Three wild places, three different Rajasthans
Saved three ways: each of the three places on this journey was protected in a different way, and each tells its own story.
Keoladeo began as a duck shoot: at Keoladeo, the Bharatpur wetland, the Jat king Suraj Mal built a dam that held the monsoon water in a shallow basin.
Sixty years of shooting: viceroys and maharajas competed here for the biggest bag. Then the shooting stopped.
- Nights
- Twelve
- Pace
- Dawn and dusk outdoors, rest at midday
- Best months
- November to February
- Good for
- Wildlife lovers, photographers, older children
- Starts
- Delhi
- Ends
- Jawai, fly from Udaipur or Jodhpur
- Protected in stages: a bird sanctuary in 1956, a national park in 1982 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. More than 350 species have been recorded in its 29 square kilometres.
- Ranthambore was a royal hunting forest: Ranthambore belonged to the Jaipur maharajas, under a fort the Chauhan Rajputs once held against the Delhi Sultanate.
- Among the first tiger reserves: a sanctuary in 1955 and one of the first Project Tiger reserves in 1973.
- Tigers in daylight: under its great field director Fateh Singh Rathore the tigers began to hunt by day around the lakes, and the tigress Machli, catalogued as T-16, made those lakes famous across the world.
- Jawai has no fence: Jawai has no park gate at all. It is farmland in Godwar, between Udaipur and Jodhpur, broken by domes of ancient granite and the wide water of the Jawai Bandh reservoir.
- Leopards above the villages: they live in the caves of these hills, and the Rabari herders who graze their flocks here have lived with them for generations.
- Tolerance, not boundaries: Jawai's wildlife survives because of people's tolerance, not because of a boundary.
- The whole range: together the three show all of Rajasthan's wild country: wetland, forest and rock, birds, tigers and leopards.
- Two softer stops: between them sit the painted palace of Bundi and the lakes of Udaipur, so every few days of early starts end with a long bath, a good dinner and a bed with a view.
Day by day, from the marsh to the granite
- Delhi to Bharatpur
- Four to five hours
- Bharatpur to Ranthambore
- Train or car, there by lunch
- Ranthambore to Bundi
- About three hours
- Bundi to Udaipur
- About five hours via Chittorgarh
- Udaipur to Jawai
- About three hours
- Jawai to the airport
- About three hours
Day 1: Delhi
Airport welcome: we meet you off the plane and take you to a quiet hotel for a proper night's sleep.
- If you land early: a slow walk in Lodhi Garden at dusk is the gentlest start, with the Mughal tombs among the trees and families out for their evening stroll.
- Want another day: our Delhi guide has more.
Days 2 to 4: Bharatpur and Keoladeo
The drive: leave Delhi after breakfast for four to five hours to Bharatpur, in the Braj country of Krishna.
First afternoon: check in, have lunch and go into Keoladeo for the late afternoon, when the light softens and the birds come in to roost.
- Winter crowds: the pools fill with ducks and geese from Central Asia, and the trees hold storks, cormorants and herons.
- Day three at the gate: be there when it opens. Motor vehicles are kept out of the heart of the park, so you travel by cycle rickshaw with a trained rickshaw guide, many of them superb naturalists.
- What to look for: sarus cranes, the tallest flying birds in the world, dancing in pairs; pythons basking outside their burrows on cold mornings; the great spotted eagle over the water.
- Lohagarh at sunset: after lunch and a rest, walk the ramparts of the mud fort that held off the British for seven weeks in 1805.
- Day four by bicycle: go back in at dawn with a naturalist beside you to explore the quieter side paths and the woodland. Our guide to birdwatching at Bharatpur has the species to hope for.
- On to the tigers: after breakfast take the train down the main line from Bharatpur Junction to Sawai Madhopur, or drive, and reach Ranthambore in time for lunch.
Days 4 to 7: Ranthambore
First drive: meet your naturalist after lunch and go out in a Gypsy, the open six-seat jeep we always book.
The forest: dry deciduous forest of twisting dhok trees, ridges and ravines, fed by a chain of lakes below the fort. Old hunting towers and pavilions make its photographs look like nowhere else.
