Why we string these villages together
It is not a journey of monuments, though Mehrangarh, Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh all fall on the road. It is a journey of mornings: tea on a fort roof as the village wakes, a ride across stubble fields with blackbuck lifting their heads, a potter's wheel turning in a courtyard.
Land held by nobles: a ruler in Jaipur, Jodhpur or Udaipur granted estates, called thikanas, to the men who rode with him.
The lord's house: each thakur, rawat or rawal built himself a house in the middle of his villages.
- Nights
- Thirteen
- Pace
- Slow, two nights in almost every house
- Best months
- October to March
- Good for
- Second-time visitors, riders, walkers
- Starts
- Jaipur airport
- Ends
- Udaipur airport
- Garh and rawla: a grand one was a garh, a fort. A smaller one was a rawla, with courtyards, a zenana and stables, less a castle than a country house.
- How an estate was run: disputes heard in the courtyard, harvest shares counted in the storerooms, horses bred in the stables and soldiers sent to the king when he called.
- The system explained: our short piece on the rawla and the thikana.
- After Independence: the estates went, and with them the income. Some houses fell into ruin.
- Saved by guests: a handful of families opened their doors early and well: Samode in 1987, Rohet in 1990, Rawla Narlai in 1996.
- Still homes: the family may join you for dinner, the cook may be the son of the cook who fed the thakur, and the village outside is the one the estate has known for centuries.
- The route: from the Aravalli hills north of Jaipur, across the painted farming country of Shekhawati, west to the edge of the Thar at Khimsar.
- Then south: through the Bishnoi and horse country of Marwar to the granite hills of Godwar, and over the Aravallis into Mewar.
- Four regions: three dialects, and at least four different kinds of bread.
- Short drives: you arrive for lunch, and every stay but the first is two nights, so you wake at least once in each place with nowhere to go.
- Our answer: if you have done the classic cities and wondered what lies between them, this is it.
Day by day through the country houses
- Jaipur airport to Samode
- About an hour and a half
- Samode to Alsisar
- About three hours
- Alsisar to Khimsar
- About five hours, via Nagaur
- Khimsar to Jodhpur
- About two hours
- Rohet to Narlai
- About two hours
- Deogarh to Udaipur
- About three hours
Day 1: Jaipur airport to Samode
About an hour and a half north: through the market town of Chomu into the bowl of hills where Samode sits.
The approach: the village street climbs to a gate, and the palace rises behind it in tiers of pale yellow and white.
- Lunch, then sleep: through the heat of the afternoon.
- Late afternoon: walk the Durbar Hall and the Sheesh Mahal with someone from the house, when the low sun catches the mirror-work.
- Before dinner: climb to the ruined fort on the ridge, about twenty minutes up a stone path, and watch the village lamps come on.
- Simple on purpose: after a long flight, a quiet palace an hour from the airport is a kinder start than a city.
Days 2 and 3: Alsisar, in the painted farming country of Shekhawati
About three hours north: through Sikar and Nawalgarh to Alsisar, the fort-palace of a Shekhawat thakur.
Its history: taken by the family in 1757, and opened to guests in 2006 after six years of restoration.
At four o'clock: walk the village with a guide, past merchant havelis with faded frescoes, small temples, and the bazaar where farmers buy seed and steel trunks.
- Sunset: at the chhatri of Thakur Chhotu Singh.
- Day three at sunrise: the palace roof, with a pot of tea.
- After breakfast: Nawalgarh for its two great haveli museums, or Mandawa for its castle and painted lanes.
- Last hour of light: a camel cart into the fields, where khejri trees stand among the millet and mustard.
- A clear winter night: go back up to the roof after dinner. There are almost no lights for miles.
- Read the walls: our Shekhawati frescoes guide.
Days 4 and 5: Khimsar, on the eastern edge of the Thar
The one long day: leave early and drive west for about five hours.
Nagaur on the way: the fort of Ahhichatragarh has been restored with real care, and its painted palaces and fountains are worth an unhurried hour before lunch.
About 42 kilometres more: to Khimsar, where Rao Karamsji, the eighth son of Rao Jodha, founder of Jodhpur, built the fort in 1523.
- Still held by his line: his descendants, the Karamsot Rathores.
- Sunset: on the ramparts.
- Day five: a village walk with a guide, to see how a tanka, a covered rainwater tank, keeps a household alive through the dry months.
- The dune village: about fifteen minutes away, for lunch and the afternoon.
- Sunset on a dune: by camel or open jeep, looking for blackbuck in the fields on the way.
- Dinner by a fire on the sand: when the night is cool and clear. Sleep in the round cottages among the dunes, or return to the fort.
