Akhil Holden - Udaipur: Travel Hacks for an Awesome Trip

2017 Akhil Holden

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

Table of Contents

Udaipur, known as the city of lakes or Venice of the east, is a district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. This city was built by Udai Singh and has many forts, palaces, hills, gardens and artificial lakes. The hills arent man-made; they are part of the worlds oldest mountain range Aravalli.

Udaipur is a magical place for a trip.

I have compiled a few travel hacks that would come in handy when travelling here. They havent just been copy pasted from the Internet (I actually went to Udaipur in the last week of August 2017).

I wrote a travelogue about this trip but since many people dont have time to read, thus this crash course type book.

I hope it helps you enjoy more during your trip.

Use A Bicycle

Udaipur is a fairly small city and one can cover all the important destinations easily on a bicycle. Also, the pleasure of sight-seeing on a bicycle is unmatchable.

The roads are uphill and downhill, and cycling uphill might be a problem for some but in my opinion it makes matters interesting. The traffic on the roads is less and it is very safe to cycle if you stay at the extreme left hand side of the road.

I got a bicycle free of cost from a relative but you can hire one near Jagdish Temple in the main tourist market.

If youre travelling on a budget, hiring a bicycle would be much cheaper. The rent per day would be less and a bicycle doesnt run on petrol/diesel (thats why it is called the noblest human invention).

Having said that, you can also hire a scooty or a motorcycle if you want but I recommend a bicycle more. Just dont use a tuk-tuk ; their only aim is to charge as much as they can from you.

Stay at a Hostel

If youre travelling solo or with friends, then staying at a hostel is a must. Hostels are great for meeting new people from India and abroad, and indulging in friendly conversations.

After staying at a hostel and interacting with a lot of people, I realized that my confidence levels rose quite a bit.

You can check HostelWorld website to search for hostels in Udaipur. I personally recommend Zostel. I stayed here for six days; for a 500 Rs per night dormitory that was meant for six people, you get clean rooms, clean toilets, clean bedsheet, 24 hour hot water supply and a common room for chilling. I had an awesome time at Zostel.

Buy Fresh Fruit

This is one of the things I observed people just didnt do.

Udaipur has a lot of guava and papaya plantations. Early in the morning, fresh fruit are harvested and sold at tourist areas by local women.

Guava is a speciality at Udaipur and I highly recommend trying them out. Once you do, you wont be able to stop. The guava fruit sold here is small and ripe, and very cheap.

You can easily find women vendors selling fruit at Gulabh Bagh, Fatehsagar Lake, Saheliyon ki Badi and on the way to Monsoon Palace.

Drink tender coconuts

Tender coconuts sold at Udaipur are supplied from Gujarat, one of the leading producers of coconuts in India.

Udaipur city is quite close to Gujarat thus most of the produce is fresh. The size of the coconuts is small compared to coconuts from Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

The price of an individual coconut depends upon the size. Vendors who keep smaller kernels charge 25 Rs while those with bigger kernels charge 35 Rs. Dont pay more than 35 Rs.

Do drink them; theyre quite tasty. I might have averaged four tender coconuts a day during my six day trip.

Buy Something from the Main Tourist Bazaar

Buy a book or a handicraft or a hand painted tee shirt from the main tourist bazaar (theres only one).

I didnt buy a tee shirt that seemed expensive at the time. I liked the design though (it consisted of a Rajasthani turban and a goggle) and later regretted not buying it.

With time, one tends to forget the money a particular thing cost. The memory however remains.

Thats why do buy something that lasts for a long time and makes you remind of your trip whenever you see it.

Do a Bicycle Trip Across Udaipur Countryside

If you go to Udaipur, this is a must in an itinerary. One of the fondest memory I have of Udaipur is me riding a gear bike at countryside.

It cost 2500 Rs for a LAKE LOOP tour since I did it alone (1700 Rs each for 3 people) but I have long forgotten the expense. The sweet memory is all that remains.

I recommend Mr Bhawani of Lets Trip. He is a gentleman and an exceptional guide. We covered 28 Km and in between, we stopped at a deserted lake and chilled out. Foldable chairs were set and breakfast was served.

Best experience ever.

If money is the issue, please spend on this experience and shun fast food for a month. Youll easily recuperate the money.

Do Yoga

There are many a Yoga centres at Udaipur main tourist bazaar. They teach one hour in morning and one hour in the evening, and work on a donation basis. It is best to attend in the morning.

You can give 1 Rs, 100 Rs or any other amount you prefer.

Prakash Yoga is one of the yogi recommended by TripAdvisor. Personally, I didnt enjoy it though. He went from basic level to advanced level to extreme level very fast. Maybe you might.

Theres a 20 minute basic yoga video on YouTube. You can practice yoga with this video before arriving. Then go for Prakash Yoga.

If you dont know, Yoga is one mind blowing system created by intellectual sages that helps body function superbly.

Eat at Millets of Mewar

It is a very nice restaurant that has a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor. The menu is quite innovative and there are vegan as well as gluten free options available. They only serve holistic and healthy food (vegetarian).

There are two floors where people could sit. Sit on the top floor as it has a good view of the Pichola Lake.

The order takes time to arrive but believe me it will be worth it.

Do try millet aloo tikki and Rajasthani Thali. You can also try vegan pizza but I didnt. Again, in hindsight I think I should have.

The rates are not cheap but not expensive either.

Talk with locals

People of Udaipur are one of the friendliest people youll come across in India. If you talk to them, youll really enjoy the friendliness.

You might come to know some local stuff that you wont come to know otherwise.

Ill give you two examples.

First example - A man told me there are people at Udaipur so rich that they drive Lamborghini car. I asked him what do they do for a living and he told me they export handicrafts.

Second example - I met an old man who sold books at a bookshop in the main tourist area. He told me he has lived at Udaipur ever since he was a little boy. He also told me his favourite book is The Guide by RK Narayanan because the film was shot at Udaipur.

Get Lost

This is a unique way to make lifelong memories though it may sound like arbitrary advice.

Start walking in the morning and get lost in the countryside. Let clean, traffic less roads and greenery all around engulf you. Witness guava and corn plantations while youre at it. Itll be better you have a vehicle as youll be able to cover more area in less time. Dont follow a map; just keep going where the road takes you.

If youre afraid, although there is no reason you should, you can buy a knife from Celebration Mall and carry it with you.

Speed Boating

Boating is overrated but if at Udaipur, you must indulge in it.