Visiting Ranakpur Temple and Kumbhalgarh Fort

Ranakpur Temple and Kumbhalgarh Fort are wonderful attractions worth visiting BUT as they are situated rurally (this is part of their charm). This makes them a bit of a pain to visit. I definitely still recommend making the effort to experience the majesty of these locations if you are going to be in the area. I can recommend a way that won’t add a whole lot of extra time, money or discomfort to your journey (yes its entirely possible). I must admit it is on condition of taking a particular route for your travels in India. Check below to see if it will work for you.

Top Tip: Getting there and away

There are express buses from Udaipur (the closest city) but these take about 3 hours. So its a major journey to undertake in a day if you are trying to visit both sites – and probably not worth a 6 hour journey to see just the one.

Therefore, I suggest hiring a driver (expensive, but worth it for the comfort and not entirely unaffordable).

If you are flying in and out of Udaipur and this is your only stop in Rajasthan then you could visit these sites with a driver from Udaipur. However, the most convenient and economical solution is to travel between Udaipur and Jodhpur with a private driver – visiting these locations of interest en route.

Don’t get me wrong it is a loooong day. But you can relax in the car and watch the world go by or even have a nap or three. Plus, there is no direct train between Jodhpur and Udaipur and flying would be more expensive so this is your best option for travel between these two cities.

On my journey, I went from Jodhpur to Udaipur booking a driver through Viator. The driver will wait for you at both sightseeing stops and allow plenty of time. You could reserve this route and travel in the other direction but make sure to leave Udaipur late morning as Ranakpur Temple does not open to visitors before 12pm. You also should consider how opening hours affect your plans if leaving Jodhpur very early in the morning.

Food:

I highly recommend stopping for lunch at Ranakpur Temple (timing works perfectly if you are driving from Jodhpur). Also, you don’t have to convince your driver to make another stop somewhere where he doesn’t get commission – he will have no choice in the matter.

There is a charity restaurant here next to the shop that sells chai etc. – I am not sure but I think it is run by a temple orphanage? Please correct me in the comments if I am wrong. Its all you can eat for less than 1 US dollar. There is no English menu but don’t let that put you off – its delicious. Only catch is you need to clear your own dishes after your meal and take them to the dishwasher. I think you can manage that! They don’t accept tips but they do have a charity box at the front counter so feel free to put some extra money in there.

What to bring:

Make sure to take plenty of water with you and lots of food if you don’t want to make a lunch or dinner stop. Be aware their are large stretches of road in which there are no places to stop and eat or at which your driver may refuse to stop because they want to take you to restaurants they have an ‘understanding’ with.

Its a long drive – bring anything that will make it comfortable for you.

What to expect:

Expect a great day out visiting these beautiful sites. Its lovely to be out in the more rural (smog free!) air for the day and to take a break from walking around cities for a change. Although you will still need to do a bit of exercise to get to the top of Kumbhalgarh Fort. Its worth it for the great view though!

Erika xx