Posts by Weric

Hi Franck, we’re also looking for some spots outside the cities—we usually travel independently. Have you got any feedback? Did you manage to hike to the Seven Lakes or find other less touristy places? Thanks for the reply

Hi Solène, I actually got inspired and even did some copy-pasting between different travel journals—what a time-saver! It’s so much nicer to read these travel stories where you can feel the emotions than a traditional guidebook. Happy holidays! Eric

Hi Kate, for us, the bedding was clean. Just to clarify for other readers, it’s a basic guesthouse—only this room is nice, just like the Tanisha in Bikaner. Happy holidays! Eric

continuation of the story to add more photos

Kota - Visit to the Jain temple Keshav Rai Ji in Keshoraipatan. We were told there was a festival, but it had just ended. Also, getting there by bus is complicated. - Visit to the Chambel Riverfront, an urban development stretching 6 km along the banks, opened in 2024. It's grand and impressive, but not really our style—too commercial and sanitized.

Visit to Chittorgarh Fort during the day on the way to Udaipur

Udaipur Accommodation: Hotel Ushaan Haveli, 25 €/night with breakfast. Good welcome, terrace, quiet, well located, good breakfast. Restaurant: The Savage Garden, which is the rooftop of the Edelweiss. Great European cuisine, the waiter speaks French and is lovely. We had all four of our dinners there. - Jagdish Jain Temple ♥♥♥ with magnificent sculptures - Full-day taxi trip to Kumbhalgarh Fort (the world’s second-longest wall, India’s second-largest fort), then Jain Temple of Ranakpur ♥♥♥ exceptional A tip: most tours or taxis plan to visit the fort first (3 hours), then a lunch stop, and the temple last (30 minutes). We stayed for 1 hour and 20 minutes but still felt like we didn’t have enough time to soak in the place. Either reverse the itinerary and start with the temple—we would’ve loved to stay at least 1 hour and 30 minutes—or make sure to specify the duration before booking. - Viewpoint over Lake Pichola - City Palace, museum ♥♥♥ - Gangour Ghat

Pushkar Accommodation: KothiPushkar, 24 €/2 people with breakfast. Quiet, well located, lovely room in a haveli. Restaurant: Manjarre, good food, nice atmosphere, great terrace. - Pushkar Ghats - Brahma Temple - Sunrise on the hill

Jodhpur Accommodation: Jodhpur Heritage Haveli, beautiful rooftop (Agoda), 26 €/3 nights with breakfast. Quiet and well located for walking everywhere (note: no car access). - Toorji Ka Jhaira Bawdi, lovely - Galab Sagar - Cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, Jaswant Thada ♥♥♥ - Blue houses neighborhood, cute - Mehrangarh Fort ♥♥♥ - Mandore Gardens (rickshaw), lovely

Barmer - Market - By taxi, visit to Kiradu Temple with beautiful ruins The town isn’t touristy, but we didn’t feel any emotion or attraction.

Jaisalmer Diamond Guesthouse, 16 €/night without breakfast, inside the fort. Simple and friendly, warm welcome, quiet, good meals. The guesthouse is only accessible on foot. We got the room opening onto the temple rooftops, which seemed to be the only pleasant one. - Jain Temples ♥♥♥ - Fort, pretty but less interesting than Udaipur’s or Jodhpur’s - Havelis, very pretty - Sunrise over Lake Garisar - Royal Cenotaphs of Bada Baag

Phalodi Crane colony in Khichan Visit to the town, which didn’t attract us.

Bikaner Accommodation: Tanisha Heritage Haweli, 11 €/night with breakfast. Well located, quiet at night, pleasant terrace, not accessible by car. - Jain Temple Bhandasar ♥♥♥ - Karni Mata Temple (Temple of the Rats) in Desnok. Beautiful temple with stunning doors—just don’t be musophobic! ♥♥♥ - Junagarh Fort - Numerous havelis (7 Rampuria), lovely - Royal Chhatris of Devikund Sagar We really liked the vibe of the city.

