A COLOSSAL VILLAGE STAY IN RAJASTHAN

Imagine detaching with your chaotic life for a few days; Traveling alone into the wilderness, living with primitive resources and learning a culture right from its roots. Doesn’t that sound just right?

Picture yourself waking up to chirping birds in a warm cozy hut with the aroma of moist soil. Mornings run laden with crop carpets and steaming food coming right from a ‘Chulha’. Ahh! Imagine how whimsical will it become.

Starting your day with rural morning chores and ending it with the sights of fireflies in the sky. A place where culture is the only luxury to accord and creased smiles are the only reward to take back that is where the heart of India resides.

To someone who loves life a little too much, living in villages comes with the perks of learning valuable life lessons. And if that rural stay is in the royal lands of Rajasthan you can imagine its potential. All you have to do is; find a family to host you and in no time you’ll lose your heart to the primitive yet spellbinding lifestyle of Rural Rajasthan.

However, if you are looking for a unique blend that mixes the essence of Rajasthan and all that we’ve talked about above, we highly recommend you follow this itinerary on your village stay in Rajasthan.

So, pack your bags and take this Rajasthan Adventure with us. For all, we know you’ll regret if you don’t.

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THE PERFECT RAJASTHAN VILLAGE TOUR ITINERARY

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Delhi- Mandawa-Bikaner Desert Camp-Jaisalmer-Bishnoi Village-Chandelao Garh -Castle Bera-Udaipur-Jaipur-Rusirani-Agra

DAY 1: DELHI

Welcome to India-the colossally diverse land that breathes in history and rejoices in tradition.

Hop out of your plane. Our representatives will be waiting for you at the airport. Get chauffeured in the comfort of a cozy bed in your hotel and spend some time vibing with the place.

Plan your evening either by exploring the bazaar and malls or stay tucked in to give yourself some time to adjust.

Moreover, big things coming up stay tuned!

DAY 2: MANDAWA

Driving to Mandawa and visiting Fresco Havelis

Rise and shine mate! It’s time for you to hit the road and travel westwards towards Mandawa.

En route, watch the topography change hues and textures. Meanwhile, there are high chances that you’ll be accompanied by cattle and cows on the road. Don’t worry if you have an encounter with one. Your kids will love them and if not; they are harmless.

Reach Mandawa and savor your first ever Rajasthani lunch. Later, hop on your cab for a heritage tour in Mandawa.

Mandawa is the second home to the Indian film industry in Rajasthan. As a matter of fact, if you don’t know anything about Mandawa; let us inform you that you are in for a treat. That’s because Mandawa is the world’s largest open air gallery that flaunts age-old fresco painting.

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Top attractions include:

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Mandawa Haveli:

Known for its beauty and sheer delight, Mandawa Haveli is a 200 year old Haveli turned Hotel that today, welcome travelers from all around the globe.

Popular among folks for its mirror work, this Haveli is the best maintained out of the lot and has frescoes depicting early lifestyle in Mandawa along with mythological scenes.

Bansidhar Newatia Haveli

Bansidhar Newatia Haveli is quite ahead of its time. It’s jarring to see the illustration of technology on the walls of this Haveli as Mandawa was a very mobile village in the region at that time.

The highlights of this Haveli are the illustrations of the maiden flight of the Wright brothers, a European boy making a phone call and a man- bird.

Murmuria Haveli

Murmuria Haveli is the blend of the west and the east. This beauty painted in European style around 1930 showcase the best of both worlds.

Highlights of this Haveli are paintings of George V, Venice and a young Nehru holding a flag.

Goenka Double Haveli

Goenka Double Haveli is the only double storey structure of the village that’s bejeweled in the strong strokes of Fresco Paintings.

Abandoned yet love, this golden edifice has a unique charm to it that gets visitors keep coming back for more.

Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli

The finest of the finest is saved for the last. Welcome to Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli, a place where murals depict various grounds of life.

