The Majestic “Maharaja” Tour (22 Days)

You’ll board a bus from your hotel at 7am. A 4-5 hour journey will bring you to Bharatpur at around lunch time. After lunch, you’ll be briefed on riding conditions & safety for the trek ahead.

Early morning you’ll have time to visit the Keoladeo Ghana National Park and do some bird watching. Soon after breakfast, we’ll ride to Deeg. This ride will be a good introduction to your bike and the riding conditions. In Deeg, the night is all yours. Don’t forget to visit the palace!

It really begins! After breakfast you’ll kick-start your motorcycle tour and head towards Jaipur, the state capital of Rajasthan.

The day is yours for sightseeing and Jaipur has a lot to offer! A bus coach and an English guide will take you around the most popular spots.

Leaving Jaipur, you head north-west on the NH-11 towards the Shekhwati region, to the town of Nawalgarh.

Referred to as the “open air art gallery” of Rajasthan, the entire Shekhawati region is dotted with fascinating mansions (havelis) embellished with frescoes & colourfully painted walls. You may either explore the town or use the day for rest/relaxation. Alternatively, if you are keen to ride, we’ll be organising a short ride in the surrounding region (optional).

Joining the NH-11 again, you’ll head westwards towards the city of Bikaner, one of the famous desert cities of Rajasthan.

Bikaner’s spectacular landscape is dominated by the indomitable Junagarh Fort and the red sandstone Lalgarh Palace. The fascinating old city & its bazaars are well worth a visit and so is the National Research Centre on Camel (the only such centre in Asia).

Today we turn south-westwards on NH-15 and head for Jaisalmer, another beautiful desert town located in the Thar desert. It’s the longest riding day of the tour so we’ll have rest stops at Phalodi, for a lunch and stop at the nearby village of Khichan to see hundreds of migratory Demoiselle Cranes. We’ll reach Jaisalmer just in time to see the sunset behind the “Golden Fort”.

The day is yours for visiting the “Living Fort” (yes, it’s the only fort with a fourth of Jaisalmer’s population living within its walls) and other inquisitively carved mansions which make for some of the most beautiful buildings in the state.

After spending the morning in Jaisalmer, we’ll move further into the Thar desert. A couple of hours zig-zagging through the desert landscape, you shall arrive at a desert village. Accommodation is in a comfortable “tourist” campsite, where you can ride a Camel into the Sunset and experience Rajasthani music & dance.

Continuing eastwards you’ll make your way to Jodhpur, one of the most spectacular destinations in Rajasthan.

The day is yours to visit the places of interest like the Mehrangarh Fort, Umaid Bhawan Palace & Jaswant Thada.

After breakfast it’ll be time to bid adieu to “the blue city” and take your journey further south towards Ranakpur, a small town located in a wooded valley on the western side of the Aravali range, famous for the white marble Jain temple with intricate carvings. Your final destination today will be a small village of Kelwara situated 6km from Kumbhalgarh.

The Mewar fortress of Kumbhalgarh is a remarkable battlement surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary, home to a very large variety of wild life, some of which are highly endangered species. This impregnable fort fell only once to the combined forces of four kingdoms including Emperor Akbar. After visiting the Kumbhalgarh Fort you’ll be proceeding to Udaipur, the city of lakes.

Udaipur, a tourists delight as it is, will most likely have you spending the next two days visiting all it has to offer. The last evening in Udaipur will be a great time to absorb the stunning views of the “Pichola Lake” from the sunset point or one of the numerous roof-top restaurants lining the “ghats” around the lake and reminiscing the past few days after you left Bharatpur, as the sun sets.

Heading north-east from Udaipur, you first stop today will be the spectacular fort of Chittorgarh, one of the most romantic of Rajasthan’s fortifications. After a visit to the Fort, you’ll ride further 40km to Bijaipur, a small hamlet amidst gentle slopes of the surrounding hills.

The village of Bijaipur has a wonderful setting and just a walk through the lanes & alleys can be quite an experience, especially if you’re keen to observe a typical Indian village lifestyle. In the afternoon, we’ll also be organising a ride in the surrounding region through small village roads (optional).

About 150km north-east of Bijaipur lies the quaint town of Bundi. Site of yet another impressive fort, the Taragarh, it’s also known for its architectural note seen in its ornate forts, palaces, and step-well reservoirs known as “baoris”.

Today’s destination lies further north-east of Bundi and is home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. Situated in Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, Ranthambhore was formerly the hunting grounds for the Maharajahs of Jaipur before Indian independence. Ranthambhore, now a Project Tiger reserve since 1973, is also home to other major wild animals including the Leopard, Nilgai, Dhole, Wild Boar, Sambar, Hyena, Sloth Bear, Chital plus a variety of birds & reptiles. Soon after arriving you’ll head out for a safari through the national park.

Today, you’ll saddle-up one last time and head back to Bharatpur. Having gone a full circle around Rajasthan you’ll be “homing” back to this bird sanctuary. Tonight’s dinner will be a “Farewell” dinner.

Today, it’ll be time to say good-bye to the Royal Enfields & Rajasthan. After breakfast, you’ll be boarding a bus coach for the last leg of this journey. However, first stop of the day will be the city of Agra where you will see the most spectacular of the monuments on this tour, The Taj Mahal. From Agra you shall proceed to New Delhi (ETA 1700 hrs). If you’ve purchased a “Farewell” add-on you’ll be transferred to our partner hotel where your accommodation has been arranged.

