This trip gives you an opportunity to travel ethically through villages and cities of Rajasthan on spirited journeys set to open your eyes, heart and soul.
Duration: 14 Days
Grading:EASYMax Group Size: 12
Type:TAILOR-MADEPrices from: £1100
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Tour Overview
This culture & heritage tailormade tour gives you an opportunity to travel ethically through villages and cities of Rajasthan on spirited journeys set to open your eyes, heart and soul. Meet everyday extraordinary people, immerse yourself in ancient, thriving cultures and marvel at Rajasthan's characters.
We provide opportunities for travelers to engage with local communities; see, hear and learn through interactions, stories and experiences that make this trip so unique. Delight and participate in the diversity of cultural expression through folk dance, folk song and puppet show performances. Attend puppetry and pottery workshop to learn and create your own puppets and pots that you can carry home as souvenirs. Discover the source of a community's culture and celebrate the ancient, living traditions that miraculously continue to thrive.
When you are hungry, indulge in well known succulent Rajasthani food and learn secret recipes. On special request, we can arrange for culinary workshops where you can engage with host, source vegetables from the market, give a hand in preparing the delicious Rajasthani dishes and sit out and have a satiating lunch/dinner with the family. During free time, stroll around the village; spend time with farmers and women who engage in different kind of activities.
Puppetry & Pottery Workshop | Folk Dance and Folk Music performance | Puppetry show | Village Walks | Visit to bangle, dhurry, shoe and leather bag making units | Visit to Forts | Shepherd tales | Responsible shopping
Guiding and support
Cultural interpreters will guide you through the tours. For sight-seeing activities you will enjoy the guidance of governmentally approved guides.
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Tour Highlights
Immerse in folkexpressions celebrating local folklore such as puppetry, folkdances and traditional music. Interact with local communities and learn about their daily life and their livelyhoods.
Itinerary
Day 1 | Jaipur
Arrival into Jaipur. Transfer to a luxury home stay near airport. Owners of this luxury homestay also runs an NGO to support the HIV positive children in Jaipur. The host's insight into the culture, tradition and history of Rajasthan and some of the social issues that she is trying to address within her personal capacity is an great entrance to Rajasthan as a traveller.
Overnight in Jaipur.
Day 2 | Jaipur
Visit the city palace and look up for the flag and if you see it you know the Maharaja is in the palace! Walk around the uniquely constructed city, and understand the history of the place. Option to visit Amber fort.
Overnight in Jaipur.
Day 3 | Jaipur-Roopengarh
Drive to Roopengarh-130kms/2.5hrs drive. En-route stop at Bagru, known for its block printed textiles. This is a good opportunity to see craftsmen / women at work. Proceed to Roopengarh Fort. Afternoon: A short drive from the hotel, you can reach the traditional living spaces of the artists. This evening introduces one to the rural Rajasthan.
Overrnight in Roopengarh
Day 4 | Roopengarh-Tilonia-Roopengarh
Rajasthan is truly a state with contradictions. From Havelis to Rich home-stays to Heritage Palaces to Luxury Hotels, Rajasthan is also one of the poorest states in the country. If any one wonders about how such contradictions can exist in a place, the visit to Tilonia (http://www.barefootcollege.org/) is important for us to explain the story of the 'bare-foot-soldiers' who are making massive social and environmental changes using local knowledge and resources. From mask making to workshops on puppetry and interaction with local people, the visit gives ample opportunity to understand the dynamics of the state that is Rajasthan that is far away from the tourism circuits. Return back to Hotel at Roopengarh .
Overnight in Roopengarh.
Days 5 and 6 | Fort Kuchman
After breakfast leave for Fort Kuchman. 60kms/1hr drive. The Fort set atop a steep hill along what was once an integral Central Asian trade route. The two days spent in Kuchaman includes visit to local markets, but most importantly to understand the traditional livelihood and skills of the people living in and around the region. This includes those cobblers who make the famous Kuchaman Mojdi, The Kumhars who make unique pottery, traditional carpet weavers and bangle makers. Our trip provides an opportunity to get to know the workers and their environment better and helps to shop responsibly. One of the evenings, we can also go for a short train ride closer to the Sambhar salt lake.
Days 7 and 8 | Makrana
The evenings spend in Makarana takes you to the "basti's of these artists to do workshops on puppetry. The focus of workshops will be to explore how puppetry can be used in the modern days to convey the message of literacy, health, hygiene and primary education. The guests gets to make these puppet and learn from the masters who are traditional artists. Evening with the Bhopa community: The feudal stories of Papuji Rathore is sung by the members of Bhopa community in the evenings post sunset. As typical of our holidays, the performances are not organised in hotels or resorts, instead we invite our travellers to our villages to meet and interact with the communities and understand more about their social backgrounds and enjoy the ritualistic traditions.
Day 9 | Makrana - Mandore
Drive to Mandore near Jodhpur - 270kms/6.5hrs drive. Arrive Mandore and proceed to Mandore Guest House. Mandore guest house provides great opportunity to work with volunteers of the NGO supported by the family. If you could let us know about any particular skills you would want to make use of during your travel, we can connect you with the local partner who will match the skills, provided there is a need for such voluntary engagement. Possibilities to visit the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort and the bazaar.
