Travel Report Jodhpur, part of a 13 days round trip through Rajasthan (India)
What highlights are there to discover in Jodhpur? What is a must-see?
Our Jodhpur travel report summarizes the best highlights and “must sees” for you so that you also have an unforgettable trip. The main reason for our round trip was the desire to photograph wild tigers. India is still one of the best places for this and the best time to travel is between November and February if you want to avoid the really hot temperatures. But if you’re already there, you can also take in the many cultural highlights, such as Jodhpur, the blue city.
Where is Jodhpur in India?
What you should definitely think about when traveling to Jaipur
Local currency: Indian rupee (INR). You can use your credit card everywhere for payments or cash withdrawals. Cash is mainly needed for tips.
Vaccinations: No vaccinations are required if you are coming from Germany. However, it is advisable to see a doctor before your trip to have your vaccinations checked and to have a number of vaccinations, such as rabies, carried out. Any doctor can provide more detailed information or, if necessary, the Tropical Institute.
Visas: German citizens require a visa for India. The visa must be applied for at an Indian diplomatic mission or as an e-visa before entering the country. Visas on arrival are not possible. Here is the Link to the official Website for Visa.
As always, there are a number of websites that will apply for a visa for a fee. For people with a good knowledge of English, the Indian website is not a problem. As a rule, you need a 30-day tourist visa. This costs just under 30 USD including all fees. You can only apply for the visa 30 days before entry and it is then valid for 30 days from entry.
Taking a drone to Jodhpur (India), is that allowed?
The short answer is NO. In India, Indians are allowed to have and fly drones, but it is almost impossible for tourists to get a drone permit. If you still want to try, you should have a look at Indian prisons or visit one of the numerous websites where you can try to apply for a permit. Neither is nice.
Detailed travelogue Jodhpur - important questions:
Is India, is Jodhpur cheap?
It all depends. Hotel prices, or accommodation prices in general, are not really cheap if you want a certain European standard. Flights and transfers with a guide/driver, on the other hand, are really cheap. Restaurants and food in Jodhpur are very cheap and really good.
The highlights of Jodhpur
Flying to Jodhpur
The best way to get to Jodhpur is to fly from Delhi or Jaipur, which saves time and nerves. We flew from Jaipur (see our other travel report) with Indigo, which was no problem.
The journey from our hotel, the ITC Rajputana in Jaipur, to the airport takes about 30 minutes and costs 1200 INR plus a tip (Europeans are expected to give tips for everything here and, to be honest, it can be very annoying at some point, especially when people impose themselves on you and tell you something at the sights that you didn’t ask for and then get angry when you don’t get a tip).
Jaipur airport is small and manageable. There is 1 terminal from which everything departs. Check-in is easy if you have booked priority and so is the security check, although it was still quite empty at 8am.
It is also advisable to book any time and priority for boarding, otherwise the rows will be called.
The plane from Jaipur to Jodhpur is a turboprop ATR 72-600. The baggage restrictions at Indigo for hand luggage are relaxed, but clear. One piece of luggage with cabin dimensions (smaller than in Europe) and max. 7kg and a laptop or handbag with max. 3kg, i.e. a total of 10kg, which is fair. Fortunately, there was no check. On board, a large photo backpack does not fit in the overhead bins, but fits well under the seat. Seating is 2-2, as is usual on these planes. You should not book an XL seat, as you cannot stow anything under the seat.
Indigo is a very modern low-cost airline that departs more than punctually. For example, we took off 30 minutes before the actual departure time. So you should definitely stick to the airline’s check-in times.
On take-off, you realize how bad the air quality is. Jaipur lies under a thick blanket of smog and visibility is poor even at high altitudes.
Do I need a rental car in Jodhpur
Our recommendation is definitely NO. Driving in India is definitely not for Europeans and is far too dangerous. The Indian way of driving has nothing to do with the way we are used to in Europe or the USA. In addition, you can book a driver with a car (preferably an SUV) for very little money and he will drive you around the whole time. Many hotels also offer this service. That’s why you should do without a rental car if at all possible.
