Tigers and temples: touring Rajasthan

India is a vast land, full of colours, sights and sounds - bustling cities, atmospheric palaces and stunning wildlife, but visiting a destination like this can seem a little daunting with language, cultural and geographical considerations, so a guided tour can be just the ticket to get the most out of your visit. Sarah, manager at our Hythe shop, joined a 9-day tour of Ranthambhore & Rajasthan with Newmarket Holidays, who have over 40 years of expertise in crafting exceptional escorted journeys worldwide:

“We flew with Virgin Atlantic into Delhi in time for an afternoon visit to the UNESCO-listed Humayun’s Tomb, which is a fine example of Mughal architecture. This era spans over 300 years from the early 1500’s and its wealth and creativity led to marvels such as the Taj Mahal amongst many others. This beautiful building set the tone for our trip and was a great introduction to the centuries of history that India offers.

Our base for the night was the Eros Hotel in New Delhi – a great 5-star hotel with a lovely outdoor pool, spacious rooms and delicious food, with fantastic flower displays throughout the hotel.

The next day we started our travels across the country, journeying to Ranthambore. This National Park is vast wildlife reserve - a former royal hunting ground, now famously home to Bengal tigers as well as leopards and marsh crocodiles. That evening we had a Tiger Talk with a naturalist ahead of our safari the following morning. Our Canter Safari was in an open-air, 20-seater mini-bus accompanied by a guide, travelling along the main routes of the reserve. We managed to see a tiger, leopard, two types of deer, two types of monkey and various birds, whilst other groups on this trip also got a close up of a tiger and spotted a sloth bear.

Our hotel here was the Ranthambhore Regency - a beautiful family-run boutique 4-star hotel set within the park perimeter. Newmarket Holidays try and support local businesses and use family run hotels where they can, which is fantastic. There was a gallery of impressive tiger photos that guests had taken over the years, with a lovely pool area and gardens.

Our next destination was Udaipur, known as the ‘Venice of the East,’ or the ‘City of Lakes’ after its stunning, tranquil man-made lakes and lavish royal palaces. We toured the sights of the city, including Sahelion-Ki-Bari gardens and the City Palace, followed by a gorgeous boat ride at Lake Pichola. The scenery was stunning and we saw an amazing sunset with hundreds of fruit bats flying above. It was an incredible experience.

Here we stayed at my favourite hotel, Chunda Haveli, a truly stunning 5-star boutique hotel with just 27 rooms. There was a fantastic roof top terrace with breathtaking views and an outdoor restaurant around the pool area with a waterfall. The staff were super friendly with excellent customer service, highly recommended!

Our next location was Jodhpur, known as the ‘Blue City’ due to the colourful buildings in the old quarter. We toured Meharangarh Fort and the local market before visiting the white marbled Jaswant Thada cenotaph and the Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum, positioned at the highest point in Jodhpur. That evening we took a jeep safari to Bishnoi village to experience the culture of the Marwari people, which was a real insight. Our base in Jodhpur was the Novotel - a modern 5-star hotel with a funky nightclub, good location and a lovely buffet restaurant.

Our final hop was by comfortable and punctual internal flight from Jodhpur to Delhi with Indigo Airlines. Our last hotel was also one of the best - the Leela Ambience in Delhi, a large, stunning 5-star hotel and another favourite of mine. Spread over 2 buildings, joined by a gorgeous walkway over a carp pond carpeted with water lilies, the rooms are very luxurious with large circular baths, rainfall showers and beautifully scented toiletries. In fact, the hotel makes its own room fragrance which can be smelt throughout and is heavenly. There are fresh flowers everywhere and the hotel has a good choice of different restaurants to select from - a lovely base from which to explore the bustling city. We enjoyed a tour of Old Delhi, including one of the largest mosques in India, Jama Masjid, as well as a rickshaw ride and a drive past many of the big sites of the city.

The whole tour represents such good value, with excellent guides and so many inclusions. A reasonable amount of fitness is required as a lot of the travelling included negotiating steps and some long days, and it’s worth considering that India is a big country and there is quite a lot of travel time between centres on any Indian itinerary. We had a great driver and assistant on the coach, who regularly supplied us with water and other refreshments - bear in mind the time of year you travel, as when we went (May) temperatures were in excess of 42 degrees. Be prepared for the poverty and begging in some areas, along with stray dogs, although most of them are fed by the locals, as the people of India inherently care for each other as well as animals and birds. Tips amounted to approximately £60 per person, and our guide was absolutely fantastic - we learnt so much at each of the places we visited, as well as about India in general as we travelled between locations on the coach. British citizens require an e-visa, and I’d recommend packing hand sanitiser, diarrhoea tablets, and rehydration drinks, just in case!

I would whole heartedly recommend travelling to India with Newmarket Holidays - you are taken care of from start to finish and feel very safe in this land of utter contrast to the UK. You gain a real insight into the Indian way of life from the knowledgeable guides - the history, culture, arranged marriages, religion, education – everything! I personally would not feel comfortable planning my own itinerary here - a tour is a much better option as you get so much insight, and the logistics are all taken care of - they are such good value. I would say to anyone considering this kind of a trip, that they need to immerse themselves and just go with it, and they will be rewarded with memories of a lifetime.”

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