Mandawa Accommodation: Hotel Chobdar Haveli, 33 €/night with breakfast. Very pretty room in a haveli with a bathtub (luxury!), absolute quiet, well located, excellent breakfast. The Shekhawati region is known for its richly decorated havelis, but unfortunately, with a few exceptions, they’re falling into ruin without maintenance. - Mandawa: visit to havelis - Nawalgarh: visit to Morarka Haveli, Podar Haveli, and other havelis discovered by wandering the streets and open doors ♥♥♥ - Fatehpur visit to Prince Haveli (Ndine and her son were there, so we had an interesting visit) ♥♥♥ - Ramgarh: bad luck—all sites were closed for the midday break until 4 PM! - Lohargal, 59 km away: temple dedicated to the sun god with its sacred pool, a renowned pilgrimage site. We were there on a Sunday—crowds and fervor were in full swing! ♥♥♥

Delhi Accommodation: Airbnb Old Delhi Indulgence-R2. Great choice, in a small street of Old Delhi’s bazaars. Two bedrooms—the one on the second floor with its terrace is very pleasant and quiet. 10-minute walk to the metro and the bazaar. - Stroll through different bazaars and rest—it was just a transition stop.

Varanasi ♥♥♥ Accommodation: Airbnb Saraswati House, Tulsi Ghat. Good welcome, good meals, 10-minute walk from Assi Ghat. Restaurant: Pizzeria Vaatika Café. A break from Indian cuisine—excellent homemade spinach ravioli and eggplant lasagna. - Evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat - Poojas at Kashi Vishwanath Temple - Sunrise boat ride along the Ghats ♥♥♥ - Assi Ghat (yoga, music, prayers in the morning—slightly quieter) - Manikarnika Ghat (main cremation ghat) - International Music Center Ashram or Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh Take your time to walk along the ghats and soak in the atmosphere ♥♥♥. It would be a shame to spend only 2 days here.

Delhi Accommodation: back to the same Airbnb Restaurant: Karim’s - India Gate - Qutub Minar ♥♥♥ - Humayun’s Tomb ♥♥♥ - Red Fort (closed) - Jama Masjid - Connaught Place neighborhood - Sikh Temple Gurdwara Bangla Sahib - Old Delhi

On the practical side, one last note: we wanted to buy watercolor paper in Jaipur. The shipping cost to France was more expensive than the purchase itself, and we didn’t want to carry it for the next 5 weeks in our backpacks because of the weight, bulk, and fragility. The merchant’s solution was immediately approved—he offered to ship it anywhere in India for almost nothing. After contacting the Airbnb host, the deal was settled. We repeated the operation another time during our trip, which allowed us to pick up our packages in the last few days and take them on the plane. Having a homestay at the final stop definitely made things easier.

If you’re interested in more details or photos, I can share our Polarstep in a private message—it was written for private use with family and friends

We traveled as a couple from October 20 to December 11, 2025, for our second trip to India and our first time in Rajasthan, plus Mathura and Agra, which are in Uttar Pradesh but right on the border, and a 4-day flight hop to Varanasi. Here’s a non-detailed trip report—just to share some info we found useful for other travelers, along with a few places and addresses we particularly enjoyed. First off, a big thank you to (I’m using usernames) Aleph240758, Solene40, Montagnard74, and Pagaljavab, who took the time to reply to me. Some of them even take the time to create detailed and illustrated travel stories. Since I only started planning the trip in mid-August, I didn’t have much time and used the trip reports on VoyageForum to build our itinerary. One more note: everyone travels differently and has their own preferences... so I’ll just share our personal feelings, which are obviously subjective.

We bought a physical SIM card upon arriving at the airport. The Airtel stand only offers one package for 500 rupees (just under 5 €) for 28 days, with 1.5 GB of data, unlimited national SMS, and calls—more than enough. Contrary to what we’d read, we asked for activation at the counter, and it was active within 10 minutes. The SIM worked well everywhere. Watch out—like in all airports, there’s a tendency to take advantage of tourists. The Airtel counter offers to exchange money directly, and we saw people paying 20 € for the SIM.