Jodhpur - our Roundtrip Highlights
Routing
1.Day: We flew directly to Delhi from Germany
Hotel: Aloft New Delhi Aerocity, 5B IGI T3 Road, Delhi Aerocity New Delhi, 110037
2.Day: Delhi – Agra (Taj Mahal) Transfer with an AC Innova: Travel time approx. 4 hours.
Hotel: ITC Mughal, a luxury collection, Taj Ganj, Agra, 282001
3.Day: Departure to Ranthambore, travel time approx. 6 hours (!). 300km
Hotel: The Ranthambhore Bagh, Village Khilchipur, Off Ranthambhore Road, Sawai Madhopur 322001,
4.-7.Day: Tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park, 7 safari drives in total
8.-9.Day: Departure to Jaipur, driving time approx. 3:30h. Approx. 160km.
Hotel: ITC Rajputana, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jaipur, Palace Road, Jaipur, 302006 India
10.-11.Day: Transfer to the airport, flight Jaipur (T2) with Indigo to Jodhpur
Hotel: The Ajit Bhawan – A Palace Resort, Near Circuit House Road, Jodhpur, 342006 Transfer from the airport to the hotel organized with the hotel (!)
11.-13.Day: Transfer to Udaipur organized by hotel (12k INR + Tax), Innova AC. Travel time approx. 5:30h (!) . ca 260km.
Hotel: Moustache Udaipur Luxuria, 25-26 Navghat, Next to City Palace,
Udaipur – 313001,Rajasthan
13.Day: Transfer to the airport organized by the hotel. Flight Udaipur with Indigo to Delhi. Visit Delhi city, then return to the airport.
Due to the early return flight (01:50 am), we booked another hotel room on the last day to rest before our departure.
Hotel (again):Aloft New Delhi Aerocity, 5B IGI T3 Road, Delhi Aerocity New Delhi, 110037
Jodhpur - the blue city
The arrival in Jodhpur is nice. The airport is very small. One terminal and that is more like a big house. The luggage was at the terminal almost faster than us and our driver was already waiting.
In Jodhpur you can also make excellent use of Uber. Communication is not always easy, but somehow it works and the rides cost just a few euros. However, we opted to be picked up by the hotel as it was included in the room rate.
Hotel the Ajit Bhawan
Our hotel is The Ajit Bhawan, which is part hotel and part residence of the Maharajah Family. In short, it’s a palace and the grounds are insane. The rooms are all suites, but kind of weird because they don’t have proper windows. This makes you feel a bit like you’re in a dungeon. But otherwise everything is great.
As soon as you leave the hotel grounds, you are immersed in the hustle and bustle of city life again. However, everything is much cleaner in Jodhpur than in Jaipur and you also feel much safer when you move through the city on foot.
Clock Tower
The first destination is the Clock Tower and the adjacent markets and stores. It is much warmer in Jodhpur than in Jaipur, which makes walking more strenuous. As in Jaipur, there is a constant honking of horns from all the vehicles, which is unpleasant in the long run.
Indigo Cafe - Rooftop Bar
There are numerous rooftop bars to escape the noise. A very nice one with excellent food is “Indigo”. Alternatively, practically right next door is “Oh high, soo high”. From both you have an excellent view of the fort during the day and in the evening.
Jodhpur Stairwell
A few minutes’ walk from the Indigo is the Jodhpur Stairwell, a stepped fountain that is hard to beat for beauty and still in operation, at least for tourists. From there you can walk on to SAM’s Artcafe
SAMs Artcafe
A nice place to have an excellent iced coffee is SAMs, Artcafe which is 2 minutes away from Indigo. From the Clocktower you can easily walk to the city center, the fort and the sunset points.
Pachetia Hill Sunset Point
We climb up to one of the famous sunset points. Google Maps takes you criss-crossing through small alleyways and you can be sure that nobody would find you here.
