A Complete Guide to Travel Within Rajasthan the Right Way!

Anytime you hear of Rajasthan, the desert is what occurs first in your mind. The mighty Thar desert that it beholds, is a place where I've made beautiful memories for life. I went there twice and the delightful feelings that Rajasthan invokes didn't change the second time at all. The enchantment of the place remains unaltered. 

The first time I went there, I'd lost my camera. I lost the pictures I clicked but the memories always remain. The experience at the desert was so overwhelming that I went again to re-live those moments and capture them once again. There was folk music and dance and the people so joyously celebrated every day of their lives. The music automatically gets your feet tapping and in not too long you would find yourself dancing with them.

I visited many places in Rajasthan but out of all, here are my personal favourites. 

You will also find in this guide, complete details about which route to take to make your travel more convenient.

The destinations are planned according to flight and transport convenience. The first and last destinations on my travel plan have airports, for those who opt to fly. Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur have airports making it easier for those who are on a tight schedule of days.

Let's start with the destinations on the itinerary.

Jaipur

Places to visit in Jaipur

Take a flight or a train to reach the Pink City of India. The places you should visit while you are in Jaipur are Albert Hall or Government Central Museum, Hawa Mahal, Jal Palace, Jantar Mantar, Amer Fort, Nahargarh Fort and the Hindu and Jain temples. A tour around these places would require 2-3 days. Once you have seen these lovely places in Jaipur, let's head up to Jodhpur. 

How to reach

To travel to Jodhpur, the luxury buses fares are about Rs 1,000 and the regular buses fares are about Rs 500. The train charges would be Rs 400.

Where To Stay

My suggestions for stay at Jaipur are:

Hostel: Backpacker Stephels

Hotel: Trident Jaipur

Homestay: All Seasons Homestay

Jodhpur

Places to visit in Jodhpur

This city is majorly known for the forts and gardens it beholds. Listing the must-visit places in Jodhpur for you-Mehrangarh Fort & Museum, Jaswanth Thada, Bal Samand Lake, Mandore Graden, Toorji ka Jhalra Bavdi, Machia Biological Park and Umaid Bhawan Museum. I would suggest you spend 3 days here to have the best tour around these places having no regrets when you leave the place. 

How to reach 

As per the route plan, our next destination would be Jaiselmer. Travelling to Jaiselmer would cost Rs 500 if you choose luxury buses or Rs. 300 using the regular buses.

Where to stay

The places I would suggest to stay at Jodhpur are:

Hostel: Rani Mahal

Homestay: Raj Mandir Boutique homestay

Hotel: Jhankar Haveli

Jaisalmer

Places to visit in Jaisalmer

The Golden City of Rajasthan- Jaisalmer has the camel rides and desert life that you are looking forward to throughout the trip, right? Here's where you can visit and do while you are here. Jaisalmer Fort & the Jain Temple in the fort, Akal Fossil Park Museum, Jaisalmer War Museum, Bada Bagh and the Spot of Battle of Longewala are the tourist attractions of this city. The desert safari and camel rides with the Rajasthani turbans, music and beats are mesmerising. A 2-3 day visit to Jaisalmer would be sufficient, unless you want to spend extra time in the desert. 

Once the heart is full of the desert, we can move ahead to the hills. Travel to our next destination - Mount Abu would cost around Rs 500-600 by bus.

Where to stay

The places I would suggest to stay at Jaiselmer are:

Guesthouse: The wanderlust guest House

Hostel: Moustache Jaiselmer

Hotel: Suryaghar Jaiselmer

Mount Abu

Places to visit in Mount Abu

The places you should visit in this hill station located in the Aravalli range are the Nakki lake, Arubuda Devi Temple and Dilwara Jain Temple. A day and a half would suffice at this town. When you have yourself satisfied with the cool breeze here, we shall head to our last destination according to our plan. The luxury bus charges to Udaipur are Rs 500 and the regular local bus fare are Rs 300.

Where to stay

The places I would suggest to stay at Mount Abu are:

Hotel: Hotel Aravali

Resort: Hill 'N' you Boutique garden resort

Udaipur

Places to visit in Udaipur

The City of Lakes, as beautiful as the name describes, amen, it is. There are seven lakes of which Fatehsagar lake and Lake Pichola are most popular. The City Palace and Monsoon Palace, Saheliyon ki Bari, Jag Mandir and the Jain temples are worth the visit. The sunsets should not be missed. I would suggest spending a minimum of 2 days at Udaipur and it is always your choice to spend more time there as it is captivating. Udaipur has its airport thus making it a convenient spot to end your trip here.

Where to stay

The places I would recommend to stay at Udaipur are:

Hostel: Mantra

Hotel: The Leela Palace, The Rising Hotel

The things I look for when I choose a place to stay are a good view, hygiene, affordability and ambiance. My preferences above are based on these factors only.

Duration of the trip

A wholesome trip to Rajasthan having all the places I've mentioned above on your list would require a minimum of 8 days, considering you spend two days in each place. You can always stay an extra day or two in places that are most heart-warming to you.

The other places that you could visit are Kota, Pushkar, Ajmer, Chittorgarh. These places have lakes and palaces holding a very interesting history attached to them. In case you spend more days in Rajasthan, you can definitely visit these places too.

For more information about the above-mentioned places, you can read this.