Experiencing the countryside (wild) life in Ranthambore

In the winter of 2022, during my India break, we went for a short 5-day stay at Ranthambore. It was a very convenient trip to plan for, as we were driving there. So, I booked a nice hotel, and we were ready to go. By the way, it was interesting to see the number of luxury hotels that have sprung up in Ranthambore. And of course, their crazy prices! I went for a reasonable option, and thankfully the experiment worked fine.

Inside the park

Booking the safaris was a much longer process though. With some initial research, I found multiple websites offering safaris in the park. After some more research I realised these were all third-party websites and not the direct government safari website. And there was a simple reason for it - the government website was too complicated to use to make the bookings. Somehow, I was able to create a login, register and actually book the safaris directly. But it was confusing and time consuming. (After going through the process, I do realise why the third parties are flourishing).


Getting there

The drive from Gurgaon to Ranthambore is supposed to go down to 4-4.5 hours once the Delhi-Mumbai highway is inaugurated, but for us it was still the longer route we had to take. It took us about 6-7 hours to get there. We drove on the Delhi Jaipur highway for a bit, taking smaller roads for the rest of the drive. Overall, it was a pleasure to drive there and is testament to the fact how much infrastructure in India has improved over the last few years.

The highway till Manoharpur is a road we have travelled on many times. The surprising experience though was a short patch on the highway when the speed limit dropped to 80 kmph and we got an overspeeding ticket there! Anyways from Manoharpur, we turned towards Dausa and Laklot, and drove on smaller roads which were also 4-laned and good quality! In fact, we were still able to drive quite fast through the second non highway part of the route too.

The drive was quite a pleasure – it was through green pastureland, with small hills and some small forts on top of mountains. There were so many guava orchards on the way there. We also saw a lot of colour all around, as Rajasthani women wear much brighter clothes. The yellows and reds and oranges are quite enlivening. We stopped at a random bus stop on the way to have chai, it felt so idyllic. This part of the drive was so much better than the main highway till here.

The last drive stretch

The last stretch was not a good road though. It was greener, and surrounded by fields all around including sarson khet which were yellow at that time of the year. And soon wheat would have been planted. There was a river also running along us through part of the way. But the quality of the road was sub-par.

Very close to our hotel, our GPS showed a shortcut where we took a turn away from the main road and had to drive through villages to go to our hotel. The road was so small, it was definitely not the right way to go. It actually felt tough to drive through. We also had a flat tyre, just before we were to reach our hotel. 4-5 village boys on bikes came and helped us change the tyres. Just like that. It felt amazing, and something I haven’t experienced for a while – strangers helping out like this.


The Ranthambore Heritage Haveli

The haveli

We were staying at the Ranthambore Heritage Haveli and I must say – what an absolute delight it was. It’s a huge hotel built in the style of an old Rajasthani haveli, with courtyards, flowers in the courtyards, painted walls and roofs and the typical chatri architecture of the area, all in a bright yellow. It was open air, with lot of covered spaces to walk around. 

The haveli khats

It had an outdoor pool, and green gardens where they had khat (village beds). Those were our favourites, we sat there every day all afternoon when the sun was out, playing cards or just sleeping. Half our days were spent like that, in the winter sun, enjoying its warmth (the winter sun is sometimes missing from Delhi winters). And there were many sitting spaces on the first floor too, to just sit and chat, from where we could enjoy the sunsets, as the sun cast its last deep yellow shadows on the haveli. It was my favourite place in the hotel, we enjoyed many sunsets from the first floor. It was just so idyllic and blissful over the next three days to be there.

Sunsets at the haveli

The best part of the stay though was the food. We had breakfast and lunch at the haveli, and the spread was just outstanding. Plus the taste of the food was something to die for. The cooks made typical homecooked food every day, with local sabzis, hot naans, ghee, and what not. And the personalised and warm service was just the icing on the cake. We relished each and every meal we had at the hotel, it was just such a pleasure to be there.

