Embedded in its great allure for travellers is Rajasthan’s great legacy of the exploits of the valorous Rajput kings and warrior clans to the times when it was known as Rajputana. The multi-hued kaleidoscope of holiday experiences one has enjoyed still reveal a host of compelling new narratives that need to be unravelled. The promise of a slew of exciting off-beat experiences in Rajasthan provides us plenty of reasons to return to it again and again to explore its many splendour’d destinations, its wilderness spaces, its cultural heritage, its culinary persuasions and its astonishing arts and crafts heritage. Never was a place so enticing where its roads less travelled summon up endless layers which beg to be peeled away to discover something new every time.
Prod the eco-sensitive traveller side of you on a lovely jaunt on this offbeat Rajasthan journey of discovery. Having sampled the many temptations and enticing experiences of Jaipur’s bazaars and thrilling regal spaces, take a ride to the rural outskirts of this ancient royal bastion to Ikaki Bagh, a lovely farm to immerse yourself in some countryside pleasures. Indulging your desires for more off-beat experiences in Rajasthan, your host Jaideo Rathore invites you to recover the experience of the magic of life in the slow lane at his country home. Supporting the idea of a convalescent future the farm has a unique take where its operations are concerned. The idea is to inspire small and marginal farmers to adopt organic farm practices, sustainability initiatives and environment conservation.
Give Change a Chance: Sustainability Tours offered by Breakaway indulges another side of your sustainable living sensitivities in your explorations of off-beat experiences in Rajasthan. This tour covers 3-4 initiatives, whose design and production techniques are based on “Mindful, Equitable and Fair Trade Practices and Repurpose, Reduce and Recycle” based choices, as a way of life. At Amer/Nahargarh fort experience a lesser-known side of these iconic destinations near Jaipur. This off-beat experience is about learning about Rajasthan’s ancient water harvesting system, which sheds light on the provision of water for large residences, refined water conservation mechanism and superior architectural practices of 16th century Rajputana.
You know all about the elephant ride to Amer Fort, but this off-beat experience in Rajasthan at a unique workshop sheds the light on how paper is made from elephant poo. Enjoy watching this incredible process! As opposed to this you get to meet with the founder of a zero-waste label. The lady primarily works with leftover cotton, linen, and denim. She also uses Aakh—an indigenous fibre from Rajasthan, which does not require water to grow and works with natural dyes like Indigo and Kashish that are created by artisans of Bagru village near Jaipur. These initiatives mirror the progress that is being made in the sustainable space, setting an example for others to take small steps to protect the planet and follow suit.
At Mharo Khet, on the outskirts of Jodhpur, another set of off-beat experiences in Rajasthan will steal your heart away. With host Rajnush, discover how a desert blooms with sustainable choices. These out-of-the-box experiences in the arid expanses of Rajasthan will not leave you disappointed as you delve deep into the workings of this farm, which sells its amazing sustainable-agenda produce to households in Jodhpur and beyond. Get ready for a thrilling off-beat experience here as you discover an immediate connection with nature and the growing plants in the field on this pastoral setting. All the practices that direct life on this working farm revolve around a more sustainable future through the preservation of regenerative practices that have been the tradition for centuries in this region of harsh soils and climatic conditions.
What makes holidays at Mharo Khet so compelling is the bouquet of unparalleled rural experiences–from immersive walking tours in the farm to artfully presented, multi-course, plant-forward dining held under the canopy of trees in a guava orchard. It offers some of the finest memories of indulging your desire for off-beat experiences in Rajasthan.
Discover the pleasures of the wonderment of food as a culture highway at Ikaki Bagh, an eco-friendly farm near Jaipur. Let your taste buds do the talking about the organic way of life on another one of these joyful off-beat experiences in Rajasthan. Your lovely hostesses, Devika Rathore and Chandrika Rathore, will take you through the paces of a meal created in olden-times local Rajasthani traditions. This lively interface reveals a whole new world of culinary nuances as you delve into the amazing variety of ingredients, techniques and manner of serving with the family. As you tuck into the delicious meal, savour the warmth of their hospitality and some happily divulged family recipes and cooking techniques.
Another exceptional culinary experience joins the ranks of off-beat experiences in Rajasthan you are set out to explore. The cuisine trail at Mharo Khet, near Jodhpur is an unforgettable table-to-the-farm indulgence, rather than the hackneyed farm-to-fork experience. Spoil your palate in this atmosphere of rustic modernity–at its field and at its tables! You will simply love that evocative synthesis of art, freshness, and flavour. Over 90% of the produce used is harvested fresh from the farm itself, having just seen soil and sun and never a refrigerated truck!
Reactivate the culture buff in you as you unravel more pleasures from these off-beat experiences in Rajasthan. Here’s another rare opportunity to discover how crafts still nurture their stories for posterity. Journey to Udaipur, city of lakes and fairy-tale palaces, to experience a lesser-known side of this royal city. Peel back the rich heritage narratives sequestered in its artisan villages as you travel with Breakaway to a textile enterprise which attempts to enable rural, indigenous artisan communities become economically self-reliant, as well as ensure the sustainability of traditional craft techniques and skills. Learn all about how these artisans who pursue the traditional ‘Dabu’, mud-resist technique of printing, are on a learning curve of innovating on design and quality. Meet an artisan who reveals the secrets of creating those exquisite Pichwai paintings which serve as a backdrop to the deity at the Krishna Temple at Nathdwara. Pichwais are distinctive as a form of cloth painting specialised by the school of Nathdwara of Mewar-style paintings.
A bewildering range of sumptuous off-beat experiences in Rajasthan, showcase some of the most endearing aspects of one of India’s most exciting destinations. Shouldn’t we plan multiple holidays to indulge the experiential wanderer in us time and again?