5x Highlights of Jaipur, India
I had a sweet taste of India last week. I went to Jaipur as some sort of visa run for my stay in Indonesia, just for a couple of days, but it was one of the most special trips I ever did. Let me go through the highlights of Jaipur.
Driving Through the City
The streets of Jaipur are definitely my highlight of this trip. The city itself is visually so interesting. Lots of things are happening at every little piece of the streets. It feels like life is lived outdoors. I was intrigued by everything that I saw.
I would say: take an Uber sometimes, a personal driver to see several temples, but don’t forget to sometimes take a tuk-tuk as well!
MONKEY TEMPLE
I was a little suspicious when a young guy offered to guide us around the Monkey Temple at first, but it ended up to be one of the best experiences we had in Jaipur. The trail the Monkey Temple is really long, going up and down a mountain, which can be quite harsh in the afternoon sun. I recommend you to go around sunset to have a breathtaking view over the city.
Don’t just stop at the first top, but head to the actual temple. I posted about this temple several weeks ago (see here), without realizing where it was and that I would actually be there now.
The hike is really diverse and shows you a view over the city, beautiful temples, monkeys and some other unexpected things. Also, have a chai tea at the little shop half way. We paid the tour guide around 400 rupees. Don’t miss the Monkey Temple!
Ganesh Rooftop Restaurant
Ganesh is a restaurant just on the outside of the old, pink city. It’s on a rooftop of some shops and you actually have to enter a shop to take stairs up to the restaurant. Check google maps for where it should be, and subsequently, ask around for the exact shop you need to go through.
We had some paneer curries which we thought were the best we had those few days in India. The view from the rooftop on a vibrant street is pretty cool too. The restaurant is mentioned in Lonely Planet, but to us, it felt pretty exclusive as we were dining in between locals. Order the garlic naan! Honest is honest, we did have a bit of belly pain the next day.
Peacock Restaurant
Peacock is another rooftop restaurant we had a really good lunch and dinner. It’s a trendy place that attracts lots of tourists, located in quite a chic neighborhood. It’s on top of Hotel Pearl Palace. Go for an early dinner around sunset for mindblowing views!
Wilderness Glamping
Glamping at Dera Amer was one of the best experiences of this trip to India! Wilderness camping in between elephants, peacocks and monkeys. Can’t get any cooler than that!