The haveli was near Khilchipur village, in a stunning rural setting, with khet all around it. Apparently, most of the hotels and resorts in the area are located nearby, near this Khilchipur village. From the roof we could see 4 other similar havelis nearby, all with the same chatri architecture. And they all had the same broken road to get to. We later did find a shorter route to get to the main road though, which was actually worse, but as it was shorter, it made the whole ordeal of driving out a lot easier.


How the safaris work

Booking the safaris directly is one complicated procedure. There are 10 zones in Ranthambore park for which you can get safari permits for either jeeps or canters. The jeeps can take 10 people at a time, and the canter about 30. There are limited number of jeeps and canters allowed in any zone in any day. And you need to book a jeep or a canter for a specific time and zone beforehand. (These are just the official rules though!)

These safaris can be booked on the Government of Rajasthan’s website. But it is such a mess to book – with registrations first required on two separate websites, logging in is allowed only through gmail (you cannot just create a new login), setting up a profile using buttons you can’t find (!!), and many other hoops you need to jump before you can actually get to booking through the site! I did actually manage to do it after a few days of trying, but it did feel sometimes that it may actually be better to book through all the agents who resell these tours for double the price. The agents book the safaris for you beforehand as well as get the tickets for you on the day, saving a lot of time and hassle.

We booked directly though, and found out the whole procedure only after turning up at the haveli. If you book directly, then on the day of the safari, you need to go to the forest office (which is located near a shilpgram) with your booking and wait for your driver and guide to be assigned. Once assigned, you need to wait for them to arrive and find you. And of course, they all come when they want to, over a 1 hour window. When they do find you, you need to give them your papers. Then you have to go back to your hotel and wait, as the guide and the driver come with the canter or jeep and pick you up from your hotel, about 30 mins later.

The chaos

The process is a mess, and it feels like a macchi market there at that time, total chaos. With the drivers and guides arriving at different times and shouting out for their passengers as there is no way of finding them other than shouting for them! Getting to the forest office wasn’t easy either as the roads are not even pucca and there is no marking. And you end up waiting there for a long time. Thankfully all around were sarson and wheat fields, which was a good time pass in such a rural setting.

But really, in this day and age, this way of arranging safaris is just ridiculous. As I said, if you book through agents, you can get away from all this mess, and you will directly be picked up from your hotel. For double the price, of course. (On the official website, costs for safari are Rs. 1305 (jeep) and Rs. 791 (canter) while agents offer for Rs 2375 and Rs. 1860 respectively. And finding the actual cost of the safari online was tough too).

Also I figured out that even though online there is a limit on the number of vehicles allowed in a zone, once at the forest office, there is no limit on the number of vehicles going into any zone. When a zone has had a sighting (and the probability of another sighting is higher), a lot more vehicles are allowed into that zone! It was quite sad to hear this is how things work on the ground. Also there is apparently a mafia between the guides and the drivers, the more influential guides get the more coveted zones (to get higher tips from customers for having seen the tiger!). It was all so messed up, somehow the whole experience did not feel fun.


Safaris at the Ranthambore National Park

Lakes in the park

Over the next three days, we went on two safaris in the park. One was in a canter in zone 3, the second in a jeep in zone 5. Apparently, there are 80+ tigers in the park. But we had only one tiger sighting, on our second safari only.

Zone 3 is supposed to be the most beautiful zone as it has the Ranthambore fort within the zone as well as a few small lakes. We passed by the fort with its majestic presence, chatri architecture and canons to protect it. It was so interesting to see that a fort has just been abandoned and now resides inside the National Park.

Dried vegetation

We drove in the forest for a few hours, enjoying the wild ambience. The vegetation was mostly dry forests, though the trees looked very old. The forest was not too dense, and the terrain was a bit uneven, with a lot of driving up and down. And the soil had a reddish tinge to it.

Sambhars

There were a few lakes inside and all had some birds and crocodiles next to it. There were also some old structures around the lakes where the kings used to come and rest. During our safari, we saw lots of chital, some sambhar deer, some nilgai, crocodiles and turtles near the lake, a wild boar, some langur and lot of birds. But the tiger eluded us even though we heard a few calls.

