Two rules: layers and respect
Twenty degrees apart: in winter, especially in the desert, days and nights can differ that much.
One day, three climates: a frosty dawn safari at Ranthambore, a warm lunch on a terrace and a cold dinner by the fire at a desert camp.
- Rule one
- Layers, not a heavy coat
- Rule two
- Shoulders and knees covered
- Day to night
- Up to twenty degrees apart in winter
- Laundry
- Same day or next at good hotels
- The answer is layers: a cotton shirt, a light jumper or fleece, and a warm jacket you can take off and leave in the car.
- Modesty matters: Rajasthan is welcoming but conservative outside the big hotels. In temples, mosques, villages and old city lanes, men and women both cover shoulders and knees.
- What happens if you don't: nobody will be rude, but people will notice, and some temples will not let you in.
- Cooler too: loose cotton that covers your skin is cooler than shorts in the sun. Our etiquette and dress guide explains the customs.
- Pack less than you think: every good hotel offers laundry, and our bazaars sell beautiful cotton clothes for a fraction of what you would pay at home.
Clothes for each season
- October, November, March
- High twenties to low thirties
- December to February
- Jaipur mornings around 8°C
- Desert winter nights
- Close to freezing
- April to June
- Often above 40°C, up to 45°C
- July to September
- Warm, humid, passing showers
October and November, March
Weather: warm days in the high twenties and low thirties, and cooler evenings.
- Pack: light cotton and linen shirts, and trousers, skirts or dresses that reach the knee or below.
- For evenings: one or two light jumpers or a fleece for evenings and early safaris. A light jacket is enough for most nights.
- Easiest months: these are the simplest to pack for.
December to February
Colder than expected: sunny, comfortable days, but Jaipur often starts the day around 8°C, and the dunes near Jaisalmer and Bikaner can fall close to freezing at night.
- Pack: cotton for the daytime, a warm jumper, a proper insulated or down jacket, a scarf, a warm hat and thin gloves.
- Essential for safaris and camps: the jacket and the hat.
- Palace evenings: many palace hotels are old stone buildings, and while they have heating, a cosy layer is welcome.
April to June
Weather: very hot, often above 40°C and up to 45°C in the desert.
Pack: the lightest, loosest cotton or linen you own, in pale colours.
- Cover up to stay cool: long sleeves and long trousers or skirts shade your skin.
- Sun kit: a wide-brimmed hat, good sunglasses and a cotton scarf for your neck.
- Swimsuit: essential, because the hotel pool becomes the centre of the afternoon.
July to September
Weather: warm and humid, with heavy showers that come and go.
- Pack: quick-drying clothes rather than heavy cotton, a light rain jacket or small umbrella, and sandals or shoes that cope with puddles.
- Leave behind: suede.
- One light layer: evenings in Udaipur and Mount Abu can be pleasantly fresh.
Dressing for temples, villages and palaces
For women
What works: loose trousers, long skirts, maxi dresses, or the salwar kameez, the tunic and trousers worn across north India.
Tops: cover your shoulders and avoid low necklines.
- The most useful thing you can pack: a large cotton or silk scarf, called a dupatta or odhni.
- What the scarf does: covers your shoulders in a temple, your head at a gurdwara or dargah, your hair in a dusty jeep and your arms in the sun.
- Buy it here: many guests buy leheriya or block-printed scarves in Jaipur in the first days and wear them for the rest of the trip.
For men
What works: long trousers or chinos and light shirts, with sleeves if you can.
- Shorts: fine in the hotel and on safari, out of place in temples, mosques and villages.
- Cover your head: at Ajmer Sharif Dargah and in Sikh gurdwaras men cover their heads too. A scarf or cap does the job, and sellers outside the dargah gate sell simple caps.
For palace dinners and special evenings
Smart casual: palace hotels are elegant but rarely formal, and smart casual is right for dinner almost everywhere.
