Women’s Road Trip (Rajasthan): Delhi-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Bikaner

What are the words that come to your mind when you think of Rajasthan?

Before my Rajasthan roadtrip, the only word I would associate with this state was ‘desert’.

Quite a few words have now been added: royalty, forts, palaces, history, colourful handicrafts and of course that dal-bhatti choorma.

An amazing experience for sure. Let me try and take you through it with my words and a few pictures.

Khamma Ghani!

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Planning

The plan – To go on a road trip from Delhi

Travelers – My mom, my cousin Nidhi and me

Dates – Six days in end November 2020

The only decision to be made was the destination.

We discussed everything from Indore-Gwalior to Varanasi to Rajasthan to Himachal. Everything was on the table.

All of us were leaning more towards Manali – Kasol as the idea of snowfall is always fascinating and none of us had ever seen it.

We were to leave on a Saturday and by Friday morning we had finalized Manali. A piece of news on Friday afternoon regarding traffic snarls at Manali due to the increase in footfall set off a few frantic discussions amongst us.

This was going to be my first time driving on possible snowy/icy roads and the thought of added traffic jams on the slopes of Manali was giving me jitters.

And since the pandemic was still not over, the over crowding bit was worrying us too.

We finally chose safety over that snow experience and decided to drive to Jaisalmer instead.

The decision led to re-packing for all of us as we now had to be prepared for 20 degrees C instead of 0 degree C.

Since I had come from Mumbai to Delhi prepared for 0 degrees, I realized I did not have enough summery clothes. A frantic raid through my mom’s closet provided a few options. One dress, one skirt, two kurtas which could be worn as dresses. I was sorted.

With just a few hours left for the trip, we divided responsibilities. My mom was responsible to shortlist a few possible hotels, Nidhi was responsible for food and things to do while I happily took on the responsibility of route planning.

The tentative plan was to drive from Delhi to Jodhpur on day one, then drive to Jaisalmer on day 2 afternoon, stay for 2 nights and then drive to Bikaner on day 5 and finally from Bikaner to Delhi on day 6.

A total 6 days – 5 nights trip.

Part 1: Delhi-Jodhpur

Although I usually try to avoid NH48 as much as possible due to the heavy truck traffic and the non-scenic roads, we did not seem to have an option this time.

Our first leg was nearly 10 hours long and taking alternate routes would have slowed it down further. Since it was a new city and we did not have any accommodation booked, we wanted to reach before dusk.

The route we took was on NH48 till Ajmer bypass and then on to NH58 till Beawar from where we got on to NH25 till Jodhpur.

As expected, NH48 was very busy. Driving on this highway always makes me feel as if I am in one of those car racing videogames.

The plus point here is the no.of highway restaurant options. We took our first break at Highway Kings restaurant near Neemrana which turned out to be a good choice.

Good washroom and decent parathas. The basics were all met.

After crossing Jaipur bypass, thankfully the no.of trucks decreased. Finally, I could relax a bit and take my eyes off the road to enjoy the view of Aravallis.

The drive became smoother and more enjoyable but with that came the lack of highway stops – for both washrooms as well as restaurants.

After about 3-4 stops, we finally reached Jodhpur at about 7 PM.

Part 2: Stay at Jodhpur

Jodhpur is one of the most interesting cities in India. Check my detailed article on interesting facts about Jodhpur.

Since we only had a few hours in this city, we wanted to stay in old city of Jodhpur so that we could walk around the lanes and get a feel of the city.

We finally chose Heritage Kuchaman Haveli as our night stop. And it turned out to be a good decision.

A beautiful haveli in the heart of Jodhpur city. The approach lanes were quite narrow, but thankfully there wasn’t much traffic at the time of our visit so we could easily maneuver through them.

We quickly checked in and went to check out the city. Most of the shops had shut down so we just walked around and finally decided to eat dinner at a roof top restaurant: Indique restaurant in Pal Haveli which has the Jaisalmer fort as a backdrop.

Unfortunately the fort lights were not switched on due to which the site was not looking as pretty as in the pictures that we had seen.

But the food and service definitely made up for it.

Blue houses of Jodhpur

Read also: why are these houses blue?

Early next morning, we set out to visit the blue houses of Jodhpur.

Seemed like an easy task. But no.

Maybe it would have been an easy task if I had come here about 10 years ago!

It seems that most locals have now painted their houses in some other colour and that is why you will not see lanes of blue houses anymore. There are still some areas where the houses are blue; probably every third house.

One such area that we visited was ‘Navachowkia’ which is a 10 minute walk from the clock tower. Don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed.

On asking the locals about these blue houses, we were told that it is all a gimmick to fool tourists.

Well, we were definitely fooled.

Toorji ka Jhalra

After walking through the myriad lanes in Jodhpur, we headed towards ‘Toorji ka Jhalra’ which is a restored stepwell. Read about the stepwell here

Jodhpur once had many stepwells and like most other stepwells in India, most of the ones in Jodhpur had been abandoned too. This particular stepwell was recently restored by JDH and is definitely worth a visit.

