Jodhpur (Jodhpur - Jaisalmer)

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JODHPUR

Rajasthan is bestowed with rich history and interesting tourist destinations: Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Ajmer (Pushkar), Mt. Abu, Chittor – just to name a few.

This is about Jodhpur-Jaisalmer trip from Gandhinagar (Ahmedabad – Gujarat) in November – 2011. Winters are the best seasons to visit any part of Rajasthan. Summers are simmering. Jodhpur is about 5-6 hours drive from Jaipur. Trains are also available for Jodhpur from Delhi / Jaipur /Ahmedabad.

The route that we took:


• Gandhinagar (Ahmedabad – Gujarat) – Palanpur – Abu Road – Sirohi – Pali – Jodhpur: 470 km – 8 ½ hrs driving time
• Jodhpur – Jaisalmer: 260 km – 5 ½ hrs driving time.
• Jaisalmer – Barmer – Tharad – Deesa – Palanpur – Gandhinagar: 570 km 8 hrs driving time.

We started early in the morning from Gandhinagar in our small Maruti Wagon R (1000 cc) car, which is quite comfortable for a family of four. I always prefer a short trip in self driven car as it gives you full freedom and is economical. And I enjoy driving (as long as the roads are good!).

Gandhinagar to Abu Road is about 210 km and takes about 3-3.5 hours. There are plenty of road-side hotels on the way – up to Abu Road. It is advisable to take a break at Abu Road as thereafter you may not get a good cup of tea till Jodhpur.

Journey from Abu Road to Jodhpur is long and tedious. Now you are in Rajasthan and Rajasthan is not known for good road conditions. Of late, there is dramatic improvement in road conditions in some parts of Rajasthan. This part of the trip extending 260 km took us about 5 1/2 hours. We reached Jodhpur in late afternoon and settled in a hotel.

Jodhpur is a fairly big city and hotel / restaurants are plenty, with varieties of options.

Tourist attractions in Jodhpur are mainly two: The Mehrangadh Fort and the Palace. There are a few others listed by tourism department but are just to enhance the list.

Mehrangadh Fort is located on a hill and can be seen for a distance before you enter the city. A narrow road winds up to the base of fort on the hill. There is just about enough parking area there, and in peak tourist season parking your vehicle safely on sloppy road can be tricky.

You enter the fort through a majestic gate. There is a lift (installed recently) to go to the top of the Fort. You have to buy ticket for lift separately. Audio device narrating history of the Fort is available on hire. Entire Fort is labeled with numbered stickers and you have to listen to the story related to that number in the audio device.

Visit to the Fort takes your entire morning. Carrying water with you is advisable.

Afternoon can be used to visit the Palace.

At the Palace you get to see the glimpses of royal life style of the erstwhile rulers, their collection of weapons, chandeliers and other glass wares. There is a collection of vintage cars.

Photographs will speak more about the Fort and the Palace than the words.

Next day we started in the morning for Jaisalmer – about 5-6 hours of journey.

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