Postcard from Rural Rajasthan

INSPIRATION | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA

Escaping the whirl of the Pink City – but not before checking-in to two of Jaipur's most stylish new stays – travel writer Kate Lough explores a slower side of Rajasthan. From organic living on sustainable farms overlooking the Aravali Hills to tiger spotting in tented safari lodges close to Ranthambore Park, Kate settles into the gentler ways of rural Rajasthani life.

BY KATE LOUGH | CABANA TRAVEL | 5 FEBRUARY 2026

I bent down and started to pick, stashing my glossy green loot in the small woven basket beside me. Row upon row of plump sweet peas stretched towards the Aravali Hills on the horizon. Alongside gnarled turmeric, sprawling cabbages and dancing roses. The modest February sun warmed my face, surrounded by farm and forest, while leopard and tiger, I was told, roam freely nearby. Later, the spoils would be folded into a curry for dinner; such is the way at Anopura: part organic working farm, part hideaway in the Rajasthani countryside.

We had deplaned into this calm, quiet farm life for a few days of acclimatisation before the colourful chaos of the city. Lazy days were given gentle structure by mealtimes, powered wherever possible by Anopura’s 60 acres and menagerie of goats, cows and chickens. Breakfast by our miniature emerald pool, after having wandered to the local temple for morning prayers; lunch in the garden under the shade of a block print umbrella, guarded by a cloud of marigolds; dinner, following a sunset hike up the mountain, weaving in and out of cacti for chai at the top, an okra and paneer curry, shared with guests from New York, Cairo and Berlin.

Only an hour away, Jaipur was our next stop. Straining out of our Jeep seats, we bumped closer to the Pink City. Primed for the beauty and the chaos, the kaleidoscope of colours and the relentless honking of the traffic. To slake this thirst, we stayed in the heart of the jewellery bazaar at The Johri. Set in a historic 19th century haveli with lemon yellow walls and delicate murals, it is a joint venture between friends Abhishek Honawar and Siddarth Kasliwal, the heir to Gem Palace. Its meticulous interiors include five expansive suites, each inspired by a different jewel, masterminded by creative polymath Naina Shah.

Leaving its tranquil courtyard, we would spill straight out into the happy noise of the bazaar, with chai and veg wallahs jostling for space with tailors, tuk tuks and wandering cows. We braved the blurred lines of traffic to visit the nearby Hawa Mahal — the Wind Palace — and the private rooms of the City Palace, where the Jaipur Royal Family still live.

We jumped in tuk tuks to stomp around the Amer Fort and its photogenic stepwell, hitting the Jal Mahal, the floating lake palace, just ahead of sunset. We spent hours in an Aladdin’s Cave of fabrics, Saurashtra Impex, designing our own striped bedspreads and beach throws in anticipation of summer.

For the second half of our Jaipur stay we switched to 28 Kothi, the first joint hospitality project from Honawar and Kasliwal. Set within a quiet garden in Civil Lines, this beautiful guest house is the perfect foil to The Johri, with its long communal table that encourages guests to mingle. It became our tranquil launchpad for an afternoon at the nearby Rajasthan Polo Club, or a mooch around the Jawahar Kala Kendra, a multi arts centre designed by renowned Indian architect Charles Correa.

After these heady days in the whirl of the Pink City, we were ready for the final leg of our Rajasthani odyssey and the calm of the countryside. A three hour journey later and we melted into Aman-i-khas, a glamorous tented safari lodge so close to Ranthambore Park that tigers and leopards routinely pass through. Lodgings are traditional Mughal tents of immense proportions, dressed with buttery caramel leather daybeds, warm teak furnishings and cavernous stone baths surrounded by storm lantern-style candles.

The stepwell-inspired pool, where monkeys are frequent guests, tempts guests to lounge, but we were there to spot some tigers. On safari day, our ‘batman’ woke us up at a startling 5:45am with chai, before bundling us into traditional camel hair ponchos and handing us hot water bottles. The first hour underwhelmed, with far off stripes just about visible through long-range binoculars.

But then, our expert guide signalled to the driver to speed off ahead, and soon, we were rewarded by the japes of two 18-month old cubs. Rough and tumbling closer and closer, before sauntering straight past us. Moments of pure privilege and utter majesty.

On our way back to Delhi, where we spent the night in the impeccable Art Deco bliss of The Imperial, we took a five-hour detour to see the Taj Mahal. It was late afternoon, and again the February sun warmed my face. The sky clear and cobalt as the marbled symmetry of this magnificent mausoleum left us speechless.