Holi Off the Beaten Track – Rajasthan Beyond the Crowds
15 days | 21 February – 7 March 2026 | € 4650
Holi in Rajasthan on Horseback – From Palace to Palace, Leopard Country and the Festival of Colours
Experience Holi on a journey through rural Rajasthan, designed around traveling on horseback. This itinerary is created for travellers seeking authenticity, open landscapes, meaningful encounters and time to observe and photograph life along the way.
Participants explore Rajasthan on the back of the Marwari horse, an iconic breed of the region, instantly recognisable by its inward-curving ears. Calm, resilient and perfectly adapted to arid terrain and climate, the Marwari has been the trusted companion of desert warriors and travellers for centuries. Riding these horses offers an intimate and respectful way to connect with the landscape and the communities encountered along the route.
From Udaipur to Jodhpur, the itinerary links historic palaces, traditional villages, forested areas and regions inhabited by leopards. Days unfold at the rhythm of the horse, moving through landscapes where local life remains deeply rooted and largely unchanged.
One of the highlights of the journey is the celebration of Rangwali Holi in a village setting, shared with local residents. A joyful and immersive Festival of Colours, experienced from within the community and far removed from large, commercial celebrations.
€ 4650 per person
Highlights of the trip
Udaipur
Begin the journey in the romantic city of Udaipur, with its lakes, palaces and early-morning light that is perfect for photography. A gentle introduction to Rajasthan’s royal heritage and atmosphere.
Kumbhalgarh Fort
Explore the dramatic Kumbhalgarh Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by wild, forested hills. The vast walls and panoramic views make this one of Rajasthan’s most impressive and photogenic locations.
Villages, Rabari Tribes & Rural Rajasthan
Travel through remote villages and pastoral landscapes, meeting Rabari shepherd communities along the way. This region offers an intimate look at rural life, traditional dress and daily rhythms far removed from the tourist trail.
Dantiwara Lake
A peaceful and scenic area where water, wildlife and open landscapes come together. An excellent location for nature photography and quiet observation.
Perwa & Jawai – Leopard Country
Discover the granite hills of the Jawai region, renowned for its leopard population. Enjoy a safari experience that focuses on conservation and respectful wildlife viewing in this unique human–animal landscape.
Ranakpur
Visit the exquisite Jain temples of Ranakpur, famous for their intricate marble carvings and serene atmosphere, set in a secluded valley of the Aravalli Hills.
Rangwali Holi in Narlai
Celebrate Rangwali Holi in the traditional village of Narlai, sharing the festival of colours with the local community in a joyful yet authentic and respectful way, far from large crowds.
Jodhpur
Conclude the journey in Jodhpur, the Blue City, dominated by the mighty Mehrangarh Fort. A fitting finale combining history, colour and striking architectural photography.
21 February to 7 March 2026 – 15 days Palace to Palace, Leopard Country & the Festival of Colours
Price 4650 euros per person
21 February to 7 March 2026 – 15 days Palace to Palace, Leopard Country & the Festival of Colours
Price 4650 euros per person
Travel schedule
Late afternoon you will make a boat ride around Lake Pichola. Beside Lake Pichola, with the ochre and purple ridges of the wooded Aravalli Hills stretching away in every direction, Udaipur has a romance of setting unmatched in Rajasthan and arguably in all India. Fantastical palaces, temples, havelis and countless narrow, crooked, colourful streets add the human counterpoint to the city’s natural charms.
Udaipur is the city of cream, rose and honeysuckle hues. The huge, cupola-crowned City Palace lines the eastern shore of Lake Pichola, with its balconies gazing out at Udaipur’s other famous landmark, the Lake Palace – a fairy-tale confection that seems to float on the lake’s waters, gleaming by day and spot lit by night. Eastward, away from the lake shore, extends a tangled inner city of lanes lined with homes, temples, shops and businesses that is fascinating to explore.
After lunch: Transfer by road North to Kumbhalgarh 2 hours
Kumbhalgarh Fort is the second most important fort of Rajasthan after Chittorgarh. This unconquerable fortress is secured under the kind protection of the Aravali ranges. Kumbhalgarh Fort was built by Maharana Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. Encircled by thirteen elevated mountain peaks, the fort is constructed on the top most ridges around 1,914 meters above sea level. The fortifications of the fort extend to the length of 36 kilometers and this fact has made this fort to be in the international records. It is stated to be the second longest wall in the world, the first being ”the Great Wall of China”. The huge complex of the Fort has numerous palaces, temples and gardens making it more magnificent.
Late Morning: Start Horse Safari.
Ride down through the Khumbalgarh Sanctuary and Ghanerao forest.
We enter the sanctuary near Kumbhalgarh Fort and pick our way through the wooded sanctuary using old paths, crossing small rivers to the edge of the Ghanerao forest. Late picnic lunch en route, arriving at camp on the edge of Muthana Lake at dusk.
