Jaipur: Stepwell, Amber, Jaigarh, Nahargarh Forts by Jeep

A jeep, because the forts are on hilltops

Amber sits on a ridge, Jaigarh above it, Nahargarh on the next hill along. The roads between them are steep and rough in places, and a jeep gets you to all three in a day with the sides open.

Amber Fort

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, begun 1592 by Raja Man Singh on the hillside above Maota Lake.

The Ganesh Pol gateway, the Sheesh Mahal where convex mirror fragments set into the ceiling turned a single candle into a sky of stars, the water-cooled Sukh Niwas, and the zenana courtyard with its twelve separate queens' apartments.

Panna Meena ka Kund

Just below: a 16th-century stepwell with criss-crossing symmetrical staircases dropping eight storeys to the water. Built so the village could reach water in any season, several degrees cooler at the bottom than at the top, and almost always quiet because the coaches do not stop.

You cannot descend to the water; do not try.

Jaigarh

On the ridge above Amber, connected by a tunnel the royal family could use to escape. It was the arsenal rather than a residence, which is why Jaivana is still standing on its bastion up there — the largest wheeled cannon ever cast, fired exactly once, in a test.

The views down over the Amber complex are the best there are.

Nahargarh

The north-west ridge fort, built in 1734 to watch the approach to Jai Singh's new city. The whole grid of the walled city lies out below, and at sunset the sandstone goes deep orange while the streetlights come on beneath you.

Seven options

From an Amber-only guided walk without the jeep, up through combinations of the three forts and the stepwell, to a full day with the city's main attractions — and a night jeep safari for the lit city, which is the pick in high summer.

Practical

Entrance fees are paid at each fort. The ridge is windy and cools fast after dark from November to February; bring a layer.