Since we arrived at night, the metro wasn’t running anymore. Plus, if you don’t know the city, we’d recommend taking a prepaid taxi—the price is fixed, and the driver knows the destination. Be careful: the prepaid taxi counter is on the right as you exit the hall, with large fixed signs above. Many counters put out a card on the desk saying "prepaid taxi," and even the Airtel stand tries to offer supposedly prepaid taxis, which is completely false. The price they ask for could be double or triple.

Here’s an app that was super useful for us In most big cities, we used "Rapido," an Indian app like Uber, to book auto-rickshaws (you can also book motorbikes or cars). You need a local phone number for this. The big advantage? The price is fixed, though you can still leave a tip. It tracks your ride, and most importantly, the destination is entered—way more practical than hailing an auto-rickshaw on the street, where the driver says "yes, yes," gives a price, and then doesn’t know where to go once you’re on the way. No need to enter a credit card. There’s also OlaCabs, which is similar, but we couldn’t get it to work.

For transportation between stops, we used government buses (RSRTC, blue buses), sometimes taxis via apps or by asking the guesthouse for visits and hard-to-reach places. This choice was really personal and made on the spot. - **Pros:** Buses leave almost every 30 minutes everywhere, giving you a lot of freedom. Every time we left from the bus station (bus stand), we had seats. Several times, we even got to sit in the driver’s cabin! The trip takes longer than a taxi, but not *that* much longer. The price is ridiculously low—1.30 € for 100 km for men, 70 cents for women. The bus stations are in the city centers, unlike many private bus companies. We met some great people. - **Cons:** It’s not exactly clean, and you’re obviously not in the comfort of a taxi. It’s not door-to-door service, so you need to travel light. You can’t stop along the way. If you need to catch the bus mid-route, it’s usually full, and you’ll have to elbow your way in without hesitation. For a short trip, I think hiring a taxi for the whole stay makes sense. Like I said, there’s no one-size-fits-all choice, but there’s no need to be apprehensive about taking public buses.

Here’s our route map, showing the number of nights spent at each stop. Compared to our initial plan, we slept one night in Barmer instead of two because we had time to visit the market in the afternoon, saw the Kiradu site the next morning, and didn’t see the point in staying longer. We cut two of the six nights in Shekhawati. After our flight to Varanasi was canceled, we had to stay in Delhi, which actually turned out well—it let us arrive in Varanasi earlier and more rested. The timing worked well for us, with longer stops in Bundi and Udaipur.

I won’t go into detail about each stop here, but I’d be happy to answer any questions. The accommodations and restaurants mentioned are the ones that had that little something extra, and the hearts (❤️❤️❤️) mark the sites we particularly loved.

Tijana Fort Palace - Accommodation and recovery from the trip

Alwar - Palace with museum - Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri - Large reservoir

Bharatpur Accommodation: Iora Guesthouse, 14 €/night without breakfast—great value, cheap, good meals, close to the reserve Morning at Keoladeo Reserve by bike

Mathura - Ghats (Yamuna Ghats, Vishram Ghat) to visit in the evening - Market (Chattu Bazar) - Hindu temple Shri Dwarkadheesh dedicated to Krishna - Vrindavan temple Banke Bihari, ❤️❤️❤️ a very important temple with incredible religious fervor - Vrindavan Hindu temple Balaram ISKCON

Agra Accommodation: Shivalayaa - The Divine Abode, 16 €/night with breakfast on Booking—welcoming, clean, close to the Taj Mahal - Mausoleum of Akbar the Great (in Sikandra) ❤️❤️❤️ - Mausoleum of Itimad-ud-Daulah (mini Taj) ❤️❤️❤️ - Visit the Taj early in the morning (closed on Fridays) ❤️❤️❤️ - Agra Fort ❤️❤️❤️

Dholpur - Machkund Temple with its water body - Clock Tower Ghanta Ghar - Royal stepwell Dhaulpur Bavdi

Karauli - City Palace, private visit with a guard ❤️❤️❤️ - Shri Madan Mohan Temple for the puja starting at 5:30 PM ❤️❤️❤️ - Wandering the streets We loved this stop, which is off the main tourist trail, for its pleasant atmosphere

