Eight gentle-to-moderate off-beat treks in Rajasthan, in two parts. Part A, the Aravalli Hills: tenth-century temple ruins, forest lakes, a metre-gauge mountain railway and Rajasthan's highest waterfall. Part B, the Thar Desert: Bishnoi villages, lost temples, dune camps with camel men and the Great Indian Bustard at dawn — exposure to the deep desert without it becoming an ordeal.
Easy–Moderate · 3 days · ₹9,200 per person · from Jaipur
Three gentle days on the northern Aravalli outliers: the Harshagiri climb to the Harshnath ruins, the Surya Kund at Lohargal and two sections of its hill.
Waypoints: Jaipur → Harsh village → Harshnath temple → Bheruji shrine & north ridge → Lohargal → Malketu temple & Chetan Das stepwell → Kirori kund → Shakambhari forest temple → Barkhandi Baba ridge → Nag Kund & Tapkeshwar Mahadev
Hidden gem: Harshnath temple ruins (956 CE) — A tenth-century Shiva temple on a 900 m Aravalli summit, destroyed in 1679 and never rebuilt.
Skills you'll learn: Heat management, traditional water structures, reading a temple or fort, and tracking in dust — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Moderate · 3 days · ₹9,200 per person · from Abu Road
Three days on the Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary's trails: Tiger Path to Trevor's Tank, Guru Shikhar from Oriya village, Achalgarh, and the 12 km Anadra descent.
Waypoints: Abu Road → Oriya village → Trevor's Tank via Tiger Path → Arna ravines → Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) by the forest trail → Achalgarh fort & Mandakini kund → Anadra Point → Anadra bridle path → Anadra village
Hidden gem: The Anadra bridle path — A 12 km historic bridle road that drops off Mount Abu's western cliff face to the desert plains at Anadra village.
Skills you'll learn: Heat management, traditional water structures, reading a temple or fort, and tracking in dust — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Moderate · 7 days · ₹25,900 per person · from Udaipur
A seven-day traverse of the central Aravalli: Kumbhalgarh sanctuary to Thandi Beri and Ranakpur, the Goram Ghat railway and its waterfall.
Waypoints: Udaipur → Kumbhalgarh village → Fort wall walk at dusk → Areth gate → Joba wolf point → Thandi Beri lake & forest rest-house → Sanctuary trail to Ranakpur → Phulad station → Goram Ghat → Goram Ghat waterfall & Mahadev temple → Dewair battlefield
Hidden gem: Bhilberi Falls (55 m) — Rajasthan's highest waterfall, in the Bhagora forest block of Todgarh–Raoli Sanctuary.
Skills you'll learn: Heat management, traditional water structures, reading a temple or fort, and tracking in dust — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Easy–Moderate · 7 days · ₹26,400 per person · from Udaipur
Seven easy days through Vagad: Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary on foot, the Jakham river, the Mahi island country of Banswara, Arthuna's Paramara temples.
Waypoints: Udaipur → Arampura forest → Flying-squirrel grove at dusk → Sitamata temple → Lav-Kush kund & Valmiki ashram → Jakham river camp → Jakham dam backwaters → Chachakota island village → Island loop & boat to Jagpura → Arthuna temple ruins → Deo Somnath temple on the Som
Hidden gem: Arthuna temple ruins (1079–1190 CE) — A field of Paramara-era temples at the edge of a Vagad village — Mandalesa (1079), Nilakantha Mahadeva.
Skills you'll learn: Heat management, traditional water structures, reading a temple or fort, and tracking in dust — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Easy · 3 days · ₹10,100 per person · from Jodhpur
A village-to-village walk in the semi-desert: Guda Bishnoi lake and its wildlife, the potters of Singhasini, the Khejarli memorial grove.
Waypoints: Jodhpur → Guda Bishnoi village → Guda lake shore & blackbuck grasslands → Singhasini potters' hamlet → Khejarli memorial grove → Kankani → Salawas → Jajiwal scrub
Hidden gem: Khejarli memorial grove (1730) — A grove of khejri trees, a cenotaph and small temples 25 km south-east of Jodhpur where 363 Bishnois died protecting the trees in 1730.
Skills you'll learn: Desert water planning, navigating by sun and stars, working with camels, and the Bishnoi conservation ethic — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Easy–Moderate · 3 days · ₹11,300 per person · from Barmer
Three days around Barmer: the quiet Mahabar dune field, the Kiradu temple group at Hathma, the hills that ring it, and a herders' route back through the scrub.
Waypoints: Barmer → Mahabar dune field → Mahabar dune crest walk → Hathma hamlet → Kiradu temple group → Kiradu hill-ring ridge → Rabari grazing route to Jasai
Hidden gem: Kiradu temples (11th–12th century) — Five Paramara temples in a hill amphitheatre 39 km from Barmer — Someshwara's carved walls and a Samudra-manthan relief.
Skills you'll learn: Desert water planning, navigating by sun and stars, working with camels, and the Bishnoi conservation ethic — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Easy–Moderate · 7 days · ₹31,000 per person · from Bikaner
From Bikaner to Jodhpur by the slow road: Gajner sanctuary, Kolayat lake, the Kakoo dune field with camels, the crane feeding ground at Khichan.
Waypoints: Bikaner → Gajner lake → Gajner sanctuary edge walk → Kolayat → Kolayat ghats & temples; dusk lamps → Kakoo village → Kakoo dune crest camp → Dune ridges & Bishnoi dhanis loop → Khichan → Crane roost dunes & village walk → Jodhpur
Hidden gem: The Kakoo dune field — A dune sea around a small village 70 km south-west of Bikaner — no camps, no loudspeakers, a few camel outfits who know it.
Skills you'll learn: Desert water planning, navigating by sun and stars, working with camels, and the Bishnoi conservation ethic — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Moderate · 7 days · ₹34,300 per person · from Jaisalmer
A camel-supported walking traverse south-west of Jaisalmer: Khaba fort and the Paliwal hamlets, Bhil and Rajput dhanis, dune camps.
Waypoints: Jaisalmer → Khaba fort & Paliwal village → Paliwal hamlet ruins → Bheelon ki Dhani → Lakhmanon ki Basti → Sudasari → Barna dunes → Barna dune sea → Khuri dunes → Mool Sagar garden
Hidden gem: Sudasari at dawn (Desert National Park) — A fenced sewan-grass enclosure 55 km from Jaisalmer where the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard survives.
Skills you'll learn: Desert water planning, navigating by sun and stars, working with camels, and the Bishnoi conservation ethic — Level 1 (3 days) or Level 2 (7 days).
Every route on this page is built to leave you a little stronger, with the desert and the hills doing the teaching.
Rajasthan — the Aravalli Hills and the Thar Desert