Recently I had traveled solo to Ajmer and Pushkar. It took me two days to cover both places and I did well. I needed a vacation near my city and I have only a few options. So I zeroed in on Ajmer/Pushkar and booked the tickets. It is very convenient to reach Ajmer from Delhi. I booked the tickets for Friday evening and reached the city around 2.30 at midnight. If you are only planning to visit Pushkar, you can directly visit Pushkar, You can find the taxi at Ajmer railway station. Roads to Pushkar from Ajmer is really good. However, on a safer side, you can wait at the railway station during odd timings.
I had a booking at a hotel near to railway station so I directly headed to the hotel and slept like anything. I have kept an itinerary ready with me for the day. Around 9 in the morning I headed to Dargah Sharif and it took me 2 hours to visit the dargah and then returning back to the hotel. I chose to return to the hotel because I had not carried my camera or any valuable items with me because of the crowd. The beggars will chase you till the main road.
My next destination was Adhai din ka jhopra which is again on the same route to Dargah Sharif. The architecture and ruin look magnificent but poorly maintained. The streets around the monuments are densely crowded. I visited the place during Urs so there was extra security. I did not feel any kind of insecurity but the locals advised me that place might not be safe for the single female traveler. However, the street offers amazing non-veg food.
From there, I made a quick tour to Ana Sagar lake through an E-rikshaw. Here you can walk beside the lake and cover places like new Chowpatty, purani Chowpatty, and baradari. All can be covered in an hour or two. The sunset view from this place can be amazing. I didn’t stay that long because I had to meet a friend. I met her, shared a pizza and then I headed back again to my hotel.
Around 6 I called for a Taxi, which I hired during my visit to Dargah at noon. He drove to Pushkar and we reached there by 6.30. In the transit, we stopped at Maharana Pratap smarak for few minutes and I clicked a few Pictures, totally worth it.
At Pushkar, I booked a homestay hotel in Choti Basti area. The place is like any other small town and the hotel was half an hour away from the main lake. By the time I reached the hotel and settled back, I already missed the aarti which happens around 7 in the evening. However, I chose to visit the lake anyway and made a parikrama. The experience was soul satisfying but you have to do it barefoot. After that, I sat at the sunset café for half an hour and had a cold coffee. From there I went to varah ghat where the local people often organize music/drum/dance show. Luckily, there was an event going on which was magnificent. I settled to a nearby rooftop café and enjoyed the event from there. By the time I had my dinner, It was already 11 in the night so I decided to went back to my hotel.
Next day I woke up a bit late as I was too much tired from last day’s activities. In the morning I got refreshed by the organic food offered by my hotel (hotel Whitehouse) at their rooftop restaurant. After having my breakfast, I got geared up and went for the trekking to Gayatri Devi temple. It’s a 30 minutes hike to the cliff but the direct sun can make you really thirsty and slopes can be slippery. Once, I reached the top, I stayed there for half an hour and enjoyed the view of the city. The temple was closed and a couple of Israelites were playing guitar there. I went down to the city afterward and headed to the market near the ghat. Purchased few Bandhej dupattas as per the requests of females of my family . Then I went to a ghat and engaged in the conversation with a local priest there. He got me convinced to take a dip at the lake which is not very much clean, and going further in the lake can be dangerous. By that time, the sun is already up and its was 2 in the noon.
I have heard a lot about Coffee temple at Hotel U-turn and decide to visit there. The place is cozy and comfortable but not remotely similar to the pictures shown on Instagram. After enquiring, they said that the images are 5 years old and the place is re-decorated. The place is still most popular among foreigners and comes second to only the sunset café at the lake. I ordered a Limonana and a pepperoni pizza which was huge. Had an amazing time there talking to a couple from Canada, an old lady from France and a gay couple from some Latin country whose name I cannot remember. Too many questions asked on Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva and I had to answer them all. The old lady was too much fascinated by the Hinduism and its way. I have shared my Pizza with them as it was too much for me to finish, had another Limonana and I left the place by 4 in the evening.
The next destination in my list was to visit Lord Brahma temple. On my way, I stopped by a local shop to eat some Indian Snack (Got bored by fancy food by now). After the Brahma temple visit and I wanted to go to the Camel ride. But during the conversation with the food joint owner, I changed my mind and went hiking to Savitri Devi temple and I couldn’t be so right in changing my decision. I sat there on a cliff with 100s of others settled at different cliffs. The view of the city was beautiful but what was most divine is the sunset view. I was amazed by the view and clicked some pictures too. Buy the way Franko framed me with the sun :)
I still regret to miss the evening aarti as I got down to the city around 7.45 in the evening. Went to the same shop, ate again and thanked them for their suggestion. Paid a visit to Brahma temple. Then I took a walk around the town exploring the markets, buying souvenirs. I circled back to varah ghat where the same event was being organized, sat there and enjoyed the show while sipping my tea. Locals danced around while “Pushkar Got talent” group was performing.
I decided to call off the day by 11 in the night. Went back to the hotel, packed my bags. The hotel owner had already booked me a taxi to Ajmer. I left the town around 11.45 and reached Ajmer in 25 minutes. Boarded the Rajdhani from there (12.55 in the night) and got back to Delhi in the morning. By 10.30 in the morning, I was in my office but Monday was not the same
To do list in Pushkar:
• Hike to Gayatri Temple and Savitri temple.
• Ghat parikrama.
• Scooty ride to town and two other Pushkars called Vishnu Pushkar and Shiva Pushkar.
• Hopping to multiple cafes
• Jeep ride (if you have a group)
• Aarti darshan
• Sunset view and photography from Savitri Devi temple point
And many more things which you will figure out after visiting there.
Feel free to reach me for any questions regarding the trip or place.
Hope you enjoyed the read :)