The Cultures of the Rajasthan Desert are some of the most well preserved in India. We, at Marwar Eco-Cultural Tours & Travels, are passionate about this land, its cultures and its people and we want to share this passion with you. The Desert and its people will captivate you. Because our Tours are run by a Non-Profit organization, we are able to provide you with in-depth cultural information that you would not receive on other Tours. If you have an adventurous spirit or a cultural thirst to quench, we have a Tour that should surpass all of your expectations. We also offer opportunities to get involved with the people and assist in ongoing, non-profit projects. As an NGO, we have assistance projects in most villages we will visit. All of our guides are from Rajasthan, and most are village natives or indigenous people. They have a great knowledge of local and regional history and are great storytellers. They will keep your attention for hours next to a fire, counting tales of kings and warlords; castles, forts and Havelis (mansions); rituals and traditions. You will see the camel herds, observe villagers' craftsmanship, and gain insight into Indigenous nomadic lifestyles.

Our Tours are unique and un-chartered.  We will show you the best of Rajasthan, and we are very flexible and can modify our tours according to the group's needs. You can also design your own tour. You dream it up; we’ll do the rest.  We will organize the tour and guide you according to your wishes. Among other things, we can arrange a visit to a marriage ceremony, a farming or agricultural tour, Handicraft and Jewelry making, a stay in an Ayurvedic (traditional Indian Medicine) clinic, and more!

Note: Our Tours require a minimum of four participants.

1.        Standard Car tour

Day 1 - 2: Jaipur
We pick you up by car from Jaipur or Delhi. After checking you in to your hotel, we will spend the day visiting forts, palaces, and temples of the famous Pink City.

Day 3: Mahansar
We will spend one day touring the small town of Shekhawati (Eastern Rajasthan) renowned for its old Havelis (Indian traditional Mansions) complete with beautiful wooden and stone carvings as well as Magnificent 12th century paintings.  

Day 4-5: Bikaner
On our first day, we will visit the famous Fort Museum and Camel park. On our second day, we will drive out of town to visit the Rat temple.

Day 6, 7, 8: Jaisalmer
We will spend two days on a comfortable camel safari and visit authentic Rajasthan villages. There you will enjoy traditional musical shows, Rajasthan folk dances and delicious regional cuisine.

Day 9-10: Jodhpur
We will spend the night in a nice hotel. The City Tour will include the Mehrangarh Fort, and the Umaid Bhawan Palace. From Jodhpur we will also visit a traditional Bishnoi Village.

Day 11-12: Udaipur
We will relax in the lovely and romantic city of Udaipur, where we will see its numerous Havelis and beautiful lakes, as well as enjoy meals with views from rooftop restaurants.

Day 13-14 Ranakpur
On our first day we will visit the most famous Jain temple in this small hill station. The next day we will see the Kumbhalgarh fort - one of the highest [clarify, tallest? Largest?] forts in Rajasthan.

 Day 15-16: Pushkar
We will relax in the holy town of Pushkar. Settled around a small lake, Pushkar is one of the most peaceful towns in Rajasthan. You may visit temples, or just relax from the rooftop terrace of one of the numerous vegetarian restaurants.

 2.         Touristy & Non Touristy Car tour

Day 1/2 Jaipur:
We will spend two full days exploring the Pink city and visiting temples, havelis, and palaces.

Day 3 Aroka:
In Aroka we will spend the night in a small private castle built in the 15th Century. You will discover the three distinct cultures that make this town so unique.

Days 4/5/6 Jambha:
From Jambha our expert guides will take you on a two day camel safari. You will experience desert life, and enjoy romantic evenings while observing traditional songs and dances by the campfire. It will be two days of adventure that sacrifices no comfort.

Day 7/8 Jaisalmer:
We will spend one day relaxing, visiting the Golden Fort, the Wood Fossil park and old havelis. We will also visit traditional villages where people produce beautiful handicrafts.

Day 9/10 Jodhpur:
We will spend one day visiting the palaces and fort of this fortified city. You will have dinner on a rooftop restaurant where you will enjoy the spectacular view of the Mehrangarh Fort. The next day you will visit a Bishnoi Village.

Day 11/12 Ghanerao:
You will spend the night in a small castle of this hilly town and experience the amazing Mehwari culture.  On the second day we will take a car to visit the Ranakpur temple and the Kumbhalgarh Fort.

Day 13/14 Udaipur:
We will spend a day relaxing in this magnificent city of lakes and palaces. Udaipur, the Blue City is famous for its romantic flair.

Day 15 Chittorgarh:
We will visit a magnificent Fort and learn about its fantastic cultural history.

Day 16/17 Pushkar:
We will relax in the holy town of Pushkar. Settled around a small lake, Pushkar is one of the most peaceful towns in Rajasthan. You may visit temples, or just relax from the rooftop terrace of one of the numerous vegetarian restaurants.

Day 19 Bundi:
After visiting this Medieval Town, which is famous for its beautiful palaces and 8^th-century architecture, we will then return to Jaipur.

 3.         Cultural Discovery by Jeep

Day 1 Jodhpur:
We will begin by visiting Bishnoi Villages and Ossian, which is the beginning of the Thar desert, and is famous for its 6^th century Jain and Hindu Temples.

