- Discover imposing forts and palaces
- Cycle along Rajasthan's rural backroads
- Wildlife spotting in Sariska National Park
- Visit the magnificent Taj Mahal at Agra
Cycling through Rajasthan
15 Days from
16 Days from
incl. Taxes
Cycling
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Essential Info
Weather
October to March is the ideal time to visit Northern India. Days are normally warm to hot and nights cool or mild. Humidity is very low and little or no rain can be expected. In March, April and October it can get very hot during the day. Evenings in Delhi and in the Thar Desert can be surprisingly cool, so bring a jumper as well as sun hat, sun cream and sunglasses. It gets very cold in the early mornings and evenings between December and February.
Weather Charts
Hotels & Sleeper Train
You will spend 13 nights in a mixture of comfortable and standard hotels, all with en suite facilities and most with swimming pools. 1 night will be spent in an overnight air-conditioned sleeper train.
Hotels in India usually do not have heating as there are really only a couple of months in the year when the weather can get rather cold. You can however request more blankets or the hotel may be able to provide a standing heater for your room. Please talk to your tour leader if you need help in this matter. Some of the hotels we use on this trip may have swimming pools however these are not heated.
Overnight Train Journeys
The overnight train will be booked in 2-tier sleeper A/C (or 3-tier if 2-tier is not available). There are many excellent trains in India however the standard of seating and sleeping is not in line with European standards. All seats are pre-allocated at the time the tickets are issued, meaning that we are not able to guarantee the whole group are together on the train, your leader will manage this as best as possible and will always check on you during the journey. Indian trains are safe to travel on however we would recommend that you keep any valuables with you at all times. Snacks are often offered on board (at an additional cost) but you may wish to purchase your own food prior to the journey. Whilst some trains have western-style facilities, the majority of services are equipped with squat toilets. Please note trains sometimes get delayed for numerous reasons, which is obviously beyond our control, however we endeavour to minimise the impact of these delays on the overall itinerary. Most of the luggage will be transported to Jodhpur by bus, so we just take a small overight nag on the train.
PLEASE NOTE: Accommodation in Pushkar during the festival departure will be provided in en suite Swiss Cottage Tents (canvas tents designed to emulate Swiss cottages) with attached bath and all meals will be included.
Reviews
Add your own reviewPalaces and Backroads
very good route and good rides through interesting countryside great palaces at Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaipur Taj Mahal is special
Most Inspirational Moment
Taj Mahal
Thoughts on Group Leader
Manu was very good. Delivered the programme. Told us a lot about India, and very open about his country. All the crew were very good.
Advice for Potential Travellers
India is chaotic and assaults all your senses. On the road you will see people, cows, dogs, buffalo, and lots of rubbish and plastic. It takes about a week to get used to the chaos !
Suggestions
The hotel at Sariska (Virat Resorts) was very poor, and not up to European standard. The rooms were not finished, and had some very dubious wiring, the floors were marble and very slippery when wet. The dining room was full of flies and the kitchen took ages to serve food, and the staff were hopeless. The hotel in Jaipur (Fort Chandragupt Hotel) was in the wrong part of Jaipur. It was next to the bus station and there was a lot of noise from the station, and we had to travel across town to get to the tourist areas. Suggest you change these hotels, as they were poor, and detracted from my overall rating of the trip. Rest of hotels were fine.
Reply from Exodus
Thank you for your review of your November cycling trip to Rajasthan with us, Adam. We were pleased to read that you enjoyed the rides and were happy with your tour leader, Manu, though we were very sorry that you found two of the hotels used to be of a poor standard, which is not at all the kind of feedback we expect to receive.
We have contacted our local operator to investigate your comments, and would like to assure you that these hotels are not our standard properties used on this trip. The properties you mention were last minute replacements for this departure, after our standard allocated hotels were unable to provide the number of rooms we required for your group due to unforeseen issues. We had believed these replacement properties to be of a similar standard, with the same facilities provided as those of our usual properties, however, it appears that they were not prepared for quite how busy they became immediately after the restart of tourism to the region (particularly domestic tourists). For our departures since, we have used the standard hotels for this itinerary, which receive very positive feedback, and won’t be using the alternative properties you mention again. While we hope that this can provide an honest explanation for the issues you faced in Sariska and Jaipur, we do remain regretful of your disappointment with the accommodation there.
