Rajasthan
Rajasthan is one of the most popular Indian holiday spots. There are large number of Forts and Palaces which are world renowned for their architecture and the delicate carvings.
The cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Amber all bear witness to the splendor and extravagance of the royalty that once ruled Rajasthan. Some of the important forts and palces are The Mehrangarh Fort and Umaid Bhawan Palace of Jodhpur; Lalgarh Palace of Bikaner; City Palace of Jaipur; Jaisalmer Fort, Junagarh Fort, and Chittorgarh Fort of Udaipur.
The State of Rajasthan apart from its heritage buildings is famous for its Wildlife Reserves and Sanctuaries. Some rare species of animals like the Blackbuck, the Chinkara or Indian Gazelle, the Great Indian Bustard and several migratory birds are found here. Some of these wildlife reserves and sanctuaries are Sariska Tiger Reserve, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Desert National Park and the Tal Chappar Sanctuary.
Rajasthan is also world famous for its camels.The town of Pushkar in Rajasthan is famous for its annual Camel Fair and is consdered the largest market for buying and selling camels. In Rajasthan you can enjoy a ride or even a day long safari riding on your own camel for the day. The picture on the right shows some youngsters enjoying their ride.
The main Cities of Rajasthan are
Ajmer
120 kilometers (78 miles) west of Jaipur, was the capital of the kingdom of the great Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan. Ajmer is famous for the Tomb of the famous Muslim Sufi Saint Moinuddin Chishti called the Dargāh Sharīf of Khwāja Moinuddin Chishti. Near Ajmer is the town of Pushkar, famous for its annual Camel Fair.
Bharatpur
175 kilometers (110 miles) from Jaipur is home to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, now known as the Keoladeo National Park (Bird Sanctuary) which is a world heritage site described thus on their site “This former duck-hunting reserve of the Maharajas is one of the major wintering areas for large numbers of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. Some 364 species of birds, including the rare Siberian crane, have been recorded in the park.”
Bikaner
330 kilometers (200 miles) from Jaipur is famous for its Junagarh Fort and two palaces which have been converted to luxury hotels – The Laxmi Nivas Palace and the Lalgarh Palace.
Chittorgarh
300 kilometers (190 miles) from Jaipur is best known for its massive fort, the ‘Chittorgarh Fort’ or the ‘Chittor fort’, the largest fort in India.
Jaipur
is the Capital city of Rajasthan also known as "Pink City" is about 250 km from Delhi, and the usual starting point for tours of Rajasthan. Jaipur has an Airport called Sawai Mansingh International Airport and is the only international airport in the state of Rajasthan, though it has another smaller domestic Airport in Udaipur. The Jaipur Airport is near the town of Sanganer and is 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Jaipur. The tourist places in Jaipur are Amber Fort, Jantar-Mantar, Hawa Mahal, and the City Palace.
Jaisalmer
nicknamed ‘The Golden City’ is about 600 Kilometers (375 miles) from Jaipur. It is famous for the Jaisalmer Fort, Patwon-ki-haveli, sand dunes, and for its camel rides and safaris.
Jodhpur
250 kilometers (155 miles) from Jaipur is also called "Blue City", is famous for Mehrangarh Fort and Umed Bhawan Palace.
Sariska
is 110 kilometers (70 miles) from Jaipur and is famous for its Tiger Reserve Sanctuary.
Ranthambore
Is 135 kilometers (85 miles) from Jaipur and is famous for its Tiger Reserve Project.
Udaipur
420 kilometers (260 miles) from Jaipur, this "City of Lakes" was founded by Maharana Udai Sigh in 1568. Udaipur is famous for its lakes and palaces. The most famous hotel here is the Lake Palace Hotel. Udaipur has a domestic Airport called Maharana Pratap Airport situated 22 kilometers (14 miles) south of Udaipur.
Luxury Train Tours
‘The Palace on Wheels’ and ‘ Royal Rajasthan on Wheels’ are two luxury tour trains which tours the important tourist place of Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi. Both these luxury tourist trains hope to recreate the splendors of the era of the Maharaja’s who used to travel in their own superbly fitted Railway Coaches. The journey on these trains are an heavenly experience and you enjoy the feeling of being treated like a Maharaja for the few days you are on this wonderful train.
The cabins of both the Palcae on Wheels and the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels are like 5 star hotel rooms, all air-conditioned with twin beds and attached toilets. Two fine restaurants, "The Maharaja" and "The Maharani", are there serving continental, Chinese, Indian and Rajasthani cuisines. Both trains depart from New Delhi and during its eight day journey, travels around Rajasthan with stops in Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Agra. Some of the tourist attractions covered are the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, the Ranthambhor National Park, Chittaurgarh Fort, Jag Niwas (Lake Palace), Keoladeo Ghana National Park, the Agra Fort and finally the Taj Mahal.