- Dressing up: for a private dinner on a fort rampart or a wedding, Indian clothes are always welcome and always admired.
- Tailoring: we can arrange a tailor or a good textile shop early in your journey. In Jaipur and Udaipur clothes can often be stitched in a day or two.
Footwear in sacred places
Shoes off: at every temple, mosque, dargah and ghat, and sometimes at the door of a family home.
- Jain temples: at Ranakpur and other Jain temples, leather belts and bags may also need to stay outside.
- Make it painless: shoes that slip on and off easily, and socks for hot or cold marble floors.
Shoes for forts, ghats and dunes
Walking shoes: comfortable shoes or trainers with good grip, ideally easy to slip on and off. These do most of the work.
Sandals: for warm days, the ghats at Pushkar and Udaipur, and the hotel. Choose ones you can walk in, not just stand in.
- Every day
- Grippy walking shoes that slip off
- Warm days and ghats
- Sandals you can walk in
- Dinners
- One smarter, low-heeled pair
- Hikes
- Light trail shoes, not mountain boots
- Always
- Socks for marble floors
- A smarter pair: for dinners, if you like. Flat or low heels are wise in palaces with stone floors and steps.
- Socks: marble is hot in the afternoon sun and cold on a winter morning.
- Desert camps: shoes you don't mind filling with sand. Most guests go barefoot on the dunes, which is the best way.
- Hiking: light walking boots or trail shoes for Kumbhalgarh and the Aravallis. Heavy mountain boots are unnecessary.
For safaris and the desert
- Safari colours
- Khaki, olive, brown, beige
- Winter drives
- Warm layer, hat, gloves
- Dust
- Scarf or buff
- Desert air
- Very dry: lip balm, moisturiser
- Camel rides
- Long loose trousers, closed shoes
On safari
Muted colours: khaki, olive, brown and beige. Bright colours and white are not dangerous, but they stand out in the forest.
Kit: a warm layer for winter mornings, a scarf or buff for the dust on the tracks, a hat, sunglasses and sun cream.
- Optics: binoculars make a great difference even for casual watchers, and a long lens if you are a photographer.
- Lodges help: SUJAN Sher Bagh and The Oberoi Vanyavilas usually provide blankets and hot water bottles for winter drives.
- More: our wildlife safaris page.
In the desert
Days and nights: bright and dry by day, cold at night in winter.
Pack: a warm jacket, a hat, a scarf for wind and sand, lip balm and a good moisturiser, because the air is very dry.
- Eyes: sunglasses against glare and blowing sand. If you wear contact lenses, bring glasses as well.
- After dark: a small torch or head torch helps on the way to the dunes, although good camps light the paths.
- Read on: our desert camps and stargazing in the Thar.
For camel and horse rides
Camel saddles: long, loose trousers prevent chafing, and closed shoes are better than sandals.
- Horse safaris: for Marwari horse safaris, bring your own riding boots or half-chaps and a hat or helmet that fits, if you have them.
- We check: what the stables provide, when we plan.
Bags, and how you will travel
- By car
- Luggage rarely a problem
- Domestic flights
- Lower allowances, check each ticket
- Power banks
- Hand luggage only
- Luxury trains
- Soft bags, compact cabins
- Charters
- Strict weight limits
On a chauffeur-driven journey
Rarely a problem: with your own driver, your bags stay in the car between hotels.
- A small car bag: water bottle, scarf, sunglasses, a book, snacks and a warm layer.
- How the days work: our private chauffeur journeys page explains.
With domestic flights
Lower allowances: Indian domestic airlines often allow less checked baggage than long-haul flights, and rules differ by airline and fare.
- Check your ticket: for a flight such as Jaipur to Udaipur or Jaisalmer to Delhi, pack with that allowance in mind.
- Batteries: power banks and spare lithium batteries go in your hand luggage, never in the hold.
On a luxury train
Compact cabins: on the Palace on Wheels and the Maharajas' Express, cabins are elegant but storage is limited.
