Equine Experiences:
Dundlod Horse Riding-
Half Day & Full Day inclusive of lunch
The Marwari Horse is bold, spirited and forward making them perfect companions. Visit Dundlod stables where 50 Marwari horses await you. This experience varies from beginners to intermediate and advanced riders.
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For beginners we suggest Bonding with Horses can be included to begin with to create a comfort with the horse before riding. Then the rider can start with walking the horse in our large paddocks where both are on their own. Eventually according to your comfort can move into trotting and cantering under safety guidelines. Our Marwari horses are very well trained as they are use to different riders coming to us for horse safaris. Therefore, riding one of our Dundlod horses will give more insight and learning. Another option is if one wants to head out in the countryside, then a walk & trot is advisable for half a day which will create a comfort for the rider to be independently riding on his horses in the open & will be accompanied by our local trained staff member.
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For intermediate and advanced riders half day or full day countryside riding can be chosen as per your requirements. Explore royal history, culture & rural beauty of rajasthan on horseback riding. Discover nature’s beauty & the rustic countryside as you ride a pure breed of Marwari horse. One of our trained local team members will accompany who is experienced and knows the routes well. There are more than thousand ways to discover rajasthan but riding on a magnificent Marwari is purely magical.
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The Marwari is famous for its arched ears. The naturally curly ears of the Marwari are fascinating. To gaze through the archway of the native Marwari ears is to enter the pulsating heart of India’s cultural historical vibrancy. This experience is for an experienced rider who has less time & cannot join the long safaris.
We also do two night three days customised horse safari for anyone who wishes for a shorter ride.
Equine Experiences:
Bonding with Horse
The Indigenous Marwari horse is known to be very spirited and a forward going horse. We wanted to open the world of our beautiful 50 horses to not only the equestrians but also the non-equestrians. Therefore, this experience is created for everyone who wants to connect with this magnificent horse. They are extremely sensitive and it’s therapeutic to experience bonding with horse.
We offer simple fun techniques which consist of building upon confidence & self-awareness by focussing on the mirroring abilities of horses, allowing them to reflect upon the human participants emotions and behaviour.
With every individual, the experience feels different. The experience introduces you to know a horse by simple exercises like grooming, sense of touch; then there’s a basic lesson on how to mount a horse which builds self confidence in each individual: it ends with the delight of bathing and feeding the horse. Experience this magnificent human – horse connection and take your own personal journey while you bond with the horse you are riding.
Heritage & Culture Tour:
Food & Frescoes Open Art Gallery Tour
inclusive of lunch
Rediscover and explore the famed frescoes of Shekhawati amid the abandoned Havelis built from the 17th century to the early 20th century. Shekhawati is a treasure trove of startling architecture & adornment specially for the History buffs. Known famously as the Open Art gallery today needs the support of travellers to keep them alive and restored by the right people.
The frescos that adorn these buildings are a triumph of artistic expression. The dry heat of the desert and the use of 100% natural pigments in the plaster have proved surprisingly archival. The colors have remained rich and vibrant, although the interior exposures are much better preserved than the exteriors. The oldest of the frescos are painted using ochre, red and white lead, cinnabar, indigo, lapis, copper carbonate, Indian yellow (made from cow’s urine), lamp black, lime white, red stone powder, and saffron orange. The result is a vivid palate, augmented in some of the interior rooms by 22-karat-gold leafing. Later frescos incorporated synthetic pigments imported from Europe.
These frescoes tell stories like the folk music of Rajasthan. This national treasure is getting lost overtime and it's our constant endeavour to put them under the UNESCO list of heritage sites though they are privately owned still by the Marwari community known as Merchants. Join us by being a part of sustainable travel.
In this particular experience you will be visiting Morarka haveli amidst the bustling market where Mallyka has curated a mix of sweet & savoury personally tasted and hand picked famous local delicacies of the region. One can enjoy that while you relax on the terrace with a beautiful view of a temple with magnificent cenotaphs. Our local expert arranges a special home cooked lunch at his home for our guests. You will feel at home and meet with his family while you interact with everyone.