- The daily rhythm: a morning drive in the cold half-light with blankets and a flask of tea, a late breakfast, sleep or a swim at the lodge, then an afternoon drive in a different zone.
- A morning at the fort: on one late morning climb instead to Ranthambore Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, and its Trinetra Ganesh temple, where families still post wedding invitations to the god.
- Dastkar: on another, visit the craft project that works with women from villages around the park.
- Day seven: a last morning drive, then breakfast and about three hours south to Bundi.
- The honest odds: over three nights and five or six drives most of our guests see a tiger, but nobody can promise it, and anyone who does is not being honest.
- Every drive counts: leopards, sloth bears, sambar wading in the lakes, mugger crocodiles and a superb list of birds make each one worthwhile.
Day 7: Bundi
Our gift after the jeeps: a small blue town in a fold of the hills, ruled by the Hada Chauhans from 1342, with a palace climbing the slope above it.
- Arrive for lunch: at a family haveli, then rest.
- The queen's stepwell: walk down to Raniji ki Baori, built in 1699, when the late light slants down its steps.
- Dinner: on a roof, looking up at the floodlit palace.
Days 8 to 10: Udaipur
The Chitrashala first: on day eight climb to the Garh Palace and the Chitrashala as soon as it opens.
Murals you'll recognise: turquoise and green paintings of Krishna, monsoon skies and royal hunts, some of the finest in Rajasthan, with the tigers and deer you have just seen in the forest.
- The drive west: about five hours by way of Chittorgarh to Udaipur, arriving for a sunset drink by Lake Pichola.
- Day nine, no alarm: the City Palace in the late morning, a walk through the old town to the Jagdish temple, then rest.
- On the water: in the late afternoon take a boat on Lake Pichola past the Lake Palace to Jag Mandir, and stay out as the lights come on along the ghats.
- Day ten to Jawai: about three hours after breakfast, or most of the morning with a stop at Ranakpur, whose marble Jain temple is carved with a traditional count of 1,444 pillars.
- First leopard drive: arrive at camp for lunch, sleep, and head out as the granite turns orange.
Days 10 to 13: Jawai
Leopards on the rocks: they come out in the early morning and late afternoon to warm themselves and look over their territory, and against the granite they can often be watched for a long time.
How the drives work: open jeeps on farm tracks with a naturalist who knows the individual cats and their caves, usually with a local tracker who hears every village rumour.
- The odds: two or three days in good hands usually bring several sightings, though never a certain one.
- Walk with the Rabari: one morning with a Rabari family and their flock, at their pace and on their terms, hearing how they read the pugmarks on the tracks.
- The reservoir: spend another with binoculars. Mugger crocodiles bask on the banks and, from November to February, bar-headed geese graze the fields, cranes gather and ducks crowd the shallows.
- Evenings: a sundowner on a granite outcrop above the water.
- Day thirteen: a last dawn drive, breakfast in the bush, then about three hours to Udaipur or Jodhpur for your flight home.
- Why do both parks: read our piece on Jawai or Ranthambore.
What you may see in each place
At Keoladeo
On the open water: pelicans, bar-headed geese and many kinds of duck in winter.
Waders and divers: painted storks with rosy wings, spoonbills, darters and ibises.
- By the paths: sarus cranes in pairs, roosting owls, kingfishers, bee-eaters and harriers.
- On the ground: nilgai, golden jackals and, for the lucky, a fishing cat.
- A loss we talk about: our guides tell you about the white Siberian cranes that wintered here until 2002 and no longer come, because that loss is part of the place.
In Ranthambore
The tiger first: but also leopards on the rocky edges and sloth bears at dusk.
- Grazers: sambar wading into the lakes, spotted deer, nilgai, wild boar and chinkara.
- On the banks: mugger crocodiles bask at Padam Talao and Rajbagh.
- Look up, look down: crested serpent eagles overhead, and the pugmarks your naturalist reads in the dust.
Around Jawai
Leopards on the granite: often a mother with cubs near a cave.
- For those who sit quietly at dusk: striped hyenas, jungle cats and Indian foxes.
- On the cliffs: Indian eagle-owls call from the rock faces and vultures ride the warm air over the hills.
- In winter: the reservoir fills with geese, ducks, cranes and sometimes flamingos.