If you are unable to get directions to this particular stepwell, add ‘stepwell cafe’ to your maps. The area around this stepwell is quite modern with vibrant shops and cafes; unlike the other lanes of old city.

About 10 minute walk from this stepwell is another one named ‘Mahila Bagh ka Jhalra’. We did not have time to check that one out though.

Mehrangarh Fort

Towering above the city of Jodhpur is the magnificient Mehrangarh fort. There are many interesting stories associated with this fort regarding the drought curse, live burial as a remedy and the huge size of the fort. Check my detailed article on Jodhpur facts for these.

The entry ticket here is 600 INR per person and there is a lift (50 INR/person) which saves you the climb to the top of the fort. There is also an audio guide available which had been discontinued during our visit due to the pandemic concerns.

You can also hire a tourist guide here for 600 INR.

We only had about 2 hours at this fort so we took the lift option. We started with the top (read view point) and then moved towards the museum (well stocked). You will take at least 2 hours at this fort.

Tip: Take a tuk tuk to the fort gate as it is quite an uphill climb and there is quite a bit of walk inside the fort as well. We paid 150 INR for the tuk tuk (3 people) from clock tower. On your way back, its easiest to walk down the steps (to the right of the exit gate) which will take you to the clock tower.

Close to the fort is the Rao Jodha Desert Rock park. We did not have time to visit this place.

Food

The most famous snack in Jodhpur is ‘Mirchi bada’ which is something I had seen for the first time.

We targeted Jodhpur snacks for our breakfast and ate at a small restaurant near clock tower: Shri Mishrilal hotel. It had a decent sit down area and the snacks were good.

Unfortunately at the time of our visit, the kachoris and badas were not very fresh (must have been kept for about half an hour). For me anything deep fried needs to be on my plate as soon as it is out of the kadhaai.

So the snack lost a bit of points there. Also, they didn’t serve tea which was shocking to me.

But overall the food was decent.

While on our way back from Mehrangarh fort, we picked up mirchi badas from another sweet shop close to the clock tower: Shahi Samosa. This time it was straight out of the wok. Yum.

Part 3: Jodhpur to Jaisalmer

An absolutely beautiful drive.

We took the NH125 followed by NH11. Empty smooth roads with beautiful barren landscape. On NH125, you will see some traffic but NH11 seemed like our road.

There were hardly any other cars so much so that I could finally pose on the highway – Something I had been wanting to do for a long time.

 

The only con of this drive is the lack of highway stops. Nidhi and I were craving for one of those take-away coffees; but the closest coffee shop as per our map was in Jaisalmer.

Part 4: Stay at Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is another one of those interesting Rajasthan cities with some fascinating facts. Check these facts here.

On our journey from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, we checked a few Jaisalmer accommodations and finalised Hotel Lal Garh Fort. The rooms were good and spacious. Unlike most other hotels they had triple rooms which was perfect for us. The location of the hotel was good and parking space here was good as well. The hotel had a nice roof top restaurant from where you could see the fort and quite a bit of the city.

Jaisalmer Fort

Next morning after a breakfast of hot kachoris and tea, we headed towards the fort. After the Mehrangarh fort, this fort seemed less impressive. The unique bit about this fort is that it is one of the handful inhabited forts in the world. Read my article on Jaisalmer for more information.

Tour of this fort will take you about 1.5-2  hours.

Patwon Ki Haveli

About a km from the fort is the famous Patwon ki haveli which is a must see for its elaborate architecture. These havelis are a proof of how prosperous Jaisalmer traders were at one point in time.

Food

After the havelis, we decided to have lunch at Pakwan restaurant which is a recommended place for Rajasthani food. The restaurant is right behind the fort. The food was decent and service was exceptional.

The heavy meal was followed by a walk to our hotel and of course some sleep.

Vyas ki Chhatri

In the evening, we decided to walk to Vyas Chhatri which is a set of cenotaphs dedicated to Sage Vyas (who was the author of Mahabharata). This was a cremation site for Bhatti Rajputs and is still used as a cremation ground for Brahmins. The site is more famous as the ‘sunset point’ in touristy terms.

Ticket price here was 50 INR/person.

We were lucky with the sky and sunset on our particular visit. Also, we were the only ones at this place which added to the mysterious eerie charm of these cenotaphs.

Another place to visit is the Bada Bagh which again is a set of chhatris about 5 km from Jaisalmer city. Many bollywood movies including Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam have been shot here. We did not have time to visit this place.

Gadisar Lake

Next morning, we walked towards Gadisar lake to catch the sunrise. This is a man made lake built by Rawal Jaisal and used to supply water to Jaisalmer city (prior to the Indira Gandhi canal).The embankment of this lake is lined with numerous small temples and shrines which gives it a unique appearance.

