Enjoy the Adventure
Kick off your adventure in India’s dynamic capital, Delhi, where you’ll explore historic landmarks before traveling to Agra to marvel at the Taj Mahal. Continue to the colorful city of Jaipur, immersing yourself in its royal heritage and local bazaars. Venture off the beaten path to serene destinations like Nimaj and Jojawar, where you can engage with local communities and enjoy nature. The adventure unfolds in the Thar Desert, with wildlife encounters and cultural experiences in Jawai Bandh and Mihirgarh, culminating in the tranquil surroundings of Bishangarh Fort. Conclude your trip with leisure time in Delhi before your onward journey.
Itinerary
We have carefully planned out each day to give you the best possible experience. From exploring historic landmarks to tasting delicious local cuisine, each day is packed with adventure and excitement. Join us as we take you on a journey through some of the most fascinating destinations in the world.
After having a leisurely breakfast, move out for a daylong sightseeing tour of Delhi, taking in the impressive Red Fort, Jama Masjid – India’s oldest and largest mosque, Raj Ghat – the site of Gandhi’s cremation, the iconic Qutub Minar, stunning Lotus temple and other attractions. Enjoy a rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk— Old Delhi’s most famous market—where you’ll be able to shop for everything from saris to silver jewellery. Post noon, drive past India gate, Parliament house and President’s house. By the evening return back to the hotel. Optional sound and light show tour at Akshardham temple. Overnight at the hotel.
After having your breakfast, checkout and drive to the erstwhile Mughal citadel of Agra. After checking in at the hotel, move out to take a tour to visit the grand Agra fort, which boasts some of India’s finest Mughal buildings behind its fortified walls. Evening is at leisure.
Early morning at sunrise, visit the epitome of love – the world famous Taj Mahal! Built entirely of white marble, the Taj Mahal has no peers. Later drive to Jaipur and enroute visit Fatehpur Sikri – the abandoned citadel of Akbar built in the 16th-century. Continue your drive to Jaipur and stop by Abhaneri stepwells enroute. Visit the Harshat Mata Temple and India’s deepest and largest stepwell, the impressive Chand Baori. Finally arrive Jaipur and check in at your hotel for an overnight stay. Evening is free to explore the bazaars in and around the walled city.
Early in the morning drive to the 16th century Amber Fort. Ascend on an elephant that transports you to the lofty fort, where you enjoy a tour of this Rajput extravaganza. Later in the afternoon visit the City Palace, which boasts an interesting museum of regal attire, Hawa Mahal (palace of winds) and Jantar Mantar, an ancient astronomical observatory. Evening you have the option of having dinner at an ethnic rural village or at the hilltop of Nahargarh which offers a breathtaking night view of Jaipur. Overnight at your hotel.
Drive to Nimaj – nestled in the Aravalli hills between Jaipur and Jodhpur, the landscapes of Nimaj are made up of grasslands, scrub forests, and wetlands. A tranquil hideaway and an excellent place to relax and unwind during a tour of Rajasthan, the surrounding countryside continues to be tilled by farmers in a way unchanged for centuries and the waters of the nearby lake sustain a healthy population of seasonal birdlife. The heart of the region is Chhatra Sagar, a vast and plentiful reservoir created by Thakur Chhatra Singh in the late nineteenth century. His aim was to harvest the monsoon rains, and the reservoir quickly became the main source of agricultural opportunities for local farmers. Nowadays, the area is lush and green, and produce is plentiful. The reservoir also attracts hundreds of beautiful bird species and plenty of wildlife. Your stay is provided at luxury tented camps on the rampart of the reservoir. It is an ideal spot to sit back and watch the world go by before enjoying a refreshing sundowner at the hilltop bar as the sun sets across the surrounding vista.
Day is free at leisure. A visit to Nimaj is a great way to get a feel for rural Rajasthani life, and the villagers are usually happy to tell stories. Bird watching in this region is spectacular, with more than 200 species calling the area home. Farmers and shepherds occupy the countryside and life is simple and peaceful here. There are plenty of age-old temples and mosques for wandering through Nimaj and its surroundings. To get a feel for authentic rural living, you can visit the tribal settlements of shepherds and snake charmers in the region. Day to be spent focussing on the birdlife, farming communities, walks and rewilding, accompanied by one of the resort’s knowledgeable naturalists, explore the farm, local temples and meet the villagers. Take a gentle dawn stroll around the lake, or an evening jeep drive through the grasslands, spying myriad bird species and herds of blue bull. Finish with a surprise sundowner, relax in the lovely tented sitting room and enjoy chatting around a blazing fire under a canopy of stars, before settling into a culinary feast for dinner. A new walkway to the tents allows you to sit outside your tent in addition to giving more privacy, whilst retaining the idyllic views. There’s nothing quite like sitting on your veranda, with a good book, sipping a chilled glass of something, and being rewarded with glorious, uninterrupted views and virtually no sign of habitation.