How we watch wild animals
Manners as much as tracking: we choose our naturalists and lodges for both.
In Ranthambore: a private Gypsy, so we can pull back from a crowd of vehicles rather than join it.
In Jawai: there is no park authority to set the rules, so we work only with camps that refuse baiting, chasing and spotlights.
- In Keoladeo: rickshaw guides who know where the owls roost and never flush a bird for a photograph.
- Our wider rules: our page on ethical animal encounters sets out what we will and won't book anywhere in Rajasthan.
- Stay seated: inside the vehicle, keep your voice low and switch phones to silent.
- Never chase: don't ask a driver to chase an animal, go off the track or block its path. We wait, with the engine off.
- No baiting, spotlights or drones: ever. They frighten wildlife and disturb villages.
- Dress quietly: wear muted colours, skip strong perfume and never throw anything from the jeep.
- Respect the herders: in Jawai, ask before photographing the Rabari, and remember they are not part of the safari.
Where you'll stay
Delhi: a calm first night
The Imperial: on Janpath, with its colonial corridors and gardens.
- The Oberoi, New Delhi: looking over the golf course towards Humayun's Tomb.
- Why these: both are quiet enough to sleep off a long flight.
Bharatpur: a royal family palace
Honest expectations: Bharatpur's stays are modest compared with Jaipur's, and we say so.
- Our usual choice: the Laxmi Vilas Palace, a royal family palace turned heritage hotel about fifteen minutes from the park gate. We ask for a room in the heritage wing.
- For keen birders: sometimes a simpler lodge right by the gate, because two dawns in the marsh matter more than a grand room.
Ranthambore: three of Asia's finest lodges
SUJAN Sher Bagh: a tented camp in the spirit of an old hunting camp, with brass fittings, campaign furniture and some of the best naturalists in the park.
- Aman-i-Khas: a small camp of large white tents inspired by the Mughal encampments, calm and deliberately simple in its luxury.
- The Oberoi Vanyavilas: luxury tents in walled gardens and orchards, a fine spa and the most comfortable rooms in Ranthambore. Our first choice for families.
- Seasons: the tented camps keep a shorter season than the hotels, which suits this winter journey.
Bundi: a painted family haveli
No palace hotel: Bundi has none, and we would not want one.
- The best rooms: heritage havelis run by the families who own them, below the Garh Palace, with murals in the rooms and breakfast on the roof.
- Compare them: our guide to Bundi's heritage havelis.
Udaipur: water outside the window
After a week of dust: sleep on the lake.
- Taj Lake Palace: floats on its island in Pichola.
- On the shore: The Oberoi Udaivilas and The Leela Palace Udaipur sit side by side with long lake views.
- Shiv Niwas Palace: inside the City Palace complex, it puts you in the house of the Mewar family.
Jawai: a camp among the rocks
SUJAN JAWAI: the best-known luxury camp in Jawai, a cluster of tents among the granite.
Why we like it: an excellent team of naturalists, a strong commitment to the local community and a firm line on ethical safaris.
- Newer camps: smaller ones have opened around Bera in recent years. Standards vary widely, so we book only those we have visited.
- A heritage alternative: with a single leopard drive, Rawla Narlai, an old hunting lodge of the Jodhpur royal family about an hour away, is lovely.
- What we look for: our page on wildlife lodges explains.
When to go, and what each season trades
November to February: the window we recommend. The migrant ducks, geese and raptors are at Keoladeo, with the greatest numbers from December to February.
Winter elsewhere: Ranthambore is cool and green after the rains, and Jawai's fields are full of winter crops, with bar-headed geese and cranes on the reservoir.
Cold mornings: December and January in an open jeep are bitterly cold. Bring a warm jacket, gloves and a hat, and we add blankets and hot water bottles.
- Best window
- November to February
- Peak birds
- December to February at Keoladeo
- Photographers
- March in Ranthambore
- Hottest
- April to June, often past 40 degrees
- Core zones shut
- About July to September
- Nesting storks
- August to October at Bharatpur
- March: warmer, and many photographers' favourite month in Ranthambore, though the winter birds are leaving Bharatpur.
