- Clear sustainable travel policy
- Social / Environmental Impact
- Tourism Dispersal
- Behavioral Awareness Education
- Small Group Travel
- Listen to Community Feedback
This 2-week tour of Rajasthan blends cultural and heritage experiences, immersion in artisanal communities, connection to nature and animals, and more.
Rajasthan is perhaps the most frequently visited destination in India for its vibrant colors, the Thar desert, and beautiful palaces. However, what really enhances your experience is the storytelling and visits to the village communities that give you an immersive view of the cultural fabric.
Our Rajasthan Cultural Tour is designed to help you leisurely explore not only the main sights, but also the hidden treasures, such as nomadic shepherds and Bishnoi, Raika, and Bhil communities. It is also our endeavor to create employment opportunities for these communities via tourism.
Visit the local artisans in less commercialized cities, villages, and in their homes. If you wish, participate in various art forms such as miniature paintings, bangle making, brass artwork, and marble masonry.
Highlights:
- Live with the community in traditional homestays
- Hands-on experiences with weavers, potters, bangle makers, and block printers
- Taste local cuisine & hands-on cooking
- Village walks and interacting with nomadic communities
- Wildlife and desert life experiences
Expect to see heritage homes, carved Hindu temples, ancient ruins, and more. You will also witness showcases of local music and traditional dances in a private ceremony.
In addition to a culturally immersive experience, we take you out into nature to explore the countryside. You will see lakes, stunning waterfalls, and a site of historic rock painting which pre-historic communities used to communicate with one another.
For the animal lovers, we will spend two days with camel herders understanding their nomadic lives. We’ll also visit a sheep herding community. There’s an optional extension available where you can take a full-day, ethical leopard safari.
Though we offer abundant guided activities, this tour also provides free time for you to leisurely explore on your own.
On request, we can extend this Rajasthan Culture Tour to include visits to Delhi and Agra.
Seasonal Notes:
We offer this tour during the best season for it – anytime between September 1st and April 15th each year. Guests choose their desired start date.
📋 Itinerary
This itinerary is customizable (number of days, accommodation type, activities). For solo travelers, we can also setup public transport tickets if a private car is too expensive. Contact Yūgen Earthside for more information.
Day 1: Jaipur [India] (arrival day)
Day 2: Jaipur
Day 3-4: Bundi
Day 5-6: Udaipur
Day 7-8: Ghanerao (experience with camel herders)
Day 9-10: Jodhpur
Day 11: Osian (desert experience)
Day 12-13: Jaisalmer
Day 14: Jaisalmer (departure day)
🌱 Sustainability
We cap the number of travelers we host per year to 500 to combat the risk of over-tourism. We stay free of touts (persistent salespeople). Instead, we engage with locals by doing hands-on craft experiences directly with artisans. Our trips support 8 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (#1, 5, 8, 10, 12-15).
We pride ourselves on propagating and reviving local folk tales through storytelling.
Our many environmental actions include strict care of nature, using energy-saving electrical appliances in our homestays, and efforts to manage waste responsibly.
We do not indulge in animal slavery, cruelty, or luring through bait during the wildlife experiences.
All accommodations are personally reviewed by our team. Our homestays and accommodations focus on local & organic food (vegetarian options available!), recycling waste properly, and strive for using energy-saving lights and appliances as well as solar thermal panels.
We support local artisans by involving them in tourism.
We minimize plastic on this tour and provide safe and healthy alternatives to plastic plates, packaged items, and bottles. We leave behind zero waste.
We locally sourced raw materials for meals.
- Adhere to Strict Environmental Standards
- Conserve Ecosystems/Preserve Biodiversity
- Use Environmentally Friendly Products
- No Animal-Harming Tourism
- Focused on Minimizing Waste
- Responsible Waste Management
- Support Suppliers Managing Waste Properly
- Focused on Reusing Materials
- Recycle >80% Waste
- Energy-Saving Lights
- Solar Thermal Panels
- Provide Local Employment
- Ensures Good Working Conditions
- Supports Local Businesses
- Tours Benefit Local Community
📌 Location
Use the Google map to orient yourself about where in the world this trip is. The location indicates the starting point for this trip.
A specific route map is included in the downloadable detailed itinerary.
🏷️ Pricing
Prices vary based on the number of travelers.
Prices are the same regardless of when you travel.
Prices are for twin-share rooms (except for solo travelers).
Prices exclude flights to/from the destination.
See the full list of price inclusions and exclusions in the downloadable detailed itinerary.
ℹ️ Other Info
If you're ready to book this trip, or if you still have some questions, contact us to let us know!
Book with confidence: To reserve your spot on a tour, a $750 deposit will be required. However, you can book with complete peace of mind as this deposit will be 100% refundable until 45 days prior to the trip start date (excluding fees paid to the payment gateway or bank).
