Why we think Rajasthan is made for Teenagers

Urban street culture for teenagers in Rajasthan

Inspired by social media, teenagers are innately voyeuristic, so tap into this fascination and take them on a journey to show them what life looks and feels like in Rajasthan. Street art is a fabulous place to start and the Lodhi Street Art Walk in Delhi combines wow-factor graffiti art with Indian cultural colour and flare.

Children and teenagers in cities across Rajasthan spend much of their time developing awe-inspiring skills in kite flying. From building them to launching them high above the flat city rooftops to compete in dazzling displays of design ingenuity and flight skill. Challenge your teenagers to outwit the locals with a kite flying experience in the company of an expert on the rooftop of your hotel.

There’s nothing like sport to unite young people. Cricket runs deeply in Indian culture and the passion for it starts early. Can your teenagers outperform a team of young people in a street cricket match?

India’s handicrafts are the stuff of dreams for young magpies. Tour the bustling city bazaars, wander the street-side stalls or pop into community handicraft stores such as the one at Dastkar to get a real insight into the creativity and colour of Rajasthani craftsmanship. From jewellery to bags, clothing to homewares they’ll come home with an impressive haul of souvenirs and have gained a huge insight into the handiwork, artistry and productivity of this region.

While you’re in the city, don’t forget to try out the public transport. From riding the city metro to hopping on a buzzing tuk-tuk, soaking up the sights and sounds from these unique transport experiences offers a tantalising glimpse into life as a local.

Indian food for teenagers in Rajasthan

Indian food is front and centre of a visit here. The scent of spices hangs in the air, street sellers cook meat over hot coals or stir vast pots of dahl while market stalls spill over with enticingly exotic fruit and vegetables. Challenge your teens to dive in and try everything to fully explore with each of their senses. We can arrange for a street food tasting experience, to introduce them to the different Rajasthani specialities, hand picking the very best flavours to try.

If you’re all enjoying the taste of the region, you might like to learn how to create these meals yourselves when you return home. Our expert chefs can help you with a Rajasthani cookery experience, from accompanying you around market stalls to handpick ingredients, to spending time teaching you the ancient methods of mixing spices and marinating ingredients.

Sharing food is a primal cultural experience and a wonderful way to immerse yourself in a new place. You might wish to join a local family for dinner in Udaipur or take part in the community meals served at a Sikh gurudwara. At Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi, we can arrange for you to take a tour behind the scenes of the largest community langar, helping the volunteers to prepare the free meals handed out to the needy in the temple’s vast dining hall.

Wildlife experiences for teenagers in Rajasthan

Nothing conjures up India more vividly than the idea of seeing a tiger. Be it childhood memories of watching Jungle Book or endless conservation films on their scarcity, the allure of catching a glimpse of the vivid orange and black stripes of a Bengal Tiger runs deep in most visitors here, of any age.

For teenagers, tracking tigers is one of the most exciting elements of a trip and there are plenty of national parks to choose between for your adventure. Read our national park blog here [add link to the national parks blog] to help you choose where you wish to head.

We would suggest adding Ranthambore National Park into an introductory trip around Rajasthan, mainly due to its central location and the strong chance of a tiger sighting.

Pile into an open top jeep and follow the dusty tracks of the park, weaving between the jungle covered remains of once-ornate hunting lodges and around the serene lakes, keeping your eyes open for pugmarks in the dust or scratches on the tree trunks and your ears listening out for the violent alarm calls of deer and langurs. You won’t be alone, you’ll be able to spot and learn about a myriad of other species along your way, from peacocks and snakes to crocodiles and deer, you may be lucky enough to see an elusive sloth bear or even a leopard.

The excitement of these safari drives is second to none and the enforced mindfulness of tuning your senses into the sounds of the jungle, an experience not to be missed.

For a more personal wildlife connection, a trip to meet the elephants at Dera Amer is a wonderful add-on to a teenage trip. This remote farm in Rajasthan’s Aravalli Hills is home to two elephants that have been rescued from intolerable work. Their contented rumbles reverberate through your body as you help to bathe and feed them and then head out for a walk in their gentle company.

Sightseeing… and how to make it more exciting for teenagers

There are so many sites to visit in Rajasthan and wandering holy temples, wow-factor forts and embellished palaces is a major part of any trip here. The question is how to keep sightseeing interesting for teenagers with a short attention span? The answer is twofold.

Firstly, we ensure that you are accompanied by a guide who can tailor your visits to these iconic sights, speeding you past queues and infusing your trip with ancient anecdotes and outlandish tales to engage your teenagers. You could be learning the stories of the craftsmen of the Taj Mahal on a Mughal heritage walk in Agra, decoding the symbols etched into the wall of a historic fort or watching magical Jal Sanjh water painting demonstrations in Udaipur.

Secondly, we’ll add as many practical experiences as possible into your historical tours. From riding on the back of rikshaws past the architectural marvels of Jaipur to drifting on a small wooden boat past the lakeside palaces of Lake Pichola in Udaipur; whizzing over the roof tops of Jodhpur on a zipwire to revelling in the mysticism of an aarti light ritual at a Hindu temple.

Your teenagers may want to try their hand at traditional block printing, watch a Bollywood film at an iconic Indian cinema, or rent a bike and cycle out into the Rajasthani countryside. Whatever makes this trip work for them, we’ll make it work for you all as a family.

The ideal route around Rajasthan with teenagers

It all starts with the planning. Most teenagers dismiss the idea of a family holiday but offer them the chance to help build the itinerary, suggest things that they would really like to see and do, and suddenly the enthusiasm is skyrocketing.

We can build itineraries around any ideas that you and your teenagers might have, let us know their passions, what makes them (and you) excited about a trip and we’ll put together the perfect plan.

Here is a link to a sample itinerary to give you an idea of the amount you can see within a two-week trip