Shahpura Bagh and Ranthambore,India Tours,Touring India,Tours in India,Group and Private Tours in India

Shahpura Bagh and Ranthambore.

We took the Shatabdi Express to Ajmer and drove to Shahpura Bagh. Train was on time and It took us about 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach Shahpura Bagh from Ajmer. The chauffeur took a longer route via Mandel (10 kms short of Bhilwara) but SPB its much shorter from Gulabpura.

Shahpura Bagh is located in the Bhilwara District of Rajasthan. It was the Summer Home of the Shahpura rulers. The main house Nahar Niwas is still the home of the present generation of the Shahpura Family.

Sath (a fashion photographer by profession) and his wife Maya (an ex tourism professional) live there with their uncle and aunt who are fondly called Mamusa and Shilu Masi. I should'nt be forgetting their daughter Trisha (8) and the two dogs Marble (Dalmiation) and Mishty (Dash) who were all part of the welcome committee. We were greeted to a traditional welcome.

Both Sath and Maya are wonderful hosts. They have quit their busy city lives in Mumbai to settle down in Shahpura Bagh. Their daughter Trisha studies in Ajmer.

The main house also has 2 guest rooms on the top with a nice terrace overlooking the 30 acre farm. The land is used for cultivation, dairy farming (plenty of healthy cows), orchards etc. The Umaid Niwas the second residence is undergoing renovation and will eventually have 6 guest rooms with a sitout and nicely landscaped lawns etc. They also have plans for a swimming pool which will come up once the renovations are through.

The home cooked food was lovely with a lot of variation. Meals are served in the main dining room at the Nahar Niwas. The family joined us for all our meals there.

The Umaid Sagar Lake (presently dry) is just a 5 minutes walk from the property. There are some nice walks in and around the property and boating would be available once the water gets into the lake after the monsoons. Birdlife is in abundance.

The town around Shahpura Bagh is interesting and one can see the local art like the Phad painting and leather work (shoes).

12 Kms away from the main house is Nahar Sagar lake made in the 1920's by Rajadhiraj Nahar Singhji of Shahpura. The lake was made to bring water to his people. Close to Nahar Sagar is the family's 100 acre farm which has mango and guava orchards. They grow several crops in this farm. There are good chances of spotting wildlife within and around the farm. We did an impromptu safar with Sath and spotted jackals, civet cats, jungle cats, hares etc.

If you look at the Rajasthan map both the Nahar Sagar and Umaid Sagar are indicated. Shahpura itself is an important town.

Shahpura is ideally located between Jaipur and Udaipur and can be included in itineraries in several combinations.

Here are some of the combinations that we can offer.

Jaipur - Shahpura Bagh - Chittaurgarh - Udaipur.

Jaipur - Shahpura Bagh - Kota - Chittaurgarh - Udaipur.

Sawaimadhopur - Shahpura Bagh - Chittaurgarh - Udaipur.

Sawaimadhopur - Shahpura Bagh - Kota - Chittaurgarh - Udaipur.

Jaipur to Shahpura Bagh can be done via Kishangarh / Nasirabad / Gulabpura or via Jaipur / Tonk / Devli / Shahpura Bagh.

SPB is a nice halt between Jaipur and Udaipur. Both are equidistant at 220 Kms. Chittorgarh Fort falls enroute between Shahpura Bagh and Udaipur. It would be a good idea to revive visits to the forgotten city of Chittaurgarh on our itineraries. It would be a good 4 hours drive either from Jaipur to SPB or from SPB to Udaipur. Chittaur sightseeing stop would be additional.

Shahpura Bagh can be easily connected with Sawaimadhopur. Its a 3 hours 30 minutes drive. We drove from SPB to Sawaimadhopur via Jahazpur, Devli, Tonk, Uniara. Took us exactly 3 hours 15 minutes to be precise.

Jodhpur is longer distance but can be connected with an overnight at Nimaj.

SPB is definitely a place to be recommended. The renovation and landscaping work is on at the moment and should be finished well before the season starts. Though time is always on short supply but I would definitely recommend 2 nights at this place as there's plenty of activities available. If nothing clients can chill out and enjoy the nature around and the excellent hospitality of the family. Every word in the brochure appropriately describes the place.

We continued on to Sawaimadhopur. The main idea was to visit the Park, particularly at this time when the chances of spotting wildlife is better. No wonder we saw the Tiger, the Sloth Bear, Jackals, besides the langurs, deer, blue bulls etc.

The official tiger count in the tourism area stands at 26, though word around is that there are not more than 16 tigers. All hope is not lost for Sawaimadhopur as there's recent evidence of 2 small cubs having been seen with their mother. This is not part of the 16 or 26.

The population is expected to grow and we hope that the Tiger Count at Ranthambore will go up.

Tiger sighting at Ranthambore in has been good. Most of our clients have seen the tiger. So let's hope that the good times return back for Ranthambore.

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