Jaipur: Amber & Jaigarh Forts Private Half-Day Tour

Two forts on the same ridge, and the tunnel between them

Amber was the palace. Jaigarh, directly above it, was the arsenal — and they are connected by a tunnel the royal family could use if the lower fort fell. Doing both in one half day is the right pairing, and most tours only do the first.

Amber Fort

Begun in 1592 by Raja Man Singh, on a hill above Maota Lake, in pale sandstone and marble. The view of it rising above the water from the road below is the postcard.

Inside: Jaleb Chowk, the parade courtyard where returning armies were reviewed. The painted Ganesh Pol gateway, with a screened gallery above from which the women of the court watched arrivals unseen. The Sheesh Mahal, set with thousands of convex mirror fragments so that one candle read as a ceiling of stars. And the Sukh Niwas, cooled by water running in channels through the marble.

The zenana courtyard held twelve queens' apartments, arranged so that none overlooked another.

Jaigarh Fort

Up on the ridge, and a completely different building — military rather than residential, with 3 km of walls and almost no decoration.

It holds Jaivana, cast here in 1720 and the largest wheeled cannon ever made: a barrel over six metres long, on a carriage that took four elephants to turn. It was fired exactly once, in a test, and the ball is said to have travelled 35 kilometres.

The fort also has the water system that supplied Amber — enormous underground tanks, which is where the legend of hidden Kachwaha treasure comes from.

The views down over the Amber complex from up here are the best there are.

Practical

Five hours with a private car, driver and English-speaking guide, from your hotel.

Real climbing at both forts on uneven stone — flat shoes.

Entrance fees are paid at each gate. Jaigarh is a small separate ticket and it is worth it.