Rajasthan - "Fortresses, Moustaches and the View from Olympus"

It translates to “the land of the princes”. Like a phoenix rising out of the desert sands, the massive ramparts of a fortress, colored in muted tawny browns, Rajasthan is spectacular. This fantastic landscape will redefine your sense of the color palette – brilliant reds and bold yellows of the fabric of locals, the soft pink of ancient palaces and aquamarine blues. This is a region steeped in romantic folklore and medieval ‘olde world charm’. 

You start with Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital  - also known as the Pink City – because of the ochre-pink colour of its medeival buildings and city walls. Built in 1727 by its Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, Jaipur is a city of broad avenues and remarkable architectural harmony. You walk through 18^th century bazaars of this intensely romantic city, shop for elephants, Arab horses, embroidered fabric, hand crafted jewellery. Jaipur has perhaps arguably some of the worlds most medieval antique markets. Your accommodation is in a quaint medival palace in Samode. Your next stop - on the eastern fringe of the Thar Desert, Jodhpur, dubbed "the Blue City" after the colour-wash of its old town houses, sprawls across the arid terrain, overlooked by the mighty Meherangarh fort, whose ramparts rise from a sheer-sided sandstone outcrop. In the blue maze of the old city you'll stumble across Muslim tie-dyers, lacquer bangle and puppet makers and traditional spice markets. Jodhpur's famed cubic roofscape, best viewed at sunset, is a photographer's paradise. This the view that Aldous Huxley termed “…..the view from Olympus”. Bewitching. Your day in this city will be well worth a full visit to the astonishing fort museum – regarded as one of the best in world. In its array of displays is the coronation courtyard, delicate sandstone apartments with silver palanquins, miniature paintings, and many an opulent mix from different regions and periods.

Udaipur also known as “Venice of the East” is where you will see the city's centerpiece - two delightful island palaces - Jagniwas and Jagmandir lake palaces on the beautiful Lake Pichola. The huge City Palace towers over the lake and is bedecked with balconies, towers and cupolas.

No trip to India is complete without an experience of the famed Pushkar Camel Fair held in November. A spectacular lake town teeming with sadhus, devotees and visitors from all over the world with the the Pushkar Lake as the center of your focus. On a full moon in November you witness the largest camel fair in the world – including cattle, sheep and goats - accompanied by a week long fiesta.  Myths, story tellers, folk music, skits, hypnotists, snake charmers, magicians and monkey trainers……

Rajasthan dares you to leave her out of your itinerary.

Sample Itinerary