Contact us
+442070316050 +16056462343 Request a quote Schedule a call
Destinations Trip Options About us Magazine
Help center
My space
Top destinations
Africa
Asia
Europe
India
South America
India / North India
India / North India
Morocco
Morocco
Argentina
Argentina
India / Southern India
India / Southern India
India / Himalaya
India / Himalaya
All our destinations
Madagascar
Madagascar
Morocco
Morocco
Rwanda
Rwanda
Tunisia
Tunisia
TRIP OPTIONS Find the trip of your dreams
All our motorcycle tours in Africa
Tanzania
South Africa
TOP DESTINATIONS IN AFRICA
Bhutan
Bhutan
Laos
Laos
Mongolia
Mongolia
Nepal
Nepal
TRIP OPTIONS Find the trip of your dreams
All our motorcycle tours in Asia
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Vietnam
TOP DESTINATIONS IN ASIA
France
France
Turkey
Turkey
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
TRIP OPTIONS Find the trip of your dreams
TOP DESTINATIONS IN EUROPE
India / Himalaya
India / Himalaya
India / North India
India / North India
India / Southern India
India / Southern India
TRIP OPTIONS Find the trip of your dreams
TOP DESTINATIONS IN INDIA
Argentina
Argentina
Ecuador
Ecuador
Peru
Peru
Chile
Chile
TRIP OPTIONS Find the trip of your dreams
TOP DESTINATIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA
Depending on the period
February 2025 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 All departures
According to our themes
Motorcycle Training
Motorcycle Training
Adventure Tour
Adventure Tour
Motorcycle Ramble
Motorcycle Ramble
Luxury Tour
Luxury Tour
Tailor-made
Our teamcan help make your dream trip a reality!
Concept
Concept
We are convinced: embarking on an adventure means facing the unknown and returning enriched. That is the purpose of Vintage Rides, a motorcycle travel agency with character, created to encourage everyone to embark on a motorcycle adventure.
Team
Team
Meet the enthusiasts who will be your guides. Our local experts in France, India, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia ensure an authentic and secure experience.
Partners
Partners
Annual film, events, special projects: they work with us throughout the year. Find out more about our main partners and and their testimonials.
Press
Press
Want to find out more about our history and our business? Read the latest press articles about our agency.
Find the motorcycle trip of your dreams
Plus de 50 aventures
Looking for inspiration?
BROWSE OUR DEPARTURE SCHEDULE
  • No matter
  • Argentina
  • Bhutan
  • Chile
  • Ecuador
  • France
  • India / Himalaya
  • India / North India
  • India / Southern India
  • Indonesia
  • Laos
  • Madagascar
  • Mongolia
  • Morocco
  • Nepal
  • Peru
  • Rwanda
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • Vietnam
  • No matter
Destinations
Trip Options
About us
Magazine
Request a quote
Help center
+44 20 7031 6050
Destinations
All our destinations
Trip Options
All our destinations
About us
Concept
Team
Partners
Press

New Year with the Rajputs

Ben and Baptiste from the Vintage Rides team set off to celebrate New Year's in Rajasthan. Our two helmeted adventurers veered off the beaten tourist tracks to explore the charming, unspoilt countryside. Here's a look back at their journey through the Land of the Maharajas.
Share this article
New Year with the Rajputs
Vintage Rides → Magazine → The Club → New Year with the Rajputs
Exploring Rajasthan by motorcycle is a Vintage Rides classic, but the Rajasthan Adventure is in a different league. The south west of Rajasthan, an extremely rural region that runs along the Aravalli range until the Thar Desert, is very rarely visited. Completely thrilled with his trip across the Trans-Himalayan last August, Baptiste opted for one of the best motorcycle tours in India once again. He has tried to sum up the trip for us, «this tour is perfect for anyone who wants to delve deep into rural India and is thirsty for adventure with plenty of off-road and long riding days.»

125 miles per day

On paper, the motorcycle tour goes from Jaipur to Jaisalmer, taking the tracks and roads in a clockwise direction, passing the villages Ghanerao, Mont Abu, Jalore and Barmer. Ben and Baptiste had 10 days for this adventure: just the right amount of time to really get away from it all. They sipped a chai in Jaipur before mounting their Royal Enfield Classic 500 and making their way to Pushkar. They left the city and immediately pushed on into the Rajasthani countryside, and before they knew it, had arrived at Sambhar salt lake: a real playground for motorcycles. «Vintage Rides' tours are always designed to crank up the intensity day by day. But that's not the case for this one; it goes straight for it with the Sambhar.» The two friends spent most of the day playing like a couple of kids, skidding and going back and forth in the sand.
You really feel like you are gliding on this crackly surface, which is hard in places and unstable in others. With no one in sight, a lorry would appear out of nowhere once in a while. I scanned the horizon from left to right; there were very few signs of life and just some pink flamingos in the distance, what a memory!

