Sawai Madhopur

Sawai Madhopur is in the Bharatpur Division of Rajasthan.

Ranthambhore Fort

Understand

Sawai Madhopur was founded by and named after Sawai Madho Singh I in 1763. The current population of the city is approximately 125,000 people. It is generally used by travelers as a place to stay while visiting Ranthambore, 11 km away.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is in Jaipur.

By train

There are direct connections by train between Sawai Madhopur and Kota (1.5 hours), Jaipur (2 hours), Bharatpur (3 hours), Ajmer (4 hours), Delhi (4+ hours), Agra (5 hours), and Mumbai (13 hours).

• 🌍 Sawai Madhopur Junction railway station. (updated Apr 2019)

By bus

Buses to Jaipur (6 hours) leave several times per day from a bus stand located near the overpass.

Traveling by bus from Jaipur to Sawai Madhopur is not recommended. The buses are very slow, dirty and uncomfortable; the train is clearly a better option.

Get around

The city can be explored by foot.

See

Most visitors to Sawai Madhopur visit nearby Ranthambore, which has a fort and a famous national park.

However, there are several attractions within the city:

Temples

• Chouth Mata Mandir. 
• Trinetra Ganesh Temple, Opposite Hotel hill View Ranthambore Road (take a car or Jeep from Sawai Madhopur railway station; the distance is 12 km), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Ancient temple, dating back to 1299. (updated Nov 2016)

Museums

• Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History. 
• Chamatkar Temple (3 km from the railway station). A Jain temple. 
• Bhairon Temple (on top of the hill). 

Do

Take a safari to the national park in nearby Ranthambore.

Buy

• Cheetal Handicrafts, Ranthambhore Road (Opposite the Hotel Regency), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Locally-produced handicrafts. 
• Dastkar Ranthambhore, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A project to provide income to local women by having them produce and sell handmade works including beautiful blockprints, bedsheats, covers, and clothes. Items can also be purchased online from the website. 
• Dhonk, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 9AM-5PM. Similar to Dastkar, this is a project that provides local women an opportunity to earn income by producing crafts. Items can also be purchased online from the website. 
• Ranthambhore School of Art, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. An NGO founded by M. D. Parashar, you can buy paintings of tigers produced by the founder. 

Eat

Budget

• Manisha Restaurant, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone]. Vegetarian café popular with the locals. Mains: ₹80-160. 

Mid-range

• Ranthambhore Chokhi Dhani, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone]. Popular for daal baht. 

Splurge

• Restaurant @ The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone]. 

Drink

Almost every hotel and restaurant serves alcohol and coffee.

There are also several alcohol stores on ranthambhore road near the hotels.

Sleep

Many hotels are located on the edge of the city on Ranthambhore Road. Safari operators will pick up from these hotels by jeep for visits to Ranthambore. It is best to book online on local indian websites like goibibo, which include more hotels and often much cheaper rates.

Budget

• Ankur Resort, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 40 cottages and 20 rooms. Popular with tour groups. ₹1,600. 
• Pink palace, right after the "T" shaped overpass south west of the train station. asking 800 for clean AC double rooms. IT's actually in the city which might be a plus.
• Green Valley Ranthambore, Ranthambore Road, ☎ [phone]. Cheaper rates can usually be found online, making this one of the cheapest hotels in the area. Single ₹2,000-2,500; double ₹2,500-3,000. 
• Hammir Wild Life Resort, Ranthambore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Basic hotel. Double ₹1,800-3,500. 
• RTDC Hotel Vinayak, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Operated by the Rajasthani government. Basic but well-priced hotel. Single ₹1,600 in offseason, ₹2,300 in high season; double ₹2,600 in offseason, ₹2,990 in high season. 

Mid-range

• Jhoomar Baori Castle, Ranthambhore Road, e-mail: [e-mail]. Former summer rest house of Jaipur rulers. Operated by the Rajasthani government. From ₹3,600. 
• Jungle Niwas, Village Sherpur, Khiljipur, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Luxury tents. Off the beaten path and a bit harder to find. Single ₹6,700; double ₹7,700. 
• Mountain View, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Swimming pool. Friendly staff. Single ₹3,300-4,300; double ₹3,500-4,500, breakfast included. 
• Pugmark Resort, Village Khilchipur Ranthambhore (Next to the Nahargarh Ranthambhore), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Nice setting with a pool, but the rooms are dated. Single ₹7,500; double ₹8,500. 
• Raj Palace Ranthambore, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Swimming pool. ₹3,000. 
• Ranthambore Forest Resort, Ranthambhore Road (Near Vivekanandapuram Colony), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Friendly and welcoming; good Indian food in the restaurant. ₹7,800. 
• Ranthambore Haveli, Ranthambore Road (Opposite FCI Godown), ☎ [phone]. Built to resemble an old hunting lodge. 
• Ranthambhore Regency, Ranthambore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Great rooms, décor, food, and service. Single ₹6,500; double ₹7,500. 
• Sanctuary Resort, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. ₹2,500-5,000. 

Splurge

• 🌍 Aman-i-Khás, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone]. Luxurious tents, with a private butler to assist you. Very expensive. From ₹60,000. (updated Apr 2019)
• Anuraga Palace, A Treehouse Palace Hotel, Ranthambhore Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Daily music and dancing. Great service. From ₹11,500. 
• Nahargarh Ranthambhore, Village Khilchipur, Ranthambhore Road (Just northeast of Sawai Modhopur, 8 km west from Ranthambore), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Single ₹9,300-13,300; double ₹10,800-18,000. 
• Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore Road. 25 tents with tiger motifs. From ₹38,500. 
• Sher Bagh Resort, e-mail: [e-mail]. Luxurious tented camp designed to mirror the experiences that 19th-century princes had while on safari. From ₹36,000. 
• Vivanta By Taj Sawai Madhopur, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. It was built in the 1920s as a hunting lodge for the Maharaja of Jaipur. Art deco style. 12 acres of gardens. 

Connect

Almost every hotel in Sawai Madhopur offers free Wi-Fi access.

Go next

• Ranthambore
• Kota
• Jaipur
• Bharatpur
• Ajmer
• Delhi
• Agra
• Mumbai