Bhandarej This is a stop as a starting point to visit the Chand Baori stepwell in Abhaneri ❤️❤️❤️ Accommodation: Bhadrawati Palace, 53 €/night with breakfast in Bhandarej—nice, an old palace, warm welcome, booked via Hotels.com We were the only guests and had dinner with the current manager, the grandson of the Maharaja. There’s a pretty stepwell in the village, and we visited a tiny neighborhood temple where we were invited to join in the singing and dancing. Walking through the market was really enjoyable because of the kindness of the locals, who aren’t used to tourism ❤️❤️❤️

Jaipur - Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) - Jal Mahal - Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan ❤️❤️❤️ - Amber Fort ❤️❤️❤️ - Panna Meena Ka Kund stepwell - Galta Ji Temple (Monkey Temple) ❤️❤️❤️ - Bagru, 33 km away: visit to a fabric printing workshop with block prints (I’d noted some addresses on Google Maps). The first workshop wasn’t very welcoming and had no workers because of the humid weather. We were lucky to find another, more welcoming workshop. When the sun came out, the three female workers arrived and started their work—it was a great visit ❤️❤️❤️.

Bundi Accommodation: Hotel Bundi Inn, 25 €/night with breakfast—lovely room in a haveli, good meals with a rooftop view of the fort - Garh Palace Don’t miss: at the exit of the palace, to the left, you can access a beautiful garden with a pool and, at the back, a large hall called Chitrashala ❤️❤️❤️ - Raniji Ki Baori ❤️❤️❤️ - Nahar Dhunk Ki Baori - Chaurasi Khambun Ki Chhatri (cenotaph with 84 pillars) - Ksar Bagh, an interesting set of royal cenotaphs at the end of Jait Sagar Lake. On the other hand, we could’ve skipped Sukh Mahal and its museum. Bundi is still pleasant but is no longer a secret spot.

Hi Marie-Jo, We often think of you during our stops where you were able to give us advice and information in your travel journals. Today we’re sending you greetings from Jaipur in good company. We’re doing a polarstep, but it’s not suitable for a travel post to put on VoyageForum since it doesn’t include any practical info that could help other travelers. We’ll do one when we get back—probably at the end of the year at the earliest. Take care

Hi Catherine,

A huge thank you for these addresses—and even better, they’re reviewed! It’s such a joy to be back on Voyage Forum, where the spirit is all about inspiring people to discover new destinations and sharing your feelings and great spots, with no hidden agenda—just for the love of it. I’ve tried social media, but there’s nothing like this sense of community and camaraderie there.

Thanks again, it’s awesome!

Hi Bruno,

Thanks for these addresses—I checked the recent reviews, and they have good feedback. I’d already noted the one in Agra. As for the palaces, aside from being a bit out of the way, they’re beyond our budget since we’re traveling for 7 weeks.

Wishing you all the best with your travel plans!

Thanks Pagal, A big thank you for this reply, I’ll definitely keep it in mind! Have a great day

Hello everyone, We’re a couple heading off in mid-October for 7 weeks to explore Rajasthan independently, with an extension to Varanasi. We’re growing more skeptical about Booking.com reviews and would rather turn to fellow travelers for up-to-date recommendations on accommodations along our route. We’re looking for clean places—not necessarily luxurious—a good location preferably, and if there’s a special charm or character, even better. Budget-wise, up to 50 €, or more if needed. We’ve already gathered a few addresses from Solene and Aleph’s travel journals. Here are our stops—we’ve already got a place for the starred cities but are still open to suggestions: Delhi Airport* Alwar Bharatpur* Mathura Agra* Dholpur Karauli Dausa* Jaipur* Bundi* Kota Udaipur* Pushkar Jodhpur Barmer Jaisalmer Phalodi Bikaner Nawalgarh* Varanasi Central Delhi Thanks for sharing your tips and favorites!

Hi Jean, Thanks for the info and addresses!

Thanks for the info, and sorry for the misunderstanding. SFR offers 35GB abroad with their 350GB plan.

