Last September, I jumped at an opportunity to travel to India for 3 weeks with some girlfriends. While in India, we used Delhi, India as a home base and flew to three other regions of India as side trips from Delhi, including trips to Leh in Ladakh, Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and finally, Kerala, India.

In my first India blog post, I wrote about my first four days exploring the mountainous town of Leh in Ladakh. At 3,500m/11,560ft above sea level, Leh is an experience very different than many places I have been before. I imagine it is similar to what Nepal or Tibet would be like. See my last blog post for more information on my time in Leh, Ladakh.

For my second India post (out of four), I’m writing about my five days exploring Jodhpur, Rajasthan. I absolutely loved my time wandering Rajasthan, India!

For our second side trip outside of Delhi, we chose Jodhpur, Rajasthan, so we could visit the beautiful desert. I am fortunate to have lived in the middle east for a few years, and Jokhpur, Rahasthan, reminded me of that time. The whole area, because it was a desert, was a very brown color throughout, with a few splashes of color. In general, it was not very colorful. I personally did not mind it.

Our Driver/Transportation:

In advance of our trip, my friend called our hotel in Jodhpur to arrange a car and driver for us. We booked the car for local sightseeing in Jodhpur, followed by travel to (and sightseeing in) Jaisalmer, and finally, to take us back to the Jodhpur airport. The price of which was 15,000 rupees approximately. Split between 4 people, it was very affordable.

Heat:

It was toasty! It was about 40C every day in mid-September. The heat became so intense that my friend actually had sweat stains on her knees. We wore pants, long dresses, and long sleeves most days because of cultural conservatism but we were sweating a whole lot.

A scarf is great for the purpose of covering up. I brought one everywhere in India because many places required us to cover our shoulders, and unfortunately, I do not own many shirts with sleeves. The scarf was my happy medium.

Day 1:

We flew in from Delhi to Jodhpur and went straight to our hotel, Ratan Villas. The hotel was gorgeous and had a good price (when compared to euros or USD). We went to Mehrangarh Fort (the cost is 400/600 rupees, but we had student discounts, so our price was 400), where we saw a view of the blue city.

We then did some shopping and took a rikshaw to Toorji Ka Jhalra, an old well with steps all the way down to the bottom (see photo below). There were kids swimming in it when we went because it was extremely warm in the city (around 35/40C in early September).

We ate dinner at the hotel to enjoy the view.

Day 2:

We left early for Jaisalmer (about a 4 or 5-hour drive) and checked into Rawal Kot, another very nice hotel. We stayed in a number of bougie places, this was not the most budget-friendly trip. There are definitely budget-friendly options, but we did not go that route.

After lunch, we went to Gadisar Lake and rented a rowboat right at golden hour. We enjoyed the beauty of the area while also having a photoshoot moment. We ate dinner that night at the Trio, which overlooks a palace and has a beautiful rooftop view of the city.

Day 3:

In the morning, we went to the Jaisalmer Fort, one of the few “living forts,” as there are still individuals who reside in the fort itself. We found a side street where an older woman did henna on us.

We did some sightseeing and shopping and then ate lunch and went back to the hotel to relax.

That afternoon, we drove to Kuldhara, an abandoned village. It is unknown why it was abandoned. It could have been a curse or a natural disaster; who knows?

In the evening, we drove to 7 Palms for a safari. We did some sand-during in a jeep and rode around on camels.

The safari was a highlight of the trip for sure. We blasted Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift for an absolute vibe of a time. After coming back to the main camp, they played music and danced and passed out chai and snacks. We had a whole lot of chai on this trip in India. 7 Palms is also a place where you can stay overnight and camp in the desert.

Day 4:

After breakfast in the hotel, we drove the four hours back to Johdpur for lunch and a flight back to Delhi.

Shopping in Rajasthan, India:

We bought juttis, a traditional Indian shoe, from a small street vendor right near where some cows were wandering in the streets. Juttis are like flats, and they stretch to fit your feet a bit.

I also picked up a few table runners for gifts and a beautiful silver dragon ring. My friend purchased table runners for gifts and a ring as well.

Review of Jodhpur, Rajasthan:

Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was one of my favorite places to visit while traveling in India.

The Rajasthan forts with culture and shopping, good food, amazing views, and the safari were a highlight of the entire 21-day India trip. Despite the heat and general dust/sand color of the city, it was not something I was unfamiliar with. I would not change a thing about this trip to Jodhpur, Rajasthan, other than maybe extending it to see more of the region. That being said, the heat is brutal.

Please read my three other India posts (links below) to learn about my remaining 17 days of traveling India…

https://wakewanderrepeat.com/21-days-traveling-india-1st-stop-4-days-in-leh-ladakh/

https://wakewanderrepeat.com/21-days-traveling-india-3rd-stop-5-days-in-kerala-india/