If you have concerns regarding the standard of accommodation on our tours, we’d like to assure you that our selection of hotels will not disappoint you.  In fact, if you read just a few of our TripAdvisor reviews of Rajasthan tours you’ll see that most of our previous customers have made a mention about it; some calling it “sensational” and some saying that “it was one of the highlights of their tour”.  The reason for that is that we have carefully selected (and fine tuned over a decade) a good mix of Havelis/ Heritage homes/hotels (which have a good balance between the old charm and modern travelers needs) without sending our tour prices “through the roof”.  Some have been chosen for their charm, some for their convenient location and some just to give you a taste of “maharaja” style living.  The reason we don’t share photos here is to keep the surprise element.  Nonetheless, we’ve provided a small “glimpse” of it on one of our Gallery webpage (scroll down to “Rajasthan Accommodation” slide) as evidence 🙂

Please note:  On all our tours the space on the support vehicles is limited.  Hence, we request that you limit your baggage to 25 KG.

• Driver’s license*
• International Driving Permit
• Travel insurance**
• Protective Riding Gloves
• Riding boots
• Riding jacket & pants (summer mesh jacket would be most suited)
• Helmet
• Riding goggles
• Balaclava
• Eye drops
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent

Suggested

• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Scarf/Bandana
• a fleece/pullover for the evenings
• Ear Plugs

*Full and valid for  min 411cc motorcycle

**Must cover riding motorcycle overseas for leisure

All Rajasthan tours start and end in New Delhi. Average daytime temperatures in winter in New Delhi is 16°C to 21°C. Night time temperatures average 2-8°C.  In Rajasthan, daytime temperatures can range between the high twenties and low thirties from November to February. However, the temperature can plunge in the late night/early mornings (below 10°C).  The tours scheduled in October or March are warmer, with mercury hovering around the mid-30’s during the day at some locations.

Rain is very very unlikely during these times of the year.  Even if we do encounter a rare “passing shower”, it’s not cold and you’d dry off in the wind.  Hence, unless you have too much spare room in your luggage, you need not worry about rain gear.

The following vaccinations are recommended for your trip to India* (if visiting for less than 5 months):

• Hepatitis A
• Diphtheria
• Typhoid
• Malaria
• Tetanus
• Japanese Encephalitis, Poliomyelitis
• Rabies

Please ensure you are also up to date with routine vaccinations such as:

• Influenza
• Chickenpox
• Polio
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR)
• Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus (DPT)
• Rotavirus (for children)

If you are arriving from the following countries it is required for you to have the Yellow Fever vaccine:

• Angola
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo
• Cote d’lvoire
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Ethiopia
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Panama
• Peru
• Suriname
• Venezuela
• Trinidad
• Tobago

*This is a general guide. Please consult your doctor for country specific medical advice.

Telephone: Country code is 91

Mobile phone: Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is limited to major towns.

Internet: Wi-Fi is available in most hotels and cafes.

Post: Airmail service to U.S and Western Europe takes up to two weeks.

When travelling to India you will need the following documents:

• Passport (valid at least 6 months past the intended period of stay)
• Indian Tourist Visa

Indian Tourist Visa

Travelers should apply for a tourist e-visa before they visit India. Processing time is generally between 36-48 hours, you can apply for an e-Visa here. These are single/multiple entry visa’s that are valid for a 30/60-day stay. To see if you are eligible for a tourist e-visa visit this website.

We’ll get back to you within a couple of days with a registration form and a full list of T’s & C’s.  Once you’ve submitted the completed registration form we’ll send you an Invoice of the tours/services opted by you.  If the tour start date is more than 3 months away, a 25% advance payment will secure your spot on the tour.

To pay for your tour, we only accept Bank telegraphic (wire) transfer.

It’s our preferred option because it’s safe, transparent & cheap. While it may seem like outdated technology where you’re from, it’s still standard business practice here.  Transfer of funds takes place from your bank account directly to our bank account (with reasonable commissions or charges levied by the banks).

Our T’s & C’s document details more info about our payment policy, but if you’ve got questions about ‘wiring’ money please don’t hesitate to contact us or your bank.

We’ll send you an email with confirmation, a receipt, and everything else you need to know – so you can get ready for new experiences, with new friends, in foreign lands!

The open road beckons. See you at the airport.

Booking shall be subject to availability & eligibility. Your booking is confirmed after deposit is received as per the terms & conditions. Your privacy is protected and we agree not to share the information provided with third parties for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, unless legally required.

The price of the tour is per person on the basis of twin-share accommodation. “Twin Share” means sharing a “double bed” or a “twin bed” room with your companion, or another member of the tour of the same gender.

If you don’t want to share a room you can purchase a single accommodation add-on.  Single Accommodation is subject to availability.  On the Himalayan Tours, it cannot be guaranteed at locations where we stay in “tented camps” as the availability of such accommodation is scarce during the high season.

We reserve the right to impose a “single accommodation” price on a participant, like a minor participant or an unaccompanied participant, if he/she cannot be accommodated with another member of the tour due to any reason(s).

To participate as a rider an individual has to be an adult above the age of 18 years at the time of the tour, holding a valid full motorcycle driving license authorizing him/her to ride a 411/500cc motorcycle and in sufficiently good health to undertake a motorcycle journey without any pre-existing medical condition(s) which may be detrimental to the participants health & safety.   To participate as a co-rider on the pillion an individual has to be above the age of 12 years.

Further details will be available for your perusal in the terms & conditions appended to the tour registration form.