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Jaipur to Kumbhulgarh 11/30/09 Drive to Kumbhulgarh (700 Kms / 12 Hrs) from Delhi. Left at 8, short lunch, arrived just before 7 [next time, would be better to fly to Jodhpur ] . Up to Jaipur decent divided highways, good time to Jaipur in 3 hrs, then toll roads end and still good roads for awhile, finally 1000 km of construction – no shoulders, gravel or drop off, scattered workers every few km, 2 steam rollers. This took us thru the heart of India's marble industry - quarries, stone working and showrooms. Trucks with huge blocks of marble on board, challenged us on the narrow on 2 lane roads. The Indian driver's motto: “good horn, good brakes, good luck” We stayed at Club Mahindra Fort Kumbhulgarh 70km north of Udaipur, through a timeshare exchange. Beautiful setting, spread across the mountain slopes, many levels, all rooms with views across the Jarga range

12/01/09 We first visited the remote hilltop fort of KUMBULGARH, is the most formidable of the 32 constructed by Maharana Kumbha in the fifteenth century. Protected by a series of seven thick ramparts, it was only successfully besieged once, when a confederacy led by Akbar poisoned the Sisodias' water supply. Winding through a string of tribal villages and picturesque valleys, the Udaipur road alone more than repays the effort, and once you've reached the top of the range the views are superb.

The most memorable panorama of all is seen from the pinnacle of Kumbhulgarh palace open daily, with a small entrance fee. crowning the summit of the fort. No guide is needed as you wander through the series of gateways and residential quarters to the room where Udai Singh was raised by his nurse after fleeing Chittaurgarh in 1535, and the topmost Cloud Palace), restored and furnished by Udaipur's Fateh Singh in the early twentieth century. Rooms at the top palace all have murals of elephants along the bottoms of the walls – fighting crocodiles, buffalo, tiger and each other

From the rooftops, you gain views over the Jain and Hindu temples scattered across the plateau. The oldest are thought to date from the second century; the tombs of Kumbha (murdered by his eldest son) and his grandson Prithviraj (poisoned by his brother-in-law) stand to the east.

Lining the deep valley that plunges west from the fort down to the plains, the Kumbhulgarh Wildlife Sanctuary comprises a dense swathe of woodland that's a stronghold for wolves, leopards and panthers. It's possible to walk to Ranakpur temple from here, but a guide is needed as there are few trail markers.