Alwar

Once a princely state, Alwar is rarely visited, hidden between the more popular destinations of Agra and Jaipur. Here in the Shekhawati region, craggy hills and knolls are interspersed with seasonal lakes, small rural hamlets, markets, and subsistenc...

Bikaner

Bikaner exists in magnificent isolation in the northern Rajasthan desert, a fortified town founded by Bika, son of the Rathore king Rao Jodha (who built Jodhpur), in the late 15th century as a stop on the trading route between the Punjab and the plai...

Bundi

The quaint town of Bundi, established in 1241 by Rao Deva, nestles in a narrow valley at the base of a large craggy hill, enclosed by huge walls and fortified by four gateways. The town is dominated by the imposing Taragarh Fort, which looks down ont...

Delwara

Located in the Aravali hills of Rajasthan, and home to the Devi Garh Fort Palace, the picturesque farming village of Delwara commands one of the three main passes into the valley of Udaipur. Just 45 minutes drive from Udaipur, it is well placed to us...

Deogarh

The impressive Deogarh Mahal palace overshadows the small town of Deogarh, situated deep in the rugged and beautiful countryside of Rajasthan. Visitors here can sample rural life amidst stunning scenery which can be explored by jeep, train or on hors...

Jaipur

Jaipur, "The Pink City", is one of the few planned cities in India and its name comes from the deep pink, lime-plastered buildings. Set in the buff-coloured Rajasthani hills, it was founded in 1727 by the Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. At the heart is ...

Jaisalmer

There is something magical about Jaisalmer, which rears out of the inhospitable Thar Desert like a mirage from the "1001 Nights". Once a staging post on the trading routes west, it is a walled citadel, formidably fortified, of a sand colour that turn...

Jodhpur

On the eastern edge of the Thar Desert, Jodhpur also known as the 'Blue City' was once the chief settlement in Marwar, the largest princely state in Rajasthan. Whilst here, stroll around the bazaars with their spices, tie-dye fabrics and puppets, and...

Kota

The city of Kota founded, in the 1264, used to be Rajasthan's principle industrial centre though its focus has recently switched to education and coaching institutes for engineering, medical and scientific research. With an open and spacious feel ...

Mandawa

Mandawa is just over 100 kilometres north of Jaipur, but it could be on a different planet, Because it is north of the Aravalli Hills, on an incredibly arid, dusty plain, its painted havelis - or merchants' mansions - have been unusually well pres...

Mount Abu

Rajasthan's only hill station is most famous for its intricately carved marble Dilwara Temples, built between the 11th and 13th centuries, which are hidden in trees north of the town and considered to be some of the best carvings in India. The tow...

Nagaur

Nagaur is not on the main tourist route of Rajasthan and so is an interesting addition to a trip as it’s free from large crowds. With the new Ranvas hotel, set in the Nagaur Fort itself, it is well worth a night or two here relaxing and taki...

Narlai

This tiny, typically Rajasthani village is in a beautiful area, near the hills that divide the Mewar (in the south) from the Marwar (in the northwest). Dominated by an imposing granite boulder the size of several houses, from the top of which there a...

Nimaj

The reservoir at Nimaj is one of Rajasthan's loveliest and most serene spots; the water attracts wheeling flocks of migratory birds, waders and wildfowl during the winter months - hence its former life as a royal hunting preserve - and there is a ...

Osian

There are 23 temples in this frontier town, one of the final provisioning stops for travellers crossing the Thar Desert by camel. It's a wild, remote location, right out amongst the rolling sand dunes: right up on the top of a privately-owned dune is...

Ranakpur

A 15th-century pale marble temple, rising out of the Aravalli foothills to the north of Udaipur, on the banks of the Magai River, this one of the most significant Jain sites in India, dedicated to the first Teerthkar, or leader, Lord Adinath. Thre...

Ranthambore

The Maharaja of Jaipur used this vast expanse of dry deciduous forests, lakes, meadows and mountains for a private hunting reserve until it became a national park in 1972. One of the earliest tiger reserves in India, Ranthambore offers reliable sight...

Rohet

The Maharaja of Jodhpur bestowed the fiefdom of Rohet upon Thakur Dalpat Singh 1, Rathore of the Champawat clan, as a reward for bravery in the 16th century. These days it is a bustling, colourful, Rajasthani village surrounded by semi-desert landsca...

Samode

Samode is tucked into the Aravalli Hills, around 40 kilometres from Jaipur. It is famous for its restored 18th-century palace, now a luxury hotel and arguably the best of its type in India, which rises above the cobbled streets and stone houses of th...

Shahpura

Halfway between Jaipur and Udaipur, the town of Shahpura is full of shops - shoemakers, tailors, grocers - and has a fine stepwell. To the west, set between a cluster of tranquil man-made lakes that are refilled annually by the monsoon, is Shahpur...

Udaipur

Udaipur has always delighted visitors with its glamorous setting and easy-going, small-town atmosphere. Its position is wonderfully romantic, set beside the blue waters of Pichola Lake, which glimmers against the green of the surrounding hills. Its m...