Rajasthan Cycling Tour

This vast region makes for the western snout of India and is part desert, part hills, part royalty, part rural idyll. A long history of rival kingdoms and wars has left its bountiful heritage here in the form of many royal palaces and strategically built forts that continue to awe and intrigue to this very day.

Our Rajasthan Cycling Tour is a 16-day-long elaborate cycling expedition that ticks off all the popular tourist hotspots of Rajasthan and veers deeper into the less explored countryside to give you an unvarnished experience of rural Rajasthan – its villages, its rustic people and their unique culture. This contrast between the royal and the rural, the opulent and the impoverished is particularly fascinating for a biker pedalling up and down the cycling trails of Rajasthan, and the itinerary we’ve drawn up lets you do it at a relaxed, leisurely pace.

We start off with a sightseeing tour of Delhi before flying you to Udaipur, the city of lakes, in south Rajasthan. As a warm-up we do local cycling in and around Udaipur for a day and explore its many lakes and palaces. We then take on a relatively tougher challenge of biking the long distance to Kumbhalgarh Fort, which sits atop a hill, and, in the days that follow, we cycle deeper into rural Rajasthan and visit the towns and villages of Ranakpur, Korta, Bhenswara and Bhadrajun.

Each one of these pit-stops is special in its own way. Ranakpur boasts a Jain Temple with most beautiful marble carvings. Korta and Bhenswara are home to camel herders, snake charmers, farmers, and folk singers. Bhadrajun has a legend dating back to the times of ‘The Mahabharata’.

This rural experience barely rubs away when we hit the biggest tourist attractions in Rajasthan: the cities of Jodhpur and Jaipur. Both the cities abound with rich historical heritage that is best appreciated through daylong sightseeing tours of their many forts, palaces, temples, gardens, museums, and local bazaars. Not to be missed are some renowned eateries where you can savour authentic Rajasthani cuisine.

Lest you overdose on culture, we split these sightseeing trips of Jodhpur and Jaipur with a bit of walk on the wild side at the Ranthambore National Park, a famous tiger reserve and formerly the hunting ground of the maharajas of Rajasthan. A jeep safari reveals a great variety of wildlife and birdlife in this sanctuary, but the prize catch is of course the majestic predator, the Bengal Tiger.

The best of the Rajasthan bicycle tour is saved for last when, at the end of two weeks of cycling in Rajasthan, we enter the adjoining state of Uttar Pradesh and visit Agra to see one of the most incredible manmade wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. The sublime beauty of this monument of love beggars description, but suffice to say that you won’t find a better climax to your cycling holiday in Rajasthan.

Highlights

• Delhi: India's capital and gateway to the north.
• Visit of Magnificient Taj Mahal.
• Witness Great Architecture of Heritage of Rajasthan.
• Explore non-touristic rural India.
• Chance to go in search of Bengal Tiger.