Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur temple
Udaipur · 11 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
A fort in the morning, a temple in its window
Kumbhalgarh is about 85 km north of Udaipur, high in the Aravallis, and its wall runs for roughly 36 km over the ridges around a hilltop full of temples. Ranakpur sits about 50 km further on, in a wooded valley, and its marble halls are among the finest Jain temples anywhere. Together they are the classic day out of Udaipur, and almost everyone does it with a hotel-desk cab.
The order matters because of one rule. Ranakpur is a working temple, and visitors who are not there to worship are let in only from noon to 5 pm. So the fort comes first, while the morning is cool enough for the climb to Badal Mahal, and the temple comes after lunch, inside its window rather than queued outside it.
It is about 230 km and most of a day, on hill roads that are slow but scenic. The car is yours for all of it at one flat price for the vehicle, and the only counters you meet are the fort ticket and the temple's photography fee.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Kumbhalgarh Fort
Rana Kumbha's fifteenth century fort, with a wall that runs for about 36 km over the ridges and enough temples inside it to fill a morning. It is a real climb up to the palace at the top, on a stone ramp in the sun.
Fort entry ticket at the gate
2. Badal Mahal
The palace of the clouds, at the highest point of the fort. Painted rooms, small windows, and a view over the Aravallis towards Marwar that explains why the fort was never taken by storm.
3. Ranakpur Jain Temple
A fifteenth century temple to Adinath in white marble, with 1,444 carved pillars and no two alike. Non-Jain visitors are admitted from noon to 5 pm. No leather, no shorts or sleeveless tops, and footwear stays outside.
Camera or phone photography fee at the counter
4. Surya Narayan Temple
A small sun temple a short walk from the main complex, carved with horses and chariots. Five quiet minutes after the crowds of the big temple.
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the full day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Udaipur
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking
- The route timed to Ranakpur's visiting window
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Fort entry and the temple photography fee
- Guides
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Kumbhalgarh Fort entry ticket
- Photography fee at Ranakpur, for a camera or a phone
- A local guide at the fort, if you want one
- Lunch and anything personal
Who this suits
Anyone who can manage a steep, uneven ramp in the sun at Kumbhalgarh; you can stop short of the top and still see a great deal. Ranakpur is level and easy. The sedan seats four, the Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
For Ranakpur: knees and shoulders covered, nothing made of leather (belts, wallets, bags and watch straps included; leave them in the car), and socks if the marble is hot. A hat, water and good shoes for the fort.
Heat is the real hazard
From April to June the fort climb is brutal by late morning; the day still runs, and we suggest taking it slowly. The route runs in rain. If roads close after heavy monsoon rain you get a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. The fort ramparts are largely unrailed; keep children away from the edges. The hill roads are narrow with blind bends, which is why they are driven slowly.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Six of you in the Innova pay ₹4,990 between you, not each.
Why can we not go to Ranakpur in the morning?
Before noon the temple is kept for worship. Visitors are admitted from noon to 5 pm, and the trust is strict about it. The day is built around that.
Are there other rules at Ranakpur?
Yes: no leather of any kind, no shorts or sleeveless tops, no food inside, and footwear off at the gate. The trust also asks women not to enter during menstruation; that is their rule and it is posted at the entrance.
Can we stay for the light and sound show at Kumbhalgarh?
Not on this day; it is in the evening, after the drive home has to start. If you want it, stay a night near the fort.