Drive to Jojawar today and check in at Rawla Jojawar which was created after lovingly renovating the old fort which has always been home to a stunningly beautiful boutique hotel. Here generations of family have lived since 1780, where the patriarch Thakur or Chief in their position as garrison commanders of this border town of Marwar with Mewar – both ancient kingdoms and often bitter enemies, once guarded the volatile border and collected custom dues on the trade. Titles and other benefits followed and the family and the small economy of the then village Jojawar boomed, making it a sizable town of the County.
During your stay here, take a town walk, this small town is a hidden gem in the county, exploring it on foot accompanied by one of the guides is a great way to experience life here as it unfolds before your eyes. Also enjoy a Jeep Safari. It is said that the real India is its rural areas, the country around Jojawar boasts of very interesting landscapes, with the picturesque Aravalli Hills in the east, and broken rocky hills interspersed with farms and scrub forests all around. The Pre- Cambrian Aravalli Hills are one of the oldest mountain ranges of the world, and a geologist’s paradise. The camel herding Rabaris are an ethnic group only to be found around Jojawar. All this makes our Jeep Safaris the most popular excursion as these late afternoon tours take you to homesteads of these Rabaris, into farms, through pretty little hamlets where time seems to have stopped, and we take a break under the shade of a drooping acacias next to a very beautiful small shrine dedicated to a folk deity. Some routes had to be excavated so as to see as much in the given time. Jojawar’s endeavor is to make your excursions interactive and not merely a drive in the country. Unlike any other, jeep safaris here are undertaken in their own fleet of classic vintage vehicles – which makes the whole experience very special.
Another recommended activity is a train safari. The train route between the cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur goes up the scenic Kambli Ghat Pass. One of the favorite excursions is this daily train service from the station at the start of the hill section to the highest station in the Aravallis – the Kambli Ghat station, or the other way round. The engine laboriously and slowly pulls the train through the most beautiful forests and hills that you get to see in the state, this one hour ride is really unique as you even get to interact with the locals who’ll readily share their seats with you and try their best to make conversation with you while trying to suppress the surprise and excitement of sitting next to a foreigner from far away lands! The drive to and back from the stations in your resplendent vintage Chevy, taking a break for tea and cucumber sandwiches at a tiny Forest Rest House. The entire excursion is escorted by one of Jojawar’s staff guides.
Drive to Narlai and stay in Rawla Narlai – a perfect destination to rejuvenate. This unique gem is a 17th century ‘Country Manor’, has been painstakingly restored to its original magnificence. The best of Rajasthan is easily explored from here, including world-heritage temples and forts, lazing leopards, hiking trails and tiny villages. From the top of Elephant Hill, Rawla Narlai is just a tiny speck – surrounded by vast plains, reservoirs and the Aravali mountain range, but from the closer range, the hotel is a dominant feature, with its elaborate arches and crenulated bastions standing out in the rural hamlet. This 17th-century hunting lodge has drawn tourists to Narlai for centuries. Rajasthani royals would travel to this outpost – between Jodhpur and Udaipur – for some of the best hunting in the state. Now guests come to be treated like a Maharajah at the heritage hotel, while dabbling in some of the traditional activities, perhaps a leopard safari or trek on Marwari horses.
Enjoy a memorable dinner at the stepwell. Some moments tend to stay with you for the rest of your life. The exquisite dinner at the step well in Narlai is one of such experiences. In true Rajasthani style, get adorned with turbans and scarves and hop on the bullock carts arranged especially for the evening, Guided by a local into the dusk, swaying to the movement of the cart, watch the village slowly turning in for the night and the starlit sky unfolding above you, reach your destination lit by hundreds of lamps. A culinary journey awaits guests that ignite the taste buds with elaborate fare offered over the next couple of hours. The traditional Rajasthani Thali served depicts a brilliant play of gourmet preparations.
Post breakfast leave for Jawai Bandh. Amongst spellbinding, billion-year-old granite rock formations, where leopards roam wild and free, coexisting comfortably with the charismatic communities, is the pioneering Jawai Bandh. Stay in a luxury camp here. Spectacularly set in a dramatic wilderness, the camp celebrates the great outdoors with panache. Spend unforgettable days in the wilderness tracking leopards and other wildlife. Blending sophistication and ecology, there is no better place to discover one of India’s most enchanting and breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. A wander with the charismatic Rabari herdsmen is a great chance to immerse yourself in the local culture and gain insight into some of our exemplary conservation and community projects.The Jawai experience offers some the most thrilling, authentic and unique ways to encounter the wilderness and wildlife and immerse in the local culture of the region.