-Sarah Puttnam, Product Manager
Great cycling and site seeing combination
This trip is a great way of seeing a selection of famous sites as well as getting glimpses of the real India from cycling on back roads, waving at friendly locals, looping round cows, avoiding wandering pigs, nipping past sleeping dogs, pausing to allow flocks of sheep and goats to cross, overtaking bullock carts and even camels. The sometimes parched scenery may not be as lush as south India but there are plenty of sights to see along the way and regular snack stops to break up the longer cycling days. The longer rides tend to be pretty flat and there are some stiff but achievable hills too. But there’s always a back up vehicle for anyone who has had enough and plenty of snacks and sweet chai to keep you going.
Most Inspirational Moment
The Taj Mahal literally took my breath away, the Amer Fort in Jodhpur was amazing and the City Palace in Udaipur was spectacular, but there were many fascinating insights into local life too whether seeing a couple making rope along the roadside or watching bricks being made by hand.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sanjay and Manu were both excellent, highly experienced guides who worked hard to make sure that everything went smoothly.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you are travelling in January, it is probably going to be colder than you think. I was glad of the down jacket I had worn to the airport and even wore it for cycling a couple of times until me and the day warmed up. Personally, I felt most comfortable wearing my over the knee mountain biking shorts as village women always have their legs covered but no one had any issues when wearing shorter shorts. Two pairs of cycling under shorts were sufficient as there are enough two night stops for them to get washed, three would be better if you have them. You'll need something warm to wear on cold evenings too as we ate outside a couple of times. But I guess that won't apply to later departures.
Good cycling but a shame about the pollution in the cities.
We’ve visited India twice before, the first time 20 years ago and then again 10 years ago, and so as keen cyclists we were excited about the prospect of cycling around the back roads of Rajasthan. The cycling was fantastic, along quiet country roads through small rural villages where everyone waves and shouts hello. Brilliant! But beware – after the cycling you end up in large cities where the levels of pollution are now so bad that it is not only unpleasant to walk around but potentially very bad for your health. I and 3 others ended up with chest infections and 2 of us couldn’t cycle again for the remainder of the trip. Our trip was over Xmas and New Year and the hotels, although perfectly clean and adequate, had no heating and it was very very cold at night – we had to ask for extra blankets just to be able to sleep. Our leader Manu and all the support crew were excellent but the bikes were a little tired. Would I recommend this trip – No! Although the cycling was great the pollution in the cities is horrendous!
Most Inspirational Moment
The cycling and the excitement of the local children.
Suggestions
Exodus like to promote responsible tourism and yet their tipping policy makes a mockery of this. Why is it necessary for the clients to subsidise the wages of the leader and support crew? Surely Exodus (and the company they subcontract to in India) should be paying these local people a decent living wage? I would certainly prefer to pay a little extra in the cost of the holiday if it would do away with this unpleasant tipping procedure.
Fantastic trip through Moghul India
This was a great trip to be on, saw amazing sights; buildings, landscape, wildlife as well as having a chance to see and interact with local people. We cycled through some varied and interesting landscape as well as some that was dull. The roads were quite a mix, some better than the guides remembered from their last trip, others much worse. The heat was relentless on a few days due to lack of shade and start times being later due to coach transfers, this did cause problems and maybe needs more thought. I have to say that, after a few days cycling, most of us improved but the 34km extenI think the trip will be a five in future but it needs some tweaking of itinerary and trip notes to get there. sion on day eight seemed to be wasted as the countryside was probably the worst we came across, uninspiring. Overall a great trip though with a few adjustments to trip notes and tweaking of itinerary.
Most Inspirational Moment
There were a few, sorry! 1) The forts and palaces generally, especially at Jaipur and Udaipur 2) cycle up to Kumbhalgarh and visit to the fort 3) Morning guided heritage cycle around Jaipur, everyone thought that was fantastic 4) Ride through Sariskar NP buffer zone on day 10 5) Day 13 cycle through backroads to Fatehpur Sikri 6) And finally, the visit to the Taj Mahal, amazing
Thoughts on Group Leader
We had two tour leaders who shared duties, Sanjay who was the most senior and Tapesh. I thought they were a good mix and ensured we had the chance to meet locals, especially in impromptu situations. They looked after everyone on the rides and catered for the varying levels of fitness and determination. Socially they were good fun as were the cycle rides. They made the trip in my opinion.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t underestimate the heat and it’s impact on performance. Drinking plenty is difficult when the water in your bottle is 40C so try and mix with other drinks or take some squash or similar. Travel light, a bar bag is a useful thing to take rather than rucksack. Have camera handy for photos as you pass through small villages and chai shops.
Suggestions
There were a couple of fairly negative people in the group who were disruptive towards the end, I thought the group leaders dealt with them quite well considering. Not sure of the benefit of the extra 34km on day 8, just made us late into Jaipur because of traffic. Also, there was no mention of the length of some of the transfers, the ones to Jaipur and also to Pushkar were very long but nothing in trip notes to indicate that, should,be more honest/explicit. On a separate note, the support staff were all very good and worked very hard.
