Rajasthan

The largest region in India by land area, Rajasthan (formed in 1949) occupies 10.41% of India’s surface. It attracted 14% of the country’s total foreign visitors during 2009 and 2010, and it is not hard to understand why. The region contains four stunning National Parks, it is home to a wide variety of beautiful flora and fauna, and it has several beautiful cities famous for their arts and crafts exports. Whatever you have planned for your Indian holiday, and however long you are planning to stay in the country, a trip to Rajasthan is highly recommended.

Local climate

Rajasthan has a mostly dry climate, with monsoon during July and August.

Transport

Getting to Rajasthan and travelling around its varied terrain is easy; it is connected to several national highways including the NH-8, India’s first ever 4-8 lane highway.

By air:

The region has four major airports: Jaipur Airport, Udaipur Airport, Jodhpur Airport and Kota Airport. These link Rajasthan to India’s main cities, such as Delhi and Mumbai.

By train:

The region’s principal rail stations are at Jaipur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur and Jodhpur. Kota City is the only electrified section of the region’s railway; it is served by three Rajdhani Expresses and trains to all India’s major cities.

Notable cities and towns to visit

Jaipur, also known as the Pink City, is a remarkable place to explore, with its historic monuments such as the Amber Fort, the City Palace and the Hawa Mahal; Jodhpur, the Sun City or ‘Blue City’, named for its blue-painted houses; you should also make a trip to Jaisalmer, the ‘Golden City,’ with its camel safaris and beautiful historic monuments. Other notable towns and destinations are Ajmer, southwest of Jaipur; Bikaner, in the north, Mount Abu, in the Sirohi District; and Bundi, 36km from Kota.

Things to do

Few people who visit Rajasthan will want to miss out on its stunning national parks, home to a lovely variety of wildlife and a number of sanctuaries for tigers and other endangered species. In Ranthambore National Park, roughly 180km from Jaipur, you will find a large tiger population, along with more than 270 species of birds. There are safari rides around the park twice a day, each one costing about 400 to 500 rupees per person (approx £7 or 11 US dollars) and lasting around 2 hours.

While you are in the park, you should also take the time to visit Ranthambore Fort, a stunning construction incorporating three red stone temples dedicated to the Hindu gods Ganesh, Shiva and Ramlalaji; and the beautiful Padam Talao lake, with an enormous banyan tree (one of the largest in India) nearby.

Food and drink

Rajasthan is known for its spicy cuisine, so first-time holidaymakers to the region may want to exercise moderation with their portion sizes. The region also produces lots of dairy-based sweet products. A typical meal you can expect to eat here is daal, baati and churma. Daal is a lentil curry, baati are round balls made from wheat flour and baked, and churma is a dessert made from crushed wheat balls rolled in sugar and topped with ghee, which is clarified butter.

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