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India - The Thar Desert & Osian Dunes
A truly wonderful ride in rural Rajasthan on fantastic Mawari horses, belonging to and bred by Ajeet Singh.

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We GUARANTEE you won't find the same horse riding holiday at a lower price through any other source... and if you do, we promise to refund the difference!

from £2,495 or €2,885

Horse Riding Holidays India – The Thar Desert & Osian Dunes

PRICES & DATES top

The Thar Desert & Osian Dunes: Prices 2023

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Suitable for intermediate plus riders and non riders.

  • 6 nights – $3,016
    • GBP: 2,495
    • EUR: 2,877
    per person sharing / Rider & Non-Riders
  • Single Supplement – $363
    • GBP: 300
    • EUR: 346

Note: Rates are subject to daily exchange rate fluctuations, please refer to our ‘Terms & Conditions’ for full details.

The Thar Desert & Osian Dunes: Dates 2023

Available anytime from October through to March with a minimum of 2 people. The weather is too hot to ride from April to September.

Included – All riding, full board accommodation, drinks, a limited selection of alcoholic drinks, transfers on ride & sight seeing tickets.

Excluded – Flights, transfers, drinks at hotels & tips.

Getting There – International flight to Delhi or Mumbai and internal flight onto Jodhpur, the meeting point for the ride.

Transfer – We meet and transfer you to your hotel on the first night in Jodhpur.

All our horse riding holidays hold a price guarantee. We believe in your piece of mind on price when you book one of our horse riding holidays and will refund the difference should you find the same horse riding holiday elsewhere at a lower price.

SUMMARY OF THE TRIP top

A truly wonderful ride in rural Rajasthan on fantastic Mawari horses, belonging to and bred by Ajeet Singh. He is partnered on the rides by Caroline Moorey from the UK, who has been visiting and riding in India for over 10 years. Such is her enthusiasm for the Marwari horse and the Indian culture, her decision to live and work alongside Ajeet in India is her dream job.

Ajeet and Caroline’s combined backgrounds bring together an unsurpassed mix of excellent knowledge of the riding routes and area from Mathania the start of this desert ride, through and Cullu to your final destination of Khichan.

THE RIDING top

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 & Pace – Intermediate plus riders.

Tack – Mostly snaffles bridles and cavalry style saddles.

Weight Restriction – 90kg / 200lbs / 14 stone.

Group Size – Minimum 2 to a maximum of 12.

ACCOMMODATION top

Your first night is a boutique style hotel in Jodhpur. The rooms are old colonial style, there’s a great restaurant, a beautiful pool and really friendly, welcoming staff – the perfect welcome and start to your Rajasthan adventure.

The following 5 nights are spent out on safari in tented accommodation. The camps are set up in beautiful locations, personally selected by Ajeet. The tents themselves are really big and full height, with comfortable beds, side tables and good ensuite facilities, that include porcelain loos, wash stands and plenty of hot water for hand showers.

The food is really outstanding, each morning, the kitchen staff head out of camp to buy eggs from the locals which are offered at breakfast, hard boiled or as omelettes, there’s also traditional cooked breakfast rice and porridge. Lunches are welcome after a hard morning’s ride and you can expect a variety of light curries with side dishes of vegetables, poppadom’s and nan breads.

Dinners are a highlight and include some meat dishes, of chicken and lamb, along with vegetable curries, poppadom’s and nan breads, followed by some local sweet deserts.

Water is available through the day, each ride morning and afternoon you are encouraged to drink at least a litre of water, which is carried in your saddle bags. At lunchtimes, you are also served and encouraged to drink a special rehydration drink called Nimbu Pani, which is refreshing and made up of freshly squeezed lemon juice, water, salt and sugar.

Each evening, the main meeting point is the bar and the dining area, which is alfresco in front of camp.

Please Ask About

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

SAMPLE ITINERARY top

Day 1

Arrive at Jodhpur. Transfer to hotel. Afternoon sightseeing to 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 forts in India. We will also visit Jodhpur market and the central clock tower area of the city. Overnight: Jodhpur Hotel.

Day 2

Morning: short road transfer to our tented camp at Mathania, and to meet your Marwari horses, lunch in camp and afternoon trial ride around the surrounding countryside. All tents have en suite bathrooms and come fully equipped with all furniture, linen & towels. Overnight: Tented Camp

Day 3

Full day ride Mathania to Osian. Today we ride Northwest, making our way over the dunes, passing small mud huts and hamlets, 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. Osian is an historic town, an oasis in the Thar Desert, and has been known as the Khajuraho of Rajasthan for its temples. Osian is famous as home to the cluster of ruined Brahmanical and Jain temples dating from the 8th to 11th centuries. The city was a major religious centre of the kingdom of Marwar. Of the 18 shrines in the group, the Surya or Sun Temple and the later Kali temple, Sachiya Mata Temple and the main Jain temple dedicated to Mahavira stands out in their grace and architecture. Overnight: Tented Camp

Day 4

Full day ride Osian to Hacra. Today we start to head deeper into the 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 and black buck, 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. In the evening we will visit a local desert guide at his farm, who will tell the history of the area you have been riding in. Overnight: Tented Camp

Day 5

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 6

Full day ride Cullu to Khichan. Our final day riding. By now you will have built up a partnership with your horse and we can take full advantage of the open sands! 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! Khichan village also has more than 100 havelis (decorated merchants houses) and many of them are beautifully carved. Overnight: Khichan

Day 7

After breakfast a very sad farewell to your Mawari horse and your India hosts Ajeet & Caroline. Transfer by road to Jodhpur for departure & your onward destination.

DESTINATION MAP top

Zara’s Planet Horse Riding Holidays Guarantee:

All our horse riding holidays hold a price guarantee. We believe in your piece of mind on price when you book one of our horse riding holidays and will refund the difference should you find the same horse riding holiday elsewhere at a lower price.

If you are having trouble finding exactly the right horse riding holiday for you from our horse riding holidays collection, please contact us directly using the form below and tell us in your own words what you would like to do and we will use our extensive knowledge to make sure we find that perfect horse riding holiday.

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