DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

Ranthambhore Fort

Perhaps the only one fort, which is not visible from a long distance. The Fort is a massive enclave and quite high. Mughal Emperor Shah Alam gifted it to Sawai Madho Singh I of Jaipur in 1754 AD and since then it was maintained as the private hunting preserve. Much later, Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh were part of the Royal Hunting, who stayed here too. It's a unique Rajput Fort.

Archeological Department took over the fort in 1954 and area of the fort is 4½ square kilometres. It is 1578 feet from the sea level and 750 feet from ground. Total area of the fort is about 7 miles. There is no drive way up to the fort, just the stairs. There are three big artificial lakes up in the Fort.

Distance from the Hotel: 9 kilometres
Driving time: 30 minutes

Surwal Lake

The lake of Surwal is situated next to a small village, also called Surwal. This place is frequented by bird watchers as it attracts a lot of winter migratory birds. Different types of herons, egrets, ducks and waders can be seen in large flocks here. The lake is used for fishery by some locals. The fish also attract some large fishing birds like the Brown Fish Owl and the Osprey. It takes almost half-a-day to explore Surwal, and the evening return drive can yield sightings of Jackals and Jungle Cats as they have been often spotted in the area.

Distance from the Hotel: 17 kilometres
Driving time: 45 minutes

Local Shopping

Dastakar : Dastakar is a nationwide organization, which helps local artisans make various handicraft products and then sell them. In Ranthambhore, Dastakar works with many women from the villages situated on the outskirts of the park. Most of the families from these villages were displaced when their old villages were shifted outside the forest. Today Dastakar helps provide income-support for these families. They have a workshop and a showroom to display and sell these handicrafts. This showroom is situated 10kms from the hotel. Dastkar's distinctive tiger motif & use of trees, birds and animal imagery demonstrates the communities concern for the natural environment, in particular, the endangered tiger.

Dhonk : Dhonk is an offset of Tiger Watch, a NGO working in Ranthambhore to protect tigers and other wildlife through research and conservation with the participation of local communities. Tiger Watch played a huge role in capturing many of the poachers belonging to the Moghiya tribe, who used to be the traditional trackers for the Jaipur royalty when they used to hunt in these forests. To help the Moghiya families earn something, Tiger Watch started Dhonk where they taught Moghiya women how to make handicraft products and now they help them sell the products as well. Dhonk is situated right next to the hotel. Visit to see the artisans working to create the traditional and colourful artwork.

Ranthambhore School of Arts : Mr. M. D. Parashar is a celebrated artist and one of the founder members of Ranthambhore School of Arts. Mr. Parashar has been teaching locals from Ranthambhore how to paint for over 25 years and some of them have gone to become famous painters to other locations throughout the world. Today, Mr. Parashar works from his studio in his home where he paints and teaches his students how to paint the various animals from the forest, but mostly tigers. Mr. Parashar has also mastered painting with soot, obtained from oil lamps, a technique that he has invented himself and he is ever ready to give our guests a small demonstration of this award-winning technique. His paintings are also displayed and are for sale in his studio.