Mehrangarh Fort

Mehrangarh Fort is the centre of Jodhpur and since the building materials were taken from the rock, the Fort merges with its base, rising up around the Old City.  The Fort is still run by the Jodhpur royal family.  Although the Lonely Planet guidebook say you don’t need a ticket to visit the Fort grounds, it is very difficult to get past the numerous employees who will tell you otherwise.

The Fort architecture is beautiful and the views from the top are stunning, overlooking the blue city below.  The Fort’s original entrance has massive doors with spikes to deter attacking enemy elephants.  The former palace is now the Museum with intricate stone lattice work on the outside and collections of textiles, military gear, paintings, palanquins (covered carriage for royalty carried by men) and other royal artifacts.

Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park

This 72-hectare park sits at the base of Mehrangarh Fort and offers a chance to escape the bustle of the city.  The park is open daily from 7 am- 7 pm and there are walking trails throughout the Park.  It is especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset, before the heat of the day arrives.  The Park has been planted with native species and you can get up close to the city walls and Devkund Lake, the water source of the Fort.

Toorji’s Step Well wasn’t in the guidebook, but is Instagram famous and should be on your Jodhpur itinerary.  The stepwell was built in the 1740s with steps that allowed access to the ever fluctuating water levels.  Toorji’s Stepwell was submerged and full of debris for decades until it was recently renovated.  Besides being a great place for photos, there are intricate carvings and niches in the red sandstone.

Stay in a Haveli

A haveli is a historic centuries-old house or mansion built in classic Rajasthani style.  Many have now been lovingly restored into hotels and there is no more atmospheric place to stay in the Old City than a haveli.  On our last day in Jodhpur we stumbled upon Rani Mahal Hotel and were impressed by the beautiful building and its friendly owners.  We had the best thali ever here!

Thali Feast

If you aren’t familiar with a thali, it refers to a round metal plate made up of a selection of various dishes.  We are total foodies when we travel and when we heard about the famous 31 item Jodhpur thali at Gypsy Restaurant, we knew we had to eat there.  This is not somewhere that is in the guidebooks and the locals looked at us with a lot of interest when we arrived.

Gypsy is located in the newer part of Jodhpur so we took a rickshaw there.  There is a take away area downstairs, but you want to go upstairs for the unlimited Rajasthani feast.  It was busy, but they cleared a table for us and set about serving us the 31 Rajasthani dishes on our thali.  The owner came over and explained each dish and was very enthusiastic for us to try everything. The thali costs 300 INR/person.