This is a good place to catch the sunrise. You can also spot various migratory birds here.

Sam Sand Dunes

After spending the rest of the morning and afternoon walking around in the city and just lazing around in the sun, we headed towards Sam Sand dunes around 3PM.

These dunes are about 40 km away from the city and the drive is an absolute delight. Narrow roads with glimpses of barren land interspersed with wind mills and those occasional camels kicking up some dust storms.

Once you reach the sand dunes, you will see the dunes to your left while the right side of the road will be lined with various desert camps.

All these desert camps essentially offer the same deal. Camel ride with optional jeep ride + culture program + Dinner. If you wish you can also stay overnight in the camp tents.

For the camel rides, the camps have tie ups with a bunch of camel walkers. So essentially whichever camp you choose, the camel walking experience will be the same.

The difference is in the culture program and dinner bit. It is best to choose a camp which seems more crowded (read a lot of parked cars). We had gone there in November 2020 and due to the fear of pandemic, the camps were unusually empty (especially for November). We finally chose ‘Oasis Desert camp’. The camp was good and the tents were decent with attached bathrooms.

However since there were hardly any guests (must be around 10-15 families), the artists did not seem that interested. To be frank – I cannot blame them.

The dinner was also just about ok. But maybe it was due to the low footfall. Normally during the season (Nov-Feb), the price for the entire package would be around 2000 INR/person (excluding overnight stay) while we were only charged 500 INR/person.

So maybe it was a case of ‘itne paise mein itnaich milega’.

Do remember to carry a lot of woolen stuff here as it gets chilly during the cultural program. Although I was covered from head to toe with some multiple layers, I was shivering.

We did not want to stay in the tents and headed back to our city hotel after dinner.

Part 5: Jaisalmer to Bikaner

Next morning, we started towards Bikaner. We took the NH11 route which was an amazing drive.

Yhe road till Pokhran was the same one which we took while coming from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer.

There are also a few date farms on this route where you can stop for a tour.

Our breakfast stop was at Lathi which had quite a few dhaba options.

The entire leg took us about 6 hours including two stops.

Part 6: Stay at Bikaner

As with our other accommodations, we booked our hotel during our drive to Bikaner.

We selected hotel Bharat palace which was about 1 km from the main city. After checking into the hotel we headed towards the main city and spent the entire day walking around. There is a fort here as well, but we were too tired to check it out and instead just walked around to get a feel of the city.

Bikaner is famous for Bhujiya and rasgullas so do taste them or take a few packets back home.

Part 7: Bikaner to Delhi

There are quite a few road options for this leg. We chose the route via Sardarshahr, Bhiwani and Jhajjar.

We took NH11 till Shri Dungagarh then went on to SH6 till Sadulpur then on to MDR (Major district road) 110 till Lohani followed by NH709 till Kalanaur and then on to MDR122 till Jhajjar.

The roads were mostly good except one small patch. On this route too the vehicular traffic is less and that is why you won’t see too many highway stop options or even petrol pumps.

Make sure you do not wait until last minute for these and have something to munch on in the car. We had carried our coffee and stopped our car at a scenic spot for a quick car picnic.

We were really hungry by the time we reached Bhiwani and made the mistake of getting into the city in search of food. Don’t do that.

The entire route is quite scenic and once you enter Haryana you will see the landscape change from muddy brown to green. Also, there are few tolls on this route.

The MDRs are narrow and without street lights or dividers. If you are not comfortable with night driving, try and cross Jhajjar before dark.

Final Words

We covered more than 1500 km in 6 days. Apart from the first bit from Delhi-Jaipur, the entire drive was a breeze and something that most people would enjoy.

Tips for Delhi Jaisalmer Roadtrip

• Fill up you fuel tank in Delhi/Haryana itself as there is a difference of about 8 INR/litre between Haryana and Rajasthan. On your way back, if you take the Bhiwani route, there are many petrol pumps at Haryana entry point (after Sadarpur).
• There are numerous toll plazas on NH48 – make sure you have your fast tag loaded as there is only one lane for cash transactions and that would invariably slow you down.
• There are handful of decent highway restaurant options on this route (after Jaipur) since the vehicular traffic is low here. So start looking for options at least half an hour before you actually need to.
• Since you will be going from east to west, the sun will directly be in your eyes after ~2PM (if you are driving or sitting in the co-passenger seat). Similarly when you are returning from Jaisalmer, the sun will be in your eyes until 12 PM. Keep those goggles handy.
• Once in the city (Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner), ditch your car and either walk around the city or hire a tuk tuk. The lanes in all these cities are narrow and availability of parking is an issue.
• Weather: The best time to travel is November to February as summers harsh in Rajasthan. Since the tourist season is short, the weekends during this period tend to get crowded. If possible visit during weekdays.

Also, Read about my experience on another Delhi to Jodhpur trip with my mom: Car failure on the Highway