Take a break from your hectic, fast-paced work routine, and join us on a relaxing escape into the scenic village life and beautiful natural surroundings of royal Rajasthan.

Our cycling tour includes a fully equipped support vehicle, 2 tour guides, refreshments, a picnic breakfast, lunch at the Samode Palace and high tea, as well as a village walk to explore authentic village culture and everyday life.

DURATION: This is a full-day tour.

FITNESS LEVEL: Moderate

HIGHLIGHTS

Viewing life from the seat of a modern, eco-friendly bicycle is an eye-opener; you will discover things you never would have noticed from the window of a car, like the details of village life and architecture, farm animals grazing in green fields, and children peeking from the doorway of a quaint little village hut.

The 8-hour long cycle tour takes you along country roads through villages where you can meet the locals, and find out more about their way of life. It will give you the opportunity to discover the cultural heritage of the area firsthand. Riding through the Nahargarh Biological Park, at the foot of the Aravalli Range, the diverse flora and delightful beauty of the area will enchant you. You will stop by the exquisite 475-year-old Samode Palace, initially built as a Rajput fort, later turned into a palace, and today an exclusive hotel with beautiful gardens. We will also allow time to look around the local market.

DETAILED ITINERARY

7 a.m. – Meet at Nahargarh Biological Park

We start our tour in the park at the foothills of the Aravalli Mountains and make our way through the lush vegetation of the green Kalighati Valley. We stay mainly on unexplored, off-road trails through tiny forest hamlets and small villages. Rajasthan’s heartland has stunning landscapes, and one immediately feels in tune with nature, out in the open air, away from city life. We pedal past mustard fields where desert berries form natural fences around the fields.

9 a.m. – Lakeside Picnic Breakfast

While we are cycling across the forests of Nahargarh, the support team prepares a breakfast feast fit for royalty near a lake on the village plateau. The entrée consists of biscotti and freshly baked biscuits. Breakfast is a treat of the popular potato-stuffed flatbread called aloo paratha, beaten rice with herbs and spices namely poha, dahi or curd, and black tea, masala chai and coffee. Suitably nourished, we again take to the pedals through the valley to Samode Palace in the hills.

12:30 p.m. – Villages and a Gaushala on the way to Samode

Time to take to the tarmac road which will eventually lead us to the palace. On the way, we stop at various villages to meet the locals and have fun with the children who are always delighted to see foreigners. They love posing for pictures, and everywhere you will be welcomed with open arms. We are offered local delicacies and learn more about the culture and everyday lives of these friendly people. We also stop at a Gaushala, a shelter for cattle, mainly cows. Villages donate land where disowned cows have looked after.

1 p.m. – Samode Palace Lunch

This beautiful building was constructed in the 1600s by the Amber kings, in a perfect combination of Mughal and Hindu styles of architecture. Both the history and culture of the area is reflected in the haveli or traditional mansion, palace and garden or bagh. Lunch is an extravagant spread, and afterward, we look around, and then proceed to the local market for some shopping, before we come to the end of our cycling tour.

INCLUSIONS

• A walk through a village, meeting the locals and visits to traders’ shops.
• All participants have to fill in an Indemnity Form.