Rajasthan

[SpeckledyHen]

Has anyone been please ?
Any hints , tips, must-do , must-see. (Avoid !)

Visiting in January.
Thank you

I've been quite a few times.Jaipur in the latter half of January hosts an international book fair so hotels may be difficult to find. Udaipur is pretty and you can visit the hotel on the lake.Jaisalmer is in the desert and you can ride camels.Rathambore is about 4 hours drive from Jaipur where you may spot tigers(I didn't). Rajasthan has many traditional crafts and is a shopper's paradise

Try a train trip, it’s a fab way to travel, we’re we’re in a sleeper class which was really comfortable with open bays with I think 4 bunks in each, got chatting to lots of people.

Avoid the elephant rides up to the fort in Jaipur, DH was there investigating animal welfare standards earlier in the year and they are really woeful.

Don't bother with Jaisalmer: it's a long way and touristy/tawdry when you get there. Bikaner is better.

If you haven't been to India before be prepared for culture shock. it's an assault on the senses. I loved it. (Also been to Kerala which was very very different).

Thanks everyone.
Last minute dot com here planning to go just after Christmas. Had already discounted Jaisalmer as too far and the elephants. I like walking up hills anyway!

Just get a taxi to take you up there. I wasn’t happy about the elephants either.

In this area you can stay in heritage hotels or converted havelis. These are a wonderful experience. Book the very best accommodation you can. Some of it is dire.

Be careful about what you eat and where you eat. Try and stay polite to people who will follow you around trying to sell you stuff. Decide what you will do about people begging. Nothings ir give money. Usual advice is give nothing.

Go to decent shops. There are good authentic craft shops - and then there is tat. Pay a fair price.

Be aware that driving is poor. Eg driving the wrong way down dual carriageways. Overloaded lorries and buses. There are animals everywhere. Accidents are frequent. It’s chaotic. My DDs were convinced a cow was going to die in front of us as it wouldn’t move from the railway line with the train almost upon it. It moved with 1 second to go before oblivion. Only in India.

Ranthambhore tiger reserve is a problem. It’s stunning but...... It does have tigers but it now has way too many visitors. Some are taken round in Cantors - big noisy lorries with Seats. Avoid. There are arguments at the gate as the park staff try, and fail, to limit entry. We first went in 1987 and saw no other tourists. We saw tigers. We also saw tigers around 10 years ago. As for now? Who knows? Choose your tour operator carefully. Take advice about safety and you will really enjoy India.

Buy first class train tickets. That gets you a decent cartridge. However, If you need the loo - well you’ve been warned!

Pushkar is close, and worth a visit.

I can't help.

I backpacked through Rajastan in 1986, having arrived in India 2 weeks previously. We spent a total of 6 or 7 weeks in India, exiting via bus from Varanasi to Kathmandu.

Loved Rajastan. The people, the culture, the life. But god! yes, the culture shock, especially backpacking.

I won't dwell on the past; I think we, as two 24 year old women were safer back then than now, we used local trains and buses to get around. But I regret, at 56, having never returned to India.

We got fleas in Pushkar! At the Camel Fair, which is actually full of cattle.

Stay in either 4/5 star hotels or places that are rated highly by customers. India doesn’t have many star-rated hotels, if there aren’t any where you are looking/there isn’t one that fits your bill, it’s worth choosing somewhere with lots of positive reviews (and make sure some of these are from international tourists that would have similar expectations to you). Because the bad places can be truly awful.

Have some leeway in your schedule in case you really like or don’t like somewhere/a train is cancelled or somewhere isn’t open as expected etc as this does happen.

Be prepared for the filth and poor hygiene conditions. India has many positives but it is one of the dirtiest countries in the world. Cleanliness varies from one area to the other of course, some places will be at a good standard. Rajasthan has some pretty grubby spots theplanetd.com/india-is-filthy/ So just be prepared for the shock!

Also yes to first class train tickets, they aren’t expensive by western standards and very worth it. But the bathrooms are still absolutely awful.

Been to India a few times, I found Rajasthan pretty but a bit boring....In India I have really seen some of the most amazing things and the most horrific - but neither in Rajasthan.
I think it's probably (along with Goa & Kerala) the gentlest way to experience India.
Most of the other tourists there were white middle aged/recently retired western women, often alone - I considered it a very safe place to travel.
I have a cast iron bowel, but India does get me every-time! (Not ill enough to curb my plans).
I would strongly advise going vegetarian while there, definitely less food poisoning risk and the food is delicious - although Rajasthan will have lots of western food like porridge / pasta etc on offer for the tourists who can't handle curry 3 meals a day.

We were told vegetarian wasn’t necessarily the best option. Certainly avoid salads. Cooked food is better. However always look at reviews. We have been to India 3 times and were only “Ill” in the 1980s. These days it’s easier to be careful and ensure you eat in better restaurants. Again it’s a price worth paying.

You don’t say how you are visiting. DIY or more occupied. I think Rajestan is a great introduction to India. It has everything except great temples. It certainly has superb havellis to stay in and western breakfasts will be provided. We have seen people there of all ages and we took our DC. I don’t really care about what other tourists look like.

If you want to avoid tourists, go to southern India. We met one group of Hungarian tourists in 2 weeks.

Occupied .... organised