[sanemane]

This trip had been in the planning stages for a long time. After our Kerala trip three years ago, my wife (Varsha) and I wanted to explore a northern state. Rajasthan was the obvious choice, packed with places to visit and promising a longer adventure. However, for one reason or another, the plan kept getting postponed. Finally, in March 2025, the time had come.

The Travelers:

Sandip - 34 years
Varsha - 33 years
Viaan - 6 years

The Ride:

VW Jetta 2.0 TDI - 2016

Pre-Trip Checklist:

- Car maintenance check
- Window tint - Stek Action 80
- Sufficient FASTag balance
- Stock up on snacks and water

The Journey

Day 1: Pune to Ujjain

Our journey began on March 21, 2025, heading towards Ujjain. Heavy truck traffic persisted until we crossed Dhule, with roads in average condition.
The stretch through Madhya Pradesh was decent until Indore; beyond that, it was smooth sailing with minimal traffic.
It took us 12 hours, including breaks, starting at 4:15 AM and reaching Ujjain by 4:30 PM.

A quick stop at the Godavari River en route:

Day 2: Ujjain to Udaipur

On March 22, we set off at 7:00 AM, reaching Udaipur by 1:30 PM via Neemuch. The roads were mostly good with light traffic, except for a 20-30 km stretch through small villages that was single-lane.

The city of lakes:

Day 3: Udaipur - Ajmer - Jaipur

We departed at 8:00 AM on March 23, reaching Ajmer by 2:00 PM. The highway was a dream to drive on, so smooth that it's easy to rack up overspeeding fines.
Speed limit signs were small and scattered. After a visit to Ajmer Dargah, we resumed our journey at 4:30 PM, arriving in Jaipur by 8:00 PM.

Welcome to Ajmer

Day 4: Jaipur

March 24 was all about exploring Jaipur and taking a break from daily driving.

Day 5: Jaipur to Bikaner

On March 25, we started early at 7:00 AM with a stop at Shree Khatu Shyam Temple. It was unexpectedly overcrowded, so we had a quick mukhdarshan and left by 11:30 AM, reaching Bikaner at 4:30 PM. The roads were fantastic. Unfortunately, we didn’t anticipate the early closing time of the Bikaner Fort, which was a disappointment.

Bikaner Fort:

Day 6: Bikaner to Jaisalmer

Originally, we had planned a two-night stay in Jaisalmer but decided to cover it in one day and start our return the next day. We left Bikaner at 6:00 AM, took a scenic route avoiding major cities, and reached Tanot by 1:00 PM.
Most of this route is built by BRO and was in excellent condition, with just a few rough patches.

From Tanot, we visited Longewala, just 30 km away, which took only 20 minutes thanks to the great roads. From there, it was another 1 hour 15 minutes to Jaisalmer.

Tanot:


Longewala:


Driving through a small sandstorm:

Day 7: Jaisalmer to Surat

March 26 marked the start of our return journey, with no sightseeing planned. We left at 5:00 AM, and as soon as we exited Rajasthan, we started missing its well-maintained highways. Gujarat had bypass roads, but they weren’t sufficient, traffic was heavy, and some expressways led straight into city congestion, making the drive exhausting.

Day 8: Surat to Pune (via Mumbai)

On March 27, we decided to take the Mumbai route to explore this stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral, which turned out to be a mistake. The traffic was relentless from Surat to Mumbai, and it took us 9 hours to cover 400 km, with 3 hours spent crawling through just 50 km near Mumbai. This made me realize that Mumbai needs a ring road pretty badly.

Golden Quadrilateral goes through Mumbai:

Expenses summary:

Total distance: 3550 kms
Fuel (Diesel): 22,000 rupees
Toll: 4225 rupees

Q&A:

Was travelling to Rajasthan in March a bad idea?
No, in fact, Rajasthan was cooler than Maharashtra and Gujarat. We had to turn off the AC in hotels at night and use hot water showers. The car's AC was kept at 22-24 degrees throughout the trip, but on the return journey, we had to lower it to 20 degrees while driving through Gujarat.

[Utopian]

Amazing travelogue. Surat to Mumbai / Nashik to Mumbai and vice-versa both these routes are left avoided at any point of time. Once you are close to the Mumbai, the traffic crawls, sand blows everywhere.

Jetta looks regal in all the pictures you have taken. Brings us back to the times of Jetta and Passat. Weather surely has been a whirlwind this time. In Delhi as well, the weather has become cooler especially, in the evenings, we are although not complaining.

[sanemane]

Originally Posted by Utopian

Jetta looks regal in all the pictures you have taken. Brings us back to the times of Jetta and Passat.

Thank you so much! I guess the black wheels are suiting the brown shade much better than the stock ones.

I had a change of color planned but after changing the alloy wheels, even I am confused about it. Hence, postponed that plan until I make a firm decision.

[Bimmerhead557]

Originally Posted by sanemane

Thank you so much! I guess the black wheels are suiting the brown shade much better than the stock ones.

I had a change of color planned but after changing the alloy wheels, even I am confused about it. Hence, postponed that plan until I make a firm decision.

Could you please share the details of where you got those alloys from, what brand are they and the price?

Thanks in advance!

[antz.bin]

I was at Tanot/Longewala a day after you. Though we didn't drive there ourselves.

It was a great time to visit. Unexpectedly cool weather. It cooled down to 14°C on that night in the dunes.

You should've spent more time in Jaisalmer, we stayed there for the entirety of our 3 day trip. It's really one of the most beautiful places I have been to. Right up there with Kashmir of old.

Unrelated question: Where did you get that sun films installed in Pune?

[sanemane]

Originally Posted by Bimmerhead557

Could you please share the details of where you got those alloys from, what brand are they and the price?

I got them from a dealer in Bangalore. Got them for 56k rupees. Not sharing the dealer name because the experience was not good.

Here are details about the wheel (Rapidash is sub brand of GTR Pro.) The bore size is wrong in following photo, the actual bore size is: 66.45

Originally Posted by antz.bin

Where did you get that sun films installed in Pune?

I had contacted Stek India, they connected me with Autoz Ville, Baner.

[Bimmerhead557]

Originally Posted by sanemane

I got them from a dealer in Bangalore. Got them for 56k rupees. Not sharing the dealer name because the experience was not good.

Here are details about the wheel (Rapidash is sub brand of GTR Pro.) The bore size is wrong in following photo, the actual bore size is: 66.45.

First of thanks for sharing the details of the alloys. I understand that you did not have a good experience with the dealer but a friend of mine really needs those alloys (who happens to own a Jetta and a BMW F30), so it will be very kind of you if you could share the contact of the dealer. If you know any other store/dealer who sells the same alloys, their contact details will also do.

Regards
Moloy

[sanemane]

Originally Posted by Bimmerhead557

So it will be very kind of you if you could share the contact of the dealer. If you know any other store/dealer who sells the same alloys, their contact details will also do.

Regards
Moloy

Firstly, these are really rare, I was looking out for them for months, and was lucky to get them.

I got them from "Waseem - ASW Automotive" from Bangalore
1. He gave me wrong hub rings
2. Gave me invoice of 20k for actual amount of 56k
3. No support for hub rings exchange so I had to buy new ones at extra cost

I would suggest you get them from "Ministry of alloy wheels":
https://www.instagram.com/ministryof...Iwbm5nY2kzbQ==