Sunset in the park

We did enjoy a nice sunset in the forest though, with the trees suddenly turning orange with the sunset light. Even though it was December, the day had been warm and sunny, but as evening came, temperatures dropped suddenly. And we got cold while coming back from the park. The driver also drove extremely fast while coming back, making us jump on all the potholes of the village roads! It was quite a bumpy ride back. Though the surroundings were nice, the khet and slow village life around.

Fort, inside the park

The second safari was in zone 5. It was a cloudy day that day. We passed by the fort and a stepwell during the safari. There were loads of mango trees around. And the forest was also lovely here, greener, with some waterbodies too. But we didn’t get to enjoy these beautiful forest views. The guide got a call about the tiger being spotted, and we just rushed our jeep to the spot. There were already 15-20 canters and jeeps there, all waiting for the tiger. It was a long crowded queue, of loads of people waiting and making a ruckus. The noise was too much and obviously did not add to the ambience of a wildlife sighting.

Old structures in the park

Apparently, 3 cubs of the famous tigress Noorie were sitting in the shrubs by the river. We could sometimes spot them moving, but not too well as they were quite far off. So everyone just sat there, waiting for some movement. We were there for 2 hours, just waiting for the cubs to move and come into view. Sometimes they did yawn, and walk around. And we tried to catch a glimpse through the binoculars, somehow.

Noorie's cub

After some time, we started hearing some animal calls, and Noorie came to pick up her cubs. Then they all started walking and went into the bushes up the hill. One of the cubs stayed behind though and walked along the river for a bit. He then sat at a spot for 5-10 mins. And then finally we were able to spot it well. We observed it, sitting and getting bored for a while before it went up the hill too.

To be honest, I did not really enjoy the experience, as it felt too staged. As sad as not spotting an animal feels, what feels worse is finding one in a fake manner 😂. The real joy of safaris is spotting an animal just like that. There is no joy going somewhere where there are 100s of people already. There were very few wildlife lovers there, most were there just to photograph the tiger and leave. It was so loud and crowded there, it did not even feel like we were in the jungle. And the whole time, the guide also kept telling us about how things actually worked in the park – how you can give money and get any number of viewings you want. And how more than the allowed number of vehicles can easily get in.

The whole park felt such a commercial enterprise, it was not fun for me. It felt like such a beautiful experience had been spoilt by commercialism. Anyways, in the end we did see a tiger, so that was that.


Ranthambore town

There are many other experiences also nearby, like Ranthambore fort, Surwal lake, Kachida valley safari and going up in a hot air balloon. We did spend one day around town though tried neither of these experiences. We just drove around a bit doing random things. We first stopped at the RTDC centre to buy some Rajasthani handicrafts. Then we went to a few more craft shops to shop for local stuff. We bought lot of things there – suits, rajais and dresses with Rajasthani prints

After that, we drove into town, to the main market near the railway station. The station was quite pretty. We tried exploring the market also but there wasn’t anything interesting there to do. Coming back, we stopped at a local multi-cuisine food court called Chopati, and had food from some of the local stalls – oh my god, the food there was so yum. We ate and over-ate that day. While coming back, we visited the Ranthambore museum on nature. It was quite simple but lovely to see it. And at the end of the day, we again enjoyed another stunning sunset from the top of the haveli. Even though we didn’t have a plan, the day around town had turned out to be interesting.


Overall, we loved our short trip to Ranthambore – the drive there, the haveli, the food, the excursions to the jungle, the village ambience and the slow easy life. I can see us travelling there often, especially with the new highway opening up now. And just like that, the weekend was over. The drive back was gorgeous again. We stopped at a sarson ke khet for a break, the rest was a comfortable drive as there wasn’t much traffic either. Looking forward to the next trip there.

