I can tell you this: India is one of those places you have to experience at least once in your life. Not simply because it is wondrous, but because there are places in the world that change the way you see things. Rajasthan was one of them. Somewhere along the way, I felt my pupils dilating. Everything seemed more vivid, more vigorous, more extraordinary. And you absolutely have to throw yourself into it.

We were never not in motion on this trip. Planes, a bus, golf carts, lake boats, tuk-tuks, 4x4 safari jeeps, a bullock cart and a horse and carriage. This ten-day stomp was designed to lift the lid on Rajasthan in all its unabashed glory: Udaipur, Jawai, Narlai, Jodhpur, Jaipur.

We arrived at Lake Pichola. Is India a trick? Boats chugged across the moody blue water, a thrush was singing, and the Taj Lake Palace Hotel stood white and resplendent in her marble. I like the smell here. The air smelled of jasmine and humidity.

The views are exquisite. And across the lake, children were launching themselves from the steps of a temple, sharp little elbows and legs breaking the surface, swimming as long as they could before bursting out of the water to breathe. Their wet bodies caught the morning sun like slippery eels.

We left Udaipur and headed into the Aravalli hills. I sat back and watched the world slip past: fields, wood fires, smoke, dancing.

In Jawai we spotted our leopard stretched on a granite boulder. In the village of Narlai Lala showed us his village with pride. Very happy children appeared and disappeared. Shepherds with fresh new born goats. We met a beautiful lady. She is over 100 years old. There was bougainvillea. Monkeys. And of course cattle, thin-legged, jostling. And a hill aptly named “Elephant Hill”. One evening we feasted on thali in an old stepwell, in the middle of an okra field. The smell of lamb curry with chapatis cooking on open fires raita, rice. We heard a leopard hunting a deer in the dark. There were hundreds of tea lights and music.

Another time, I hugged an elephant. Her name is Lakshmi. The mahout asked me to give her a banana, then to wrap my arm around its trunk. It was very still and very warm. Her flesh felt like tree bark.

We softly treaded through the palaces and forts of Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur. We peered up at intricate facades, archways and history at every turn. And beyond all the majestic splendour, Rajasthan slowly unfurled itself in quiet moments.

Everywhere we went, there were peacocks shrugging their tailed ball gowns in the dust like the party would never be over.

The history, the architecture, the skill, the artistry, the flamboyance, the colour, the lore. It is a stretch to get my head around it all. A phenomenon. I found myself furiously reading, questioning my guides and inhaling as much knowledge as I could.

The flower market in Jaipur happens in the night. By the time we arrived before dawn the marigolds were already stacked in towers of orange and gold, and monkeys were watching from the rafters with the detached authority of people who have seen everything and are impressed by nothing.

The flowers go out again by morning — to temples, weddings, street corners, gods. I walked back through the waking city afterwards, past tea stalls and milk deliveries, past the 300-year-old Krishna temple

Our last night in Jaipur the city was awash with mud the last of the monsoon rains.

I did not expect the blue room at the City Palace. A private special dinner in a room photographed by many. The the table was set with silver and candlelight; beyond the windows, the city spread out into the Jaipur dark.

November and December are the sweet spot. I have itineraries being finalised now, for first-timers and for those who know India well and want to go deeper.

If Rajasthan is calling, I would love to help you answer it properly.

I have clients visiting Rajasthan this month, with more planned in February. I am also planning a group retreat to Shaktri for 2027. Whether you are travelling as an individual, a couple or a group, I would love to design something around you.

If you’re considering India and want help planning a private journey, I’d love to talk.

https://clarewittontravel.co.uk/contact

Clare xx

A LETTER FROM RAJASTHAN