Nahargarh Biological Park
Nahargarh Biological Park safari is the latest addition to Jaipur's adventure tourism attractions. The Park is located on the Jaipur-Delhi highway in the vicinity of the Nahargarh Fort. Located along the ridge of the Aravalli Hills, the Park was closed for years, as it was a designated Rescue Centre.
The safari is a guided tour of the 720 hectare forest land which is mainly tropical dry deciduous and tropical thorn forests, on rocky land dotted with granite and quartzite. Riding through the paved roads of the forests offers spectacular views of the natural landscape, complete with rich flora and fauna, and also some heritage property dating back ages, including a stepwell. Besides, there is also a hilltop point for viewing sunrise/sunset and the cityscape. Some of the exotic animals known to inhabit the park are tiger, leopard, lion, panther, sloth bear, caracal, deer, gharial, crocodile, pangolin, jackal, wild dog, wolf, hyena, civet, ratel, otter, fox, rhesus monkey and langur. A variety of reptiles and rare birds also find home in the jungles.
The safari tour is an hour and half ride into the sanctuary. There is also a hiking/walking combined safari tour of moderate level intensity at the park which would take about 6 to 7 hours. Yet another option of enjoying the Park is by an elephant ride.
Jal Mahal Palace
The famed Jal Mahal Palace, which has for long remained an abandoned dilapidated 18th century palace in the midst of the murky Man Sagar Lake, has finally been restored and is soon to be open to tourists. Rather than having just glimpses of the monument, travellers can now partake of tours of the mystical Jal Mahal, starting with a boat ride through the serene lakeRestoration of the historic palace began in 2005 with a major clean-up of the 310-acre Man Sagar lake by de-silting and by preventing rain water and sewage from entering it. The lake's depth was also increased by 1.5 metres.
To restore the four-storey palace, the team of historians and conservation architects first set about researching the monument’s history which was very inadequately documented. It took a year for team to locate a ledger document at the Rajasthan State Archives in Bikaner which stated the cost and year of building the Jal Mahal: 30,000 monetary units in 1730 AD during the time of Jai Singh’s rule.
The renovation project included the workmanship of local artisans in restoring the domes, arched pavilions, latticework and murals - which are the hallmarks of Rajput architecture. An additional feature has also been added in the form of "char bagh" - a garden of jasmine and frangipani flowers.
Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Jaipur's Oberoi Rajvilas and Rambagh Palace amongst the World's Best in a travel poll
World's Best Awards - the annual readers' survey of the Travel+Leisure magazine - are out with their 2011 poll results; so let's see how our Jaipur hotels have fared this year. From the listings below, it can be summarized that Oberoi Rajvilas has maintained its 3rd spot amongst the Top Resorts of Asia. Whereas Rambagh Palace has lost its position from Asia's Top Resorts list, but has found itself ranked 6th among the Top City Hotels in Asia. Both these hotels also won places on the World's Best Hotels top 100 list - with Oberoi Rajvilas ranked 8th and Rambagh Palace much lower in the list at 80th.
This year marks the 16th of the popular survey that lists out and showcases the best of the travel and tourism industry as voted by readers.
Top Resorts in Asia 2011
source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/hotels/resorts-asia/300
Top City Hotels in Asia 2011
source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/hotels/city-hotels-asia/301
World's Best Hotels 2011
source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/hotels
This year marks the 16th of the popular survey that lists out and showcases the best of the travel and tourism industry as voted by readers.
Top Resorts in Asia 2011
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | Hotel, City |
| 1 | 4 | 3 | Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur |
| 2 | 9 | 15 | Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai |
| 3 | 3 | 10 | Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur |
| 4 | 2 | 5 | Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra |
| 5 | - | - | La Résidence Phou Vao, Luang Prabang |
| 6 | 8 | 11 | Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur |
| 7 | 5 | 4 | Four Seasons Resort, Chiang Mai |
| 8 | 14 | - | Discovery Shores, Boracay (Phillippines) |
| 9 | - | - | Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai |
| 10 | 10 | - | Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur |
| - | 1 | 1 | Oberoi Vanyavila, Rajasthan |
| - | 7 | 14 | Rambagh Palace, Jaipur |
source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/hotels/resorts-asia/300
Top City Hotels in Asia 2011
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | Hotel, City |
| 1 | 7 | 1 | Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok |
| 2 | 6 | 7 | Ritz-Carlton, Beijing |
| 3 | 14 | - | Sofitel Legend Metropole, Hanoi |
| 4 | 1 | 6 | The Peninsula, Bangkok |
| 5 | - | - | Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo |
| 6 | - | - | Rambagh Palace, Jaipur |
| 7 | - | - | The Peninsula, Tokyo |
| 8 | - | - | St. Regis Hotel, Singapore |
| 9 | 20 | - | The Imperial, New Delhi |
| 10 | 1 | - | Park Hyatt, Ho Chi Minh City |
| 12 | - | - | Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi |
| 14 | - | - | The Oberoi, Mumbai |
| - | 5 | 16 | Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai |
| 21 | - | - | The Oberoi, New Delhi |
| - | 10 | - | Leela Palace Kempinski , Udaipur |
source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/hotels/city-hotels-asia/301
World's Best Hotels 2011
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | (India hotels ranking) |
| 5 | 15 | 8 | Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur |
| 8 | 13 | 70 | Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur |
| 14 | 5 | 28 | Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra |
| 43 | 39 | 78 | Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur |
| 75 | - | - | Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai |
| 80 | 35 | 87 | Rambagh Palace, Jaipur |
| 87 | - | - | Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur |
| - | 1 | 2 | Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore |
source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/hotels
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