Hi Kate, Thanks for the info—I’d actually seen it, but unfortunately I’m not with Free. Maybe other providers will follow suit before I leave.

Hi Christelle, Thanks for your reply. If you wrote travel journals for no one to read, it’d be pretty discouraging, but I see you’ve got fans following you 😊. I’ve started following you too, so I hope to hear about your next adventures—I love them! For the SIM, I’ll see. An eSIM is relatively expensive for two months. As for the hotel when arriving in Delhi, I’ll check that out too. I’ve spotted some hotels about twenty minutes south, but thanks anyway. In Dholpur, I’ll look for a hotel in the center. We’ll give it a try since the Google ratings don’t seem trustworthy, and I can’t find any info anywhere. Looking forward to reading you soon!

Hi Christelle,

Just a few extra questions—did you buy a SIM card at the airport when you arrived, and if so, how long did it take to activate (some comments mention 3 to 24 hours)? Your accommodation in Dholpur didn’t seem great, or am I mistaken? Which one was it so I can avoid it? Though I don’t see many options. From what I’ve heard, the Ibis at Delhi Airport isn’t great either...

Thanks for your reply—it’s really just a few small details.

Hi Christelle, thanks for your reply—the plan’s coming together, and the dates are now set since we’ve booked our flight. Keep dreaming while you prep your trips and enjoy every moment once you’re there.

Hi Marie-Jo, thanks for your quick reply! I’m aware there are a lot of stops—that’s actually one of the reasons I reached out to you. I’ll take your suggestions on board to refine my route.

Basically, I was thinking of going from Agra to Dholpur, doing the visits, and spending the night there since it’s on the way and avoids backtracking. I know—I’ve sacrificed a bit of Shekhawati to fit Varanasi in. I’ll book the flight and take another look at my route in more detail.

You can’t hide anything from you!! I drew a lot of inspiration from your different routes—it’s the price of success. (No shame at all!)

I hope I’ll be able to follow your next adventures more directly. I subscribed to your account, so if I understand correctly, I should be in the loop. (I contacted you in 2020, but our trip was canceled due to Covid, and other destinations came up in the meantime.)

Thanks, Eric

Hi Christelle, A big thank you for your travel journal—I really enjoyed reading it! It’s great to see travelers drawn to local life and places that haven’t been homogenized. I didn’t leave comments as I went because I’ve only been focusing on our November trip plans for the past week. Of course, I’ve been following Marie-Jo’s travel journals—they’re a treat and such a goldmine of information. I sent her a public message to get some extra details and her thoughts on our upcoming trip. I mainly wanted to ask about transportation. We’re thinking of taking buses, trains, or taxis between the main stops. For the first leg, you used an Uber (is it available in all major cities?), but how did you manage to leave Tijana Palace afterward? The same question goes for leaving after your stop at Lake (dried up) Nahargarh Palace. To get from Udaipur to Pushkar, I assume you took the train to Ajmer? Wishing you all the best in your travels, and maybe we’ll cross paths again following your adventures.

Hi Marie-Jo, I’m not sure if this is the ideal place to write to you, or if I should post publicly in case others are interested. Anyway, here goes—this is the spot!

So, Hi Marie-Jo, where to start? I have so much to say, but VF might not be the best place for it. In short, a huge thank you for all your travel stories—they’re fascinating, make me dream, and are packed with useful info. Thanks for sharing! This will make planning our next trip so much easier. Unlike what you mentioned in a comment, personally, what interests me most are discoveries off the beaten tourist paths, where info is harder to find and time-consuming. I also love the vibes and atmospheres you describe—what a joy to get lost in markets and small villages, where you usually make the best encounters. I loved your latest trip to Chhattisgarh. I didn’t get a chance to comment while you were writing because I wasn’t following you then, which is why I’m being so chatty now—but I won’t fill pages and pages. Still, one remark: what stamina!! Visiting places after a 24-hour journey—bravo.

