How to choose your experiences
Most people arrive in Rajasthan with a list of monuments. They leave remembering something else: the chai at a square before the shops opened, the potter who let their child turn his wheel, the silence on a dune after the fire died down. The monuments are the frame. The experiences are the picture.
Start with the hour: Rajasthan is hot at noon even in winter. Put the forts, safaris and walks at dawn, and the boats, rooftops and bazaars at dusk.
- Per day
- One morning and one evening experience
- Dawn
- Forts, safaris, cycling, balloons
- Midday
- Rest, spa, cooking class
- Evening
- Boats, rooftops, music, bazaars
- Book early for
- Festivals, safaris, private dinners
- Choose by what you love: heritage, crafts, food, music, wildlife or the desert. Most journeys mix three or four of these.
- Leave room: one great experience a day is better than four rushed ones. The afternoon is for the pool, the spa or a sleep.
- Match the place: crafts gather around Jaipur, music in the Thar, lakes in Udaipur, tigers in Ranthambore, leopards in Jawai.
- Mind the calendar: festivals, migrant birds, mustard in flower and the closing of Ranthambore's core zones in the monsoon all change what is possible.
- Tell us one thing you have always wanted to do: we build the journey around it. Our plan my journey page starts the conversation.
Forts, palaces and the old cities
Forts and palaces: six hill forts on the UNESCO list, palaces still lived in by their families and the right hour for each. Our forts and palaces page plans private, unhurried visits.
Heritage walks: Jaipur's bazaars before the shutters lift, Jodhpur's blue lanes below the fort and the living fort of Jaisalmer, with guides who grew up there. See heritage walks.
- Stepwells: thirteen storeys of steps at Abhaneri, a queen's gift in Bundi and a jhalra reborn in Jodhpur. How Rajasthan stored its rain, in stepwells of Rajasthan.
- Painted havelis: the merchant families who made fortunes in Calcutta and painted their homes in Shekhawati. Learn to read a wall on our painted havelis page.
- Royal families: stay in forts still run by the families who built them and learn the etiquette of khamma ghani. Honest and never staged: meeting Rajasthan's royal families.
- Vintage cars: royal Rolls-Royces in Udaipur's old state garage, the classic cars of Umaid Bhawan and the Dungarpur Mews. See vintage and classic cars.
- Sunsets: Nahargarh over the Pink City, the golden fort from Vyas Chhatri and mid-lake on Pichola. Our family's favourites are on the best sunsets in Rajasthan.
Crafts, and the families who make them
Block printing in Bagru: carved teak blocks, mud-resist dabu, indigo vats and a length of cloth you print yourself. See block printing in Bagru.
Blue pottery: Jaipur's quartz pottery, painted in cobalt and turquoise, which nearly vanished last century. Paint a tile on our blue pottery morning.
Gems and jewellery: emerald cutters behind Johari Bazaar, kundan setters and enamellers, and a family jeweller, without gem scams. See gems and jewellery of Jaipur.
- Tie-dye: thousands of tiny knots in bandhani and the monsoon waves of leheriya, with a dyeing family in Jodhpur or Jaipur. See leheriya and bandhani.
- Miniature painting: squirrel-hair brushes and colours ground from stone, with a painter in Udaipur, Bundi or Kishangarh. See miniature painting.
- Pichwai: the great painted cloths that hang behind Shrinathji at Nathdwara, bought straight from the studio. See pichwai painting.
- Marble: the quarry town of Makrana, whose white stone built the Taj Mahal, and the inlay families of Agra. See marble craft of Makrana.
- Turbans and mehndi: nine metres of cloth tied in two minutes by a master, and henna from fingertip to wrist. See the Rajasthani turban and mehndi.
- Shopping well: our crafts and textile shopping pages explain how to buy fairly and tell handwork from machine work.
Food, and evenings worth dressing for
Food and royal kitchens: the hunting kitchens of the Rajput courts, the desert kitchens of the merchants and the sweets that come with each season. See food and royal kitchens.
