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Rickshaw Travel
India

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.
Elephant painting on wall in Mandawa

Day 1 – The ‘Red City’ of Bikaner

Leaving Jaisalmer, you’ll head through the desert to reach Bikaner where you’ll be spending the night. Bikaner, the ‘Red City’, sits on the edge of the Thar Desert. It’s best known for its striking, red sandstone Junagarh Fort. In the afternoon, you’ll take a guided tour through the narrow lanes and bustling markets of the atmospheric old centre. You’ll explore the unique sandstone fortress and visit the Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum for a fascinating insight into Bikaner’s princely past.

Day 2 – Mandawa’s colourful havelis

This morning continue your journey to the small desert town of 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 was once a key stop on the old caravan routes and wealthy merchants built colourful, lavishly decorated havelis here. We will arrange 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 into Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region

Day 3 – Travel to Jaipur

Today you’ll depart Mandawa and likely return with your private car and driver to the Pink City of Jaipur for the next stage of your India journey…

Accommodation

India Mandawa accommodation exterior
India Mandawa - hotel

This bite-sized trip combines well with