If you don’t mind answering, I have a few practical questions and would love your opinion on our planned route (I’ve been working on it for less than a week, so it might not be fully set, but we need to book the flight soon). I took the time to read your stories since 2015 to avoid asking questions you’ve already answered, and I’ve mainly listed the stops without details of the visits. We’re planning to travel as a couple for about 7 weeks from October to December. - I saw you went to Mandawa instead of Nawalgarh because you couldn’t find accommodation. Do we need to book far in advance? (We usually book 2 to 4 days ahead to keep our route flexible.) - For transportation, we’re thinking of choosing between taxi, bus, or train depending on the stops. In your November 2022 trip, after your driver disappeared, it seems you had no trouble getting around, even in remote places (like your great experience in Kaithoon). Do you think it’s easy to book a taxi through the GH? - Here’s our rough itinerary with a few personal notes and questions—like whether we should include Varanasi or skip some stops:

Itinerary Arrival: Delhi Day 1: Delhi – Tijara Fort Palace (2h Uber, bus, or taxi—TBD) Overnight stay on-site Day 2: Tijara – Alwar (check bus, or ask Solene40 about transport and the cow ashram location—I couldn’t find it on Google) Visit the city Day 3: Alwar – visit surroundings: Rajgarh – Sariska Day 4: Alwar – Bharatpur (check duration) Visit Deeg (round trip) Day 5: Keoladeo Reserve – temple Evening: Bharatpur – Mathura (40 km by bus?) Day 6: Mathura – visit the city Day 7: Morning market walks Mathura – Agra (sunset in the gardens) Day 8: Agra Visit Akbar’s mausoleum (round trip)

Consider adding Varanasi from Agra (+5 days: 2 days travel + 3 days on-site) or a round-trip flight from Delhi (+4 days)

Day 9: Agra – Dholpur (56 km by bus?) Day 10: Dholpur Day 11: Dholpur – Gwalior (72 km by bus or train?) Day 12: Gwalior Day 13: Gwalior – Dholpur – Karauli (bus from Gwalior to Karauli seems complicated—check) Day 14: Karauli Day 15: Karauli – Dausa (Bhandrej Baori 10 km away) Day 16: From Dausa: Chand Baori and Bhangarh Fort (taxi) Day 17: Dausa – Jaipur (60 km by bus or train?) Days 18–19: Jaipur Bagru printing workshop, Sanganer blue pottery—Marie-Jo, could you share the addresses for these places? (For reference: Jaipur Jamode Amber Panna Meena Ka Kund stepwell… taxi) Day 20: Jaipur – Tonk (3h30 bus) Visit Day 21: Tonk – Bundi (morning bus, 115 km) AM visits Day 22: Tonk Day 23: Round trip to Kota Day 24: Bundi – Chittorgarh (2h30 taxi) Visit the fort Bus to Udaipur Days 25–26–27–28: Udaipur and surroundings Day 29: Udaipur – Pushkar (300 km train—TGV from Udaipur to Ajmer, 5h, then 1h bus) Day 30: Pushkar and surroundings

Consider skipping Pushkar to save 2 days

Days 31–32–33: Jodhpur (190 km by bus or train?) Day 34: Jodhpur – Barmer (200 km bus, 4h30) Look for craftsmanship spots Day 35: Kiradu Temple (round trip, 35 km) Day 36: Barmer – Jaisalmer (160 km bus, 3h30) Days 37–38: Visits Day 39: Jaisalmer – Phalodi (230 km bus, 5h) Day 40: Phalodi Day 41: Phalodi – Bikaner (160 km bus) Day 42: Bikaner Day 43: Bikaner – Nawalgarh (217 km bus) Day 44: Visits Day 45: Nawalgarh Day 46: Visits

Consider flight from Jaipur to Varanasi

Day 47: Nawalgarh – Jaipur (train), Jaipur – Varanasi (flight) Days 48–49: Varanasi Day 50: Varanasi – Delhi Return

Bonjour Fabrice, merci pour votre réponse, effectivement les campings sont déjà remplis dans la moitié des parcs que nous voulons visiter, nous essayerons les emplacements en first arrived -first served, sinon le bivouac est juste un plan de secours, les emplacements sont extérieurs aux limites du parc.