Heritage & Culture Tour:
Merchant Haveli Museum Tour
Meeting point is the fort so start with explorations of the fort, the cenotaphs, and the legendary frescoes of Shekhawati. Discover an old merchant haveli with its beautiful murals. The tour leads you through the 150-year Arjundas Goenka Haveli which has been converted into a museum for the travellers to sample viewings of the murals which take you back to another era and frescoes on the walls leave you spellbound.
Heritage & Culture Tour:
Bond with Local Rural Family
Unique & memorable travel experience are two things we all desire, meeting locals on your travel makes that happen. Interaction with the villagers, getting a chance to visit their home and getting an insight on their ways of living. Sharing cultural backgrounds, communicating through conversations (local expert will help in translation), having a good laugh over a cup of tea and in all just feeling at home in a different country amongst the locals. They are very simple and happy people which makes the experience even more meaningful.
Art Craft & Textile Story:
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Create your own Lac Bangle
This traditional art of lac bangle is carried on by a particular community known as the Manihars. From the simple joys of engaging in different steps of creating your own lac bangle with the local ladies, one can even select from a wide range of colourful lac bangles displayed.
Art Craft & Textile Story:
Engage In Pottery
Traditional pottery with our local potter who belongs to the Kumhar community. They all live together as one big family so you will notice each home’s courtyard has lots of different shapes and sizes of different designs of handmade pottery. The sheer joy of being in their home in the village adds so much more to the experience.
Art Craft & Textile Story:
Tie & Dye Experience (early morning)
​This experience is fascinating as one can participate in watching the technique used while the local artisans are engaged in their work. Interestingly enough this technique is also practiced only by the Muslim community in the villages. The amalgamation of different colours which come together to form different yet each more beautiful than the other enriches the experience.
Authentic Rural Cooking:
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Farm to Chulha-Chulha to Charpoi
Bajre ki roti on Chulha and Lasun ki chutney on a Silpatta (Make your own Millet bread on the earthen stove and garlic chutney on a grindstone) This is as real and authentic as it can get, we like to ask a convenient time which is suitable to our local hosts as to when we can visit them. Engage in making some home cooked food with the ladies and let the rest unfold as a surprise. All in all, a combination of good energy, simple life, healthy food and lots of laughter.
School Visit :
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Visit our Rural Children
Reads Public school (Early morning) We like to empower our children & teachers by creating awareness from these visits & opening better future avenues.
Enjoy interacting with our children, one of the most key takeaways of this experience is PURE BLISS!
A big step for us in the Indian education system is to break down the barriers of social disparity at an early age. This school was opened to a larger pool of religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds as it focussed on underprivileged families where children would get a chance to attend school and receive education.
​Mallyka’s mother Ganga Singh (Administrator) key initiative was to provide education to the rural children & to dissolve these invisible boundaries that divide the students into cliques. Most importantly this encourages our visitors to get their own children to respect people who have a drastically different lifestyle compared to theirs. Over all helps us to be a part of a larger initiative and be HUMBLE!
We are happy that our children get an opportunity to interact with our guests. This helps in building social, interpersonal and communication skills. PRIORITY is given to our girl children & this helps in promoting special awareness campaigns for our children. Mid-day meal is provided to below poverty line children.
Story of Reads: This school began in 1996 with 50 impoverished children in a one room school house. In 1997 as enrolment grew quickly from 50 to 150 eager students, the school moved to 4 classrooms in the stables of Dundlod Fort. In 2000 with a big support system, a new building school and running strong in 2023. We hope to continue in supporting and creating college exchange programmes and international collaborations.
PLEASE NOTE:
Rural Experiences are conducted for minimum 2 pax and more. If direct booking & travel operators have booked on the same experience, we will club the guests in one group for the tours.