Some weekend getaways from Delhi

Tijara fort, palace and hotel

This year I spent a few months early in the year in Delhi. Things were improving on the pandemic front but they were not safe yet. So we ended up doing a few day trips to outdoor places where the risk was lower. And surprisingly, we discovered more than a few gorgeous lakes and palaces we hadn't been to yet which was quite a pleasant surprise. Here are a few of those:

• Damdama lake and Lost lake
• Hidden lake
• Safdarjung Tomb
• Sunder Nursery
• Tijara Fort-palace hotel
• Neemrana Fort-palace hotel
• Chandigarh

Damdama lake and Lost lake

Way to Damdama lake

This was our first day trip out of home after a very long lockdown. I had heard a few times about the Damdama lake before and finally we got a chance to visit it. The drive there was quite quick, about an hour or so from home, and through villages which felt so far from Delhi. But the lake turned out to be a bit of a downer. It was quite dry, with just a little bit of water in the centre. We walked all around it, where there were some of the Damdama village houses plus some farmlands where there were some plantations. The vegetation was dry all around except in the farms. 

There were some local fair rides and boat rides available for the lake but it felt too small to do that. So we didn't do those. There was a government tourist resort located right on the lake which had a few rooms and a restaurant. The restaurant wasn't working yet. There were some green grounds around too, so we just sat outside under the trees and had our lunch, enjoying the sounds of the birds and the openness around. 

After that, we drove to the Lost lake which was a bit tough to get to as there was no marked or clear google maps road to get to it. We could see it on Google maps and then kind of had to figure out a way to get there. We drove through a small village where our car got stuck in the sand for a few minutes! (There is a walking path from Damdama too, to get to the Lost lake but as we had a car, we didn't take that route)

The lost lake

The road was also almost missing, so we had to drive the car through the gaps in the ridge forest, through small ravines in the ground. It was a bit of an adventure ride, but somehow we made it there. The lake was a small one, surrounded by the ridge forest all around. There was no one there at that time. It was a pretty place and with the dusk lighting, looked even better. Just the dry vegetation all around on all the hills. We stopped for some time there before heading out before it got too dark. I realised that it would be more fun to trek up here than drive. Will keep it in mind for the future, as I can see myself visiting it again.


Hidden lake

Morning at Hidden lake

Apparently there are a lot of lakes in the Ridge forest, most of which I have never been to. So one of the other mornings, we went 'trekking' to another one, the hidden lake this time, near the village of Mangar. We walked about 30 minutes through the forests, up and down some small hills, making our way through all the dry vegetation to reach this lake which was picturesque in its own way. There was no one around and it was a nice calm way to spend a Delhi winter morning. The hike felt a bit too easy though.

Hidden lake

After a short stay there, we stopped at a hotel nearby - The Lalit Mangar to have breakfast. It felt like a nice place to come to for a staycation in Delhi. We had a nice long breakfast and soon I was back home to start work. After this walk, I was quite surprised by how there were so many interesting places nearby (albeit small-ish) which I didn't even know of before.


Safdarjung Tomb

Safdarjung fountains

One of the days, I was able to visit the Safdarjung tomb in Delhi, for the first time. It is quite a surprise given I have been in an around Delhi since 1997! Anyways on a nice sunny winter day and we spent some time exploring the area around. The tomb is a huge gorgeous monument built in typical Mughal style. With the red sandstone, the domes and minarets, the grand symmetry, it reminds one of all the other Mughal buildings of the era. And as expected, it is surrounded by a huge park, with the long rows of fountains and water on each side. 

Safdarjung fort

Safdarjung was a king of Oudh and a minister to one of the kings. He was apparently so powerful that he was able to construct such a huge tomb for himself, paying for it out of his personal wealth. But he had got so powerful that he wasn't allowed in the city while he was alive. This building is very similar to Humayun's Tomb (which I have not been able to visit yet!), but apparently is more flawed than that one. But of course, my eye couldn't see its flaws 😊.


Sunder nursery

Intricate ceiling carvings
 of Sunder Burj

I had heard about Sunder nursery quite often when in Delhi and I was very curious to see what it really was. So another winter morning, we went there to spend an afternoon in the park. It is a huge arboretum in old Delhi which has been opened relatively recently. It is owned by a private foundation which over the last 10 years has been trying to conserve the monuments as well as the parks in this area. 

There are about a dozen or so old buildings from Mughal times which had fallen into disrepair and now have been restored, for Delhites to come and enjoy. And the gardens around are well maintained to spend time, especially during winter. 

