The desolate environment can make for a harsh existence, but the sandy dunes reveal the passage of time in India, giving way to jungle, camels and wild tigers. Rajasthan remains the must-visit province for many people’s must-see destination, showcasing everything that a tourist could ever hope to see of India’s former opulence and current vibrancy. 

• Chittorgarh 

As the biggest fort complex in India, Chittorgarh towers above the plains, stretching for almost 6km, sheltered by cliffs rising 150m on either side. As a defensive site, it could not be better designed to withstand attacks, having done so three times – each time outlasting considerably more powerful aggressors. Now it stands as an artefact to classic Rajasthani romanticism. 

The Meera Temple Complex in Chittogarh [Flickr/pallab seth]

• Pushkar 

One of the dominant pilgrimage sites for Hindus, the most devout of which must pay a visit to it at least once in their lives, Pushkar winds dramatically around a lake renowned for its spiritual qualities. At certain times of the year, pilgrims throng to the site, filling the air with an incredible chorus of chanted prayers throbbing drums.

There is a famous camel train that’s worth a look, along with the town’s bazaar, which runs the entire length of the main street, selling every souvenir any tourist having a transcendental Indian experience could hope to buy. 

Diyas at Pushkar Lake [Flickr/Piyush Tank]

• The Pink City of Jaipur 

Sometimes nicknamed ‘the Paris of India’, the Rajasthan capital is more popularly known around the subcontinent as the Pink City. It’s gets this name from the 1878 visit of the Prince of Wales, when the entire city was painted in rosy hues, and many of its wide boulevards remain cheerily pink, lending the city’s architecture a heavenly aspect.

Of particular worth to visit is the City palace, the residence of the former royal family, the Jantar Mantar royal observatory, the stunning Hawa Mahal, and the Amber Fort, set in the dry hills surrounding the country.

The palace of winds, the Hawa Mahal [Flickr/georges]

• Ranthambore National Park 

About 130km southeast of Jaipur is Ranthambore, one of India’s largest national parks. What was once the personal game reserve and hunting ground of the maharaja has become a huge animal preserve, dotted with wetlands across its 320 square kilometres.

The park is best known for its tigers, which can be observed and photographed even during daytime as they go about their business of hunting as nature’s finest predators and raising their families, amid the ruins of former stately lodges that litter the park.

A tiger in Ranthambore National Park [Flickr/amit.rawal]

• Jaisalmer 

Leave behind the husky pinks of Jaipur and the lush greens of Rainthambore to pay a visit to the Golden City, a huge castle rising above the sandy plains surrounded by a timeless desert and plenty of camels. A stunning sandcastle citadel, it has become very commercialised, packed with bazaars and traders relishing the opportunity to take a tourist’s rupee, but you’ll be so charmed by the landscape you won’t really mind. 

Jaisaler's sandstone citadel [Flickr/Olivier SIMARD]

On Tuesday's The Right Hook, travel writer Manchán Magan revealed his version of Rajasthan's treasures to George. Listen back to the podcast below: