Weekend getaway from Jaipur · #6 of 10
Alwar & Sariska
Tiger safaris in Sariska's Aravalli forests (reserve closed Wednesdays), boating below the 1845 Siliserh Lake Palace, and Alwar's City Palace. Quieter than Ranthambore, with easier weekend safari permits.
Alwar bundles a palace city, a lake with a hilltop hunting palace, and Sariska Tiger Reserve - the first reserve in the world to successfully relocate tigers - into one green Aravalli pocket under 3 hours from Jaipur. It is the low-key alternative to Ranthambore: fewer visitors, easier safari permits, and boating and palaces between drives.
Getting there
Sariska gate is about 110 km from Jaipur, Alwar city about 150 km. Trains also run Jaipur to Alwar in about 2.5 hours.
Day 1 - Saturday
Alwar's palaces and Siliserh Lake- 16:30 AMDrive
Drive Jaipur to Alwar
About 3 hours through the Aravalli countryside via Shahpura, passing the Sariska forest en route to the city.
- 29:45 AMSight
Alwar City Palace and museum
Raja Bakhtawar Singh's 1793 palace mixes Rajput and Islamic styles around marble pavilions on lotus bases; the upper-floor museum keeps royal manuscripts, arms and miniatures.
📍 City Palace, Alwar
Tip · Government offices occupy the lower halls - weekdays are busy, weekends calmer.
- 311:15 AMSight
Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri
The double-storey sandstone-and-marble cenotaph behind the palace tank, raised for Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh and Rani Moosi; carved ceilings and tank-side symmetry.
📍 Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri, Alwar
- 412:30 PMFood
Lunch in Alwar
Alwar's claim to sweet fame is kalakand, milk-cake invented here; have it after a simple thali in the Hope Circus market area.
📍 Hope Circus, Alwar
- 52:00 PMActivity
Siliserh Lake and Lake Palace
A forest-ringed lake 15 km from town, with the 1845 hunting palace Maharaja Vinay Singh built for Queen Shila (now an RTDC hotel) above it. Boating, jet-ski rides, winter waterbirds and basking crocodiles.
📍 Siliserh Lake, Alwar
Tip · Keep to the boats and terraces - the crocodiles are real.
- 64:30 PMDrive
Drive to the Sariska gate
About 36 km back along the forest road to the lodges clustered near the reserve entrance at Thanagazi.
- 75:30 PMStay
Check in near the reserve
Resorts and camps sit just outside the gate; confirm your morning safari pickup time when you check in.
📍 Sariska, Alwar
- 88:00 PMFood
Dinner under the Aravalli sky
Lodge buffets and bonfires; Sariska's countryside is dark enough for genuine starfields on clear winter nights.
📍 Sariska, Alwar
Day 2 - Sunday
Sariska safari and the forest road home- 96:00 AMActivity
Sariska jeep safari
Three hours in scrub-thorn and dry deciduous forest tracking relocated-and-thriving tigers (around 30 now), leopards, hyenas, sambar and peafowl; deep routes pass the remote Kankwari Fort.
📍 Sariska Tiger Reserve, Alwar
Tip · The reserve is closed on Wednesdays; book the safari slot with your lodge or on the state wildlife portal.
- 109:30 AMFood
Breakfast at the lodge
Back from the drive for parathas and chai; check out and load up.
📍 Sariska, Alwar
- 1110:45 AMSight
Bhartrihari Temple
Shrine of the ascetic-king Bhartrihari on the forest fringe near Sariska; a beloved regional pilgrimage stop with a big annual fair.
📍 Bhartrihari Temple, Alwar
- 1212:00 PMSight
Garbhaji Falls (seasonal)
A short detour to a rock cascade that runs after the monsoon - a favourite of photographers and picnicking families. In dry months, skip and linger over lunch instead.
📍 Garbhaji Falls, Alwar
- 131:00 PMFood
Dhaba lunch on the Jaipur road
A last dal-baati or thali stop at the Thanagazi-Shahpura dhabas before the highway.
📍 Thanagazi
- 142:00 PMDrive
Drive back to Jaipur
About 2.5 hours home through the hills; you will be back well before dinner.
Where to eat
The milk-cake this city invented; buy it fresh from the old-town sweet shops around Hope Circus.
The Rajasthani classic, standard at Sariska camps after the morning drive.
When to go
Prime season: crisp safaris, waterbirds on Siliserh, comfortable sightseeing.
Hot, but dry-season waterhole sightings are at their best for cats.
Hills green up and Garbhaji Falls runs; check safari zone status before going.
Good to know
- Sariska is closed on Wednesdays - do not build the safari around one.
- Alwar's Bala Qila fort entry has been intermittently closed to tourists; check status locally before adding it.
- Carry ID for safari permits, and cash for boating tickets at Siliserh.