Cycling with a bump
A great first experience of India
Most Inspirational Moment
Handing out pens to local school
Thoughts on Group Leader
Manu was very good and was always around to help us out when we needed it
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you have good travel insurance
loved cycling in rajasthan
This trip was great! The cycling wasn’t overly difficult. The trip offers a wide range of sites to please everyone. Our guides and crew were excellent, the bikes were great as was the support vehicle. We always had drinking water and snacks while we cycled. They took great care of us.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through some of the small villages on our last day of cycling. There is no better way to be immersed in the Indian culture.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Manu was fantastic, very professional but also alot of fun at the same time. Great sense of humour! We have travelled many years in many countries with many guides and Manu ranks right at the top!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Enjoy! Don't be afraid of the food or drinking water or the sheer number of people. It is fantastic
cycling through Rajestan
This was a good trip, seeing the classic UNESCO sites of Jaipur, Agra & Taj Mahal, wildlife reserves, train rides, moderate cycling as well as some really off the beat village life.
The hotels were mainly of a good standard with pools & the staff were excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the sites at Agra & Taj Mahal which were amazing. Some really fond memories of village life, visiting local schools, houses etc - Exodus really excel at this. The safari was ok, probably enjoyed the bird sactuary more
Thoughts on Group Leader
Tapesh & the whole team were brilliant - well organised, considerate, communicative etc
Advice for Potential Travellers
It's hot so take good screen, hat etc. Hardly any mossies, so didn't bother with Deet. Take alcohol hand wash to avoid the bugs.
Suggestions
There are lots of visits to palaces & forts which get better as the trip goes on to the well know UNESCO sites, some of these early ones are optional. There are some quite long bus transfers to the cities where these sites are - I believe changes are being made to the schedule to reduce the amount of these. The cycling scenery is fairly dry, and in my opinion much lusher with less urban centres to get to, on the Kerala or Sri Lanka trips. So if you want to see the UNESCO sites and have good (rather than excellent cycling), this would be a good trip. For a more relaxing trip, with lusher scenery & v few bus transfers, the Kerala trip might appeal more
Cycling through Rajasthan
India is an amazing place – totally different & totally mad but what an experience it was. This is a busy holiday packed with so many different places and many wonderful memories.
Most Inspirational Moment
So many different memories- the overnight train ride, the mental traffic, tut tut rides! the wonderful people and children welcoming us everywhere we went, the amazing Taj Mahal, chai tea ! - the total India experience.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Manu was was brilliant. Very knowledgeable, very organised, great sence of humour & a totally top chap.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is a busy trip but make sure you go at your pace and enjoy the different experiences and savour India.
Suggestions
Manu & his fantastic support team were brilliant. They were all so happy and helpful - nothing was ever too much for them and they really helped to make the holiday so special.
Cycling through Rajasthan
A fantastic whirlwind assault on the senses – incredible sights, smells and wonderful children waving us on throughout the villages.
Delhi was very smoggy and choked to death with traffic, but still amazing views from the coach window as we battled the congestion, but after the overnight train, the visuals start.
Most Inspirational Moment
We were invited, or press ganged into a wedding, which was a real feast for the eyes, to see how a diiferent culture celebrate here - horses, parades, fireworks and entire banquet filled the hotel grounds. Of course the Taj is an excellent feat in building, but Udaipur palace interior was filled with impressive craftsmans skills. Though ultimately, its the people, the smiles, the friendliness that catches your heart
Thoughts on Group Leader
Manu and Rigsin were exceptional, the knowledge of India and its people, a question was never unanswered. Whilst we were there, we had the problem of the 'black money' - which caused a huge problem for everybody, and given the circumstances Manu helped out wherever he could, and even beyond his duties. Ali and Ramu always helped with water and the bike maintenance, and Mr Singh an amazing driver through those conditions
Advice for Potential Travellers
Check the weather before you go - it was much hotter than the average temperature on Exodus website If you see something, buy it, as youll never have the chance to buy it again - we found Johdpur market (clock tower) wonderful, but held out for Jaipur, which was disappointing and a very long day on and off the bus. Its a great holiday, but be prepared for non stop adventure - rest when you get back home!!!!
Suggestions
The Jaipur day out was laboured, too much to see in a short space of time, therefore withered with the guide, as you really had to listen hard to understand, plus added trips to the factories, were not for me Udaipur looked wonderful, but no chance to walk around as on a very tight schedule, we cycled, then straight out to eat later that evening Food at times went from fantastic at the lakeside in Udaipur, to very expensive roadside cafes, and uninteresting western style restaurants
Our Indian adventure
An enjoyable holiday, greatly enhanced by sharing it with a fantastic group of like-minded people. A fabulous way to capture the spirit of Rajasthan. With the added bonus of mixing the ‘sights’ with a glimpse of ‘everyday life’.
