Royal Enfield’s Tour of Rajasthan 2015 – Photo feature

Day 1 and 2

Day 1 – Bike inspection, riding gear scrutiny and briefing

All the bikers assembled at the Ibis hotel in Jaipur where they were given numbered badges for the bikes and their luggage for easier spotting and quick transport. Akash Ahuja and Pramit Dhyani from Royal Enfield briefed us about the techniques of group riding, clarified how to take help from backup vehicle and scrutinised the bikes and riding gear. A small city ride on this day one ensured all things were in place.

The riding gear was closely inspected ensuring that it provided adequate safety in case of a fall. Every rider received a unique number for efficient spotting on the road and given road books.

The helmets were examined for proper fit and only certified full faced helmets were approved. Others were requested to replace the ill-fitting and half-faced ones.

We spent the little time left we had that day exploring Jaipur city known for its palaces. Above you see the Albert Hall Museum, one among the nearby places we happened to visit.

Day 2 – Jaipur to Mehansar

Our morning started by loading our luggage in the backup vehicle and lining up for the briefing for the day. 

All the riders queued outside the Royal Enfield’s flagship store in Jaipur. After being briefed about the day’s journey, the RE Tour of Rajasthan was officially flagged off from here. The day’s trip commenced with us finding our way out of Jaipur city towards Sikar bypass from where we headed towards Nawalgarh. We took the highways till the sun was up and post noon we entered the small state highways towards Bissau. We also did some good bit of off-roading before entering Mehansar.

The straight and smooth national highway 52 till Reengus helped us cover more than 100km at a smooth pace after which we took a small break.

The two lane dual carriageway ended near Palsana market transforming into a single lane road with a few oncoming vehicles. Just before Nawalgarh, 120km away from Jaipur, all riders regrouped for brunch.

And here we got a lesson on studying terrain and how to handle our steeds on rough and rocky terrain.

We entered Mehensar late afternoon only to be greeted by this sight of the Mehensar Narayan Niwas Castle, one of the best heritage hotels in Jhunjhunu Ramgarh.

Our sandy excursion went on into the evening and it led us across a railway track. We stopped at a small lake named ‘Premsarovar’ where we saw the sun go down.

Back at the palace we were all greeted by Thakur Maheshwar Singh and his cousins. The family continues to bear the torch for their later great grandfathers who were once Rajput royalty in these parts.

Day 3 and 4

Day 3 – Mehensar to Bikaner

After some scrumptious dinner and  Mehensari spirits a night of fitful sleep followed. We had to wake up early the next day and head towards Bikaner. The 230km day trip on this day was a relaxed ride helping us conserve our energy for the coming couple of days, where we would go off-roading and camp in the sand dunes.

Thakur Maheshwar Singh expressed his good wishes as we parted from the castle early in the morning and found our way out of the village to Bissau petrol pump to tank up the bikes.

The small village roads widened and smoothened out as we travelled from Churu to Depalsar to Meghsar. However, the route from Sahnali Bari to Randhisar was full of potholes and broken tarmac.

On the way to Benisar before Dungargarh, the road from Chhapar to Bidasar, we entered a quarry where we took a detour because we were bored of riding on straight roads. And this detour, my friends, was exhilarating.

After an hour or so, we were back on the Bikaner-Jaisalmer highway where we saw many camels – rightly called The Ship of the Desert.

The wide highway helped us average good speeds and the only traffic jams we witnessed were these. This herd of sheep aptly shows how to stick as a group and display strength and inter-dependability.

By the time we could fix punctures and small breakdowns on the way, we reached Bikaner pretty late. The Bikaner Fort, also called as Junagarh, was closed and we experienced a sharp dip in the weather.

Day 4 – Bikaner to Jamba

We were doing the internal roads and covered more than 200kms before reaching Jamba ki Dhani. The plan was to check out the villages enroute and reach the Jamba sand dunes to spend in night in the jungle desert there.

The temperature dropped so much in the morning that the dew drops on the bike had frozen resembling thin ice flakes.

After finding our way out from the fields and desert patches we regrouped on the highway and hogged onto the packed lunch. A much needed power nap helped us continue the journey further.

By evening we reached Jamba Camp and climbed the sand dunes just for fun. The loose sand gave us an idea why one cannot just ride a motorcycle across a desert.

As the sun went down the horizon, the golden rays left a little warmth for us that disappeared quickly as the mercury levels started to dip.

We kept gazing at the stars, after spending some hours around the bonfire. A little photography is all what we could do later as the temperatures dipped and we had to get back into our tents.