Tinted in blue, the paintings here break the stigma around erotica and platters a flavour of India you wouldn’t have thought about.

Day 3: Bikaner

Visiting Karni temple and Junagarh Fort on your Village stay in Rajasthan.

Mandawa to Bikaner will be a smooth ride. It will hardly take you three hours to reach Bikaner and while you are at it, you’ll visit Karni Temple or the Rat Temple of Rajasthan.

Karni Temple

Talk about bizarre facets of India; well this is going to be an epic one.

Like we already told you Karni Temple is a rat temple in Rajasthan that’s on the way to Bikaner from Mandawa. And that’s not because of the lack of pest control in this area, the reason behind these rats existing here is fixated on a Hindu legend.

According to which, Karni Mata the incarnation of Goddess Durga was the part of the clan named Charin. She lived 150 years and yet was young and beautiful. People believe that after her death, she became a rat.

In the gist of which, every Charin clan member believed that they too will be incarnated as rats and the tradition continued to revere rats in this temple.

Moreover for ages, devotees have been visiting this temple to not only pay homage but also to heal ailments.

Furthermore, the most enticing part about it is that rats live here and stay here despite the fact that they are free to move, which is indeed mind boggling.

Do you know that there is also a popular belief that if you get overrun by a white rat you will turn lucky? The more you know!

Junagarh fort

Next up on your list the very flamboyant Junagarh Fort.

Junagarh fort is the Zion to every shutterbug. It’s beautiful, it’s magnificent and it quite aptly showcases the “Royal Rajasthan” narrative. Built out of red sandstone, this lofty fort in Rajasthan is a unique amalgamation of Mughal, Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural styles.

Moreover, this beautiful fort of Rajasthan holds a lot more architectural charms inside its gated boundaries than on its exteriors. However, if you wish to enkindle the history buff in you, visit the fort’s museum for impalpable artifacts and armories.

Although this fort is quite big, it ideally takes around 2 hours to explore the place properly.

Places to see inside Junagarh Fort: Anup Mahal, Chandra Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Dungar Mahal, Diwan-e-khas and Ganga Mahal.

Day 4 and 5: Jaisalmer

Leaving Bikaner and approaching Jaisalmer on a long drive of 330 kms and observing the change of topography into an arid and desert type is fulfilling. We bet you’ll love it.

It’s laden with wide stretches of roads and barren landscape with a little traffic. Moreover, amid this no-man’s land, you’ll reach your next destination- Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer City:

You’ll start your Jaisalmer trip by exploring the boulevards of the golden city.

Settled amid the walled fort “Sonar Qila”, like every historic city, the legends of Jaisalmer too reverberate to blood and glory.

Plundered and rebuilt thrice through the ravages of time, the 21st century Jaisalmer will transport you to the Rajputana. Houses built of sand stones and created in sync with the fort, alleyways reminding of movie sets and a massive structure looking over this clustered settlement, there is no city as beautiful as this.

Explore the fort, the City Palace and the bustling bazaars here on your village stay in Rajasthan trip to make you day four successful. Next day, travel a little to reach the famous Sand dunes of Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer Desert Camps:

If you’ve ever wanted to sleep below the starry sky or enjoy camel riding in the absolute middle of nowhere, then your fantasies will come to life here.

Jaisalmer desert camps bring you the lifestyle of the desert in a bag. It brings you its culture, its food, nature gazing sessions and everything in between.

Here you can enjoy the luxury of living in a Swiss tent and rejoicing to the services that are quite rare in a desert. Apart from that, bird watching and history will also compliment your stay here.

Moreover, Jaisalmer desert camping experience comes with the perks of watching the sunset on the horizon and witnessing it blazing the sky.

Other than that this experience also renders the opportunity to dance along to Rajasthani tunes and that’s more than enough to warm your heart with a million suns, even when it is quite cold at night.