Sunder nursery

We walked around a few of the buildings and the Sunderwala Burj was the most impressive. The highly detailed workmanship on the ceiling was quite impressive. The gardens have also been landscaped with a lot of effort and look refreshing. There were loads of playgrounds for children, a few small ponds and canals to provide some coolness, a local farmers market for shopping and a few eating places, all making it a fun place to spend some time. We ate at the Fabcafe by the lake (Fabindia's cafe) within the nursery which has an impressive (though vegan) menu. Even though it was winter, it soon got hot and we ditched visiting Humayun's Tomb (again!). But I enjoyed the day out and can see myself visiting it again too. 


Tijara Fort-palace hotel

Tijara fort is one of three forts near Delhi which have been converted into hotels by Neemrana group of hotels. Surprisingly I did not even know about it till we decided to go there, and I loved the experience.

Fields on the way to Tijara

We left Gurgaon early morning and had planned for lunch at the fort, spending the day enjoying the warm Delhi winter sun and just exploring it. The fort is a 3-4 hours drive from Gurgaon, partly along the Gurgaon Jaipur highway and the rest through country roads. On the highway, the fastag wasn't working at the tolls and we saw a guy manually charging the fastags 😂 (so much for digitisation). From the highway, we took a turn at Daruheda and then the road was not as great as the highway. 

First look at Tijara fort

This hotel is located near the village of Tijara and we drove through some small villages on the way. It felt like a completely different world, driving through sarson khet and small town roads. I was again struck by the colourful clothes of women everywhere. And then we came by the fort on top of a small desert hill, in the middle of nowhere. From the bottom of the hill, it is still a 2km drive through a completely non existent road to get to the fort. And once on top, it is a completely different place.

Lunch location

The fort is on top of a cliff and made up of 3 separate parts (the reception and two rooms sections, one of which is called mardana section), a central dining and a whole side full of balconies and walkways. Each section is currently at a different phase of restoration. In fact the hotel was opened only in 2016 and is still being renovated. We spent some time exploring it all and loved it. The main reception building has the lunch place which overlooks the fields below with tractors, the village and faraway hills. And it was breathtaking. The food buffet was yum and the service excellent. It also has the hawa mahal which is a very well aired floor and a good place to spend some time.

The rooms

View from Hawa Mahal

Inside the hotel sections

The first section has half of the rooms and has mostly been renovated. There is lot of greenery around and there are lot of open spaces to sit on every floor. Each of the rooms has a name of its own, a mahal in its own right. Also the views from the top are stunning. 

Mardana mahal

The other rooms section, Mardana mahal, is still being completed. It has a huge courtyard in the centre, and has some good artwork and paintings all around. This is also the place where the evening tea is served every evening. We sat around the gardens for some time enjoying the calmness and the views around. We also took loads of photos as it was so gorgeous anywhere you looked. We hadnt realised earlier but it took us the whole day to just walk around all the areas in the fort.

Birds eye view

This whole fort-palace has been painstakingly redeveloped over the years and you can see remnants from the time when it was derelict. Some people's names are still written all over the walls. And there are photos from the time when it was bought to be developed. I really liked this place as it was like an oasis in the desert, a heaven away from everything. It is a place worth spending some time at.


Neemrana Fort-palace hotel

Neemrana palace isn't an unknown place but somehow we never managed to go there as it was always too close to Delhi to go to. But for this pandemic time, it was perfect. We did a day trip to the hotel, leaving early in the morning and were back by sunset, spending the day and lunch within the palace complex.

The fort-palace is located on a hill near the village of Neemrana, in Rajasthan. The drive is a bit long, about 2-3 hours and depending on traffic could get ever longer. The whole drive is on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, and when you come to the village, you just take a right and go through the village go up to the fort.

View of Neemrana village

Firstly, the village felt rich relatively. Most of the houses were pucca and one could see many huge houses. I guess being a tourist place definitely helps the economy of the neighbouring regions. And the first views of the palace from the village are stunning. There was music playing in the village the whole day (probably at a marriage) which felt like a good Rajasthani musical backdrop to our visit.