In the heart of Eternal India

This mythical region often rouses interest because of its large cities and the splendour of its palaces, but Baptiste tells us about another side to Rajasthan, where villages emerge out of nowhere like oases, not lacking their fair share of tales. Gandhi once said «the soul of India lives in its villages» and riding is, without a doubt, the best way to explore it. «We were far from the city and the pollution and totally immersed in the wild, raw, unspoilt nature.» During their motorcycle tour in Rajasthan, they only crossed some shepherds with their herds of cows, goats or buffalo. They ambled through the heart of Rajasthan's rural life and passed loaded camel-drawn carts, shepherds dressed immaculately in white, only their turbans lending flashes of colour, with peacocks, monkeys and antelopes frolicking freely alongside them.

Ode to the road

Disconnected from the rest of the world, these two buddies continued on their way under that typically Indian light, the spellbinding sunset, blurred by the winter haze. «You get used to this serene India and become attached to it.» Travelling by motorcycle here is a truly unique experience. The Bullet perfectly blends in with the scenery; as if it had been made for this relaxed pace. They then rode along the mountain chain that crosses Rajasthan –the Aravallis– for a few days. «After Mont Abu, we got our first glimpse of the region from above and climbed to an altitude of 1,220 m.» Baptiste told us that the approach to Jalore offered a totally different backdrop: semi-arid desert with immense rock formations mysteriously dotted across the landscape.

New Year in Jalore

In Ghanerao and Jalore, they stayed in properties that date back to the time of Maharajas, which have belonged to Rajput heirs since the 17th century. Thanks to tourism, these palaces have been converted into hotels, restoring them to their former glory. «The Royal Castle in Ghanerao is a palace that retains its original splendour; it’s a real heritage site full of history.» They spent New Year's Eve in Jalore, in another palace in the heart of the city centre. On the crossroads of ancient trade routes, Jalore once prospered but has now fallen into neglect like many cities in Rajasthan. «We arrived as night was falling and were received like royalty. We had a bottle of wine in our bag that we had been carting around with us for almost a week. We shared it with a couple of English travellers who were delighted to have come across a couple of Frenchies. The next morning, we left the city and its palaces behind us, as if the evening had been nothing but a dream, and made our way back onto the tracks, which led us into the heart of the desert.»
Travelling by motorcycle meant we were able to really soak up rural life and got the chance to be in close contact with locals in remote villages. Discovering the real India is really moving.
Baptiste reassures us that the sandy slopes that some riders fear are nothing to worry about. «We really enjoyed the sandy parts! There really is nothing not to like about them. In fact, it's quite the opposite. They were a bit tiring, but so much fun and weren't daunting in the slightest!» He admits that his favourite moments were those spent in the countryside. Even though this tour had already been trialled and tested by Johann, the agency's tour leader, travelling to India is always a step into the unknown. After all, the itinerary can change at the last minute due to unreachable roads, roadworks or mechanical failures. For the guys, Ben's clutch started to fail before they got to Jaisalmer and they had to tow the bike for over 90 miles. But once they arrived in Jaisalmer, heir of the Silk Route, it was all worth it and they felt like they'd reached the world's end. «Nothing could top that! Sat on the rooftop terrace of our guest house, the sunset over the citadel was already giving us itchy feet. Where's next?»
Discover all our motorcycle tours in Rajasthan on a Royal Enfield.
Sophie Squillace / Vintage Rides Photo credits: Baptiste Saude
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Vintage Rides

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the best of our travel inspirations.

New Year with the Rajputs
Looking for inspiration?
Browse our departure schedule!
Expertise
Since 2006, Vintage Rides has been the specialist in characterful motorcycle travel.
Security
Experienced guides to ensure your safety throughout the journey.
Availability
Complete availability with 24/7 assistance.
Quality
Impeccable services with local partners committed to a charter of quality and safety.
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
Vintage Rides Glasses

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the best of our travel inspirations.

Unleash the adventurer within you by riding characterful motorcycles on the world's tracks. Exceptional motorcycle trips for bikers seeking authenticity and sharing.
53 Rue Président Krüger 69008 LYON
teamvr@vintagerides.com
+442070316050
Top destinations
Learn more
Terms of use
Our partners
Secure payments
Mastercard Visa
International
Contact Contact us