Perfect getaway place. The hosts were present as well and very gracious. They talked to us about the history of the place and their family heritage, which the fort.

We spent our morning running along the nearby dam as well as around the lake. In the evening we would visit the lake, the nearby village or stay in the fort itself. We stayed in the rooms versus the tents. The rooms were comfortable to sta in. We would have also stayed in the tents if they were not all booked already.

The food was amazing. Best home cooked and healthy food.

Great place to go and find peace.

During a recent trip to India, my husband and I had the good fortune to be booked at Fort Ramathra. Sita Travel was handling our land arrangements and when I saw Fort Ramathra on the itinerary, I asked "why." The reply was that we would need a break from big, congested cities. Thank goodness we agreed to its inclusion as we did, indeed, need a break from cities and it was a real highlight of our trip. Just driving through the countryside to get there was fascinating - as our driver said,. "the real India." And then we arrived at this exquisite "castle" - surrounded by beautiful gardens. We were welcomed with cold drinks and then shown to our room (suite) which included an outdoor bathtub overlooking the countryside below. In the evening the sky went dark (no electricity in the nearby village) and the jackals howeled-we were truly "away from it all.:" But we were hardly "roughing" it as the "castle" had all amenities and we had drinks and dinner in the garden with candle and starlight. Our only complaint was that we weren't able to stay for more than one night-two should be the minimum.

We have just returned from the Ramathra Fort which was stunning - they have only 6 tents and 6 rooms and 15 staff, all trained from the village and no one brought in from the city. The food is all organic grown on their own farm and even the fish is from the lake nearby. For as far as the eye can see, there is no construction and only green fields and trees and the bird life is enormous. The Bar Headed geese which is a rare species can be spotted here and we were lucky to see five during our hour long boat ride. Most of all, the husband and wife are your personal hosts and that is very special.

I think this is one of the hidden secrets and we at Ibex Expeditions look forward to offering this to our guests travelling in Rajasthan and enjoying all things natural.

Many thanks Ravi and Gitanjali.

Anita & Mandy

Ibex Expeditions, India (www.ibexexpeditions.com)

They say the best things in life are the most difficult to get and getting to Ramathra Fort is a taxing journey with an amazing reward at the end of the line.
We started out for Ramathra Fort from Agra. At the rest stop on the highway between Agra and Jaipur, our driver told us we still had another three hours to go and it would be very uncomfortable. As we headed off the beaten track, we were thrown around, bumped up and down and then had a very tricky period of getting around a truck on a road barely built for one vehicle. A final bumpy ride up a narrow road brought us to the fort and we realized the tough journey was worth it.
Ramathra Fort was given as a fiefdom by the Maharajah of Kaurali to his son Thakur Bhoj Pal in the 16th century. Today his descendant, Ravi, and his wife, Gitanjali, run a 12-room hotel in the fort, which they opened four years ago.
On our visit in October we were the only guests of the fort.
For me the really amazing thing was sitting on the rampart of the fort, looking out into the Rajashtani valley and not seeing anyone for miles. Imagine, you are in India with its 1 billion-plus population and finding a place so isolated.
The night sky is a treat with all the stars like a carpet above you.
The meals, while simple, were excellent and traditional fare of the region. Both Ravi and Gitanjali sat with us and we talked about practically everything under the sun. It was a nice break during a hectic trip across India.
Word of note, if you can't live without your TV or Internet, this isn't the place for you. If you want a complete escape you couldn't ask for a more perfect spot.