This trip has a variable start date, so you can plan a departure date that suits you. It's also a private tour, meaning you will only be traveling with those you book the trip with.
Be sure you have traveler's insurance.
Please be fully vaccinated and boosted before traveling. You may also need proof of a negative Covid test before arrival to the country. Keep a mask and hand sanitizer with you at all times.
Special precautions for guests:
Given that we operate in village communities and areas away from the crowd, you are already safer in comparison to a regular tour. However, in the best interest of everyone’s health and well-being, we have strictly implemented some guidelines.
- Enhanced cleaning of the rooms, common areas, and vehicles used with soap and hot water.
- Cleaning of high-frequency touchpoints such as door handles, handrails, tables and chairs, electrical switches, and AC and TV remote with alcohol-based disinfectant.
- Meals will be served in rooms only, and hot water will be served in the cold Himalayan regions. In other regions, we serve boiled water but at room temperature. Meals in common rooms will be discontinued.
- We serve immunity-boosting drinks such as herbal tea at the accommodations regularly during the day.
- Zero physical contact and distance of at least 6 ft. at all times.
- Visits to monuments and any other places according to the itinerary to be scheduled in a staggered manner and with the necessary social distancing.
- Contactless check-in and check-out at all accommodations.
- If you are using an Indian SIM card, we encourage you to download the ‘Arogya Setu’ app for regular local updates and contact tracing.
Special precautions for communities & our staff:
We are in touch with all our communities and get real-time updates about state guidelines for health and safety. We are also checking on each others’ families and exchanging support wherever possible in these difficult times. To keep the food coming to everyone's table, we have taken a few actions behind the scenes.
- We have shifted to 100% contactless and virtual operations. All our meetings and calls are now over video or voice calls. We are currently not working from a physical office, but we are available during our normal working hours without any impact on the business.
- We have trained our guides for the same contactless operations during the tours.
- We care equally for the communities we work with. They are vulnerable and we need to take extra care. Keeping this in mind, we have worked with all our homestay families and cooperatives regarding health and safety measures.
- All payments are now 100% via internet banking, debit card, or credit card. We have removed any cash payments from the loop, and are encouraging all our partners to do the same.
- If any staff member is found to have symptoms of Covid-19, we will ensure that he/she gets enough time for personal care, quarantine, and recovery before joining back.
COVID & Sustainability:
All our tours are now upgraded to follow the necessary health and safety measures while staying green.
- We don’t keep single-use cutlery. Instead, we use hot water and dishwashing solution to clean and reuse the utensils.
- We are using multi-layer cloth masks with 6 ft. distancing measures rather than non-biodegradable masks. The masks we are using are also responsibly sourced.
- We are adopting regular handwashing with hot water while working in the kitchen and in other areas of the homestays. For our drivers, we are recommending alcohol-based hand sanitizers. We are not using rubber gloves as there are better alternatives available by following the simple practices mentioned above.
- We are using alcohol-based solutions for cleaning all high-touch point areas and making hand sanitizers available in all common areas of the accommodations. At the same time, we encourage you to use regular water and soap for hand washes.
- We are serving home-cooked food only as it does away with the need for any packaged food from the market.
Q: What is the best way to reach Jaipur?
A: Jaipur is well connected with flights and trains. The Sanganer international airport and Jaipur railway station will give you multiple options to choose from. If you are arriving from Delhi or Agra, you can also choose a private taxi for the whole tour as it saves a lot of time.
Q: I am a solo traveler. Can I use public transport?
A: Yes, we can setup tickets for all public transport available. However, you may have to follow the departure times defined by the service provider, in which case all the activities mentioned above may not be possible in the given time.
Q: Can I choose hotels throughout the tour?
A: We audit and work with a specific set of accommodations that are inclined towards sustainability. However, if you have any special requests for accommodation, we can cover that (the cost may vary). Just let us know when you send the inquiry.
Q: What kind of a car do you provide?
A: We provide either a sedan or an SUV depending on the number of people. All the cars are air-conditioned as the weather and local terrain demand it.
Q: Is this a fully escorted tour of Rajasthan?
A: This tour is a mix of guided and un-guided experiences. The walking tours and village experiences are with our storytellers whereas monument visits are self-tours. All monuments usually give an audio guide with the ticket which is a great way to know about the place. Your private car will be available 24/7. On special request, we can do this as a fully escorted tour (at an additional cost).
Q: Is this tour of Rajasthan safe for female travelers?
A: Yes, all accommodations, drivers, and storytellers we have are well trained and personally known to us. This tour of Rajasthan is safe for solo female travelers.
Duration: 13 days
Meals: Breakfast every day, 1 Lunch, 5 Dinners
Transportation: Sedan or SUV
Accommodation: Hotels & homestays