- Soft bags: they fit better than large hard cases, and some guests send most of their luggage ahead by road with us.
- More: our luxury trains guide.
On a helicopter or small aircraft
Strict limits: charter flights limit the weight of passengers and luggage, depending on the aircraft.
- We plan it: we tell you the limit in advance and can move the rest of your bags by road.
- Soft bags: much easier to load.
In old forts and havelis
Steep and narrow: many heritage hotels are reached by steep ramps, narrow stairs and small doorways, and some have no lift.
- Staff carry everything: but a soft bag or a case with good wheels makes life easier for everyone.
- For fort days: a small daypack with room for water, a scarf and a layer.
A small health and comfort kit
Prescription medicine: enough for the whole journey and a few extra days, in its original packaging, with a copy of the prescription or a doctor's letter.
Ask first: your own doctor or a travel clinic, well before you leave. Our health and safety guide explains where to find official travel-health advice.
Sun: high-factor sun cream, lip balm with sun protection and after-sun.
- Insects: repellent, especially in the evenings and after the monsoon.
- Roadside stops: hand sanitiser and a small pack of tissues or wet wipes.
- Usual remedies: any simple ones you travel with, as advised by your own doctor or pharmacist.
- Water bottle: a refillable one. Good hotels and our cars carry filtered or bottled water, and many hotels offer refills.
- Sleep: earplugs and an eye mask. Temple bells, peacocks and wedding bands start early in Rajasthan.
- Dry air: a small moisturiser, and eye drops if your eyes are sensitive, for the desert and the winter.
Plugs, gadgets and papers
Power: India runs on 230 volts, with mostly round-pin sockets of types C, D and M. Many hotels also have universal sockets.
Chargers: most phone and laptop chargers handle 230 volts, but check any hair dryer or older device.
Power bank: for long drives and full days at the forts. Carry it in your hand luggage on flights.
- Voltage
- 230 volts
- Sockets
- Mostly round-pin types C, D and M
- Adapter
- A universal one covers all
- Drones
- Leave at home
- Cards
- Two, kept in separate places
- Phone: your bank's app and roaming switched on, or space for a local SIM or eSIM. See SIM cards and internet.
- Camera: spare batteries and memory cards. Our photography tips cover light, permissions and where cameras need a ticket.
- Drones: leave them at home. They need official permission and are not allowed near monuments or in national parks.
- Papers: passport, printed visa authorisation and copies of both, because every hotel asks at check-in. See our visa guide.
- Insurance: details written down as well as on your phone. See travel insurance for India.
- Money: a small amount of Indian cash and two bank cards, kept apart. See money and tipping.
What to buy here instead
Cotton clothes: Jaipur is one of the best places in India for them. Block-printed kurtas, loose trousers, light scarves and shawls are sold everywhere and made for this climate.
Alterations: a tailor can usually do them the same day.
- Shawls: pashmina and woollen shawls are sold across Rajasthan and make a good winter layer.
- Scarves: leheriya and bandhani from Jaipur and Jodhpur cover your shoulders in temples and look lovely at dinner.
- Mojaris: the embroidered leather slippers of Rajasthan are light and easy to slip off, although new ones take a day or two to soften.
- Everyday things: toiletries, sun cream, mosquito repellent and everyday medicines are easy to buy in the cities.
- Where to buy: shops we recommend or that you find yourself. Be wary of any driver or guide who insists on a particular showroom.
- Read first: our shopping guide and our page on textile shopping explain how to tell good craft from mass-produced copies.
What to leave at home
Precious jewellery: anything you would hate to lose. Rajasthan has some of the world's finest jewellers, and you can wear what you buy here.
Very revealing clothes: short shorts, crop tops and plunging necklines, outside the hotel pool.
- Formal evening wear: heavy and unnecessary, because smart casual is right almost everywhere.
- A drone: unless you have arranged official permission well in advance.