Days 6 and 7: Mehrangarh on the way, then Rohet
About two hours to Jodhpur: straight up to Mehrangarh for the late morning, gate by gate with a guide.
Under an hour south to Rohet: after lunch in the city. The family of Thakur Dalpat Singh has held the estate since 1622.
- Rohet Garh: a lived-in country fort by a lake, with a courtyard pool framed by domed pavilions and a stable of Marwari horses.
- Day seven at dawn: ride out on a Marwari horse, or go birdwatching by bicycle if you don't ride.
- The village safari: begun by the family in 1988, to Bishnoi homes where blackbuck graze near the doorstep, to Raika camel herders and to potters at their wheels.
- Afternoon: a cooking lesson in the family kitchen.
- Evening: a picnic dinner on the dunes. Our Bishnoi villages page explains how we arrange these visits.
Days 8 and 9: Narlai and the granite hills of Godwar
About two hours south into Godwar: the strip of farmland between the Aravallis and the plains of Marwar.
Narlai: an old trading village of carved temples at the foot of a great granite hill.
- Rawla Narlai: built in the seventeenth century as a hunting lodge for the Jodhpur royal family, a heritage hotel since 1996.
- Late afternoon: walk the village with a guide, past the Adinath temple and the potters, as women sit on their doorsteps sorting grain.
- Day nine before sunrise: more than seven hundred steps to the white elephant on the summit, and tea as the light comes over the fields.
- Ranakpur: less than an hour away, the fifteenth-century Jain temple of 1,444 carved pillars, at the hour our guide advises, since mornings are kept for worship.
- The stepwell dinner: at the bottom of an old village stepwell lit by hundreds of oil lamps, with folk singers on the stone landings.
Days 10 and 11: Kumbhalgarh and Deogarh
Across the hills to Kumbhalgarh: Rana Kumbha's fortress, whose wall runs for kilometres along the ridges.
Walk a stretch: and climb to the Badal Mahal for the view, then a long lunch.
- North-east through the Aravallis: a slow, beautiful drive to Deogarh. It is a full day in the car and on foot, so doze on the last stretch.
- Deogarh Mahal: the seventeenth-century palace of the Chundawat Rawats, one of the great noble houses of Mewar, still partly the family's home.
- Day eleven, the metre-gauge train: down through the forested ghats toward Phulad, with a picnic breakfast and the car waiting at the other end, while the line still runs.
- Afternoon: lunch and a swim, then the bazaar at around five, past the clock tower and the Kunjbihari temple.
- Before dinner: ask to see the painted rooms that keep alive the Deogarh school of miniature painting.
Days 12 and 13: Udaipur, and the lakes at the end
About three hours south to Udaipur: stopping at Nathdwara or the Eklingji temple if the timings suit.
Arrival: for the late afternoon light on Lake Pichola, with a private boat at sunset.
- After eleven nights in the country: the city feels grand and busy, so we choose a hotel that lets you step out of it when you like.
- Day thirteen, first hour: the City Palace of Udaipur, before the groups arrive.
- Afternoon: Saheliyon ki Bari, or simply your terrace.
- Farewell: dinner across the water, and the next morning the 22 kilometres to the airport at Dabok.
The houses you'll sleep in
- Samode Palace
- Guests since 1987
- Alsisar Mahal
- A heritage hotel since 2006
- Rohet Garh
- In one family since 1622, a hotel since 1990
- Rawla Narlai
- A heritage hotel since 1996
- Deogarh Mahal
- Seventeenth century, still a family home
Samode Palace
Still run by its family: the Nathawat Rawals of Samode, a branch of the Kachwahas of Amer, opened it to guests in 1987.
- The Durbar Hall: covered in painted flowers, birds and vines, with rooms climbing the hillside.
- What we ask for: an upper-floor suite with a view over the village.
- A night in a garden: the family's walled Mughal-style garden camp, Samode Bagh, is four kilometres away.
Alsisar Mahal
Its history: the fort-palace of the Shekhawat thakurs of Alsisar, rebuilt in 1954 after British shelling in 1834, and a heritage hotel since 2006.
- Rooms vary a lot: we ask for one in the older part of the palace with a jharokha over the village.
- Why we choose it: it feels more like a private house than the busier hotels of Mandawa.
- Alternatives: our guide to the haveli hotels of Shekhawati.
Khimsar Fort and the dune village
The fort: heritage rooms in the old building and more spacious rooms in later wings around the gardens, with a pool and a spa.
- Khimsar Dunes Village: round cottages modelled on the huts of a Marwari desert hamlet, with proper beds and hot showers.
- Our favourite way: one night in each.
Rohet Garh
Sandstone and whitewash: a country fort in one family since 1622 and a hotel since 1990.