- April to June: the forest is dry and animals gather at the water, which makes tigers and leopards easier to find. Midday heat often passes 40 degrees and Keoladeo is at its quietest.
- July to September: Ranthambore's core zones close for the monsoon, and drives elsewhere are often stopped by rain.
- For bird lovers: August to October has its own reward at Bharatpur, when painted storks, herons and egrets nest in their thousands, but Ranthambore is only partly open then.
- Ganesh Chaturthi: avoid that week in August or September if you want a quiet Ranthambore, as huge crowds of pilgrims walk up to the fort.
- Busiest weeks: Christmas, New Year and Easter, when permits and lodges sell out months ahead.
- Month by month: our journal on the best time for tigers and the best time to visit Ranthambore.
Make it yours
With less time
- Eight or nine nights: drop Bundi and Udaipur, fly from Jaipur to Udaipur after Ranthambore and drive straight to Jawai.
- Or a ready-made shorter route: our Palaces and Tigers journey pairs Ranthambore and Jawai with palace nights in Jaipur and Udaipur.
For serious birders
More Keoladeo: three or four nights, with a specialist guide for every dawn and dusk.
- Add two places: the blackbuck grassland and migrating raptors of Tal Chhapar, and the flamingos of Sambhar Lake.
- Built around them: our birding journey.
For photographers
Move it to March: give Ranthambore four nights and Jawai three or four, with a private vehicle for every drive.
- Lenses: a 100 to 400 millimetre zoom covers most of Ranthambore. Jawai rewards something longer.
- Support: a beanbag on the jeep rail is steadier than a tripod. Our photography tips have more.
For families
What children love: the rickshaws and bicycles of Keoladeo, the size of the pelicans and the stories of Machli.
- Their own pace: we book private jeeps, keep some drives short and choose lodges with pools.
- Kit for each child: binoculars and a bird list.
- Age rules: forest rules set minimum ages for some activities and change from time to time, so we check them when we book.
For repeat visitors
Swap the reserve: try Sariska, which lost its tigers and was restocked from Ranthambore.
- Add forest: the forests around Kumbhalgarh, on the way to Jawai.
- Seen tigers before: spend more time with the Rabari and at the reservoir, and let the leopards come to you.
How we look after you
Door to door: we meet you at Delhi Airport and see you onto your flight home at the end.
One chauffeur: a private driver takes you the whole way.
Trains when quicker: as from Bharatpur to Sawai Madhopur. We handle your luggage and the car waits at the other end.
- Meet and greet
- Delhi Airport, both ends
- Chauffeur
- One private car throughout
- Train
- Bharatpur to Sawai Madhopur
- Permits
- Rajasthan forest department, passport details
- Planner
- On WhatsApp throughout
- Prices
- Quoted after one conversation
- The right guide in each place: a naturalist chosen for each park, and in Bundi and Udaipur a local guide who grew up there.
- Ranthambore permits: issued by the Rajasthan forest department, they sell out early in high season and are tied to each guest's passport details, so we ask for them as soon as your dates are fixed.
- Private where allowed: we book private vehicles wherever the rules allow, arrange rickshaw guides at Keoladeo and choose the Jawai camp by its ethics as much as its tents.
- Your planner: on WhatsApp throughout, ready to move a drive, change a lodge or find a doctor.
- No published prices: every journey is built for the people taking it. Tell us what you hope to see and how you like to travel, and we quote after one conversation.
- Choosing naturalists: our wildlife safaris page explains how we do it.
Who will love it, and who should choose another journey
Early risers: you are happy to rise before dawn and sit quietly in a cold jeep.
The quietly delighted: a pair of dancing cranes can make your morning as much as a tiger.
- The curious: you want to know how people and wild animals share a crowded country.
- Who it suits: photographers, birders, families with children old enough to keep still, and couples who would rather spend an evening on a granite rock than in a restaurant.
- Not for you if: you want the great forts and palaces at a leisurely pace, early starts make you miserable, or you need a guaranteed tiger.
- Palaces with one safari: choose Palaces and Tigers or the Golden Triangle with Ranthambore.
- A first, complete view of the state: choose The Royal Rajputana.
- Still unsure: we will tell you honestly which suits you.
