Sawai Madhopur
Introduction
Sawai Madhopur is a city in the south-eastern part of Rajasthan, the desert state in India's northwest. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Sawai Madhopur district and forms part of the Bharatpur division.
Before you go
Sawai Madhopur takes its name from Sawai Madho Singh I, who founded the city in the eighteenth century. Today it serves mainly as a base for travellers heading to Ranthambore, which lies about 11 km away, so plan your stay around that excursion rather than expecting the city itself to be the destination.
Getting there
Sawai Madhopur is reached most easily by train. Sawai Madhopur Junction has direct connections with Kota (about 1.5 hours), Jaipur (2 hours), Bharatpur (3 hours), Ajmer (4 hours), Delhi (4+ hours), Agra (5 hours) and Mumbai (13 hours).
By air, the nearest airport is in Jaipur. Buses to Jaipur leave several times a day from a bus stand near the overpass, but the journey takes around 6 hours and the buses are slow, dirty and uncomfortable, so the train is clearly the better option.
Getting around
Sawai Madhopur is compact and easy to cover on foot, so walking is the practical way to move between the railway station, the bus stand, local shops and your accommodation. Don't expect a metro, tram or local city bus network within town — day-to-day movement here is done on foot, with the railway handling longer journeys and the bus stand covering regional road connections.
If you're arriving by train, Sawai Madhopur Junction is the city's main railhead, with direct services to Kota, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer, Delhi, Agra and Mumbai; booking ahead is worthwhile on this busy route. Buses to Jaipur leave several times a day from the bus stand near the overpass, but the bus journey from Jaipur is described as very slow, dirty and uncomfortable — take the train instead. There is no airport in Sawai Madhopur; fly into Jaipur and continue by train or bus, with the train the more comfortable and reliable choice for the final leg.
Where to stay
Most of Sawai Madhopur's hotels line Ranthambhore Road on the edge of the city, which puts you within easy reach of the jeeps that safari operators send round to collect guests for Ranthambore. Booking ahead on Indian websites such as goibibo is worthwhile: they list more properties and often at cheaper rates than you will be quoted on arrival. If you would rather stay in the city itself, look just south-west of the train station past the T-shaped overpass, where you can find simple air-conditioned doubles.
- Budget: Ankur Resort on Ranthambhore Road offers cottages and rooms and is popular with tour groups. Green Valley Ranthambore, also on Ranthambore Road, is among the cheapest options in the area, especially when booked online. Hammir Wild Life Resort is a basic choice on the same road, and the government-run RTDC Hotel Vinayak is basic but well priced, with lower rates outside high season.
- Mid-range: Jhoomar Baori Castle, a former summer rest house of the Jaipur rulers run by the Rajasthan government, sits on Ranthambhore Road. Raj Palace Ranthambore has a swimming pool, while Ranthambore Forest Resort is friendly and welcoming with good Indian food in its restaurant. Ranthambore Haveli is built to resemble an old hunting lodge, and Ranthambhore Regency is noted for its décor, food and service. Jungle Niwas in Village Sherpur offers luxury tents off the beaten path, and Pugmark Resort in Village Khilchipur has a pool and a nice setting, though its rooms are dated.
- Splurge: The tented camps are the draw here. Aman-i-Khás provides luxurious tents with a private butler, and Sher Bagh is a luxurious tented camp styled after the safaris of 19th-century princes. Oberoi Vanyavilas has tents decorated with tiger motifs. Vivanta By Taj Sawai Madhopur, built in the 1920s as a hunting lodge for the Maharaja of Jaipur, is art deco in style and set in extensive gardens. Anuraga Palace offers daily music and dancing with great service, and Nahargarh Ranthambhore lies in Village Khilchipur, just north-east of the city.
Food & drink
Eating in Sawai Madhopur is mostly a roadside affair along Ranthambhore Road, where the places to eat cluster near the hotels. For a cheap, unfussy meal, Manisha Restaurant is a vegetarian café that draws a local crowd as well as travellers. If you want something more substantial, Ranthambhore Chokhi Dhani is known for daal baht, the lentil-and-rice staple you'll see across Rajasthan. At the top end, the Restaurant at The Oberoi Vanyavilas offers a more polished setting on the same road.
Drinking is straightforward: almost every hotel and restaurant serves alcohol and coffee, and you'll find several alcohol stores along Ranthambhore Road close to the hotels if you want to buy your own.
What to see and do
Most travellers use Sawai Madhopur as a base for nearby Ranthambore, where a fort and a national park draw the crowds. Within the city itself, the sights are mostly religious. Chouth Mata Mandir and the Trinetra Ganesh Temple are the temples to seek out; the latter lies about 12 km out on Ranthambore Road and is reached by car or jeep from the railway station, and it is an ancient shrine. The Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History is the city's museum, while the Chamatkar Temple, a Jain temple a short distance from the railway station, and the Bhairon Temple, set on top of a hill, round out the places of worship worth a stop.
The main activity is a safari into the national park at Ranthambore, which is the reason most visitors come to this part of the region.
When to go
Sawai Madhopur has a semi-arid climate, and the timing of your visit matters a great deal if Ranthambore National Park is on your agenda. Summers are scorching and extremely dry, peaking in May and June, when the arid heat makes outdoor activity punishing. The monsoon brings relief from the heat and pushes humidity up, and although it is milder here than elsewhere in Rajasthan, it still prompts the closure of the national park, so wildlife visits are off the table during that stretch.
The most comfortable windows come at the edges of the year. February to April counts among the ideal tourist months, and February itself falls within the ideal season, with mild days and cool nights that suit outdoor activities and exploration. The post-monsoon transition, as temperatures gradually decrease toward more pleasant weather, overlaps the start of that ideal season and makes another good window for getting out and about.
Three days in Sawai Madhopur
Day one: Arrive at Sawai Madhopur Junction, the town's rail link to Kota, Jaipur, Ajmer, Delhi, Agra and Mumbai. Settle into a base along Ranthambhore Road, where most of the accommodation is clustered, from budget options such as Ankur Resort, Green Valley Ranthambore and RTDC Hotel Vinayak to mid-range and plusher stays including Raj Palace Ranthambore, Ranthambore Forest Resort, Ranthambore Haveli, Ranthambhore Regency, Jungle Niwas, Pugmark Resort, Hammir Wild Life Resort and Jhoomar Baori Castle. Use the afternoon to orient yourself and arrange your Ranthambore booking, then take an evening stroll along Ranthambhore Road.
- Arrive at Sawai Madhopur Junction
- Check in along Ranthambhore Road
- Arrange your Ranthambore booking
Day two: Give the day to Ranthambore. Book your safari in advance, as permits are limited, and head out early while the park is at its most active. The rest of the day is yours to explore the surrounding countryside, including Village Sherpur and Village Khilchipur, both close to the park and home to several of the resorts listed above.
- Morning safari in Ranthambore
- Explore Village Sherpur and Village Khilchipur
Day three: Spend a final morning at a slower pace before departing. If time allows, take one more look around the town, then return to Sawai Madhopur Junction for onward connections to Kota, Jaipur, Ajmer, Delhi, Agra, Mumbai or Bharatpur. Buses also serve the region if you prefer to travel by road.
- Final morning in Sawai Madhopur
- Depart from Sawai Madhopur Junction or by bus