- Writers at the desk: Bruce Chatwin worked on The Songlines here, and William Dalrymple began City of Djinns at the same desk.
- Rooms differ greatly: tell us whether you want a suite with history or a bright room by the pool.
- Keen riders: sometimes split the stay with the family's newer Mihir Garh among the dunes.
Rawla Narlai
Low, white and deeply shaded: courtyards, arched verandas and faded frescoes on some walls, all under the granite hill.
- The family: it belongs to the family that runs Ajit Bhawan in Jodhpur.
- Which room: the heritage rooms in the old building have the most atmosphere, and the garden rooms and tents have more space.
Deogarh Mahal
Grown upward and outward in the Mewar way: narrow stairs, sudden corridors and terraces over the Raghosagar lake.
- Ask for: an older suite with painted walls and a window seat, and be ready for steps.
- Deogarh Khayyam: the same family's tented camp outside town, for families who want lawns rather than corridors.
In Udaipur, the choice is yours
The full theatre of the lake: Taj Lake Palace on its island, or The Oberoi Udaivilas on the western shore.
- In the spirit of the journey: Shiv Niwas Palace inside the City Palace complex.
- Or the hills: RAAS Devigarh, the eighteenth-century hill palace at Delwara, which you pass on the road from Deogarh.
Swaps we make often
Castle Mandawa: in place of Alsisar, for more havelis on the doorstep.
- Chandelao Garh: a small rural fort near Jodhpur.
- Castle Bijaipur: near Chittorgarh, a fine extra night in Mewar.
- The styles explained: our heritage havelis and palace hotels guides.
The people and the farming year
- Rains
- July, if they come
- Monsoon crop
- Bajra, moth and moong, maize in Mewar
- Harvest
- By October
- Winter crop
- Wheat, gram and mustard
- Mustard flowers
- January and February
The fields
When the rains come: within days the farmers sow bajra, pearl millet, with moth and moong beans, and in Mewar maize.
By October: the harvest is in and the grain is drying on the flat roofs.
- The winter crop: where there is water from a well or a tank, wheat, gram and mustard, which flowers yellow across Shekhawati in January and February.
- From March: the fields empty, the herders move their animals further in search of grazing, and the long dry wait begins.
- In winter: you are seeing the countryside at its most generous.
The people
Shekhawati: Jat farmers, and the old merchant towns whose families made fortunes in Calcutta and Bombay and painted their houses to show it.
The Bishnoi, around Khimsar and Rohet: they have followed the twenty-nine rules of Guru Jambheshwar since the fifteenth century and will not cut a green tree or harm an animal.
- Why the deer stay close: that is why blackbuck and chinkara graze so near Bishnoi homes. Our Bishnoi conservation piece tells the story of Khejarli in 1730, when villagers died to protect their trees.
- The Raika: the camel herders of Marwar, the men in bright red turbans.
- The Rabari, in Godwar and Mewar: they graze camels, sheep and goats on the granite hills. The men wear white with red turbans, the women black wool skirts and heavy silver.
- The village trades: potters, weavers, blacksmiths and carpenters.
- Buy directly: the money goes to the family who made it. Our pages on the Rabari herders of Jawai and the Rabari way of life go deeper.
The food
Desert villages: thick bajra rotis with white butter and jaggery, ker sangri, the dried berries and beans of the desert, and kadhi of sour yoghurt.
Mewar: the bread turns to makki ki roti, made of maize.
- The fort kitchens: the dishes of the Rajput nobility, laal maas fiery with Mathania chillies and safed maas in cream and nuts.
- At Rohet: the late Thakurani Sahiba's recipes are still cooked by the cooks she trained.
- What you are eating: our Rajasthani food guide.
When to go, and what each season brings
- Season
- October to March
- Our favourite
- February and March
- Best for riding
- December and January
- Too hot
- April to June, near 48°C in Shekhawati
- Monsoon
- A Mewar-only version works
October and November, harvest and festivals
The land: fields full or freshly cut, tanks still holding the monsoon, clear light.
- Festivals: Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali, in September, October or November depending on the moon.
- Diwali in a village: every doorway lit, more moving than any city display. Book early for the festival weeks.
- Early October: days can still be warm.
December and January, crisp and cold
Best for riding and walking: bright days, and nights that can drop close to freezing in Shekhawati and the desert.
- Shawls and fires: rooftop teas need a shawl, and dinners by the fire feel earned.
- Winter birds: crowd the village tanks around Rohet and Deogarh.
- Near Khimsar in January or February: the Nagaur cattle fair is close by.
February and March, our favourite weeks
Mustard in flower: mornings soften and afternoons are warm.
- Holi: in February or March, a joyful village affair of bonfires and drums.
