Udaipur is not only a city known for its royalty and beauty, but it is also a city that you can call a paradise for solo travelers. And this is what caught my eye while choosing the first place to travel as a female solo traveler.
The first day of the journey is about me reaching Udaipur from Mumbai. There is a train that directly both the cities provide a comfortable travel experience. Board the train at 11.00 pm and the next day you reach around 3. 00 pm at Udaipur. The next thing you do is get an auto to your hotel/ hostel.
Since I was traveling solo I chose to stay at a hostel ( GoStops Udaipur) in their female dorm. The dorm room was clean and what I liked about it was that every bed has a curtain which ensures privacy. The common room on the top had an adjoined terrace which provided a beautiful view of the City Palace.
It was evening by the time I settled down at my hostel. So the first thing I thought of doing was watching a sunset by the Lakeshore. But since I visited back in August it was raining so the sunset was missed. But then instead of waiting at my hostel I visited Ambrai Ghat, Gangaur Ghat. The good part of visiting Udaipur during monsoons is that the lakes are full of fresh water, this is what a local told me in Udaipur. Next I visited the Bagore Ki Haveli cultural dance show. There are 2 shows every evening and tickets are available both online and offline. The tickets cost INR 100 and the show is totally worth it.
After having dinner at Jheel Cafe I returned back to my hostel. And with this day 1 concludes.
Day 2 for me started with grouping with people from my hostel and visiting places that were at the outskirts of Udaipur namely Bahubali Hills, Badi Lake and Sajjangarh fort. We booked an auto who charged INR 1200 for 3 people. The auto driver also took us to Shilpmgram and Fatesagar lake.
Bahubali Hills is best to visit during sunrise. Later as more people visit this place it is difficult to find the perfect place where you can sit and adore the beauty of that place as well as click your photos. The hike up to the top is very easy and it will hardly take 15 minutes to reach the top. Again the monsoon clouds didn't allow us to view the sunrise. But still the views were amazing. The hills were lush green.It felt blissful as I was sitting there and a cold breeze was passing by complemented by a cup of tea and a beautiful view of Badi Lake.
Later, we all came down to spend some time at Badi Lake. So there is a photo point around Badi Lake which we ditched and rather went on a bit further to the place which connected us directly to the Lakeshore. The surroundings were beautiful and the water was clean. After spending some time there and clicking pictures we visited Sajjangarh fort.
Sajjangarh also known as the monsoon palace is located at an elevation providing a beautiful view of the city of Lakes. You can reach here using your own transportation like a scooty or car or opt for public transportation. There are taxis available that drop you up and later collect you from the top once you are done visiting. Just a tip to add on 'Don't rely on the transport they provide. They have limited vehicles which constantly travel to and fro and during peak hours you have to wait for hours until you get a vehicle. Talking about the palace, it is beautiful and will provide you the view of the entire Udaipur City. As you go to the backside of the palace you will find yourself surrounded by the Aravali Ranges. Heavy winds constantly hit you. You can sit there for a while and enjoy the views.
After spending some time at the fort we headed to Shilpmgram. Shilpmgram is basically a place from where you can buy some handicraft made by local craftsmen. Every artist here has a Guinness Book record. Going there and knowing their stories is also fun. Products are also decently priced.
Later went on to Lake Fatesagar. Had food at the joints that surround the Lake. And not to miss, their famous cold coffee. Came back to our hostel and then went to stroll around Ambrai Ghat hoping to see the sunset. But then I was really not lucky with that. But since it was not raining that evening the palaces were lit making the city look even more beautiful.
The next day I along with my hostel friends visited Karni Mata Temple. We ditched the ropeway and instead hiked up to reach the temple. There are stairs and the way is quite well built. Since we went on a Sunday morning we got a yummy breakfast there which is served as Prasad every Sunday. From the temple you can see the beautiful view of the entire city.
Then I came back to the hostel and as I was supposed to check out that day. After the checkout I kept my luggage at the hostel and went out to explore the city starting with a boat ride at Lake Pichola.
Now there are two types of boat ride :
1. This boat ride will take you around the city in the boat and bring back. There is a designated place near Dudh Talai where the boating point is located.
2. The other boat ride option is the one that will take you to Jagmandir. And this is the one I did and I will prefer others to take up as well. The tickets for this one are available at the entry point of City Palace.
Since I wanted to visit both Jagmandir and City Palace I bought both the tickets. But here is one mistake that I made and definitely not recommend any one else to do. I visited City Palace after I completed my visit to Jagmandir. Since it was almost evening by that time the crowd was at its peak and it was getting difficult to explore the palace or find some empty spot for photography. So I recommend everyone reading this blog to visit City Palace early in the morning.
Boat ride to reach Jagmandir was by far the best thing I did at Udaipur. Viewing the entire city from the lake made me realise why this place is called Venice of East. It's just so beautiful and mesmerizing.
After around 10-15 minutes I reached Jagmandir. The boat drops you there and once you are done exploring the place boats will pick you up from pick up point of the palace. Jagmandir is essentially a place turned into restaurant. You can sit there and click pictures, have lunch there. Explore the garden around and come back. The place is beautiful and instagrammable.
The last place that I visited was Jagdish temple before I boarded train to Mumbai with lots of memories ❤️
