Jodhpur - 3 day trip to the majestic Rajasthan in India
Please note: We visited Jodhpur before the Corona virus chaos started worldwide.
In the current situation #stayhome #staysafe and read away!!!
When we (me and my husband) informed our family and friends that we plan to stay in Jodhpur for three days we were often told that one and a half days are enough for sightseeing and there is nothing more to see! That may be true for those who have visited other cities in Rajasthan or who are living in India and get Rajasthani cuisine or handicrafts in their cities as well. But we had neither visited Rajasthan before nor do we live in India anymore. For us, visiting Rajasthan was a dream from a long time. We knew we will not be satisfied with anything less than three days so we went ahead with the plan.
As I researched more I found many activities often missed by the fast-paced travelers.
I hope this post encourages others to look out for such local activities and truly experience a new culture.
Kirty Tour and Travels booked our flights, hotel and cab for local sightseeing.
P.S: This is not a sponsored post! This blog is not so popular, 😉 yet!
After this scrumptious lunch we went to visit the main attraction in Jodhpur - the Mehrangarh fort!
At the ticket counter we also booked a guide for 500 rupees. We were lucky to get Mr. Himmat Singh. He was not only knowledgeable about the fort but being a local he also gave us a lot of great suggestions about restaurants and most importantly gave us a trustworthy contact to book the Guda Bishnoi Village Safari (on Day 3). He kindly offered to take our photos throughout the guided tour. All in all the best guide we could have asked for! Send me a message if you want his number for your Jodhpur trip!
Everyday at 3.30 pm hundreds of eagles are fed on top of the fort due to historical reasons. I would have loved to see them but we reached the fort much later and missed the spectacle.
After the fort we went to Ghanta ghar in Sardar Market. It is a very old bell tower in the middle of an equally old and busy market. From there we walked to the restaurant I had chosen for the evening. There are many restaurants which have a fantastic view of the fort. I chose Cafe B @ OTA due to its location near the market. This rooftop restaurant provided a perfect setting for a lovely evening! Light breeze, view of the fort, lake in the front and dinner under the stars. 😍
To make the full utilization of the day and avoid the crowds as well as the harsh sun 😎 we didn't mind getting up early. We had to reach the fort at 8.30 am to prepare for the activity by filling a form and wearing the necessary gear!
They took us around six zip-lining routes around the fort (not inside). Some were short while some were long across valleys and lakes. This area around the fort is called Rao Jodha Desert Park. Those interested in the desert flora and fauna can take special walking tours.
Toorji Ka Jhalra (Toorji’s Stepwell) is a hidden gem in the city. To reach the stepwell one has to go through the city center. We saw it from the the top at the last stop of the zip-lining experience. Jodhpur is also called the Blue city due to the blue colored houses in the city center.
Next we went to visit Jaswant Thada. It is a beautiful memorial built in marble in serene surroundings. Next to it is a cremation ground for the royal family members.
Any trip to Jodhpur will be considered incomplete without a visit to the Umaid Bhavan Palace. Part of it is the official residence of the royal family, the other part is a luxurious Taj hotel and the remaining is a museum. We visited only the museum as a night's stay at the hotel was equal to the cost of our entire Jodhpur trip! 😄
After such an active morning, we headed for lunch to a place called 'On the rocks' suggested by our guide the previous day. It had great ambiance and multiple restaurants to choose from! We chose Red Stone Cafe and relished some Rajasthani dishes.
After lunch we decided to go for desert safari. Along with the desert safari there was an option of booking a night stay in the village with a traditional dinner and cultural programs. We chose to stick with just the safari. But first on the way, we made a stop at Mandore Garden. It is a big site with a lot of temples. There are no statues inside the temples. I knew this fact prior to the visit but still it was a little weird to see empty temples. While the carvings on the temples were stunning, the whole area has a lot of scope for improvements. 😒
After Mandore Garden our driver took us to the starting point of the Osian Village safari. There we booked a jeep for the desert safari and also a camel safari.
The jeep safari was not as adventurous as the one we experienced in Dubai. The sand dunes near Jodhpur are not that tall, in fact it is a baby desert. But anyway, it was a fun evening! After about 30 minutes of driving around in the sand dunes, the jeep driver took us to the place where the camels were 'parked' 😉. The camel safari was also about 30 minutes with time to jump and run in the sand and click tons of photos. The jeep driver came to pick us from the last stop of the camel safari and dropped us back to our car.
We had dinner again under the stars at a nice place called Khaas Bagh.
Our tour guide for the day was Mr. Rampal and he came to pick us up from our hotel at 8.30 am.
The guide gave us a lot of information about the Bishnoi community. They have a compassionate way of living and love animals and trees. Of all trees the Khejri tree is especially revered.
The guide also told us that this community is fighting against the bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the Black buck hunting case. All Indians reading this will know the reference.