- Stacks of guidebooks: your guides and our Rajasthan travel guide cover what you need.
- Camouflage: military-style clothing is best avoided in the border districts of the Thar.
- Anything precious about dust: Rajasthan is a dry land, and dust is part of its beauty.
Packing for festivals and weddings
For Holi
Throwaway clothes: the colour often does not wash out, and white shows it beautifully.
- Oil first: rub coconut or another oil into your hair and on your skin before you go out, so the powder washes off more easily.
- Protect things: sunglasses for your eyes, a waterproof pouch for your phone, and valuables in the hotel safe.
- Private or public: our Holi guide explains how to enjoy it safely, and why many guests prefer a private celebration in a courtyard.
For the Pushkar fair and the Desert Festival
Dusty and bright: the Pushkar Camel Fair and the Desert Festival in Jaisalmer are dusty, sunny and crowded.
- Pack: a scarf or buff, sunglasses, sun cream, closed shoes and a warm layer for the evening.
- In the crowds: a small bag worn across your body rather than a backpack, and cash in small notes.
For a wedding or a special celebration
Choose colour: bright colours are welcome, and guests change outfits for each function.
- Avoid: black is often avoided at weddings, and white is traditionally worn for mourning.
- Have it made here: many guests have an outfit made in Jaipur or Udaipur in the first days of their journey, which is far more fun than bringing one.
- Your own wedding: for a destination wedding, we arrange tailors, jewellers and fittings as part of the planning.
For Diwali
New clothes: families dress up for the evening prayers and the lamp-lighting.
- One smart outfit: bring one, or buy a kurta or sari in the bazaar the week before, as our cousins do.
- Read on: Diwali in Rajasthan.
Packing for children
Layers: the same as adults, with extra warm clothes for winter mornings.
Sun: a sun hat they will actually wear, and plenty of sun cream.
- Comfort food and care: favourite snacks they cannot do without, medicines your doctor recommends and a small first-aid kit.
- For curious minds: light binoculars for safaris and bird walks, and a sketchbook for drawing palaces.
- Baby supplies: baby food, nappies and formula are available in the larger cities, but bring your preferred brands for the first days and for the desert.
- Planning the days: our guide to travelling with children and our family journeys.
The things our guests most often forget
A warm hat: for winter safaris. The open jeep at dawn is colder than any monument.
Socks for temples: marble burns in the April sun and freezes on a January morning.
- A scarf in the day bag: not in the suitcase. You will want it at the first temple, often before you reach the hotel.
- Sunglasses for the desert: the glare off sand and pale stone is strong even in winter.
- Small change: shoe-minders at temples, tea stalls and musicians all appreciate small notes.
- A pen: for forms at immigration and hotel check-ins.
- Spare reading glasses: menus by candlelight on a rooftop are hard to read without them.
- Patience: with the dust, the horns and the cows in the road. It is all part of it, and by the end most guests miss it.
Our short packing list
Clothes: light cotton or linen tops with sleeves, and loose trousers, skirts or dresses below the knee.
Cover and warmth: a large scarf or shawl, and a warm layer for evenings.
In winter: an insulated jacket, warm hat, thin gloves and a scarf.
- Winter
- Insulated jacket, warm hat, thin gloves, scarf
- Monsoon
- Rain jacket, umbrella, quick-dry clothes
- Summer
- Wide hat, pale linen, swimsuit
- Safari
- Binoculars, muted colours
- In the monsoon: a light rain jacket, umbrella and quick-drying clothes.
- Shoes: comfortable slip-on walking shoes, sandals and socks.
- Sun and pool: swimsuit, sunglasses, a hat and high-factor sun cream.
- Health: insect repellent, hand sanitiser and your own medicines.
- Tech: a universal adapter, a power bank and your chargers.
- Wildlife: binoculars for safaris and birding.
- Papers: passport, visa printout, copies, insurance details and two bank cards.
- Space: room in your suitcase for the things you will buy.