Neemrana fort

The hotel involves a lot of climbing, as it is built on a cliff. The king (or nawab) here was a small king without a huge kingdom, so his palace was also relatively smaller. The original fort was in ruins some years ago when the owners decided to buy it and they have built most of the buildings again, but in the old architectural style to make it look authentic. The original parts left are quite few. The architect and builders have to be commended though, the whole place looks original, as if it has been just been renovated. 

Jharokha

The hotel consists of the main reception area, and multiple room sections with a few pools and loads of open areas with outside sitting to just sit and enjoy the view. We spent the time before lunch just exploring it, and it was breathtaking. Every angle of the palace was pictureworthy. There is a lot of climbing involved though as the rooms are all at different levels, 10 floor equivalent actually. We walked around through a few of the areas, sat on some of the towers and took loads of photos. It felt exhilarating to be there.

Dusk time

The lunch buffet was average though, unlike Tijara fort who had authentic Rajasthani food which was quite tasty. After lunch, we sat in the gardens till sunset when the palace was all lighted up and you could see beautiful colours in the horizon. It looked really ethereal.

Lights at Neemrana

And by that time, the weather became very pleasant too. Some birds also came out and we saw two peacocks on the roofs. It was good to see the sunset from there, and slowly the village below got fogged a bit too. And by then, it was time to say goodbye and leave. We had a good day out there and enjoyed the service at the palace too, its (again) definitely a place we will come back to some time.


Chandigarh

This was not a weekend trip but I felt I had to write about it. I visited Chandigarh again after almost 25 years and was so impressed by the city. There isn't any other city like this in India, and it felt like I had come to a new country altogether!

We drove from Gurgaon in January early morning, and as expected there was fog to start with. The road along the way was much better than I expected. We first took the KMP and it was amazing, a whole bye-pass to delhi, built up above the ground, to avoid local traffic, it was amazing. And rest of the way was the GT road passing through all the big towns in this area - Sonipat, Panipat, Karnal and Ambala. At Sonipat, there was some construction going on but the rest was all done - with flyovers everywhere. All along the way there is continuous development and there were no empty patches. There were some amazing dhabe along the way. We did not stop there though as it was still the time of pandemic. The drive to Chandigarh felt like a breeze and the quality of driving was also quite good.

As it was the time that farmer protests were still going on near Delhi, we could see a lot of movement. Small groups of farmers driving back in tractors from Delhi and the new shift going to Delhi to take their place. It was quite impressive to see their motivation and organisation, given how cold everything was at that time.

And then Chandigarh was amazing. It is such a well planned city, with wide roads, service lanes everywhere, roundabouts, greenery and basically a lot of sense in it. There are sectors setup in squares and each sector is well planned, with a market and houses lined next to each other. The huge houses were also quite lovely. It was built completely from scratch after independence and you can see it. I just fell in love with the city.

It felt like such a relaxed place. The police is more active and less corrupt here. The rules for driving were quite different in the city. And I actually saw the locals all following driving rules which I have never ever seen before in India. It was quite a revelation to be here, and driving felt enjoyable and convenient.

Chandigarh ki galiyan

I also liked the vibe of the city. Great shopping. Outstanding food. Loud dressing. Fun loving people. People spend a lot, so the shops and all were also quite well stocked with good quality shoes and clothes. I even ended up buying some blingey things from there, which were still classy:). The food over our few days of staying there was to die for. Everywhere. People were relaxed as Chnadigarh has more retired people than working people. And the well planned greenery everywhere just blew my mind. It was like a dream to be there for the few days and I loved it.

Some of the days, we also visited the other similar areas around - Panchkula in Haryana and Mohali in Punjab. They have also been developed in a similar design but were not the same, the same vibe wasn't there. And 10 kms away is the area called Zirakpur, which was as much of a mess as anything else in India:).

There are a few touristy places in Chandigarh too - Sukhna lake, the rock garden and rose garden. But we did none of these. Just visited our friends, lot of who stay in Chandigarh and love it there. I really enjoyed the visit, and though it wasn''t a holiday, it felt like one because of the green and relaxed vibe of the city.