A little disappointing not to have sampled more ‘local’ food. The leader preferring hotels or ‘tourist’ type restaurants.
Would have liked to have seen more of the sights around Delhi, rather than driving round in circles by bus.
Compared to our previous trips, there was a lot of time spent on the bus.
The cycling was great. A mixture of easy and more challenging routes. I do however question Exodus’s assertion that everyone is able to ride at their own pace. There were no particularly slow people in our group, however there were times when the slowest were pressured to get on the bus, despite the group being happy to wait. Conversely others were required to slow down to keep the group together, this was often frustrating for both ends of the spectrum. This may have been due to there being only two guides cycling, only one of which was of reasonable fitness.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through the villages were the most interesting and enjoyable times. The sleeper train was a surprisingly enjoyable experience also.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The group leader spoke good English and enthusiastically shared his local knowledge with the group. He wasn't however so enthusiastic about the cycling element and lacked cycling fitness which sometimes compromised safety. The assistant leader is more of a cycling enthusiast with the fitness to match but unfortunately showed little interest in the monuments and sights.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take plenty of high energy snacks. Unlike on similar trips, these were not provided or easily bought. Our group were often hungry and energy reserves dipped on some of the more challenging cycling days. We soon learnt to take food from the breakfast buffet to refuel later on. We found we needed more money for food than the trip notes suggest. We were encouraged to tip more than the trip notes suggested also. There are opportunities to get laundry done.
Suggestions
Another great Exodus holiday which we thoroughly enjoyed, however it didn't quite match the standard of other Exodus holidays we have had.
Start
Finish
Availability
Adult Price From
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Saturday Friday
14 Oct 2023 13 Oct 2023
Saturday Saturday
28 Oct 2023 28 Oct 2023
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Optional Single Supplement +CAD 684
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This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Saturday
05 Nov 2023 04 Nov 2023
Sunday Sunday
19 Nov 2023 19 Nov 2023
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Optional Single Supplement +CAD 684
Diwali Festival
Diwali Festival
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This departure is guaranteed to go ahead but there are only 3 spaces left. Do not delay your booking!
View Trip NotesFriday Thursday
17 Nov 2023 16 Nov 2023
Friday Friday
01 Dec 2023 01 Dec 2023
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Adult Price From CAD 3,895
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 760
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This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesTuesday Monday
19 Dec 2023 18 Dec 2023
Tuesday Tuesday
02 Jan 2024 02 Jan 2024
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Adult Price From CAD 3,995
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View Trip NotesSaturday Friday
13 Jan 2024 12 Jan 2024
Saturday Saturday
27 Jan 2024 27 Jan 2024
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This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSaturday Friday
10 Feb 2024 09 Feb 2024
Saturday Saturday
24 Feb 2024 24 Feb 2024
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View Trip NotesSaturday Friday
02 Mar 2024 01 Mar 2024
Saturday Saturday
16 Mar 2024 16 Mar 2024
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View Trip NotesSaturday Friday
30 Mar 2024 29 Mar 2024
Saturday Saturday
13 Apr 2024 13 Apr 2024
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Adult Price From CAD 3,995 CAD 3,995
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 713
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This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSaturday Friday
12 Oct 2024 11 Oct 2024
Saturday Saturday
26 Oct 2024 26 Oct 2024
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Adult Price From CAD 3,995 CAD 3,995
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 713
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This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesTuesday Monday
05 Nov 2024 04 Nov 2024
Tuesday Tuesday
19 Nov 2024 19 Nov 2024
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Adult Price From CAD 3,995 CAD 3,995
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 713
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This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSaturday Friday
16 Nov 2024 15 Nov 2024
Saturday Saturday
30 Nov 2024 30 Nov 2024
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Adult Price From CAD 4,095 CAD 4,095
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 789
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View Trip NotesSaturday Friday
21 Dec 2024 20 Dec 2024
Saturday Saturday
04 Jan 2025 04 Jan 2025
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Adult Price From CAD 4,195 CAD 4,195
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 713
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This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesWould you like to include flights with your booking?
- ATOL protected
- Competitive flight prices
- Full refunds in the event of FCDO cancellations or major disruption at your UK departure airport
- Specialist support to rearrange flights and transfers
- Regional flights available from many UK airports
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Cycling through Rajasthan
15 Days from
16 Days from
incl. Taxes