Horses – A beautiful selection of mostly Marwari riding horses, bred and sourced by Ajeet and indigenous to Rajasthan. They have the unusual characteristic of curly ears which can turn 180 degrees, they are usually 15hh to 16hh but as with most breeds today, they are increasing in size up to 17hh. They have a high, arched head carriage, they are extremely strong and fast paced, especially over the desert terrain. In addition to the normal gaits of the horse, they can also travel at great speed on a smooth gait called the Revall.

Level of riding and pace – Intermediate riders. The pace varies from walk through the villages to plenty of long canters in the sand later in the week. It is not fast riding, but the horses are sensitive and highly strung, so you need to be a confident rider and fit as you are riding 5-6 hours in the heat.

Day 1

Diwali Festival of Lights. Arrive Udaipur by midday, pick up from airport and transfer to hotel, sunset boat trip around Lake Pichola.Beside Lake Pichola, with the ochre and purple ridges of the wooded Aravalli Hills stretching away in every direction, Udaipur has a romance of setting unmatched in Rajasthan and arguably in all India. Fantastic palaces, temples, havelis and countless narrow, crooked, colourful streets add the human counterpoint to the city’s natural charms. The city will be alive with Diwali fireworks and celebrations on this auspicious night. Overnight: Udaipur Hotel.

Day 2
Morning: sightseeing City Palace complex and shopping.
Lunchtime: 1pm transfer by road 3 hours to Narlai.
Afternoon: Quick check in and change, meet your Marwari horses for a late afternoon 1 hour trial ride from hotel to Jodha Stud Farm (the horses home), where a delicious home cooked Rajasthani dinner is provided within the magic of the stable complex.

Your hotel Rawla Narlai is a delightful 17th century property, which was once a favourite hunting lodge of the Jodhpur Royal Family. It is still owned by members of the Jodhpur family who have invested vast amounts of time, money, love and care into restoring this little gem. Over the years it has transformed from a simple lodge into a stunning, stylish boutique hotel, albeit with all its original character and structure retained. The rooms are scattered all around the property and each varies significantly in shape, size and décor.

Day 3
Full day ride to Dantiwara. Passing through villages and riding in the plains of the Aravalli hills, stopping for a picnic lunch, we reach our camp situated in front of the lake. All tents have en suite bathrooms and come fully equipped with all furniture, linen, towels etc. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 4
Full day ride to Perwa in the Bali Forest. We make our way along the bottom of the Aravalli hills Southwest to the village of Perwa. We pass villages and rural farmsteads, making our way through the volcanic smooth rock formations, stopping in the shade for a long picnic lunch. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 5
Early morning Leopard spotting, breakfast, then ride to Jawai Bandh. Today we continue onwards to reach Jawai Bandh (reservoir) – Lying at the heart of an untrammelled wilderness, where leopards roam wild and free encapsulated in a landscape surrounded by craggy granite formations of caves, kopjes, Anogeissus scrub and winding sand river– beds. Late afternoon / Evening jeep search for Leopard. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 6
Morning transfer by road Jodhpur and to hotel. Afternoon sightseeing: Mehrangarh Fort. Mehrangarh Fort stands a hundred feet in splendour on a perpendicular cliff, four hundred feet above the skyline of Jodhpur. Burnished red sandstone, imposing, invincible and yet with a strange haunting beauty that beckons. Much has been written about the Citadel of the Sun, for truly, it is one of the most impressive in all Rajasthan. So colossal are its proportions that Rudyard Kipling called it “the work of giants”. Today, it is acknowledged as one of the best-preserved fort in India. Evening shopping in the market and antiquities warehouse. Overnight: Jodhpur Hotel.

Day 7
Morning: short road transfer to Mathania, meet up again with your Marwari horses. Full day ride Mathania to Osian Today we ride Northwest, making our way over the pink granite local to the area that was used to build the Meharangarh Fort, passing small hamlets and farmsteads, taking in the vistas from the edge of the Great Thar Desert of Rajasthan. We stop for a picnic lunch and little siesta, before heading off again to reach our next camp on the outskirts of Osian. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 8
Full day ride Osian to Hacra. Today we start to head deeper into the sand and dunes. You will see the local huts with thatched roofs as well as the scrub of desert vegetation, acacia bushes etc. We may encounter wild Nilgai (Asian antelope) small chinkara gazelle, mongoose as well as other flora and fauna local to this desert environment. We arrive at our tented camp close to the community hamlet of Hacra. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 9
Full Day ride Hacra to Cullu Today we ride North, the sand is deeper, but your trusted Marwari have a stamina not known in other breeds; they are desert horses, and you are riding in the heart of their Marwari district, from where their name derives. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 10
Full day ride Cullu to Khichan Our final day riding. By now you will have built up a good partnership with your horse and we can take full advantage of the open lands! We arrive at Khichan, famous for the Demoiselle cranes that visit during the winter season (Oct to March). The birds migrate here from the Mongolian steppes and at the peak (Dec, Jan, Feb) the numbers reach over 10,000 which is a sight to see! Say goodbye to the horses as they travel home overnight for a well-earned rest. Overnight: Hotel Kurja Resort, Khichan.

Day 11
Early morning visit to the nearby bird feeding grounds – what a sight! After breakfast transfer by road 4 hours to Pushkar. This fair is one of the largest horse and camel fairs in Rajasthan. We will visit the fair in the mornings and evenings, you will see different styles of dress as people make the trek from all corners of Rajasthan in order to trade horses, camels and cattle. Evening visit to the fair, go up the hill to stand and survey the fair, watching the sun go down in the ‘golden hour’ or, as it is known, ‘cow dust time’. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 12

Full day at Pushkar Camel Fair. This is one of India’s most highly rated travel experiences, a spectacle on an epic scale, attracting more than 11,000 camels, horses and cattle and it is visited by over 400,000 people during the 14 days. For visitors it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the colour, spectacle and carnival of one of the last great traditional mela’s. We are nearing the full moon (on Friday 23rd Nov) when all pilgrims come to bathe in the holy lake on this auspicious day, and last-minute trading deals are done before horses and camels depart for another year. Overnight: Tented Camp.

Day 13
Early morning road transfer 3 hours to Jaipur, lunch, quick shopping. Early afternoon transfer to airport for departure to onward destination.

Please ask about

India is such an interesting place to experience, and we can easily arrange and recommend additional cultural highlights, like tours of Delhi and Mumbai and the beautiful monument of the Taj Mahal and the Amber fort in Jaipur.