The sunset point is called Pachetia Hill and you have a beautiful view of the city, which gets bluer and bluer as the sun goes down. You should wear sturdy shoes for the walk and if you stay until dark, take a flashlight with you.
Mehrangarh Fort at night
The fort’s lights are switched on at 7pm and one of the best views in the city is from Oh High Soo High, which is right next to Indigo, but the terrace is better. The food here is also good, but doesn’t quite come close to the Indigo.
You should have a small tripod with you for the night pictures of the fort, as there are few opportunities to put the camera down well to get the slow shutter speeds without blurring.
Mehrangarh Fort during daytime
We have booked another guide and driver for today. Although this is much more expensive than Uber, it is also much less stressful. You also learn more when you have a knowledgeable guide with you.
The first stop is Mehrangarh Fort. A castle from the 15th century, 1459 to be precise. The decorations on the fort are all made of stone and it’s hard to imagine how many people worked on it and how much wealth the maharajas must have amassed. The tour takes about 90 minutes and is well worth it. The view of the blue city is magnificent. The reason for the blue houses is mosquito defense. The vapors of the color keep the pests away and are a popular Instagram motif today.
Jaswant Thada
From the fort we go to Jaswant Thada, which is actually a cemetery with a beautiful building and is located directly on a lake. Unfortunately, the sunset pictures that you see everywhere from this place cannot be photographed, as this area is not open to the public (which is a pity and will certainly change with increasing tourism).
Umait Bahwan Palace
From here we continue to the Umait Bahwan Palace, where the ruling family still resides today (in the left part of the building), the middle part is a museum that can be visited and the right part is a luxury hotel with dizzying prices. Every time a new guest arrives, music is played, as if for a state guest. A little disconcerting.
In the garden of the house you can admire a collection of old cars, all of which are still roadworthy.
Khaas Bagh
For lunch, we head to Khaas Bagh, a luxury hotel with an attached automobile museum, which is free to visit.
The restaurant is absolute luxury and the food is very good. Definitely a recommendation for lunch, even if it is expensive for India.
The market streets of Jodhpur
After dinner, we head back to the Clock Tower and head into the hustle and bustle of the streets until we arrive at a store selling pashmina scarves, which our guide recommends. As always, we are a little skeptical, but we go for it anyway and immerse ourselves in a kind of sales show that begins with huge cashmere blankets and the finest silks. To be honest, it’s an experience and if you haven’t been there yet, you should. Tea is served and the sellers give their all, which makes you want to buy, which is perfectly okay.
Mandore Gardens
Once it has cooled down a little, we leave the hustle and bustle of the streets and head to the Mandore Gardens, which we had expected to see more of. A magnificent garden when it was built, today it is simply run down, like something out of an end of the world movie. Garbage everywhere and the magnificent water features completely neglected and filthy. Definitely a highlight that you could do without. The guided tour ends here and we drive back to the hotel.
Fazit
Jodhpur, the blue city, captivated us from the very first minute. It’s loud, it’s bustling, it smells good and not so good at times and yet you feel at ease and can drift through the city. The Hotel Ajit Bawran is centrally located and is a place of peace and quiet where you can switch off and relax in the evening after the city or during the day.
Jodhpur is an up-and-coming city. The youth is doing a lot to make the city popular and “hip”. Cool restaurants and stores are popping up everywhere and we never felt uncomfortable or unsafe. We would have liked to stay in this city even longer. There’s just so much going on here and you really enjoy your time.
Calendar from our Phototours online?
as of 18,90€, Sizes A2-A5
Which photo equipment for Jodhpur in India?
The photographic equipment we took with us to Jodhpur is listed below. You also have the option of ordering the photographic equipment we used directly via our Photo-Shop and requesting further technical details. There are also lots of extras available there.
Cameras:
- Z8 (Nikon)
- Z7ii (Nikon)
- Apple Iphone 14pro
- Go Pro Hero 8
Lenses:
- Z 24-120mm f/4 (Nikon)
- Z 70-200mm f/2.8 (Nikon)
- Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 (Nikon)