Day 6: Bishnoi Village

After seeing the culture in the cities it’s time for you to learn the depth of it in the opulent villages of Rajasthan. On day- six you’ll be spending a day in Bishnoi Village after your brief visit in Jodhpur.

Believe us; this day on your rural Rajasthan tour will overwhelm you with joy. It will give you the virtue of the social contrast that exists in India in a matter of minutes.

Furthermore, for this, you’ll start with the very reverend Mehrangarh Fort.

Mehrangarh Fort

“A Palace that might have been built by Titans and colored by the morning sun”.-Rudyard Kipling

This quote by Rudyard Kipling will make all sense once you’ll stand affront this mammoth structure. And no exaggeration there!

This fort turned museum flaunts many important artifacts from the medieval Rajasthan making it concrete that this state was one of the richest in the country during those times.

Perched on the top of a rock, Mehrangarh fort romantically looks over the city of Jodhpur while giving golden streaks to this blue enigma.

Its splendid architecture is another reason that makes it an unrivalled treat on our itinerary.

A total of 2 hours would be enough to catch the best of this place. Once you are done adoring this place you’ll move forward to the more subtle side of Rajasthan- the Bishnoi Village.

Bishnoi Village

“Real India still lives in its villages”

If you ever thought this was just a theory, your visit to Bishnoi village will change your perception.

It’s the common man’s land. And, with conservation of environment deeply rooted in its culture, Bishnoi village is a living epitome of nurturing traditions.

Here you’ll eat from a villager’s platter, do chores that revolves around nature and meet a plethora of people that have adopted various arts in order to survive.

Segregated into various villages as per the job of the locals, a heritage tour across this area will be an awakening for you.

Come here to stay in mud houses with a clan that’s passionate about wildlife. Moreover, try your hand in pottery, weaving and farming. Spot some wildlife and do everything that’s been offered to you. But amid all this, do what the villagers do best: respecting and enjoying nature’s bounty.

Believe us or not that’s the best way to make the most out of this place!

Day 7: Chandelao Garh

A different village, a different experience and just an hour long ride. This pretty well summarizes the trip from Bishnoi Village stay in Rajasthan to Chandelao Garh stays.

Village walks in Chandelao Garh

Chandelao Garh pins the eminence of Royal India away from the bustling city into the rural grounds.

Approximately an hour away from Bishnoi Village, Chandelao Garh is an archetypical Rajasthani village where disconnecting from the world and drowning in the tranquility that surrounds you seems just about right.

The whole point of adding this village stay in Rajasthan to the rural Rajasthan itinerary is to concrete every bit of Indian culture into your travel journal. And, a rural household that’s been practicing this for generations is the most reliable source to learn it from, don’t you think?

Take a walk in and around the village and you’ll be amazed to see how well they treat you and their surroundings. Interact with the children and ask them whatever you want to know and they’ll wholeheartedly answer all your questions.

Toiling around the village will further polish the pottery skills you established in Bishnoi Village. And doing that with a steaming hot cup of tea will add more flavour to this experience.

The locals here will try more than they can to make you feel at home. Be it by serving you the best of food or by tying a turban in your head so that you blend well with them.

Imagine hearing birds tweeting till sundown while you are sitting in the lake and enjoying the breathtaking sunset. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Well it sure is but what’s more jarring is it’s a handcrafted market that sells items at dirt cheap prices.

So, don’t miss your chances with locally handcrafted curtains, pillow covers, mandalas, and other souvenirs.

Visiting a local NGO

After a wholesome village walks, you’ll come directly to visit a local NGO.

One of the most charming reasons to visit the quaint Chandelao Garh is its abundance of art and beauty.

With your time in the Sunder Rang NGO, a great initiative recognizing the skill and beauty of the work of women of the village, you’ll get the opportunity to jot some more skills on your performa! Amazing isn’t it?

Day 8, 9 and 10-Castle Bera

Bera is another rural charm that you’ll visit on your rural Rajasthan itinerary.

