Ahmedabad to Kumbhalgarh Trip: Best Weekend plan & Travel Guide

This post is about my recent trip from Ahmedabad to Kumbhalgarh with my family. Including Nathdwara and Udaipur en route Ahmedabad. It includes How to reach, places to visit, Travel Plan and hotels in Kumbhalgarh

So, during the first week of March this year, I was looking for a weekend getaway to any nearby places where I can spend some time with my parents. It was just a leisure trip so we decided not to go to any crowded places. After searching for a couple of hours, we finalize the destination to be Kumbhalgarh. 

Kumbhalgarh is located in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan surrounded by Aravali Hills. You will find a number of hotels built around the Lakhela Talao, which is a small lake. People usually visit Kumbhalgarh to spend some quality time with their friends and families, So you would not find this place as crowded as any other tourist destination.

Also, there are not many tourist places to visit nearby and that is why people generally prefer this place for relaxation in resorts or hotels. There are various options available for hotels/resorts at different price points. The prices of accommodation can be on the higher side compared to normal rates and the prices have a steep hike in peak seasons.

If you are someone who likes to go on adventures, then also check out my adventurous trip to Polo Forest from Ahmedabad

Travel Plan for Kumbhalgarh:

We started our trip on Friday night at 23:00 (13th March 2020) from Ahmedabad. Our plan was to attend the Mangala Aarti at Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara next morning (15th March 2020). Since I had seen the approximate time to cover the distance of approx. 300 km from Ahmedabad to Nathdwara, we were able to reach on time for the Mangala Aarti which starts at sharp 5:30 in the morning. We were able to reach Nathdwara at 4:45 as the traffic was less due to night time.

After attending the magnificent Aarti and having breakfast at Nathdwara, we drove towards Kumbhalgarh.

Now as we were not aware of the route, we did the same thing which every traveler does to find the route: Taking the help of Google Maps. This time again, Google took us from a route that was not having a paved road. 

Some of the patches did not have tarmac, it was just a path made with sand and pebbles. The patch which had proper road had a width of a single car only. So if you are going to Kumbhalgarh from Nathdwara, cross-check the route. 

To cover a distance of 50 Kms, it took 2.5 hours for us!. Here is the route which we followed in Google Maps:

After the adventurous drive of 50 km, we reached the place for the day. We booked a hotel named Kumbha Residency. It was not peak season so we were able to get a discount. Here are some of the pictures of the hotel:

Banquet hall/ Restaurant 

Places to visit in Kumbhalgarh:

Once the process of check-in was completed, we moved into our room and got ready to explore the Kumbhalgarh fort.

Kumbhalgarh Fort is a world heritage site built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha.

It has various levels and places to visit. at the bottom, it has some temples and as you climb the stairs to the fort, you will see the Badal Mahal where you can enjoy the breeze of cool air and have a bird's eye view of the surroundings of the fort as the fort is built on the highest peak among all adjacent mountain peaks (1100 meters above sea level). 

The fort is secured by 36 Kms long security wall making it the world's second-longest wall. It is believed to be unbeatable to date because it's a solid structure and solid foundation. There are many picturesque points where you can capture your memories with this fort. One can spend 2-3 hours depending upon their interests and people who are with them.

Beholding the splendid views from the fort peak, we came back to the hotel.

We decided to spend the evening near the pool enjoying activities organized by the hotel.

The next day (15th March 2020), I woke up early in the morning to observe the pleasing sunrise. While observing, click the image:

After having a healthy breakfast, we left for Udaipur. The route from Kumbhalgarh to Udaipur was exactly opposite from the route of Nathdwara to Kumbhalgarh which we took. This route has a wide and surfaced road which you can enjoy driving on. This also has some beautiful scenic points where you can click some pictures:

Beautiful scenic views along with the Beast Kia Seltos

On reaching Udaipur, we visited the Fateh Sagar lake, as it is a must-visit if you are going to Udaipur.

After indulging in the calm and peaceful environment of the lake and walking on the border of the lake, we then drove towards Lake Pichola. 

Again I entered the direction on Google Maps and it took us from such a narrow street where a wide car can hardly pass. The car got scratched at a turn with a pole and we were lost in those narrow streets. Again, Google Maps put us in a position where I cannot trust it in unknown cities. 

We had to drop the plan of Lake Pichola because of two reasons. One being lost on the narrow streets and the Second being fear of Coronavirus, as there are many international tourists visiting Udaipur and also it was much crowded that day. So, we decided not to visit any other place for that day.

It was lunchtime when we escaped the narrow streets near City Palace. We then went to a must-visit restaurant in Udaipur for their iconic Dal Bati: Krishna Dal Bati Restro. It is a restaurant serving authentic Dal Bati according to me. 

After overeating the Dal-Bati, we started our journey home and reached Ahmedabad in the evening. So, this was the end of yet another journey!

 

 I know we should have visited more places in Udaipur, but due to the situation of COVID-19, we found it safe to explore it next time we visit Udaipur. 

Some things to be considered while traveling to Kumbhalgarh:

• How to reach: Kumbhalgarh is well connected with multiple options of roads, Government transport is not available for reaching Kumbhalgarh from nearby cities. SO you have to make your own arrangement for traveling. Though, vehicles are available in Kumbhalgarh for sightseeing by travel agencies.

• Roads: The distance between Ahmedabad to Kumbhalgarh is approximately 300 kilometers which will take around 6-7 hours to cover if you have your personal car/vehicle ass the roads via Nathdwara are not in great condition. The roads are better if you are going via Udaipur which we took while going back from Kumbhalgarh to Ahmedabad.

• Things to do: If you want to spend more time sightseeing then there are not many things to do in Kumbhalgarh. You can explore wildlife century and trails if you want some adventure. Else, people usually visit Kumbhalgarh to get relaxed.

• Hotels: There are plenty of options for hotels to choose from. If you want a budget hotel of a uber-luxury resort, you have it all in one place. The prices of hotels in Kumbhalgarh is higher compared to other places because of its views and atmosphere.

• Food: It does not have as many restaurants as you find in any other tourist place, but you will get options for both Veg and non-Veg food.

If you are considering a weekend getaway or a 2-day trip from Ahmedabad, this plan is considered as one of the best options to go with friends or family if you have your own way of transport. 

P.S.: I had an encounter with Corona in Kumbhalgarh :P :

That is all for this blog, please provide any comment/ query in the comments.