Taj Mahal, Jaipur, and a Rural Camel Fair
Royal Rajasthan and Villages of India
Overview
Traditional desert tribes, camels painted with henna, airy Mughal palaces of marble and onyx—our Rajasthan adventure brings a wonderfully colorful experience of India. We’ll have sunrise and sunset visits to the Taj Mahal, a camel ride and sunset dune walk amid herders’ camps at the Pushkar or Nagaur fairs (or attend a village Holi Festival some departures), and enjoy a stay at the atmospheric Rambagh Palace—once the home of the Maharaja of Jaipur. We’ll also take a Jeep safari in search of leopards, visit the village of Rohet, with its folk ceremonies, and finish in romantic Udaipur, exploring whitewashed havelis (mansions), parks, and temples on the shores of Lake Pichola.
Arrive: Delhi, India
Depart: Delhi, India
Highlights
- Mingle among camel traders at the Pushkar or Nagaur fairs, or join our special departures timed for the colorful Holi Festival
- Explore the markets of Jaipur and Udaipur, see sunset and sunrise at the Taj Mahal
- Take a Jeep safari in search of leopards at Narlai
- Special March departure that includes India's famous Holi Festival
- Enjoy hotels that bring Rajasthan's princely heritage to life
Itinerary
We recommend arriving a day early to allow time to recover from jet lag. We are happy to arrange hotel nights (an "on your own" expense).
We’ll make both a sunset and sunrise pilgrimage to the Taj, “a poem in stone,” and at Fatehpur Sikri, we explore the sandstone palaces of an ancient Mughal city. In Jaipur, we’ll discover the walled quarter, a showcase for Rajasthani craftsmanship. Our stay at Jaipur’s Rambagh Palace gives us a taste of royal life.
Rajasthan’s flamboyant camel and cattle fairs are a whirlwind of color, song, and dance. Families attend from far and wide, dressed in Rajasthani festival attire. Overnights are at a tented camp or hotel.
We roam Jodhpur’s spice and textile markets, and at Mehrangarh Fort, experience the heritage of Rajasthan on a princely scale. In the village of Rohet, we’ll witness folk ceremonies and see artists at work, and walk among 15th century Jain temples at Ranakpur.
Udaipur captures India at its most quintessentially romantic, with its craggy green hills and bathing ghats clustered around idyllic Lake Pichola. We’ll visit the city’s grand palace, the largest royal complex in Rajasthan. Depart on Day 13 via Delhi.
Our March departure of Royal Rajasthan is timed for India’s colorful Holi Festival, which symbolizes the beginning of spring, the victory of good over evil, and hope for a good harvest. Holi is a boisterous occasion in which families gather outside in the streets, douse each other with brilliantly colored powders and splash each other with water pistols to make the color stick! It’s a bit messy, so we’ll provide you with a set of traditional Indian clothes for this day, but it’s all in fun, with sunset bonfires, special festival food, and traditional dances. The festival is sometimes said to be a reenactment of a game the Hindu god Lord Krishna played with his consort Radha and the gopis, or milkmaids.
Please Download Itinerary for more information
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is Level 1+, Easy. It is a comfortable, vehicle-based sightseeing trip. There are some long days of driving on rough, bumpy roads. Please remember that travel in India can be an intense experience. The essential requirements are flexibility, a sense of humor, curiosity, enthusiasm about new peoples and places, and an openness to the unexpected.
Review Trip Level Details
Like the rest of India, Rajasthan has four seasons. In winter (January to March), temperatures vary widely around the state of Rajasthan but this is an ideal season for travel. January is the coolest month of the year. April to June is pre-monsoon, the hottest season, particularly in May and June. June to September is the monsoon season, when 90% of the annual rains come. October to December, the post-monsoon season, is a very comfortable season for travel.
Accommodations include comfortable, modern hotels reflecting the traditional architecture of Rajasthan as well as former palaces and royal residences that have been converted into luxurious heritage hotels. At our tented camp at the Pushkar Fair, we sleep in Rajasthani-style air-conditioned tents furnished with cots and en suite facilities.
An optional early morning camel ride is offered at the Pushkar or Nagaur fair for an "above the crowd" view of the activities around the fairgrounds as the day begins. Anyone participating in this optional activity must acknowledge the inherent dangers in riding and agree to accept any and all risks.
Client Testimonials
"Exciting, amazing, insightful, historical, educational, and fun."
Abbe L.
Melbourne Beach, FL
"WOW! This was an extraordinary trip. It was meticulously planned, but allowed for many spontaneous interactions and delightful surprises. Another WT success story."
Bonnie B.
Bakersfield, CA
"I absolutely loved this trip. It was such a busy and astonishing one; every day there was at least one thing that just blew us away. The palaces and forts are remarkable, the stepwells breathtaking, and the traffic bewildering! I know people who are afraid to go to India but this trip is the one they should take. It is very comfortable but so much fun. And the food is fabulous! "
Cindy H.
Bend, OR
"The camel fair went beyond anyone's expectations. It was an incredible experience!"
Donna B.
Sacramento, CA
"It was a splendid experience all around. I did not want to come home."
Elizabeth P.
Santa Fe, NM
"Our Trip Leader shared his enthusiasm for the history and beauty, was sensitive to the needs of each individual, and had an unfailing sense of humor along with tremendous knowledge. It was a splendid experience all around. I did not want to come home!"
Elizabeth P.
Santa Fe, NM
"This trip was a magical mystery tour filled with beauty, knowledge, and a surprise around every corner."
Ginger K.
Adairsville, GA
"I can’t imagine a more successful trip than the one we just had. It was truly perfect in every way."
Jackie F.
Charleston, SC
"I loved every minute!"
John L.
Santa Fe, NM
"Spectacular trip! Food was amazing, the people were phenomenal, and the hotels were beyond perfection!"
Lisa C.
South Miami, FL
"The trip was even better than I expected."
Lynne G.
Rockville, MD
"This was possibly the best trip I have ever taken, which is saying a lot, since we have been pretty much everywhere."
Martha D.
Los Altos, CA
"A wonderful way to see Rajasthan."
Paul B.
Albany, CA
"A wonderful collection of the luxurious and the romantic!"
Peter F.
Cambria, CA
"Royal Rajasthan was fantastic, the best trip we have ever done."
Susan C.
Alamo, CA
"Great trip, great hotels (how can you not like staying in palaces), and a great itinerary with just enough down time."
William B.
Portland, OR
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Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Level 1 – Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Level 2 – Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Level 3 – Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
- Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
- Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
- Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
- Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin, are Trip Level 3.
Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Level 5 – Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Level 6 – Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.