the Thar desert, Rakhi is a town with minimal means. A population of about 3,000 is mainly subsistence farmers and livestock herders. The town has huge salt flats on its eastern side and ever-present mesquite has taken over even the harsh salty landscape, but in turn has given shelter to a variety of wild animals amongst the thorny forest. You will stay with Ajatshatru Singh and his wife Lalita at their Rawla in the middle of town. Decedents of the local aristocracy and the chief of the area, Ajatshatru is highly respected by the people in the countryside. He too is a farmer and loves to welcome guests at his big house. Lalita runs the household and will probably join you for dinner and share experiences living at Rakhi.
- 40.4 miles
- -144.4 ft
636.5 ft
780.8 ft - Fort Rakhi
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 5Fort Rakhi
Cycle from Rakhi to the remote villages in the sandy foothills. The terrain changes as you ride ancient sand dunes where you might spot antelopes, foxes, jackals, or, if you are very lucky, Indian wolves.
The day ends with dinner on a sand hill outside town where, nearby, hundreds of cows, with their nomadic herders, camp for the night. A sight worth seeing! Then head back to Rakhi for one more night with the Singh family.
- 32.3 miles
- 6.6 ft
469.2 ft
462.6 ft - Fort Rakhi
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 6Fort Rakhi - Bhawrani
After breakfast, cycle through farm lands and see farmers with their herds ploughing fields of mustard and wheat. Your ride will take you on some dirt tracks with views of old stone quarries.
Your accommodation tonight is a former hunting lodge built in the 1940s with art deco elements in the architecture as was the trend then. There are also beautifully designed stables that will appeal to horse lovers.
- 64.6 miles
- 337.9 ft
1,102.4 ft
764.4 ft - Rawla Bhawrani
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 7Bhawrani - Jojawar
Leave the arid Thar desert behind as your route weaves past fertile farms and the area gets greener. The shepherds of the region are the Rabaris, who are a beautifully dressed tribe with men in blood-red turbans and women in lovely black and red printed skirts and saris.
As you head further south east, the Aravalli mountains come into view and at the foothills is Jojawar town with its well-established hotel. After check-in, you can relax by dipping into the pool in this beautifully restored Rawla.
- 34.8 miles
- 265.7 ft
547.9 ft
282.2 ft - Rawla Jojawar
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 8Jojawar Loop
Cycle into the surrounding foothills, climbing up to a remote railway station set amidst the Aravali hills. This is where you leave the bikes to board a heritage train ride through the lush valleys of the Aravali with guaranteed sightings of monkeys! After a short train ride with the locals cycle back to your abode, the little garrison fort which was once a major principality of the royal house of Marwar. Bestowed with the title of Rao, the nobles looked after this little fiefdom for about two centuries after its construction in the 18th century. Known by the name of Rawla Jojawar, the fort is now a converted heritage hotel, recently restored back to its old-world splendour. The two young sons of the present Rao and Rani Sahiba Maharaj Singh ji, Nagendra, and Amitvikram Singh, look after the hotel in the Rawla. The rest of the day is free to explore the Jojawar property or relax by the pool.
- 18 miles
- -9.8 ft
305.1 ft
315 ft - Rawla Jojawar
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 9Jojawar - Ranakpur
The Aravali range will be always be on your left as you ride towards the Jain temples of Ranakpur. The first part of the ride will take you through an endless number of dry river beds that carry water only during the monsoon season. You'll come across some unusual rock formations that were once under the sea, evidenced by the wave patterns in the rocks. You'll arrive early in the afternoon at Ranakpur, one of India's most important Jain temple complexes. There are more than 1,444 marble pillars, carved in exquisite detail with no two pillars the same! You must dress appropriately to enter, learn about this Jain sect, and explore the complex. Afterwards, it's a short ride to the resort where you can take a dip in the pool.
- 42.3 miles
- 374 ft
1,151.6 ft
777.6 ft - Ranakpur Safari Lodge
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 10Ranakpur - Fort Kumbhalgarh
Your first long uphill of the tour awaits! Ride ride through the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary as you ascend the Araveli range. The grade is gentle, and you'll have plenty of time for the 10-km (6 mi) climb. Once you reach the plateau, the rest of the ride undulates through small farms that have unique water wheels for irrigation. There's one more hill as you approach the hulking hilltop fortress of Kumbhalgarh. Built on a hilltop 1100 m (3,609 ft) above sea level, the fort has perimeter walls that extend 36 km (22 mi) and contain within them more than 360 temples and two villages. You'll enter through a gate where the walls are 15 feet (4 m) thick! Walk through the main section and explore further if you like, as the hotel is very close.
- 31.7 miles
- 1,837.3 ft
3,595.8 ft
1,758.5 ft - The Haveli Resort
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 11Fort Kumbhalgarh - Udaipur
A great day of cycling awaits, through the rolling countryside starting from the lofty heights of the Aravali Hills and down through the barren lowlands to the lake city of Udaipur. Famous for its lakes and stunning palaces, the city was featured in the James Bond film “Octopussy”. The evening is free for you to explore the old town.
- 3.7 - 53.4 miles
- -1,309.1 ft
2,355.6 ft
3,664.7 ft - Hotel Mahendra Prakash
- Breakfast and Lunch
- Day 12Udaipur Loop
This morning ride directly from the hotel into the green Udaipur countryside and visit the Monsoon Palace that offers spectacular city views. Return to the city by riding around Fateh Lake and have lunch lakeside. There are a few hours free before you meet up for a tour of the City Palace and a sunset boat ride on the lake. The farewell dinner offers us views of this beautifully illuminated city.
- 16.2 miles
- 3.3 ft
1,460 ft
1,456.7 ft - Hotel Mahendra Prakash
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 13Departure