The guide knew exactly where to take us for spotting the deer. It was great to see them roaming free in the wild. Although the trucks passing on the road (illegal business as per the guide) at high speeds
created a lot of danger for the animals. 😟
Next stop was a lake where a bird sanctuary is being developed by the government for migratory birds. We paid for the entrance ticket and extra for a binocular and a bird expert to accompany us to the viewing point. He helped us spot many birds and told us their names. As the birds were quite far the photos didn't come out so well.
This concluded the first part of the tour. Now we entered the Bishnoi community village. The first stop was in front of a cute hut and a well maintained courtyard in the traditional way i.e. with cow dung. The members of the family living there were also dressed traditionally and they made us feel welcome. I was afraid I will feel like an intruder but as it wasn't like that. One of them was the 'guide' for us and he explained us their daily routine and showed us around the place. Then he explained the various uses of the drug 'afeem' or Opium in their daily lives and how they prepare a 'medicinal' drink with it. He gave us a taste and asked if we wanted more but we were not inclined on having an illegal drug. Next he gave us a tradional headgear (pagdi) and a chunni to wear so we can take some photos. Those photos have come out great and are posted on my Facebook account.
Next stop was a place where they made carpets in their traditional way. They are called daris. We were given a chance to try our hand at carpet making. It was a new experience.
In the next stop we got a live demo of pottery. It was amazing to see the potter create impossible shapes so skillfully. We bought some tea cups from him.
Jodhpur is famous for its block print designs. The last stop was at a house where we got a demo and information about how block printing is done.
Each of these places were a few hundred meters away from each other and the whole tour took about 3-4 hours. The jeep driver asked us if we were interested in visiting a factory for some more local goods but we had already bought some items from each stop till now and didn't want to buy anymore so we told him to drop us back at the hotel.
The rest of the day we lazed around in the hotel. Sandeep took a dip in the pool, did horse riding available in the hotel premises, we also played some games like cricket and football (just the two of us!) in the hotel's garden, admired the many peacocks in the hotel premises and also used the hotel's gym! Had a lovely dinner under the open sky in the hotel and called it a day!
This trip made me realize the simple pleasures of life taken for granted while growing up in India. Like the chirping of birds, fragrant flowers, flavors in food which awaken our senses and the amazing sunny weather. As they say, traveling gives you a new perspective! 😎
With that wisdom we were ready to travel back and look at Germany with a new perspective! 😉😃
In the current situation #stayhome #staysafe and read away!!!
When we (me and my husband) informed our family and friends that we plan to stay in Jodhpur for three days we were often told that one and a half days are enough for sightseeing and there is nothing more to see! That may be true for those who have visited other cities in Rajasthan or who are living in India and get Rajasthani cuisine or handicrafts in their cities as well. But we had neither visited Rajasthan before nor do we live in India anymore. For us, visiting Rajasthan was a dream from a long time. We knew we will not be satisfied with anything less than three days so we went ahead with the plan.
As I researched more I found many activities often missed by the fast-paced travelers.
I hope this post encourages others to look out for such local activities and truly experience a new culture.
Kirty Tour and Travels booked our flights, hotel and cab for local sightseeing.
P.S: This is not a sponsored post! This blog is not so popular, 😉 yet!
Day 1
We landed in Jodhpur at lunch time. So naturally, the first item in my itinerary was having a traditional Rajasthani thali for lunch 💓! It was delicious and very filling! |
| Rajasthani thali |
After this scrumptious lunch we went to visit the main attraction in Jodhpur - the Mehrangarh fort!
At the ticket counter we also booked a guide for 500 rupees. We were lucky to get Mr. Himmat Singh. He was not only knowledgeable about the fort but being a local he also gave us a lot of great suggestions about restaurants and most importantly gave us a trustworthy contact to book the Guda Bishnoi Village Safari (on Day 3). He kindly offered to take our photos throughout the guided tour. All in all the best guide we could have asked for! Send me a message if you want his number for your Jodhpur trip!
At the end of the tour the guide took us to some shops selling authentic local handicrafts inside the fort. Reminded me of gift shops in museums where the only way out is to walk through the gift shop 😄.
The grandeur of the fort cannot be captured in photos. It has many rooms and museums inside. Each room is special and ornately decorated. Here are a few glimpses.
 |
| Mehrangarh fort from outside |
The grandeur of the fort cannot be captured in photos. It has many rooms and museums inside. Each room is special and ornately decorated. Here are a few glimpses.
 |
| Inside the Mehrangarh fort |
Everyday at 3.30 pm hundreds of eagles are fed on top of the fort due to historical reasons. I would have loved to see them but we reached the fort much later and missed the spectacle.
