Desert Forts and Clay Huts

Bite-sized trip

Itinerary:
Jaisalmer - Bikaner - Mandawa - Jaipur
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights (flexible)
Price:
from £ 339.- per person (excluding flights)

Explore dust-swirled desert towns, sleep in traditional clay huts and visit richly coloured merchant palaces in one of India’s most remote and mystic regions. You’ll travel from the golden fort of Jaisalmer through the vast Thar desert towards the ‘Red City’ of Bikaner. Next, you’ll move on to remote pockets of Shekhawati, a once-important region on the caravan route, filled with clusters of brightly coloured havelis, or decadent merchant mansions.

Day 1 – Arrival in Bikaner

Leaving Jaisalmer, you’ll head through the desert to reach Bikaner where you’ll check into your small family hotel. Bikaner, the ‘Red City’, is a desert city with an atmospheric old centre crammed with 37 palaces and a beautiful red sandstone fort. In the afternoon, you’ll take a guided tour through the highlights of the city, including the Junagarh Fort with its Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum.

Day 2-3 Bikaner to Mandawa & departure

Next, you’ll drive to Mandawa, renowned for its colourful haveli houses. You’ll be staying in an air-conditioned clay hut, designed to blend in with the desert landscape. The property champions sustainable tourism by providing jobs for the local communities, using locally sourced food in the restaurant and preserving the cultural heritage of the region.

This desert settlement is famous for its colourful, lavishly decorated havelis, which are the former homes of wealthy merchants and today you’ll take a guided walking tour through town so you can admire the havelis with their exotic paintings and frescoes. The locals will be happily surprised to see you, as not many tourists make it this far.

The next day you’ll return by car to the Pink City of Jaipur where this trip comes to an end.