The Forts of Rajasthan 3: The Amber Fort and the Tiger Fort, Jaipur

We booked a car through the hotel to explore the Amber (Amer) Fort and the Tiger (Nahargarh) Fort in Jaipur, which cost us 1,200 rupees (£12.83).

The car picked us up about 1pm and although the Amber Fort was only a short distance from the city, it took nearly an hour to get there due to the busy traffic. The fort dominates the hillside and is very impressive from below.

The Amber fort is a UNESCO world heritage site, one of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan. It is located high on a hill about 11km from Jaipur and is laid out on four levels. The building is constructed from red sandstone and marble and combines both Hindu and Muslim architecture.

It took about ten minutes to walk from the road to the fort. Along the route, there were a lot of people begging, including some very young children and women with babies. As we walked up, I passed a naked toddler scavenging amid the rubble and eating stones which was heart breaking to see.

(To help street children in India, please consider making a donation to The Railway Children: https://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/)

The first part of the fort is the main courtyard, the Jaleb Chowk, where there were stalls selling drinks and ice cream. The ticket office is located in the courtyard and admission was 500 rupees each.

I was particularly impressed with the gardens and the mirror palace, the Sheesh Mahal. It was the nicest fort we went to in India and I think more magnificent than either the Red Fort or the Agra Fort. It was certainly worth visiting.

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We were then driven to Tiger (Nahargarh) Fort, which was also up on the hillside with panoramic views of Jaipur. It made you realise how big and industrial the city is (the pink part is tiny in comparison). Nahargarh Fort is linked to the Jaigarh Fort by a long wall and the three forts formed a strong defence for the city.

There was a sculpture exhibition at the fort so there was modern art scattered around the complex which was fun. The roof terrace provided great views of the city but beware the Macaque monkeys patrolling, just waiting to snatch your bag or bottles of water.

At the Tiger Fort there was also a medieval step well which was pretty interesting. We left just as people were arriving to watch the sunset.

We saw lots of camels as we drove back through the city, mostly working camels pulling wagons full of produce, but some were also giving rides to tourists down near the lake.

During our time in Rajasthan, in October 2018, we visited four forts. You can read about the others here:

• The Red Fort, Old Delhi
• The Agra Fort, Agra