Traveling in Rajasthan: A Surprising Trip through Chaos without Crisis
- Rand Blimes
- May 11
- 8 min read
The bus we were riding hit a bump in the road. A big, massive, mountainous bump in the road. The jolt actually tossed me off my seat, up into the air. When gravity reunited my posterior once more—rather violently—with my seat, a deep, sinister cloud of dust was expelled and surrounded me.
I disappeared into a cloud of filth and came out sputtering and coated with a thin layer of seat-dust.
I felt like Pigpen from the Peanuts.
I felt like I needed a shower.
I took a mouthful of water from my bottle, swished it around my mouth, and spat it out the open window.
We had taken a train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad (the birthplace of Gandhi), and then transferred to a bus to take us on to our first of four Rajasthani cities we were to visit: Udaipur.
The bus ride had not been the most comfortable. And then we hit that bump in the road, and now I was covered with a thin layer of what I fervently hoped was only inorganic dust.
It seemed like a bad omen.
But here’s the thing: we would go the next month without hitting another significant bump in the road.
Traveling in Rajasthan: Magic, Mayhem, and Mild Weather
Ask any traveler (or travel dreamer) about Rajasthan and their eyes get hazy as their imaginations switches on. Rajasthan is the stuff of dreams. But also nightmares.
It’s the state of desert fortresses pulled straight from the Tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Of camels winding through the deserts. Of alleyways winding through the bazaars.
Rajasthan is full of magic.
But Rajasthan is also the state of grinding poverty. Of beggars. It’s notorious for persistent touts, fake guides, rigged gem shops, and commission-based “uncle’s” textile emporiums. Travelers’ diarrhea is epidemic. Heat stroke is not uncommon.
Rajasthan is full of curses.
I was a bit worried about Rajasthan overwhelming my family. But by this point, we had been traveling for eight months—six months in SE Asia, a month in Sri Lanka, and a month in South India. I felt they were ready.
So we jumped in, ready for whatever Rajasthan threw at us.
But here’s the thing—mostly what Rajasthan threw at us was fantastic experiences. Everything went pretty smoothly. A little over a month in Rajasthan, and we didn’t have any significant problems. No one ripped us off. No health issues. No one got heat stroke. We did a camel safari that went perfectly smoothly (well . . . not literally smoothly, camels are super unsteady). Jaisalmer became one of my favorite places in the world.
Rajasthan was not only great . . . it was easy.
Hmmm . . .
. . . bummer?
The Masochism Olympics of Indie Travel
There’s a strange badge of honor among independent travelers—especially the ones zigzagging their way through places like India. We don’t just tell travel stories; we curate suffering. We celebrate missed buses, intestinal betrayals, and 17-hour train rides in unreserved class like they’re war stories.
The greater the discomfort, the more “real” the experience must have been.
I’m not immune. Heck, I am closer to patient zero than immune. I’ve been known to bask a little too long in the glow of a tale that ends with me sleeping in a broom closet next to a goat in rural Nepal (It was fine).
There’s a certain absurdity to it, really. As if ease and comfort somehow cheapen the journey. As if good food, clean sheets, and a breeze that doesn’t smell like low tide aren’t worthy of storytelling.
But here’s the thing: Rajasthan messed with that formula. We had a great time. Things went mostly according to plan. And I’m still going to tell you about it. Because sometimes, the story isn’t about barely surviving—it’s about simply loving where you ended up. Even if the journey there was (gasp!) easy.
Because travel can offer you all kinds of surprises.
What follows is like a regional nuts and bolts post.
Nuts and Bolts posts give you the practical information you need, but without stripping away the humor, mishaps, and little victories that make real travel what it is. These aren’t just guides. They’re how we actually did it—mistakes, triumphs, and all.
Below are some travel tips for visiting Rajasthan, India, to aid in planning your own trip. Remember, we are a family of five, and we travel mostly to eat. We were in Rajasthan in March 2016. If your trip to Rajasthan is significantly longer/shorter/with a different focus, you may have a very different experience.
Where to Go and What to Do in Rajasthan
We spent time in four different Rajasthani cities: Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Jaipur. We visited in that order. Jaisalmer was our favorite city. Udaipur and Jodhpur were both great. Jaipur was a bit anti-climactic after the other three cities, but still worth a short visit.
Getting Around Rajasthan
There was no good train route for us to get all the way to Udaipur from Mumbai. So we took the train to Ahmedabad and then grabbed a rickshaw to the bus station. As mentioned previously, this bus was not great. But it got us to Udaipur.
We made the rest of our intercity journeys in Rajasthan by train. Jodhpur is about 8 hours from Udaipur (so it’s perfect for a quick overnight train). Jaisalmer is only a bit over six hours by train from Jodhpur. Our train left Jodhpur at 23:45, so we paid for that night in the hotel so we wouldn’t have to check out in the morning, spend the whole day in the heat and dust, and then ride an overnight train. The train from Jaisalmer to Jaipur takes about 13 hours.