After the fort we went to Ghanta ghar in Sardar Market. It is a very old bell tower in the middle of an equally old and busy market. From there we walked to the restaurant I had chosen for the evening. There are many restaurants which have a fantastic view of the fort. I chose Cafe B @ OTA due to its location near the market. This rooftop restaurant provided a perfect setting for a lovely evening! Light breeze, view of the fort, lake in the front and dinner under the stars. 😍
 |
| View of the Mehrangarh fort under a moon lit sky |
Day 2
If you are looking for an adrenaline rush then zip-lining around the Mehrangarh fort is a must-have experience! Somehow not a lot of people know about it. The previous day we booked the zip-lining activity with a company called 'Flying Fox' for 9 am.To make the full utilization of the day and avoid the crowds as well as the harsh sun 😎 we didn't mind getting up early. We had to reach the fort at 8.30 am to prepare for the activity by filling a form and wearing the necessary gear!
They took us around six zip-lining routes around the fort (not inside). Some were short while some were long across valleys and lakes. This area around the fort is called Rao Jodha Desert Park. Those interested in the desert flora and fauna can take special walking tours.
 |
| Sandeep enjoying the zip-line experience |
 |
| Toorji's stepwell with the blue city view in the background |
Next we went to visit Jaswant Thada. It is a beautiful memorial built in marble in serene surroundings. Next to it is a cremation ground for the royal family members.
 |
| Jaswant Thada and Umaid Bhavan |
After such an active morning, we headed for lunch to a place called 'On the rocks' suggested by our guide the previous day. It had great ambiance and multiple restaurants to choose from! We chose Red Stone Cafe and relished some Rajasthani dishes.
After lunch we decided to go for desert safari. Along with the desert safari there was an option of booking a night stay in the village with a traditional dinner and cultural programs. We chose to stick with just the safari. But first on the way, we made a stop at Mandore Garden. It is a big site with a lot of temples. There are no statues inside the temples. I knew this fact prior to the visit but still it was a little weird to see empty temples. While the carvings on the temples were stunning, the whole area has a lot of scope for improvements. 😒
 |
| Temples in Mandore Garden |
The jeep safari was not as adventurous as the one we experienced in Dubai. The sand dunes near Jodhpur are not that tall, in fact it is a baby desert. But anyway, it was a fun evening! After about 30 minutes of driving around in the sand dunes, the jeep driver took us to the place where the camels were 'parked' 😉. The camel safari was also about 30 minutes with time to jump and run in the sand and click tons of photos. The jeep driver came to pick us from the last stop of the camel safari and dropped us back to our car.
We had dinner again under the stars at a nice place called Khaas Bagh.
 |
| Lovely atmosphere at Khaas Bagh restaurant |
Day 3
Our Mehrangarh fort guide had given us a contact for the Guda Bishnoi Village Safari. The tour consisted of two parts. First part was spotting animals in the area near the village and then the village tour. I was only interested in the animal safari as I wrongly assumed I won't see anything 'new' in the village tour. But there was no chance to book only the animal safari so we booked the whole tour and I am glad we did because it turned out to be one of the best organized tours. I would be happy to give the contact details of the tour organizer and the jeep driver if you drop me a message.Our tour guide for the day was Mr. Rampal and he came to pick us up from our hotel at 8.30 am.
 |
| Different kind of rides |
The guide also told us that this community is fighting against the bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the Black buck hunting case. All Indians reading this will know the reference.
 |
| Spotted the elusive black buck and lots of deer! |
created a lot of danger for the animals. 😟
Next stop was a lake where a bird sanctuary is being developed by the government for migratory birds. We paid for the entrance ticket and extra for a binocular and a bird expert to accompany us to the viewing point. He helped us spot many birds and told us their names. As the birds were quite far the photos didn't come out so well.
This concluded the first part of the tour. Now we entered the Bishnoi community village. The first stop was in front of a cute hut and a well maintained courtyard in the traditional way i.e. with cow dung. The members of the family living there were also dressed traditionally and they made us feel welcome. I was afraid I will feel like an intruder but as it wasn't like that. One of them was the 'guide' for us and he explained us their daily routine and showed us around the place. Then he explained the various uses of the drug 'afeem' or Opium in their daily lives and how they prepare a 'medicinal' drink with it. He gave us a taste and asked if we wanted more but we were not inclined on having an illegal drug. Next he gave us a tradional headgear (pagdi) and a chunni to wear so we can take some photos. Those photos have come out great and are posted on my Facebook account.
 |
| Some of the stops in the tour |
In the next stop we got a live demo of pottery. It was amazing to see the potter create impossible shapes so skillfully. We bought some tea cups from him.
Jodhpur is famous for its block print designs. The last stop was at a house where we got a demo and information about how block printing is done.
Each of these places were a few hundred meters away from each other and the whole tour took about 3-4 hours. The jeep driver asked us if we were interested in visiting a factory for some more local goods but we had already bought some items from each stop till now and didn't want to buy anymore so we told him to drop us back at the hotel.
 |
| The Umeed hotel |
This trip made me realize the simple pleasures of life taken for granted while growing up in India. Like the chirping of birds, fragrant flowers, flavors in food which awaken our senses and the amazing sunny weather. As they say, traveling gives you a new perspective! 😎
With that wisdom we were ready to travel back and look at Germany with a new perspective! 😉😃
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