Tour & Travels

Hawa Mahal

The massive edifice of Hawa Mahal stands at the intersection of the main road in Jaipur, Badi Chaupad and was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in the year 1799. Hawa Mahal derives its name from its unique structure, which is a mesh of small windows that allowed cool wind to enter the palace and hence kept the palace comfortable during the hot summer months. The main reason behind the palace's construction was to allow the women of the royal house to observe the festivities on the streets whilst being unseen from the outside as was the custom of the land. It is located right on the edge of the City Palace Jaipur and extends right to the 'zenana'.

Hawa Mahal is a structure made of red and pink sandstone and has a pyramidal structure which almost resembles a crown. It has been embellished with 953 tiny windows, also known as 'Jharokhas' and embellished with gorgeous latticework. From within, the Hawa Mahal palace is based on five floors each of which has a uniquely decorated chamber. A charming fountain welcomes you inside the main palace, from whereon you can make your way up to the different floors. The top of the palace offers a brilliant view of the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and the ever-busy Siredeori Bazar. There is a small museum as well which holds some rich relics and miniature paintings.

Amber Fort and Palace

Located amidst the picturesque and rocky Aravalli Hills, Amber Palace is a not-to-be-missed place to in Jaipur. The foundation stone of this palace was laid by Raja Man Singh I and was completed by Mirja Raja Jai Singh. Beguiling beauty of the red sandstone and white marble adds to the magnificence.

Jhalana Leopard Safari

Spread in an area of 23sq km Jhalana Leopard Safari Park is home to 30-35 leopards. Situated right in the heart of Jaipur city closer to Airport, Jhalana slowly is becoming a favorite destination to spot leopards in wild. This otherwise shy cat is the apex predator here and does not have much competition for survival which makes them confident and therefore better sightings .

Once a reserve forest around Jaipur, Jhalana has always been home to leopards and other smaller fauna including spotted deer, blue bulls, wild boars and loads of resident as well as migratory birds.

Jal Mahal

The Jal Mahal literally means the “Water Palace”, but when it was built, Maharaja Madho Singh I did not intend to use it as a palace. Instead, it was supposed to be a hunting lodge for the king and his entourage during their duck hunting trips. The palace stands in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, and is a famous spot till date for sightseeing. The Jal Mahal is designed in a classic Rajput manner, with pink sandstone in a symmetrical style.

While a lot of people come to see the Jal Mahal from the banks of the Man Sagar Lake, not many are aware of the technology and innovative design that has gone into building this ancient palace. On the surface, the palace appears to have one floor, but actually, there are four more submerged levels to the palace as its stone walls hold back millions of litres of water, and the specially designed lime mortar prevents water seepage into the palace, something which it has been doing for more than 250 years.

City Palace

Located in the heart of Jaipur, City Palace is the most remarkable monument in the list of places to visit in Jaipur. Guarded by huge impounding walls, this palace is a fusion of Rajput and Mughal architecture. Whether with its everlasting architecture or the enchanting decorations, City Palace has kept the amplitude of the Rajputs alive.

Jaigarh Fort

The Jaigarh Fort is a majestic stronghold built by Sawan Jai Singh II. This almost-intact fort is surrounded by huge battlements and is connected to the Amer Fort (also called 'Amber' Fort), with subterranean passages.

Nahargarh Fort

The fort was formerly built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734, seven years after he built the city of Jaipur. The fort was primarily built as a summer retreat for the royal king. Nahargarh Biological Park or Nahargarh Zoological Park is one of the most recent count to Rajasthan's adventure tourism.

Jantar Mantar

At first glance, Jantar Mantar may look to be nothing more than a bunch of larger-than-life abstract sculptures. But this is not an art gallery—it's a special collection of astronomical tools started by Rajput ruler Jai Singh II to measure the heavens nearly 300 years ago.

Albert Hall Museum

The oldest museum in Rajasthan, the Albert Hall Museum boasts an extensive collection of art and historically significant artifacts. Come for the Egyptian mummy, stay to see antique coins from different periods in India's history, charming permanent exhibits of miniature paintings, 18th-century costumes worn by members of different castes, and a peculiar collection of 19th-century clay figures demonstrating all the yoga poses.

Keoladeo National Park

Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan is a famous avifauna sanctuary that hosts thousands of birds, especially during the winter season. Over 350 species of birds are known to be resident. It is also a major tourist centre with scores of ornithologists arriving here in the hibernal season. It was declared a protected sanctuary in 1971. It is also a World Heritage Site.

Ranthambore National Park

Located about 13.5 kilometers from the city of Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. Located at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges, this is one of the finest places to view wild animals, especially as they are used to being stared at here. The park covers an area of approximately 400 sq km, and if combined with the area of Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary area, is around 500 sq km.

Ranthambore National Park is dotted with structures that remind you of bygone eras. There are numerous water bodies scattered all across the park, which provide perfect relief to the wild animals during the scorching hot days in summers. A huge fort, after which the park is named, towers over the park atop a hill. There are many ruins of bygone eras scattered all over the jungle, which give it a unique, wonderful and mixed flavour of nature, history and wildlife. Tigers at Ranthambore National park have been known to even hunt in full view of human visitors.

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Sariska Tiger Reserve situated in the Alwar District of Rajasthan is 107 Km. from Jaipur and only 200 km from Delhi. It covers an area of 800 sq km in total, with a core area of approximately 500 sq km. The Northern Aravali Hills dominate the skyline with their mixture of sharp cliffs and long narrow valleys. The area was declared a sanctuary in 1955 and became a National Park in 1979.

The Sariska Tiger reserve holds a good diversity of wild animals besides Tiger being the principal predator, other animals in the Reserve include, leopard, Hyena, Caracal, Jungle cat, Ratel, Nilgai, Sambar deer, Spotted deer, langur, Rhesus macaque, Four-horned antelope, Wild pig, Indian civet, Rufous tailed hare, Common Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Palm Civet, Pangolin, Porcupine, etc.

A total of 211 bird species have been recorded in the Reserve.

Ajmer-Pushkar

Ajmer Pushkar is famous for Pushkar Lake and the town has hundreds of temples, including 14th-century Jagatpita Brahma Mandir, dedicated to the god of creation, which has a distinctive red spire and walls inlaid with pilgrims’ silver coins. Ajmer, surrounded by Aravalli Hills is a famous tourist destination. Ana Sagar Lake and Ajmer Sharif Dargah are incredibly popular among the tourists.

Bhangarh Fort

The Bhangarh Fort is located on the border of the Sariska Reserve in the Aravali range of hills in Alwar district of Rajasthan. The nearest village is Gola ka Baas.The fort is situated at the foot of the hills on sloping terrain. The ruins of the king's palace are located on the lower slope of the hills; trees surround the pond area and a natural stream falls into the pond within the premises of the palace. The fort is located 235 kilometres (146 mi) from Delhi and the approach to the entrance gate of the fort in the last 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) stretch of the road is unpaved. The fort is 20 miles (32 km) from Thana Ghazi. The nearest airport is Jaipur International Airport, which is 88.2 km from the fort.

Abhaneri Dausa

Abhaneri, also spelled Abaneri, is a village in the Dausa district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Abhaneri yields ruins of an ancient city, Abhangari, now popular for the Chand Baori step well and Harshat Mata Temple. It is situated at the Jaipur-Agra Highway. The site was first reported by B L Dhama in 1903 when he prepared List of Objects of Antiquarian Interest in the States of Rajputana Beside the step well and the temple, it has many fine sculptures of early Pratihara art of the region (circa. 8th-9th century CE).