Our tents come each with attached bathrooms, all linen and proper beds. They are erected and dismantled and moved on every day.
Overnight: Camp
Full day ride to Dantiwara Lake. Passing through villages and riding in the plains of the Aravalli hills, stopping for a picnic lunch, we reach our camp situated in front of the lake.
Camp overnight.
Full day ride to Perwa We make our way along the bottom of the Aravelli hills South West through the Bali forest of acacia to Perwa. We pass villages and rural farmsteads, making our way through the volcanic smooth rock formations, stopping in the shade for a long picnic lunch. Just before camp we stop and look for leopard just outside the village.
Full day ride to Jawai Bandh. Today we continue onwards to reach Jawai Bandh – Lying at the heart of an untrammelled wilderness, where leopards roam wild and free encapsulated in a landscape surrounded by craggy granite formations of caves, kopjes, Anogeissus scrub and winding sand river–beds.
Camp overnight
This area is where “the hills throw the moon out and just as soon absorb its glow into their gorges. Where nomadic Rabari herdsmen are as much a part of the earth’s tales as the mysterious felines that grace these hills and vanish at will into their folds. Where pastoral fields meet and merge with wild grasslands and the swells of the JAWAI Bandh’s waters lap at the toes of mighty granite forms. Where flamingos flock and cranes in their hundreds dance to springtime. This special location, the unique flavour of this land and its offerings, provide for an entirely different experience from the rest of Rajasthan”.
Morning ride then transfer to visit the marble Jain Temple at Ranakpur in the afternoon, built in the 15th Century and with intricate carving this is one of the most spectacular Jain temples in Rajasthan.
Standing watch over the small village of Ghanerao is the Ghanerao Rawla (castle). A magnificent showcase of Marble and Red sandstone Rajput Architecture built in 1606 that serves as the home of the royal family who still reside. There is a nostalgic air of past glory and of the royal lifestyle that the Thakurs led. The castle has 17 beautiful rooms, having their own quaint sit outs and verandhas. A recent developing project of the museum is under away, where one can see the old elephant hodas and palkis which were used by the rulers when elephants and horses were the only means of travel. The House of Ghanerao has also been patron of the unique style Rajput miniature paintings. A School of Ghanerao Paintings is still functioning in the village employing local artists.
We ride along the bottom of the Aravalli hills heading to the horses home at Jodha Stud, Shobhawas. We pass villages and rural farmsteads, making our way through the volcanic smooth rock formations, stopping in the shade, or under the shade of the trees for a picnic lunch and arriving at the ‘Palace for Horses’ set on the edge of a riverbed..
In the evening join our special Holika Dahan dinner. Tonight is the start of our Holi celebrations, with a Holika Dahan where we gather, perform religious rituals in front of a bonfire, and pray that our internal evil be destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire. The horses dance and put on a display for you in full decoration with traditional music & food.
Morning ride, to arrive at Jodha Stud (the horses home) where after lunch you will spend the afternoon celebrating Rangwali Holi – a free-for-all festival of colours, where people smear each other with colours and drench each other. Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used to play and colour each other. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings, but you will celebrate in the safety of the farm. Fresh white clothes are provided for this.
(Tip: moisturise or oil your face and hair beforehand to make washing off easier!)
After a wash and change you are transferred to the nearby village of Narlai.
Rawla Narlai is a delightful 17th century property, which was once a favourite hunting lodge of the Jodhpur Royal Family. It is still owned by members of the Jodhpur family who have invested vast amounts of time, money, love and care into restoring this little gem. Over the years it has transformed from a simple lodge into a stunning, stylish boutique hotel, albeit with all its original character and structure retained. The rooms are scattered all around the property and each varies significantly in shape, size and décor.
Here we say goodbye to our horses.
Overnight: hotel Rawla Narlai
Afternoon sightseeing Mehrangarh Fort.
Mehrangarh Fort stands a hundred feet in splendour on a perpendicular cliff, four hundred feet above the sky line of Jodhpur. Burnished red sand stone, imposing, invincible and yet with a strange haunting beauty that beckons. Much has been written about the Citadel of the Sun, for truly, it is one of the most impressive in all Rajasthan. So colossal are its proportions that Rudyard Kipling called it “the work of giants”. Today, it is acknowledged as one of the best preserved fort in India.
Overnight: hotel: Balsamand Lake Palace, Jodhpur
Included in the price
Not included in the price
NB: We reserve the right to alter the itinerary or accommodation, and change horses where necessary, but will keep you informed at all times.
Riding Conditions
Other trips for festivals in India
Individual Holi experience in Northern India
13 days | € 1755 per person
Holi tour along the roads of Gujarat
25 days | € 2895 per person
Pushkar camel fair and Rajasthani culture
18 days | € 1735 per person