Indulge in wilderness drives – Jawai’s leopards, birds and people are a great attraction across the region. Take an early morning game drive, certainly before the sun is up, during your stay here in 4×4 jeeps, with a guide on board will convey you expertly to every corner of Jawai. An experience to discover new areas, new animals and create memories with our people. Go for community visits to the nearby small villages to gain insight into daily community life and illustrate the importance of community upliftment. You will be accompanied and driven by a field guide who themselves have come from one of the villages. You can meet some of the distinct village personalities, visit a traditional home, explore the village trade, gain valuable insights on Indian village society, communities and belief and indulge in some favourite rural past-times!
Drive to Mihirgarh – entering the heart of India’s Thar Desert. A surreal fort-like sandcastle, but a tasteful palace rising from the arid landscape. Picture a sandcastle on the grandest scale and you’re halfway to imagining Mihir Garh boutique hotel, a fairytale fortress in Jodhpur’s rugged Thar desert. Mihir Garh literally translates to ‘Fort of the Sun’, dazzles with its lavish oversized suites, private plunge pools and wildlife encounters. Mihir Garh acts as an envoy of Rajasthan’s rich heritage and culture. The majestic fort seems to emerge from the desert and complements the rugged beauty of the land. The workmen (over a hundred of them) come from the region itself bringing in the local lilt. The soft, stylish furnishings have been bought from the Jodhpur region alone. The village women of Khandi and Haji have lovingly created the fireplaces using age-old techniques of cow dung and clay! From paintings to curtain holders, every little thing has been specially designed for Mihir Garh and handcrafted by local craftsmen.
Though you may spot the odd bluebill buffalo or prancing antelope, the signature village safari lets you experience life in rural Rajasthan as you visit local Bishnoi and Brahmin communities. While the Bishnoi are all about clean living (all plant and animal life is sacred), the blue-housed Brahmins might invite you to join their opium-drinking ritual. If you’re handy with horses, go for a ride on one of the beautiful Marwari stallions. The equestrian programme offers everything from quick morning trots to overnight treks. Or, join the curiously named camel pleasure trip for a jaunt through the dunes. Gourmet guests can take part in the culinary workshop and whip up recipes from traditional Rajasthani cuisine. The Village Safari is one of the main highlights during your stay. Showcasing the best of the land, it is a cultural experience, which encompasses all that this region has to offer. From the warm and hospitable people, to the various customs and ceremonies, the local crafts and the abundant wildlife, guests have the rare privilege of being welcomed into people’s homes and interacting with them. They get to experience and understand a way of life that takes them closer to their roots. This unique tour is made possible solely because of the host family’s special relationship with the local people from various communities and walks of life, which allows rare access into every home visited, where guests are welcomed as their very own.
Drive to Bishangarh – India’s only fort turned hotel, emerges as a destination in and of itself. Surrounded by Aravalli Hills, historical sights, local culture and lush nature, a quiet sense of tranquility reverberates down every corridor. With breathtaking views of Bishangarh and the surrounding villages, this warrior fort is now a beacon for uninterrupted peace. The remote location of Alila Fort Bishangarh in the Aravalli Hills makes it the perfect setting for immersion. After a 7-year ecological restoration, the design concept embraces elements of Jaipur Gharana (house) architecture. The final outcome is 233 years of history and beauty captured in one place! This fort perched on a granite hill offers a bird’s eye view. Enjoy your stay at Bishangarh fort.
Have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and indulge in village activities like jeep safari, pottery making, carpet weaving and also enjoy an evening tea with local village family. Remaining day is at leisure.
Day is at leisure till noon. Later checkout and drive to New Delhi and upon arrival you have the option of some last minute shopping or having dinner at one of the local restaurants. At appropriate time, you will be transferred to the International airport for your onward journey [The Tour Ends]
Included / Excluded
To help you plan your trip, we have put together a list of what's included and what's not included in your tour package. This will give you a clear understanding of what to expect and help you make any necessary arrangements before your journey begins.
- Accommodation with Breakfast
- Airport Transfers
- Guided Sightseeing Tours
- Wildlife and Village Safaris
- Cultural Experiences
- Travel Insurance
- Lunch and Dinner
- Personal Expenses
- Optional Activities
Tour Map
This comprehensive map is designed to guide you through an exciting journey filled with remarkable destinations and captivating experiences.