All the cities were highly walkable. If you go somewhere a bit further afield, there are rickshaws and taxis aplenty.
Finding a Hotel
Because we rode overnight trains to get into each new city, we arrived early in the morning. So we generally did not book our hotels ahead of time (we did in Jaipur due to its size). Each of the four Rajasthani cities we visited are covered in hotels and guesthouses. So we showed up, found a nice café for everyone to hang out in with the bags, and either my wife or I visited hotels, checking rooms and bargaining over the price.
Coming out of any train station in Rajasthan, you will likely be met by a gaggle of tiny touts: kids trying to take you to the “best hotel in _________.” Some are cute. Some are obnoxious. We always chatted and joked with them. We never followed them.
The only specific place I would recommend is Nirvana Home in Jodhpur. Nirvana Home is an old haveli (home) and temple that has been converted into a guesthouse. We loved this place. It was a splurge from what we usually booked, but we had been running under budget in Rajasthan so we had a surplus to blow.
What to Do in Rajasthan
Each city has its own character and attractions, but there are some patterns that run throughout Rajasthan.
First, go check out the forts.
Jodhpur’s fort sits on a hill over the city, and it is absolutely astounding. It is HUGE.
Unlike the other cities, Jaisalmer’s fort is a living part of the city. You can wander the alleys and even find a hotel in the old fort. Many of the visitors to Jaisalmer only make a day trip, so staying in the city, in or near the fort, means you get the place more or less to yourself in the evenings and early morning. There is nothing like wandering the streets of the Jaisalmer fort when they are deserted.
In the other cities, the forts are museums. They are not only interesting, they also tend to have fantastic views out over the city.
NOTE: If you visit the fort in Jaipur, please don’t ride the poor elephants up the hill. They tend to be in poor condition and don’t need tourists sitting on them while they trudge up the mountain in the heat.
We also ate at rooftop restaurants most nights in Rajasthan. They tend to come with a view of the fort (unless you are in Jaisalmer, where the rooftop restaurants are in the fort). Although if you are in Jaisalmer, you should also walk down to the base of the fort and eat at Monica’s Restaurant. It does amazingly good north Indian food.
In any Rajasthani city, the city itself was our favorite attraction. Spend time wandering the streets. Walk by the lake in Udaipur. Jodhpur has a whole section of the city painted blue (and is therefore the “Blue City”). If you do travel photography, you could spend a lifetime in any of the Rajasthani cities. Go nuts getting lost.
Camel Ride from Jaisalmer
It is easy to book an overnight camel ride in the desert outside Jaisalmer. You won’t get deep into the desert with just one night, but let me tell you something about camels: they are not very comfortable to ride. Two days was more than enough for me.
We booked our camel safari through our hotel. The price included transportation to the camels, a camel for each of us, guides, food and water, and more stars in the desert sky than you can believe exist.
We camped in the dunes and rode the camels back the next day.
The experience wasn’t life-changing. But it was fun. We had a good time, and we are glad we did it.
Visit Ranthambore National Park
Ranthambore National Park is where India’s wildlife dreams come to lounge in the shade. Once a royal hunting ground, it’s now one of the best places in India to spot wild tigers—if you’re lucky and they’re feeling cooperative. The park’s landscape is dramatic: crumbling ruins, lakes, and tangled jungle all wrapped around a centuries-old fort. Even if the tigers ghost you, you’ll still get peacocks, monkeys, deer, and that satisfying thrill of bouncing around in an open-top jeep like you’re in a dusty nature documentary.
Ranthambore is well connected to the rest of India and a very easy trip from Jaipur. We took a bus and it was relatively painless.
Ranthambore is divided up into different sections. Your best best for seeing tigers is in sections 1-6. We treid a few other sections and didn't see much. We saw our tigers in section 2. Sections 3 is where you have a shot to see a tiger lounging in the crumbling ruins.
We booked all our tours independently . . . and I don't recommend it. For me to get the spot in section 2, I had to get up early to get to the park headquarters where I was competing with local guides and hotel workers to secure a place in the popular zones. And when I say "competing" I mean pushing, shoving and trying to be the one yelling the loudest. Literally.
Don't do it.
Book your hotel early and ask them to secure you places in the popular zones. It will cost you extra, and you may have to do a bank transfer to put down a deposit. Just do it.
And give yourself a few days to try as tiger sightings, although common, are never guaranteed. Early morning is best.
Rajasthan, Unexpectedly Wonderful
In the end, Rajasthan became my second favorite region of India (after Kashmir). We had a great time. And after that one dusty bump in the road . . . things went surprisingly smoothly.
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