Ranthambore – Jaipur – Bharatpur trip

If you are looking for a short adventure trip in Rajasthan here is the itinerary

Day 1: Mumbai -> Jaipur -> Ranthambore
– take an early morning flight for Jaipur from Mumbai
– prebook the vehicle that will take you directly to Ranthambore
– approx. 4hr drive
– I recommend light brunch/lunch at Jaipur ( nothing great to eat on the way )

Day 2: Ranthambore Tiger Reserve
– go for morning + evening safari’s ( book safari’s in advance )
– not much to see / eating places, so I recommend eating at your hotel

Day 3: Ranthambore -> Jaipur
– morning safari and then leave for Jaipur ( good to eat at hotel – brunch / lunch )
– relaxing evening / time for shopping / try local food

Day 4: Jaipur City
– Jaipur city tour ( Amer Fort is must )
– good place for shopping is Government Handicraft Emporium ( good quality / reasonably priced  )
– eat local: Laal Maas is my favorite, so don’t miss it.. ( spicy meat dish )

Day 5: Jaipur -> Bharatpur
– it’s a approx. 4hr drive
– aim for lunch at your hotel
– evening safari on cycle rickshaw to Keoladeo National Park.
Note: don’t take a separate guide because rickshaw person doubles up as guide

Day 6: Keoladeo National Park
– morning cycle rickshaw to Keoladeo National Park
– evening cycle rickshaw to Keoladeo National Park or just relax at hotel, do some reading and listen to birds

Day 7:  Bharatpur -> Jaipur -> Mumbai
– try to be back at Jaipur for lunch, your last chance to have wonderful Rajasthani cousine ( good non-veg + lassi )
– evening fly back to Mumbai

My recommendations:

– best time for this itinerary would be Dec – Feb

– it’s worth hiring a vehicle that will pick you up at the airpot, then take you around to the places mentioned above and drop you back to airport. I would highly recommend using makemytrip.com for hiring a driver. Our vehicle was in very good condition and driver was super helpful. For above itinerary we hired a Innova that cost us appox. Rs. 11K ( this includes tolls etc ). Note: local travel agents were super expensive.

– You should also book your Safari tickets using online booking facility at http://www.rajasthanwildlife.in
Note that you still need to collect your actual tickets at the counter that opens 1 hours before you Safari. So you can need to personally collect it or hotel agents can do it on your behalf for a extra charge ( per person ). I would recommend using hotel agents because it’s convenient. Although you pay extra money but I think it’s worth rather than you waiting in the queue or getting up too early in case of morning safari.

– if you love photography like me 🙂 telephoto lens is must

– flight booking through makemytrip.com might also be a good option because sometimes it is cheaper than booking on airline website.

Accommodation:
Ranthambore – Vatika Resort
Jaipur – Suryaa Vila or Jai Niwas
Bharatpur – Sunbird or Hotel Swaraj Resort

I again recommend using makemytrip.com for hotel booking

Food:

Ranthambore:
– eat at your hotel, not too many ( or any ) restaurants worth visting.

Jaipur:
– if you have never been to Chokhi Dhani, it’s worth a visit
– don’t miss Handi Restaurant, amazing food especially for meat lovers

Bharatpur:
– eat at your hotel, not too many ( or any ) restaurants worth visting

hope this helps and have a wonderful trip..