Rajasthan is probably the most famous state of India when it comes to tourism, and is the number one region for travellers to India. It has also seen steadily increasing popularity within India, along with the foreigners as well as domestic travellers, too.
The colourful palaces of Rajasthan makes the exotic backdrops and Rajasthan is a big place where it’s easy to avoid getting caught in large crowds if you have some flexibility in your travel plans and itinerary.
We are suggesting a few tips to help you get the best out of your visit to Rajasthan
The most crowd of visitors can be found in Jaipur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer, at the forts and inside the coloured old cities. Even here you can avoid the coach-loads if you show up early in the morning (ideal, too as it’s much cooler at this time!).
Rajasthan is used to tourism and you’ll find some less-scrupulous vendors who will not be shy about making an extra dollar where they can. Bargain for everything and try to research the market price before handing over your hard earned cash. Over-paying for goods does not help in the long run as it sets the precedent for future visitors being overcharged too.
Try to get away from establishments (restaurants, cafes) that are obviously set up for tourists and we support smaller places instead.
Despite the high number of tourists, Rajasthani culture is still relatively conservative, and wandering around in hot-pants and spaghetti straps will result in more hassle for you. See our tips for female travellers below.
Rajasthan is a dry, desert state and is rapidly running out of water. Avoid hotels with pools as much as possible and be very conservative with your water use. Turn taps off while brushing teeth, take showers instead of baths, turn shower off while shampooing… etc. Many remote Rajasthani villagers are without access to clean water and have to walk each day to pump ground water.
Avoid single use plastic. It’s not hard to see, that India has a huge plastic problem. Take your own refillable water bottle and re-fill with filtered water, called “RO Water” (reverse osmosis purified water which is fine to drink).
It’s difficult to escape poverty when travelling in India. Compassion is the best thing you can give and support local organisations that are actively involving the local community in their work and profits (we’ve included recommendations throughout this guide). We don’t ensorse giving money, pens, sweets or anything else to children or adults who ask for them while travelling in India. Volunteering in India can be a tricky business and is not something we necessarily recommend, unless you are bringing highly needed skills.