A cooking class in a haveli: dal baati over embers, gatte in yoghurt and laal maas the Rajput way, in a family kitchen. See a cooking class in a haveli.
- A private palace dinner: Jag Mandir by boat after the day visitors leave, or a stepwell lit with oil lamps. See a private dinner in a palace.
- Rooftop dining: the City Palace lit across Pichola, Jaisalmer's fort in its floodlights, Mehrangarh above the blue roofs. See rooftop dining.
- Bazaars after dark: Jaipur's pink arcades lit for the evening, mirchi bada at Jodhpur's clock tower and jalebi frying in Bundi. See bazaars after dark.
- A boat on Pichola: drift past the Lake Palace as the City Palace turns gold and be mid-lake when the sun drops. See a boat on Lake Pichola.
Music, festivals and sacred places
Folk music and dance: hereditary singers of the Thar, whirling Kalbelia skirts and a woman dancing under a tower of brass pots. See folk music and dance.
The Manganiyar: hereditary musicians of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur who traditionally sang for Rajput patron families at births and weddings. See the Manganiyar singers.
- Kathputli: painted wooden string puppets and a reed whistle for a voice, brought to your courtyard by a puppeteer family. See kathputli puppet theatre.
- Kite day: on 14 January the whole of Jaipur climbs onto its roofs for Makar Sankranti. See kite flying on Makar Sankranti.
- Temples and pilgrim towns: a marble temple of 1,444 pillars at Ranakpur, Pushkar's holy lake and a Sufi shrine that welcomes everyone. See temples and pilgrim towns.
- Wildlife around the temples: langurs at Mandore, macaques at Galtaji and cranes fed by a village at Khichan. See wildlife around the temples.
- Festivals: our festival calendar has every fair and festival, from the Pushkar Camel Fair to Diwali.
Wildlife, in the wild and done right
Tiger and leopard safaris: tigers in Ranthambore, leopards in Jawai and the recovering forest of Sariska, in private jeeps with naturalists we trust. See tiger and leopard safaris.
Birding: dawn in Keoladeo by cycle rickshaw, flamingos on the Sambhar flats and harriers over Tal Chhapar. See birding in Bharatpur.
- Tigers
- Ranthambore and Sariska
- Leopards
- Jawai and Jhalana
- Birds
- Keoladeo, November to February
- Ranthambore core zones
- Closed about July to September
- Never booked
- Elephant rides, captive shows, baiting
- The Bishnoi: a community that has guarded trees and antelope since 1485, with blackbuck by the wells. See the Bishnoi villages.
- The Rabari: walk with a herding family and their flock among Jawai's granite hills and share milk tea over a twig fire. See with the Rabari herders.
- Our stance: no elephant rides, no captive shows and no baiting. Our ethical animal encounters page explains what we will and won't book.
The desert, the dunes and the night sky
Desert camps: tents among the dunes near Jaisalmer, with fires, music and food cooked on the sand. See desert camps and dunes and our luxury desert camps.
Camel safari: a slow walk over the dunes at sunrise and a night under the stars, with animals we check ourselves. See camel safari in the Thar.
- Jeep safari: open jeeps to the far dunes, the fossil park and the herders' villages of the Thar. See jeep safari in the Thar.
- Stargazing: a blanket on a cold dune, a telescope and the Milky Way rising over the Thar. See stargazing in the Thar.
- Hot-air balloons: an hour of silence above the Aravallis at sunrise, with Amber Fort on the ridge. See hot-air balloons.
Horses and polo
Polo and horses: winter matches beside Rambagh Palace, the polo season in Jodhpur and the curving-eared Marwari horse. See polo and horses.
- A private polo match: a reserved place by the boards, a stick-and-ball lesson for riders and tea on the lawn. See a private polo match.
- Marwari horse safaris: dawn rides across the farmland from a family fort, and longer rides from village to village. See Marwari horse safaris and the journey on horseback through Marwar.
