Ajmer to Jaipur Road Distance: 135 km · 2-2.5 hours · Cab from ₹3,300

Jaipur to Ajmer is the easiest drive in this corner of Rajasthan, a straight run down NH-48 that takes a little over two hours once the car is clear of the Jaipur bypass. There is no climb worth the name; the highway is flat, dual carriageway from end to end, with the Aravalli ridges sitting off to one side rather than across the way. Dudu, roughly halfway, is where we pull in for tea, because the dhabas there are used to cab traffic and serve quickly. Beyond Dudu the marble yards of Kishangarh line both sides of the road, slab after slab stacked in the open, and the second toll sits just past them. From Kishangarh the road drops into Ajmer within half an hour. The stretch bakes from April onward, so in those months we leave early. October to March is comfortable driving weather, though the days around the Urs bring pilgrim buses that slow the last few kilometres into the Dargah area. Most guests carry on to Pushkar, a short hop over a hill road beyond Ajmer.