Rajasthan
EASTERN
R AJASTHAN
Rajasthan
Sl EEP iNG
Rajasthan
JA iPUR
Rajasthan Tourism Development Corpora-
tion (RTDC) offers tours of Jaipur and its
surrounds. The full-day tours (9am to 6pm)
take in all the major sights (including Am-
ber Fort), with a lunch break at Nahargarh.
The lunch break can be as late as 3pm, so
have a big breakfast. Rushed half-day tours
(8am to 1pm, 11.30am to 4.30pm and 1.30pm
to 6.30pm) still include Amber Fort. Some
travellers recommend these as you avoid the
long lunch break. Fees don’t include admis-
sion charges. Tours include a shopping stop.
The Pink ̈ City ̈ by ̈ Night ̈ tour (₹375;
6.30pm to 10.30pm) explores several well-
known sights, again including Amber Fort,
and includes dinner at Nahargarh fort.
Tours depart from the tourist office at the
train station; the company also picks up and
takes bookings from the RTDC Hotel Teej,
RTDC Hotel Gangaur and the Tourist Infor-
mation Bureau at the main bus stand.
4 ̈Sleeping
Prepare yourself to be besieged by auto-
rickshaw and taxi drivers when you arrive
by train or bus. If you refuse to go to their
choice of hotel, many will either snub you
or double the fare. To avoid this annoyance,
go straight to the prepaid autorickshaw and
taxi stands at the bus and train stations.
Even better, many hotels will pick you up if
you ring ahead.
From May to September, most midrange
and top-end hotels offer bargain rates, drop-
ping prices by 25% to 50%.
4 Around MI Road
oHotel ̈Pearl ̈Palace ̈ HOTEl $
(%2373700, 9414066311; http://www.hotelpearlpalace.
com; Hari Kishan Somani Marg, Hathroi Fort; dm
₹175, r ₹400-1250; aiW) Great-value Pearl
Palace continues to set the standard for
budget digs in Jaipur. There’s quite a range
of rooms to choose from – small, large,
shared bath, private bath, dorms, some bal-
conied, some with air-con or fan cooled, but
all are thoughtfully decorated and spotless-
ly clean. Congenial hosts Mr and Mrs Singh
offer all manner of services including free
pick-up from bus and train stations (8am
to 11pm only), moneychanging and travel
advice. The rooftop restaurant is also excel-
lent. The only disappointment is that wi-fi
isn’t free (₹150 per day), but this place is
rightfully popular. Advance booking highly
recommended.
Tony ̈Guest ̈House ̈ GUESTHOUSE $
(%9928871717; [email protected]; 11
Station Road; s ₹200, d ₹250-350, with attached
bathroom ₹400; i) A friendly choice for back-
packers on a very tight budget, Tony’s is well
set up for travellers, with a rooftop garden,
honest travel advice, internet (₹20 per hour)
and free-flowing chai. Rooms are extremely
basic, some with plywood partition walls,
and only one has a private bathroom (with
cold water only). The common shower is
hot, though.Jwala ̈Niketan ̈ GUESTHOUSE $
(%5108303; [email protected]; C-6 Mo-
tilal Atal Marg; s ₹200-400, d ₹300-500, with AC
s/d ₹700/800; a) Neat and tidy, family-run
guesthouse with a charming manager and
basic but perfectly adequate rooms, some
with balconies. No internet.Karni ̈Niwas ̈ GUESTHOUSE $$
(%2365433; http://www.hotelkarniniwas.com; C-5 Motilal
Atal Marg; non-AC/AC from ₹700/850; aiW)
Very welcoming and trustworthy manage-
ment running a simple but comfortable
guesthouse with large, clean rooms. There’s
no restaurant, but there is an all-day menu,
and tables and chairs are dotted around the
place, in alcoves and on shared balconies
and terraces, so there are plenty of nice
spots to eat and drink. Free pick-up from the
train or bus station is available. Free wi-fi
throughout.HOT-AIR ̈BALLOONING
For something a little bit special, con-
sider treating yourself to a sunrise bal-
loon ride above Amber Fort with India’s
leading hot-air balloon company, Sky ̈
Waltz (%9717295801; http://www.skywaltz.
com; US$240). Run by Aussie expat Paul
Macpherson, and with a team of highly
experienced foreign pilots, Sky Waltz of-
fers spectacular early-morning balloon
flights over the fort and surrounding
countryside.
The package includes pick-up from
your hotel in Jaipur (at around 6am),
tea, coffee and cookies, watching the
balloon inflation, the flight itself and
drop off at your hotel afterwards. The
whole thing lasts around three hours,
including the one-hour flight.
Balloon-flight season is September
to March.