- Gangaur: about two weeks after Holi. At Rohet Garh the images of Gauri and Isar are displayed in the zenana courtyard while women of the family and the village sing and dance.
- Ask us: whether your dates fall in it.
April to September, possible but different
April to June: the heat is fierce, and we would not run this route then.
- The monsoon: July to September turns Mewar and the Aravallis green, and Deogarh's train through the ghats is at its finest.
- The catch: desert rain is short and unreliable, and outdoor dinners can be cancelled.
- A Mewar version: around Deogarh, Narlai and Udaipur works well. See Monsoon in Mewar.
Make it yours
Shorter: nine nights
Start in Jodhpur: drop Samode and Alsisar, with two nights each at Khimsar, Rohet, Narlai and Deogarh and one in Udaipur.
- The trade: you lose Shekhawati's painted towns but keep the heart of the route.
- For a week: our Mewar and Marwar journey covers similar ground with a little more city.
Longer: sixteen nights or more
Add the city: two nights in the walled city of Jaipur at the start.
- Add the dunes: a night at Mihir Garh after Rohet.
- Add leopards: two nights in Jawai, about an hour from Narlai.
- A third night at Deogarh: a morning with a painter in the old tradition, and nothing at all in the afternoon.
For riders
- Days in the saddle: confident riders can turn the Rohet and Narlai stretch into a ride, with tented camps along the way.
- Built for you: our Marwari horse safari journey, and our page on Marwari horse safaris explains the level of riding you need.
For families
Children love this route: forts to explore, camels, horses, trains, stepwell lamps and space to run.
- How we adapt it: Deogarh's tented camp in place of the Mahal's stairs for small children, a pool afternoon every day, and the Nagaur drive kept for an older child's patience.
- More ideas: our family journeys page.
For repeat visitors
- Deeper into village life: a night in a rural homestay with a farming family, a morning with block printers or a day with the Rabari at their grazing grounds.
- Why it works with us: these need planning and a good relationship with the families, which is exactly what our guides have.
How we look after you on the road
One chauffeur: from Jaipur airport to Udaipur, in a comfortable car with water and cool towels, who knows these back roads and the families at the end of them.
A local guide in each place: someone from Alsisar for Alsisar, a Godwar man for Narlai, often a person the house has worked with for years.
What they know: which family is happy to have visitors this week, and which has a wedding.
- Driver
- One chauffeur, Jaipur airport to Udaipur
- Guides
- Local to each village
- Booked early
- Stepwell dinner, rides, old-wing rooms
- Planner
- On WhatsApp throughout
- Prices
- Quoted after one conversation
- Your planner on WhatsApp: throughout, able to move a dinner, add a ride or slow a day down at an hour's notice.
- Booked early: the stepwell dinner at Narlai, the rides at Rohet and the rooms in the old wings. The rest we leave loose.
- What we never do: commission shops or elephant rides.
- Fair visits: every village visit is arranged with families who welcome guests and are paid properly for their time.
- No published prices: no two of these journeys are the same. After one conversation we send you a route and a quote.
- Read more: what a luxury Rajasthan journey costs, and our guide to getting around Rajasthan.
Who will love it, and who should choose another journey
You will love it: if you like walking, horses, birds, food and conversation, and would rather have tea in a farmer's courtyard than queue for a famous room.
And: if a stone temple with no other visitors excites you.
Couples: love the stepwell dinner and the rooftops.
- Photographers: love the low light on granite and the red turbans.
- Families with curious children: love the space.
- A second journey, or a first: a very good second journey to Rajasthan, and a surprisingly good first one for travellers who dislike cities.
- You may not love it: if you want a large spa every night, a choice of restaurants or famous sights from morning to night.
- Honestly: these are old houses with stairs, small bathrooms in places and a few creaking doors, and rural Rajasthan is dusty in the dry months.
- If that sounds like drawbacks: choose The Royal Rajputana, our grand tour of the palace cities, or Mewar Lakes and Temples for a shorter, more monumental route through the south.
What we tell friends before they go
Learn khamma ghani: the respectful Rajasthani greeting, said with your hands joined. It opens doors, sometimes literally.
Ask before photographing anyone: especially women, and accept a no at once.
- No sweets, pens or money for children: if you would like to help a school or a family, ask us and we will arrange it properly.
- In Bishnoi villages: never smoke, never bring meat, and keep well back from the animals.
- Jain temple mornings at Narlai and Ranakpur: leave leather belts, bags and watch straps behind, and cover shoulders and knees.
- Pack: a warm layer from November to February, soft shoes with good grip for fort stairs, a torch for village lanes, and riding clothes if you ride.
- Tip once: at the end of each stay, into the common staff box, so the kitchen and the laundry are included. Our money and tipping guide explains what is usual.