Beside, the palace stay, Bera is also famous as the foreground for animal sightings. To be honest; it makes complete sense as this little hamlet is tucked in beautifully amid Aravali Range and various lakes and dams.

Here you’ll get to live in a castle and explore the depths of history this place brims with.

Once you reach its premises, freshen up and wear your observer pants as you’ll be directly going into an evening safari.

This 2-3 hour long safari will help you spot some amazing wildlife including leopards, hyenas and Nilgiris. Once you are done watching them live their best lives, you’ll head back for your royal style dinner.

Day 9 here will be a bit more relaxed where you’ll be chauffeured to Jawai Dam for a morning tea and bird watching sessions. Later on that day you’ll be visiting nearby villages and places of interest of the locals here.

Furthermore, day 10 will be your buffer day, so that you reenergize for the things that are yet to come.

Today you’ll take a quick drive to Udaipur where you’ll roam around like a free bird after which you’ll board a domestic flight to Jaipur.

Evening in Jaipur is for you to enjoy. Do whatever your heart desires.

Day 11: Jaipur

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal is an airy summer palace that was built for queens and princesses of yesteryears.

This five storey structure is the crown of Jaipur as it showcases the essence of this city which is grand and pink.

Your visit here will include exploring each floor of this structure, grabbing panoramic views from the terrace and visiting the small museum within its gated boundaries.

Moreover, ascending via its ramps you’ll see a plethora of royal tokens. Catch them on your lenses and don’t miss them out for the world.

Choki Dhani

For you to learn about the celebrations in Rajasthan we will take you to Choki Dhani.

Famous as the cultural village of Jaipur, here amid flavourful food you’ll get some good doses of Rajasthani dance and music.

Once you are amid its aura we bet you’ll no longer be tired of the long drive. Well, that’s the magic of it!

Day 12: Rusirani Village

A rocky ride ahead of Jaipur, there resides the secluded land of Rusirani. Isolated from the world and opportunities, this village is the perfect place to acknowledge life with primitive resources. And that’s what is on your schema for day twelve.

For a place with no electricity and urban luxuries, Rusirani has a lot to offer. This includes a preserved and untouched culture, many historic ruins and a heartwarming home stay.

From village walks to cooking sessions and from normal chit chats to life lessons amid twinkling fireflies, your stay in Rusirani will hit you like a storm but in a good way.

Here walking amid crop fields, watching the sunset from the fort walls and enjoying the beauty of existence far from the tentacles of technology will help you redefine life.

The locals here will treat you like royalty. And, they will take you to their favorite spots in order to show they care.

However, this village stay in Rajasthan experience is not a cultural park. So don’t expect them to dance and sing for you as they are real people with real stories. And it will totally be a win-win if you’ll dwell deep into their traditions as you’ll come across some bizarre facets.

Let us remind you that you stay here will also help them send their girls for higher education. Yayee!

Day 13: Agra

Let’s give a grand farewell to your trip in India. We have the very majestic Taj Mahal and supremely lofty Agra Fort right at your service.

Taj Mahal:

The white mausoleum that the whole world goes gaga for is up next on your list.

Step into a whole new world where the power of love is so strong that it makes you stop and gaze for a while.

Taj Mahal is the epitome of love that brings instant happiness to faces that see it for the first time and we are sure you will love its aura while you are there.

Explore every nook and cranny of this complex and learn why this monument earned its place as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Once done, move ahead as another Mughal marvel will be waiting for you.

Agra Fort

You’ve already seen a lot of forts in Rajasthan but don’t you think it will be cool to see the extremities of all the architectural styles in India on a single trip? Well, that’s why you are here.

Agra fort will be your window to Mughal architecture that you’ve been missing all this while on your rural Rajasthan tour.

It will be that perfect ending to your India trip which will keep you coming for more. And that is a fact!

Places to visit in Agra Fort: Jahangir Mahal, Khas Mahal, Diwan-i-Khas, Diwan-i-Am, Machchhi Bhawan and Moti Masjid.