Day 5 and 6

Day 5 - Jamba to Sam Dunes

After a sound sleep in the tent, all we craved for was a scrumptious breakfast and that’s exactly what we got. Today’s ride involved 250km of straight roads from Jamba to Sam Dunes. We crossed Pokhran, India’s first test site for underground nuclear detonation, before entering the golden city – Jaisalmer.

We really didn’t want to enter the crowded Jaisalmer city and get stuck in it. But then, this view of the Jaisalmer Fort was worth the effort we took to enter the city.

The landscape become even more scenic and the wind mills before entering Sam sand dunes just added to the beauty of the place.

We had to ditch our bikes and take the ‘ship of the desert’ for a fun ride in the Sam sand dunes; our butts thankful for the change, albeit not a very cushy exchange Here, we also spent some time dune bashing in the Mahindra Thar 4X4.

The highlight of the night was camping provisions in Sam. We had dinner around the camp fire while enjoying the performance of some local Rajasthani folk music and dance.

Day 6 - Sam Dunes to Barmer

Day 6 was a challenge to us in terms of navigation. We exited Jaisana, towards Sudasari, Barna and turned at Chelak to reach Jhinjhinyali which is close to the India-Pakistan border. Needless to say all that travelling left us famished by the time we reached a local dhaba in Bisala. A meal of hot rotis and dal satiated our by then ravenous appetites. Our next stop, the Sanchal Fort palace brought some relief as we had a bath after two days. 

As we moved out of the Thar Desert, the loose sand patches changed to rough terrain before we reached the highway and sprinted towards Barmer.

We had to take special permissions from the forest officers to enter the desert national park. Once the entry formalities were out the way, we wound our way through the forest path. Here we were occasionally treated to the sight of white breasted waterhens, moorhens, peacocks, wild buffaloes, the now infamous black buck and sambars.

This was the last sand dune that we encountered in Jaisalmer’s desert national park. From here onwards, the vegetation got dense and the frequency of the villages we spotted also increased.

Close to sundown, we gathered at the Sanchal Fort in Barmer. It was mesmerising. Here our bikes finally got the necessary attention especially chain cleaning and lubing that was very much required.

Then it was time for us to relax in the inviting swimming pool of the fort. Our excitement turned into horror as the cool water sent shivers down our body.

Day 7 and 8

Day 7 – Barmer to Mount Abu

The distance we travelled on this day increased to 300km as we took the straight highways from Sanchore towards the winding ghats of Mount Abu. It was after seven days that we saw a change in the topography of the region.

After checking all motorcycles and a quick briefing session about the day, we left Sanchal fort in Barmer.

We reached the top of Mount Abu at four in the evening and checked into the Kesar Bhavan Palace before heading out to the sunset point.

The entire evening was spent in the market in the area and around the Nakki Lake. This lake is a very ancient and sacred lake in the Aravalli range of mountains.

Day 8 – Mount Abu to Pushkar

The return leg of our journey had started and we planned to visit Pushkar before we headed back to Jaipur. So we were back bordering the Thar Desert before heading north west and entering the town of Pushkar.

The majestic sun’s rays glancing through the trees combined with the misty atmosphere made for a spectacular view while riding down the hills of Abu.

Reaching Pushkar, 410kms away, was a mixed affair as the wide and straight roads let us open the throttle and speed up, but it also added to the monotony.

The Pushkar town has plenty of such temples having a history dating back to the 14th century. The Pushkar Lake is one of the most visited places here in the Ajmer district.

The bullet took us into the narrow bylanes of the town where we checked out the souvenirs depicting Rajasthani culture.

Day 9 and 10

Day 9 – Pushkar to Jaipur

This was our last leg of the ride and 200 more kilometres would have culminated the fifth edition of RE’s Tour of Rajasthan. We still wanted for something more and that is what we got.

We cut across the Sambhar Lake instead of going around it. This is India’s largest inland salt lake that has a circumference of 96km and consists of salt evaporation ponds where salt is farmed since many years.

My trustworthy steed, the Thunderbird 500, didn’t give me any problems over the 2,200km exhausting ride over different terrains.

The happiness and satisfaction could be easily seen on each and every rider’s face after coming back to Jaipur safe and without any unpleasant incidents.

Day 10 - Certification and felicitation

Every rider was felicitated by Royal Enfield with a certificate. All of them shared their experiences, whether good or bad, with a hope to meet soon on such a ride again.

‘The Royal Pandiyas’, an exclusive motorcycle riding club, had members who had registered for this ride. They had planned a surprise for everyone and gifted everyone with a photo frame as a memento.