Rajasthan

TOUR DATES

Dates:
12 – 30 January 2011
Private tours also available

Contact us to secure your spot on this wonderful tour.

Your journey to the rugged Rajasthan deserts of India begins when you arrive in the nation's capital, New Delhi. From your first glimpse of this sprawling metropolis you will immediately begin to appreciate that India is a land of contrasts, a land of diversity and variation unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Squalid slums sit incongruously alongside amazing modern buildings of stunning beauty, like the lotus-flower shaped Ba'hai temple. Five-star hotels are served by 1950's-vintage taxi cabs with engines the same size as their batteries. More than nine million people somehow manage to eke out an existence in this city whose levels of activity continue to escalate at an apparently unsustainable pace. At times confusing, at times challenging, at times uplifting and at all times chaotic, Delhi is never still, never restful, never boring.

Rajasthan – the land of kings and warriors, of mighty fortresses and incredible palaces, of desert landscapes and ancient cities. Rajasthan is a kaleidoscope of vivid colour, ancient splendour, vibrant music and exuberant life. There is truly something for everyone in this amazing land.

Home of the Rajputs, the ruling warrior clans who controlled this part of India for over 1000 years, Rajasthan has a history steeped in traditions of valour and pride. The harsh desert landscape is punctuated with enormous hilltop forts and walled cities – Chittorgarh, which stretches for 12kms along a high ridge; Jaisalmer, the ‘Golden City’ that rises out of the sand and turns to burnished gold at sunset; Jodhpur, the ‘Blue City’, the impenetrable walls of its fort towering into the sky and Jaipur, the ‘Pink City’ and capital of Rajasthan, its imposing Amber Fort sitting protectively above the valley approach.

The land is also known for its cottage industries – furnishing textiles, intricate wood and stone carvings, expensive and inexpensive clothing, rich and exquisite fabrics, hand-crafted furniture, traditional string puppets, bright handicrafts and block printing. With each city and region specialising in some unique aspect of goods for sale, Rajasthan is a shopping extravaganza par excellence.

The people of Rajasthan compensate for the largely monochrome landscape by filling their daily lives with music, good natures, abundant festivals and lots of colour. Saris and turbans of brilliant orange, imperial purple, canary yellow, emerald green, vivid red and vibrant blue of every hue provide a dazzling effect everywhere you go. To see road workers decked out in finery more suited to a night out on the town than to a dusty roadside ditch, never fails to amaze the passer-by. And it’s not just the people – camels, oxen and elephants are just as startlingly decorated, painted and adorned.

While each visit to the state shows improved roads and highway infrastructure, there are still enough muddy, dusty, sandy, over-crowded towns and villages full of cows, chickens, dogs, goats, camels, donkeys, pedestrians, cars, carts, bikes, busses, trucks and potholes to make for some challenging and interesting riding conditions!

Click here for the Rajasthan Itinerary

Don't miss out, join our next tour - contact us