Overnight in Mandore/Jodhpur.
Day 10 | Mandore
Various activities are possible at Mandore ranging from Bird watching and cycling to nearby village to see the rural projects. Jeep Safari to Bishnoi village is also offered by the hosts at Mandore Guest House.
Overnight in Mandore/Jodhpur
Day 11 | Mandore - Siana
Drive to Siana( 120km/3.5hrsdrive), a quaint little town, a less explored destination of Rajasthan. Hosts are famous for their hospitality.
Overnight in Siana.
Day 12 | Siana
Go on a village walk and explore the carpentery culture of Siana. Visit a traditional carpenter's house to see their pieces of work. Drive across the dry river bed and meet with the Rabari community, the traditional shepherds of this region. Go on a panther trail at dusk and come back to immerse yourself in stargazing.
Overnight in Siana.
Day 13 | Siana-Udaipur
The Aravallis welcome your entry into Udaipur via Ranakpur temples( 180km/5hrs) and enjoy the changing landscapes on the way. Stroll along the lakes and the narrow lanes, each with a unique character.
Overnight in Udaipur.
Day 14 | Udaipur-Delhi/Mumbai
You can reminisce your trip over a lunch by the lake. Walk around the bazaar streets and take back some wooden toys and authentic silver accessories. Depart for Delhi/Mumbai by flight.
As this holiday is tailor-made, prices can vary significantly, depending on the season, kind of accommodation. For a Classic Kerala tour of 14 days prices may range from GBP 1100-1350. Inclusions and exclusions as given. Some activities in the itinerary are optional.
We work with the Kalakar Vikas Samiti, a small group of traditional artists who make a living out of art and handicrafts. Most of the hotels and restaurants showcase Rajasthani artists and except for a visual contact, there is real no connection with the artist. Our holidays give you an opportunity to understand where they come from, their art and culture. You can visit them in their houses and villages during the trip. This ensures that they don't compromise on their dignity and perform just for the sake of making a living. Our involvement with the community ensures their capacity building, training on social skills and building networks of artists in different parts of the Rajasthan so that the benefits of Responsible Tourism is spread across the state and not restricted to certain tourist places.
We organise workshops that provides an opportunity to not only learn their craft but also understand their social environment. One of the off shoots of these workshops is responsible shopping where travellers can purchase products directly without paying middle men who make unreasonable profits at the expense of the real artists.
Our interpreters have travelled to other destinations we offer as holidays in India. They spend time with other communities to understand how they are part of the growing responsible tourism initiatives run by our company.
This trip covers some popular destinations, but we have tried to include places like Siyana, which gets lesser tourist traffic in Rajasthan. By including less popular destinations, we hope to equalise the tourist cash flow to some extent.
We promote responsible shopping in Rajasthan - buying local handicrafts directly from the artists, thereby ensuring that the artist gets his worth. We promote home stays so that the benefits go directly to local people. What better way to learn about the Rajasthani culture than to stay with an ordinary family enjoying home cooked food.
Our Trusted Partner's Responsible and Sustainable Travel Policy
We believe in:
· Being economically, ecologically and socially just and responsible in all its processes and products
· Creating opportunities for local communities in destinations to earn supplementary sources of income
· Reviving folk art forms, culture and lifestyles of destinations which are fast withering away
· Leveraging local partnerships, knowledge and ownership to create sustainable tourist destinations
· Sensitizing guests (travelers) and hosts (local activity partners) towards responsible ways of cultural exchange
About our Trusted Partner
The Blue Yonder (TBY) is an Indian based travel company that promotes responsible tourism (RT) and creates alternate ‘destinations’ and ‘products’ to provide experiential holidays for its guests. TBY (www.theblueyonder.com) was established as a private limited company in February 2007 although its conceptual origins go back to 2004 when the current promoter, Mr. Gopinath Parayil, set up Nila Foundation to raise funds for the revival of the dying river Nila in Kerala. Since its establishment, TBY had evolved Nila into an all-year round tourist destination. TBY has established itself as a national player in Responsible Tourism space, providing exotic and experiential holidays in Kerala, Karnataka, Sikkim, Spiti Valley – Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. With first mover advantage in the Indian RT space and world-wide recognition for its work among travel agencies, RT promoters and conscientious travellers, TBY is well set to leap forge into a decade of long term growth and prosperity. TBY headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka promotes integrated development of responsible tourism, local community and art, culture and heritage. TBY is also engaged in various social and environmental initiatives.
Meet the shepherds of rural Rajasthan : Rustic Rural Rajasthan at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Meet the shepherds of rural Rajasthan
Artistic pottery work : Rustic Rural Rajasthan at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Artistic pottery work
Handmade textiles in all colours : Rustic Rural Rajasthan at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Handmade textiles in all colours
Camels in the desert : Rustic Rural Rajasthan at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Camels in the desert
Sophisticated Haveli painting : Rustic Rural Rajasthan at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Sophisticated Haveli painting
Forts of Rajasthan : Rustic Rural Rajasthan at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Forts of Rajasthan
The Sound of Rajasthan : Rustic Rural Rajasthan at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
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