Slow mornings and restful afternoons
Spa and Ayurveda: warm herbal oil, a slow afternoon and a palace spa, between the morning and evening sightseeing. See spas and Ayurveda.
- Cycling at dawn: Jaipur's bazaars empty at six, Udaipur's farm lanes and Shekhawati's painted streets, with a car following. See cycling the old cities at dawn.
- Rural homestays: a night in a desert hamlet or with a farming family, fairly arranged and on their terms. See rural homestays with families.
- Slow journeys: our wellness and slow travel and yoga and Ayurveda journeys build whole routes around rest.
Weddings, vow renewals and celebrations
Destination weddings: lake palaces in Udaipur, garden palaces in Jaipur, a fort above Jodhpur or a camp in the dunes, with venues, legal rules, seasons and lead times explained. See destination weddings.
- Vow renewals: an island terrace on Pichola at sunset or a dune in the Thar, with a blessing, a garland and a song. See vow renewals in a palace.
- Smaller moments: a birthday on a haveli roof, a proposal on a boat, a family reunion over a royal thali. Tell us quietly and we will plan the rest.
- Honeymoons: our Rajasthan honeymoons page shows how we pace a journey for two.
What to do in each season
October and November: the season opens. Diwali fills the bazaars with lamps, and the Pushkar Camel Fair falls in the month of Kartik.
December and January: cold dawns, clear skies and the best stargazing. Desert camps are at their most magical, and Jaipur flies kites on 14 January.
- October to November
- Diwali lights, the Pushkar fair, harvest
- December to January
- Desert nights, stargazing, kite day on 14 January
- February to March
- Mustard in flower, Holi, the most comfortable weeks
- April to June
- Tigers at waterholes, spa afternoons, dawn starts
- July to September
- Green Mewar, lakes full, Teej
- February and March: our favourite weeks, with soft light, flowering mustard and Holi. Perfect for cycling, balloons and village stays.
- April to June: very hot. Tigers come to the waterholes in Ranthambore, spas become refuges and everything else happens at dawn.
- July to September: the monsoon greens the hills of Mewar and fills the lakes. Lovely for Udaipur and Bundi, with Teej in the lanes, but not for big-cat safaris.
- Month by month: our best time to visit Rajasthan guide has the full calendar.
Experiences by kind of traveller
First-timers
- Our pick: a great fort at opening time, a heritage walk, a boat on Pichola and one night in the desert.
- Journey: The Royal Rajputana gives you all of it, unhurried.
Couples
- Our pick: a private palace dinner, a rooftop facing the City Palace, a spa afternoon and stargazing on a dune.
- Journey: Rajasthan for Two.
Families
- Our pick: a tiger safari, kite flying, block printing, a puppet show and a camel at sunset.
- Journey: our family journeys pace the days for children.
Craft and food lovers
- Our pick: Bagru, blue pottery, a cooking class, the bazaars after dark and a Shekhawati haveli.
- Journeys: the textile and craft trail and a food lover's Rajasthan.
Repeat visitors
- Our pick: a rural homestay, the Bishnoi villages, the Rabari of Jawai and the stepwells of Bundi.
- Journeys: Village Rajasthan and Offbeat Rajasthan.
The rules behind every experience
No commission shopping: our guides are paid to guide, never to sell, and we only introduce you to makers and merchants we have known for years.
No elephant rides or captive shows: we see animals in the wild, and keep camel and horse rides short, with owners we know.
- Fair pay: artisans, musicians, hosts and naturalists are paid properly and, wherever possible, directly.
- Photography with consent: we ask before photographing people, and we teach our guests to do the same.
- Respect for sacred places: shoes off, shoulders covered and the temple's rules first. Our temple etiquette guide explains more.
- Private and unhurried: every experience is arranged for your party alone, at the right hour, with time to linger.
- No prices on the page: after one conversation we send a quote and a day-by-day plan. Read our responsible travel page for the thinking behind all of this.