Rajasthan Destinations: What is the most sensible order?

I have previously posted a topic similar to this, so apologies if it is confusing.

We are planning a more relaxed 2 week tour of the Rajasthan area in late August 2009, Although we are keen to see as much as we can we would prefer to take our time and see cities and towns at a slower pace compared to many of the iteneries posted. I know it is at the cost of maybe missing out on some destinations.

My continually changing schedule is as follows.

Delhi (1 Night)

Agra

Jaipur (3 Nights)

Pushkar (3 Nights)

Jodphur (2 Nights)

Jaisalmer (2 Nights)

Udaipur (2 Nights)

Then on to Chennai, presumably from Delhi, or maybe from Ahmedabad.

I plan to mix driving, train and flying between destinations.

My questions are as follows:

Does this seem sesible or is it reccommended to push on from place to place, I just dont want to spend most of the time travelling!

Is this a sensible order to see the highlights of Rajasthan or should I consider another approach?

Am I missing any must sees?

Many thanks for any help

Mark

Rajasthan Destinations: What is the most sensible order?

Hi Mark !

This is a classic itinerary, which most of the tourist follow with a slight variation here or there.

Your time at Delhi is too short, then you have not specified any time for Agra ! If it%26#39;s one day you%26#39;ll be able to cover Taj %26amp; fort only. If you have two days, you may visit Fatehpur Sikri also.

Just one suggestion for your traveling Order. From Jaisalmer to Udaipur your only traveling option is bus and the distance is 580 Kms. This is a big distance. The air connection is from Jodhpur only, hence from Pushkar, you will have to come to Jodhpur (There is a train) and then proceed to Jaisalmer first. Then you%26#39;ll have to come back to Jodhpur and then stay here.

You may cut Pushkar stay atleast by one night and preferably by two nights. It%26#39;s a small place and can be covered in a day as your tour period is short. This you can allocate to any of the places that you like.

Hope this helps.

Rajasthan Destinations: What is the most sensible order?

Thank you for your response, much appreciated.

Are any of the places above worth avoiding during August due to closures etc? I know Ranthombore is closed for example, so am unable to include this to our itenery. I was just wondering as destinations take a long time to get to whether time may be better spent in other towns, would everything in Jaisalmer camel treks etc be available for example?

I don%26#39;t understand the 3 nights in Pushkar, actually. Is there something specific you are looking at doing?

I also fear you are doing an injustice to Delhi. It has so much to offer! Also in the beginning, you could do with a day or so of getting over jet lag.

I would do at least 2 nights in Delhi, 1 night in Agra, 2 or 3 in Jaipur, 1 in Pushkar. More time in Jaisalmer would be good since it is going to be more or less rain-free time.

I would fly Delhi to Udaipur, then drive Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur, then drive or train to Jaisalmer, back to Jodhpur, then drive/train to Ajmer/Pushkar, then to Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi. From Delhi, you can fly easily to Chennai (which is also going to be rain-free).

- Deepa

Correction, I think you can only drive from Jodhpur to Pushkar. From Ajmer to Jaipur there are trains.

I think you should devote at least one clear day in Delhi for sightseeing. You can take a city sightseeing tour that鈥檒l give you a glimpse of major tourist attractions. And you should think of eliminating Pushkar from your itinerary, that will make it more comfortable and will give you more time for Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur.

After Delhi you can leave for Agra by comfy shatabdi express. It starts at 6:15 AM and takes 2 hours to Agra. On this day you can see Taj and fort. Next day visit Fatehpur Sikri. In the evening you may leave for Jaipur by train/bus/taxi. In jaipur you can be for three days on third night you may leave for Jaisalmer by train. You can enjoy Jaisalmer for 2-3 days and then come back to Jodhpur by Train/Bus. You may spend 2 days at Jodhpur and then you may fly out to Udaipur from where you may proceed to Chennai.

However if you insist on visiting Pushkar for some reason then from Jaipur you can go to Pushkar and from there to Jodhpur by train (Train from Ajmer which is a twin city of Pushkar) and then on to Jaisalmer. Then you can come back to Jodhpur and fly out to Udaipur.

Jaisalmer is nice small place with a beautiful golden fort. Camel Safaris will be available, but it will be very hot during the day time in late August. Pl. don鈥檛 fall in the trap of Sam dunes, I am speaking from my personal experience, they are not the authentic experience of a desert. Take a little long safari and spend at least one night in a desert camp under the starlit sky.

Mark, you seem to be the easy going type. You can cover a lot in Rajasthan in 2 weeks if you step up the pace. On the other hand if a leisurely pace is what suits you, your programme is fine except for the excessive nights in Pushkar. I would suggest -

Delhi (1 Night)

Agra (1 night)

Jaipur (3 Nights)

Pushkar (1 Nights) or consider Nimaj www.nimajpalace.com

Jodphur (2 Nights)

Abu (1 night)

Ranakpur (1 night)

Jaisalmer (2 Nights)

Udaipur (2 Nights)

or unless you have anything against Jaisalmer, cut out Pushkar, Abu %26amp; Ranakpur %26amp; head off to Bikaner ( 1 night) and Jaisalmer (2 nights). I would put Jaisalmer in the must see category

Also no harm popping the question on the Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators website (www.ratorajasthan.org) through the query form to all members. You may get different ideas that you might like

Camel safari in Rajasthan best time is from Oct. to March, you can do in Agust,Sept. and until mid of April. Months one should avoide(May,June and half of July).

weather in Agust is quite cludy day, morning is ok, mid day(12 to 3:30pm) is hot, better escape under shade, late afternoon is good with some nice breeze,evening is cool. must bring good hat and sun cream.

you can choose your camel safari destination out of three in Rajasthan, most popular Jaisalmer; alternative Bikaner and less touristy Osian(40 miles north west of Jodhpur.

This trip report on TA for travel from Delhi,Agra and through Rajasthan...

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g297665-i4566-k234鈥?/a>

cheers

Guidedesert.