Day 2/3 
We will spend one night in the village before beginning our two day camel safari, which will come to completion in Khitchan.

Day 4 Khitchan:
This tiny town is well known for harboring migratory Siberian cranes. They stay here safely for 4 month each year.  There are also many old buildings to see.

 Day 5/6 Jaisalmer:
We will spend one night taking in nature at its best at the Desert National Park.  Here you can catch glimpses of Antelope crocodile sized desert and camel [-needs clarification- antelopes, crocodiles and camels, perhaps].  The following day we will see the town and camp in empty villages.

 Day 7 Barmer:
This charming town is well known for its carved wooden furniture and textiles

 Day 8 Bhenswara:
Here we will have a chance to spend a night with tribal nomads, known as the Raika.

 Day 9 Mount Abu:
We will spend one night in this lovely hill station, which is known for Jain temples and old caves. 

 Day 10/11/12 Beda:
This Unique tribal village holds many secrets to discover.  Spend the day exploring hidden caves and the evening enjoying the colorful dances and music of the local tribe, the Bhil.  On the following day we will stay in the jungle with the Garasia tribe in the company of panthers and bears!

Day 13/14 Ghanerao:
This lovely historical village was the neutral meeting place for the Jodhpurians and Udaipurian people. From here we will continue to the Ranakpur Jain temple and the Kumbhalgarh fort.

Day 15
We will drop you off at Udaipur, Jodhpur or Jaipur.

Note: This tour can be flexible according to the tourist's wishes.  We need a minimum of 4 people.  We provide: food, guide, Jeep with driver, tent, mineral water, we organize your stay in villages among tribal people.

4.         Camel Safari :

We organize camel safaris in the un-touristed desert.  The people who we will encounter are not accustomed to tourists, and when you arrive, you will be welcomed from the heart. We ensure that the cultural integrity of the area is not lost by not bringing tourists to the same areas again and again. On the camel safari, we provide delicious Rajasthan rustic food.  No other travel agency provides this kind of food on camel safaris.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the local NGO. 

 What we provide in a camel safari : 

• Your own personal camel

• Mineral water

• Food

• A mattress

• A hut, tent or you can sleep under the stars.

5.        Bishnoi Village Safari :

There are a lot of Bishnoi villages around Jodhpur.  More than 90% of travel agents go to particular places but our travel agency send tours to many different areas and we have some guides who belong to the Bishnoi cast {What is a cast?  Maybe- the Bishnoi tribe} and who are therefore more knowledgeable of their religion.  They also know the 29 rules of the Bishnoi people.  During the Bishnoi village safari, we will provide you with rustic Rajasthani food prepared before your eyes by a local family in their home.  After you enjoy your meal we will introduce you to life in the country side.  We will also educate guests as to how the people are able to survive in these rural areas.  You will discover how they obtain necessities like water and food, as well as how they acquire jobs.  This is not only a village safari, but it is also an authentic experience of rural life.  25% of the proceeds from each tour go toward NGO’s projects.

6.        Deep desert Camel Safari :

There are many companies who do camel safaris, but they do not send their guests very far from the city or town.  We believe that such a policy deprives guests of a genuine experience of desert life.  Our travel agency has therefore made it possible to organize a ‘deep desert safari’.  No other travel agency visits villages that are so far from the cities.  These areas are so untouched by tourists that many local people are unaware of foreigners.

Description: Transportation by jeep about 140km out from Jodhpur. Each night, guests can listen to folk music and dance.

We provide:

• Your own personal camel

• An extra camel cart

• Rajasthani & Indian food

• A good camel guide who is an experience camel trainer/handler.

7.        Wildlife Tracking

We are the only travel agency to offer this kind of tour in Rajasthan. The Aravalli Hills are located 350 km south-west of Jodhpur.  The area spans 300 km x 100 km, and is full of wildlife.  In the hills, there are many tribes who used to live like Garasia, Gameti, Koli, Menna etc.  {Used to live?  Are they extinct?  Or - they used to live like these tribes?  What does this mean? Maybe- they’ve lived there for a long time?} We can see many panthers, bears, foxes, wolves, wild cattle and antelopes.  Our NGOs are presently working there to provide adequate water storage, and we got the idea to start tracking tours as a means of raising funds for the NGO.  People can see wild animals and can stay with tribal people and see their culture.  The highest hill station, Mount Abu, is located on the southern side of these mountains.  We will start at Sirohi and trek for two nights and three days to Mt. Abut.

We provide : 

• A Guide

• Tribal guard (What’s this?)

• Food

• Accommodation

• Mineral water etc.

8.        Village life experience

There are many people in the world who want to experience different cultures and see how they live. If you are one of these people, we can provide you with an authentic village-life experience.  Our NGO is involved with more than five districts in Rajasthan, which is a huge area.  Here, many tribes used to live [again, change this unless the tribes are extinct, perhaps “haved lived here for centuries”].  We are well acquainted with them and can arrange a stay with any of these tribes for guests.  You will have the chance to see how they cook their food, how they grow crops, what kind of animals they keep, how they build mud houses, and even learn about their marriage ceremonies.  This is minimum 5 day tour.

Didn't Find the Tour you wanted? Design your own, we will Help you prepare it, and then we will guide you on your own unique adventure or cultural discovery.